Cowboys Off-season days 1-3

The Cowboys were definitely making moves that's for damn sure. Whether they were good moves or not is up to us and the general public to decipher. But regardless, Jerry was active in the past 3 days acquiring and selling players.

Main headline: Dallas immediately addressed the defensive front.

• The Cowboys traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers.

• Compensation: 2027 4th-round pick.

• Gary gives Dallas a proven pass rusher to help rebuild the defense.

Other key moves around Day 1

• Signed safety Jalen Thompson (3 years, $36M) from the Arizona Cardinals.

• Re-signed edge Sam Williams to a 1-year deal.

• Added depth pieces including PJ Locke and Otito Ogbonnia.

👉 Early theme: defense, especially pass rush and secondary.

Day 2 – Clearing Draft Capital

Dallas made another notable move involving the defensive line.

• Traded DT Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers.

• Return: 2026 third-round pick (No. 92).

Why it mattered

• Dallas had traded away earlier Day-2 picks in previous deals.

• This move restored a Day-2 selection for the upcoming draft.

Day 3 – More Roster Shuffling

Additional smaller moves and draft news came out:

• Cowboys received two compensatory 5th-round picks for the 2026 draft.

• They also made another defensive-line trade involving Solomon Thomas and swapped late-round picks.

🧠 Big Picture After 3 Days

Strategy so far:

1. Rebuild the defense

   • Rashan Gary trade

   • Jalen Thompson signing

2. Re-stock draft capital

   • Osa Odighizuwa trade for a 3rd-round pick

   • Compensatory picks added

3. Keep core offensive pieces

   • Earlier offseason moves included tagging WR George Pickens and re-signing RB Javonte Williams.

✅ Overall grade after 3 days (league consensus):

• Aggressive but balanced — improving defense while recovering draft picks.

Ever so slightly disappointed with the way its going so far. Dallas let a bunch of big name players like Dean and Greenard slip through them while linebacker is one of its core needs. The draft seems an unlikely avenue to pursue a LB. Letting Osa go to San Fran for a measly 3rd round pick is something I don't agree with. But no detrimental moves being made just yet, so pump the brakes on the extremist talks.

Maybe they are catering to what Parker wants out of his defense, less big name guys and more players with potential he can open up, but would like to see Dallas treat free agency like they do the draft. The biggest thing for me would be is that the Dallas Cowboys just had the worst defense in franchise history, they aren't treating the free agency as such.