5 Cowboys players who likely played their last snaps in Dallas

1. Byron Jones

Of the three big-name free agents that the Dallas Cowboys are potentially working to re-sign in the 2020 offseason — Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Byron Jones — Jones has long seemed like the one to be left out in the cold out of that group. That has nothing to do with his performance, especially as he’s thrived since being moved from safety to cornerback.

Instead, the reason Jones is the odd man in that equation is simply because of his price and the valuation of the other two players. Assuming Dallas believes Prescott is their guy, that’s the most important position on the field and they must retain him. Meanwhile, the front office traded a first-round pick for Cooper, so not re-signing him and giving up that pick for just 1.5 years of service would be bad business.

Subsequently, that leaves Jones, the former first-round pick himself out of UConn, as a player who would not be re-signed. It certainly helps that the Cowboys still have Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie at the position and could likely sign Anthony Brown to a modest contract as he becomes a free agent.

By no fault of his own, Jones appears to have played his last snaps with the Cowboys. He’ll almost surely get a huge payday in free agency and will likely be a great asset wherever he lands. But given Dallas’ financial constraints this offseason, they just can’t afford to be the ones who pay him that hefty sum.