Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys ranked near top of NFL in available salary cap space

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 9:18 AM ET

Jerry Jones took a lot of criticism for trading Micah Parsons, but the Dallas Cowboys owner maintains it was the best call for the team as a whole.

Not only does he cite the two first-round picks that they added, but it’s freed up a lot of cap space. We can debate whether the draft picks were enough compensation, but it’s impossible to argue that Jones hasn’t put his team in good standing with the cap.

According to Spotrac, the Cowboys have $39 million in available cap space, which puts them at second in the NFL. Only the New England Patriots at $53 million are ahead of them.

Updated #NFL 2025 Cap Space
1. NE, $53M
2. DAL, $39M
3. DET, $31M
4. WSH, $31M
5. SF, $30M
...
30. KC, $2.6M
31. BAL, $2.5M
32. BUF, $764k

Current 2026 Leaders
1. TEN, $135M
2. LAC, $124M
3. LV, $116M
— Spotrac (@spotrac) September 10, 2025

The only question now is whether or not Jones plans on doing anything with that money.

Will Jerry Jones use Cowboys available cap space?

Fans shouldn’t get too fired up for outside help. Jones is going to use a hefty chunk of that money at some point, but it won’t be on any huge splurges.

While he teased using draft capital to add talent, it’s more likely that someone such as Jadeveon Clowney will be their big move.

Instead, look for them to extend Tyler Smith early, just as they didn’t with DaRon Bland. It might not sound flashy, but it’s a solid move and would be a great use of the available space.