Taking a look at the top 10 Dallas Cowboys under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
The Dallas Cowboys continue to be in a battle with themselves. However, this isn’t to say that they are a poor team. The offense was on a roll this past season, while the defense was holding the team back, to put it lightly. They have the draft picks to improve the team quickly, but how does their roster look right now?
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Dallas Cowboys still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All Dallas Cowboys salary cap data below is accurate as of February 19th, 2026.
10 Best Dallas Cowboys Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Dallas Cowboys still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those who know ball, you will recognize that these are the team’s 10 best players and not just the players that journalism nerds think they need to talk about.
- Dak Prescott, QB ($74.1M)
- CeeDee Lamb, WR ($38.4M)
- Tyler Smith, G ($27.5M)
- Quinnen Williams, DL ($21.6M)
- Kenny Clark, DL ($21.5M)
- Osa Odighizuwa, DL ($20.8M)
- DaRon Bland, CB ($17.4M)
- Jake Ferguson, TE ($10.4M)
- Tyler Booker, G ($5.1M)
- Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE ($2.3M)
Highest Dallas Cowboys Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Dallas Cowboys’ salary cap in 2026. Obviously, contracts can be manipulated, and a player could be cut or traded as well. In the case of a release, we have listed a player’s dead cap. This is how much money they would count against the cap if they are cut from the team.
- QB Dak Prescott, $74.1M ($130M dead cap)
- WR CeeDee Lamb, $38.4M (68.8M)
- G Tyler Smith, $27.5M ($37.3M)
- DL Quinnen Williams, $21.6M ($5M)
- DL Kenny Clark, $21.5M ($0)
- DL Osa Odighizuwa, $20.8M ($32.8M)
- OT Terence Steele, $18.1M ($9.4M)
- CB DaRon Bland, $17.4M ($30.6M)
- TE Jake Ferguson, $10.4M ($9.6M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 53 | $99,041,638 | $535,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 60 | $52,745,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 54 | $40,994,285 | $6,469,150 |
| 10 | NE | 64 | $35,200,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 11 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 12 | ARI | 61 | $34,823,790 | $3,934,104 |
| 13 | ATL | 51 | $26,181,296 | $2,235,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 54 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 58 | $22,523,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 56 | $11,687,593 | $9,341,094 |
| 19 | PHI | 65 | $9,814,036 | $40,359,938 |
| 20 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 57 | -$5,387,142 | $20,922,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | JAX | 62 | -$9,166,552 | $42,000,184 |
| 26 | BUF | 63 | -$10,522,073 | $432,166 |
| 27 | CHI | 54 | -$10,688,349 | $542,995 |
| 28 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$31,529,252 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
