The Cowboys will spend most of their offseason trying to fix a defense that ranked 30th in yards allowed and last in points allowed. But they want to keep at least two of the free agents they have on offense.
Wide receiver George Pickens and running back Javonte Williams were a big reason the Cowboys ranked second in yards and seventh in scoring on offense. Both are scheduled for free agency.
“Obviously, there’s guys that we want to keep from last year,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Tuesday, via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Whether it’s George Pickens or it’s Javonte, those are all guys that play into the free agency picture. We’ve got work to do on the defensive side of the ball. Whether that’s through free agency or the draft, there’s a lot of resources there that we can use to make our defense better.”
The Cowboys traded with the Steelers for Pickens, who had a career year with 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Cowboys have not met with Pickens’ representation yet, but could begin those discussions later this month at the Scouting Combine. It seems likely the team would use the franchise tag on Pickens if they can’t get him signed to a long-term deal before free agency begins.
“We won’t get into any details right now,” Jones said. “Certainly, we want George to be back here in Dallas, and we’ll certainly go from there.”
The Cowboys have begun discussions with Williams’ agent after the running back had a career year with 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. Williams signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cowboys last offseason and has earned a long-term contract with a bigger annual average.
“We’ve certainly visited with Javonte,” Jones said. “We haven’t had a lot of those visits. Most of those happen at the combine. Obviously, we still have some time before free agency starts. We’re always visiting the representatives about our players.”
