Dallas’s Thursday night loss against the Detroit Lions has plummeted their playoff odds, forcing fans to start looking to 2026. In doing so, it is hard not to notice a few recently-extended Cowboys who may be cut loose this offseason.
There is no doubt that this roster needs a shake-up in a few key areas; the issue is that they don’t necessarily have a ton of money to spend, especially after George Pickens gets paid.
Therefore, the team will have to get creative while also bolstering the necessary units.
Here, we’ll look at three of the players in question, what they’ve done in 2025, and why, despite being under contract, this could be their final season with a star on their helmets.
1. KaVontae Turpin: Mistakes, Mistakes, & More Mistakes
Somehow, in two weeks, All-Pro returner KaVontae Turpin was flagged for something you rarely see in two full years. Against both the Chiefs and Lions, Turpin called for a fair catch before taking off running, causing a flag to be thrown on him both times.
The mistakes by Turpin this year have been hard to watch; at times, he feels like the one guy you don’t want to touch the ball, because you just don’t know what will happen.
We’ve also seen, despite him being third in return yards, some regression on special teams. He just doesn’t look all that comfortable or confident in 2025.
Dallas extended him this offseason, but at 29 years old, it may be best to let that contract go and give the return duties and gadget role to a younger, cheaper, explosive option.
2. Markquese Bell: Defensive Back Struggles Badly After Extension
Let me first say, I have really liked Markquese Bell for a long time and had hoped that he would turn into something special.
Earlier this year, Dallas gave him a shot of confidence with a three-year extension worth up to $12M. Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out for the former Florida A&M defensive back.
The Cowboys gave him a shot against Jameson Williams on Thursday, and he got obliterated almost every time. Is that a fair matchup for Bell? Maybe not, but his role is supposed to be the hyper-athletic, play-him-anywhere DB.
PFF grades him as the 92nd safety in the league; the entire list is only 95 players long. Again, he’s a good dude who has certainly overachieved in Dallas, but you can’t keep paying him and playing him with how poorly he has performed.
3. Terence Steele: High-Cost Gamble Needs To End After 2025 Season
Lastly, we have Terence Steele, the Cowboys’ starting right tackle since essentially the 2020 NFL season. In December 2022, he tore his ACL and MCL in a major knee injury; not even a year later, Dallas gave him a five-year, $86M extension.
It was a huge gamble that banked on Steele returning to form. They tied themselves to him until 2028 without seeing him on the field after the injury.
I give him credit for how he has rebounded, and he certainly has seen some decent highs since the new contract, but this year, above all else, has proven to me that they need to sever ties after the 2025 season.
Cutting Steele would save money, which Dallas desperately needs to do, and it would also open the door for a younger, higher-ceiling player to take over at right tackle. People tend to forget that Steele is already 28 years old, and he will be 29 before next season.
Guys like Ajani Cornelius and Nate Thomas (despite his poor TNF performance), or perhaps even a new rookie in 2026, will cost a heck of a lot less and may simply be better.
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