FRISCO, Texas — On March 9, the NFL's legal tampering period will begin for pending free agents.
The Cowboys will have their fair share of free agents on the roster, which of course they can agree to terms with and sign at any time before that period.
From unrestricted free agents to restricted and exclusive rights free agents, Dallas has a lot of decisions to make over the next month when it comes to how they want to construct their roster for 2026, and even beyond.
With that, we'll examine each pending free agent on the Cowboys' current roster, starting with safety Juanyeh Thomas.
How He Got Here
The journey to get to this point in his career has been one filled with challenges, to say the very least. A Freshman All-American for Georgia Tech, the Florida native went on to have a very promising career for the Yellow Jackets, as both a returner and a safety but, despite that being true, Thomas went undrafted in 2022.
That's when he opted to sign with the interested Cowboys, but more work was to be done in his attempt to prove himself. He spent the entirety of his rookie season on Dallas' practice squad before finally getting an opportunity in 2023, active in 16 games with one start, ultimately going on to make waves for himself with his versatility and physicality heading into 2025.
What He Did in 2025
And then an even bigger challenge arose: migraines. Thomas entered this past season with a to of promise and plenty of expectations, but he'd finish with only seven games played and three starts (the latter being a career-high), the majority of his season derailed by migraines that suddenly began to plague him, and relentlessly.
In all, Thomas would produce at a solid level in the games played, but his return to the field during the back half of the season was short-lived, the migraines again sidelining him but, this time, landing him on season-ending injured reserve.
Why He Could Stay
As an exclusive rights free agent ahead of 2025, Thomas' rights were retained by the Cowboys to give him a chance to level up — prior to the aforementioned war with migraines — and the team still has a good bit of control over his contract this offseason. He enters this year's free agency as a restricted free agent, which allows him to negotiate with other teams, but Dallas has the right of first refusal.
There's a very good reason for Thomas to consider staying put, or rather, more than a few. First, Matt Eberflus is replaced by Christian Parker, a defensive backs guru who, to this point, has stacked the defensive coaching staff with new and fast-rising DB coaching talent. Additionally, with Donovan Wilson entering unrestricted free agency, there's a chance Thomas could see a lot more playing time in 2026, all while developing under Parker and Co. to reach his full potential.
Why He Could Leave
The only reason I could imagine Thomas leaving would be for the variable I just referenced: opportunity. If the 25-year-old feels there's more reps out there to be had for another team, it could entice him to take his ball and go home. The other side of that coin is a more obvious one, in that money will always be a part of the conversation for players looking to up their pay in a league that promises them nothing beyond the next play.
Thomas is young, talented and mostly an untapped player who also delivers big in spots on special teams. There are more than a handful of other clubs who'll likely have interest in him and/or he might have interest in, so his future will be determined by the Cowboys' outlook for him going forward and, of course, if he can put the migraines in his rear view — once and for all.
