Day 2 FA Roundup: Cowboys news & notes in free agency

Sam Howell, Cowboys agree to terms on one-year deal

9:00 p.m. — Through nearly two days of the NFL’s legal tampering period before free agency, the only additions that Dallas has made going into Tuesday night were on the defensive side of the ball.

Until now. The Cowboys have agreed to terms with former Eagles QB Sam Howell on a one-year deal, and the 25-year-old will now be on his third NFC East team in five seasons.

Should Howell end up putting pen to paper with Dallas, it’ll be the third NFC East team he’s played for in his young career. Howell was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Commanders, and even started and won his first NFL start against the Cowboys that year, and most recently played for the Philadelphia Eagles.

If Howell does end up with the Cowboys, Dallas will have four quarterbacks on the roster with Howell, Dak Prescott, Joe Milton, and Will Grier, signaling for a likely quarterback competition behind Prescott going into the offseason and training camp.

Cowboys, DT Otito Ogbonnia agree to 1-year deal

3:25 p.m. — In one of the more interesting moves thus far in 2026 NFL free agency, the Cowboys have agreed to terms with defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia, a true nose tackle making his way to Dallas by way of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Ogbonnia, 25, is a former fifth-round pick of the Chargers (2022) and a former Second-team All-Pac-12 talent (2021 out of UCLA. He becomes the newest Bruin to join the Cowboys’ defensive roster, joining both Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, and second-year talent Jay Toia in that regard – four of the team’s six defensive tackles hailing from that school.

Having spent the entirety of his rookie contract with the Chargers, this marks a true fresh start for Ogbonnia, and he doesn’t lack for experience. He boasts 20 starts in 41 active games throughout his first four NFL seasons, amassing 82 career tackles in the process, also a contributor on special teams (128 career special teams snaps) and will be viewed as an immediate upgrade over Perrion Winfrey, whom the Cowboys released ahead of free agency.

Cowboys add another safety in Denver’s Locke

2:50 p.m. — On Monday, the Cowboys agreed to terms on a three-year deal with safety Jalen Thompson, who has ties to Christian Parker’s staff as he played under secondary coach Ryan Smith with the Cardinals.

Now, Parker could be adding another familiar face to his secondary. The Cowboys are working to finalize a one-year deal with former Broncos safety P.J. Locke, the two having agreed to terms on Tuesday.

Locke, 29, has spent each of his six NFL seasons in Denver. From 2021-23, Locke played for Parker while Parker served as the Broncos’ defensive backs coach for three seasons. In their three seasons together, Locke played in 44 games and tallied 81 tackles, 6 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and an interception.

Now, the two could be reuniting in Dallas. Locke is a Texas native from Beaumont, Texas, and played college football at the University of Texas at Austin.

More cap space created by Clark’s restructure

2:13 p.m. — Entering free agency, the Cowboys had a lot of ways to free up cap space with some of the larger contracts that they currently have on the books. One of the areas that may be taking place is on the defensive line, where Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said at the NFL Combine that Dallas could move some space.

According to reports, the Cowboys will restructure DT Kenny Clark’s contract to free up roughly $8.8 million of cap space.

Now, eyes will move to what Dallas decides to do with the contracts of followed DTs Quinnen Williams and Osa Odighizuwa. Speaking to the local media on his bus in Indianapolis at the Combine, Jones made clear that moves like this one with Clark would be made in their defensive tackle room to give them more room against the cap.

“We’ll make the adjustments that you’d think we’d make and spread that out so we can get the players that we want to get, or that we’d like to get,” Jones said. “So yeah, it won’t end up that much counting this year as counting tonight.”

Hooker’s restructure locks up safety position?

11:08 a.m. — Most of the position on defense, aside from defensive tackle, have been up in the air as we enter free agency and safety was right at the top.

After one full day of free agency, the safety spot looks more clear now. Not only did the Cowboys agree on a deal with veteran Jalen Thompson on Monday, but they also made another surprising move and reworked the deal of Malik Hooker.

Some thought Hooker could be a cap-casualty and get released to save more on the cap. Instead, the two sides worked out an agreement to keep Hooker on the roster and still save about $2 million on the cap. He’s still counting about $6.5 million on the cap this year, which is the final year of his current deal.

For the Cowboys, they have a pair of veterans in Hooker, who turns 30 next month and Thompson, who will be 28 at the start of the season. Other safeties on the roster include Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark. The Cowboys have a pair of unrestricted free agents at safety in Donovan Wilson and Juanyeh Thomas, who have yet to sign or agree with any team.

With 4 UFA defensive ends, Williams first to agree

9:16 a.m. — The Cowboys closed the first day of free agency much like it started – agreeing to land a pass rusher. Sam Williams will return to the Cowboys on a 1-year deal after agreeing to a contract late Monday night. He’ll join Rashan Gary, who was traded to Dallas from Green Bay as one of the first moves Monday.

Williams, who will be 27 at the beginning of the 2026 season, was at the end of his rookie contract and now sticks with the Cowboys after playing in all 17 games for Dallas in 2025, starting five, and tallying 37 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and a sack.

He now gives the Cowboys five defensive end/pass rushers on the roster, along with Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, and Marist Liufau, who is being converted from inside linebacker to outside linebacker by Parker.

The Cowboys entered free agency with four defensive ends as UFA (unrestricted free agents) in Williams, Jadeveon Clowney, Peyton Turner, and Dante Fowler.