CBS Sports: Cowboys lose a staggering $105 million salary cap against Commanders In Week 12.
It is known that a portion of the $255.4 million salary cap for NFL teams in 2024 won’t be used on the field during any given week.
Players sustain injuries. They are suspended. For whatever reason, they are benched.
However, America’s Team will be missing a staggering amount of skill and money when the Dallas Cowboys take the field against the Washington Commanders in Week 12 of the NFC East Division.
On November 23, ESPN’s Todd Archer stated, “The Dallas Cowboys will be without more than $100 million of salary cap space when they take on the Washington Commanders because right guard Zack Martin and cornerback Trevon Diggs are ruled out of Sunday’s game due to injuries.” The Cowboys already have defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence ($20.4 million), wide receiver Brandin Cooks ($10 million), and quarterback Dak Prescott ($44.6 million) on injured reserve. Diggs counts $15.3 million and Martin counts $15.5 million against the cap.
With only those five players, the Cowboys will lose around $105.8 million in salary cap space against the Commanders, which is indicative of their 3-7 record following three straight seasons with a 12-5 record.
The Cowboys lost everything before the season began.
Both of the 2024 NFL offseason’s best and worst moves were running backs, and the Cowboys were involved in at least one of them. Their season might have been ruined there before it had even begun.
With the signing of free agent running back Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants for a three-year, $37.5 million deal, the Philadelphia Eagles advanced. Barkley is enjoying his best season, and the Eagles are currently winning six straight games and leading the NFC East.
Derrick Henry, a rushing back who lives in Dallas during the offseason and expressed a desire to play for the Cowboys despite the organization’s 2024 valuation of $11 billion, or almost $3 billion more than any other NFL team, may have been signed by the Cowboys in a similar manner.
Henry, who leads the NFL in touchdowns with 15, ultimately signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys signed running back Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year, $2 million contract because they wanted to work with a guy who had previously let them down with his lack of dedication and output.
Elliott has 179 running yards, two touchdowns, and an average of 3.3 yards per carry through nine games. Additionally, he received his first healthy scratch of his career after being suspended for disciplinary reasons during a Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Commanders After a Two-Game Loss Run
The Commanders have dropped to 7-4 after losing two straight games, but they have a rare chance to win at home against the Cowboys, where defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the team’s first-year head coach, has been for the past three seasons.
The poor defense of Dallas, which is rated 31st out of 32 NFL teams, allows about 29 points per game. For the first time since 2012, the Cowboys have also dropped five straight games.
Other than cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who will miss his fourth straight game due to a hamstring ailment and hasn’t played for the Commanders since they acquired him in a trade with the New Orleans Saints on November 5, the team doesn’t have any significant injury concerns.
