3 Cowboys who could be salary cap casualties in 2025 offseason

These 3 Cowboys could be on the chopping block.
Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson
Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys are ready for some big changes under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. 

While he spent the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy, Schottenheimer has a different philosophy than his predecessor. He’s also bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Matt Eberflus, meaning both sides of the ball will be going through changes.

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Throw in a tight salary cap and there will be several players who could be in danger of losing their jobs. Here’s a look at three such Cowboys, who might no longer be in the plans.


Damone Clark, LB

Dallas Cowboys
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson runs for yards against Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

Added as a fifth-round pick in 2022 out of LSU, Damone Clark was seen as a low-risk/high-reward selection. A neck injury deterred several teams, leading to his slide.

Clark was expected to miss his rookie season but fought his way back and played 10 games. By year two, he was a fixture in the defense with 109 tackles.

This past season, however, he lost his starting job and had just 28 tackles. His snap count dropped from 784 to 163 and he became a fixture on special teams rather than the base defense. Unless Eberflus sees him as a starter, he’s likely on the way out — and would save the Cowboys more than $3.3 million if released.


Malik Hooker, Safety

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A first-round pick from Ohio State, Malik Hooker spent four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He signed in Dallas ahead of the 2021 campaign and just finished his fourth year with the Cowboys.

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Hooker has been a solid starter who excels as a single-high safety. With Eberflus taking over, the defense will be utilizing more split safeties, which makes Hooker easier to replace.

Due to count for $7.75 million against the cap in his final year, Hooker could become a casualty as the Cowboys clean up their books.


Donovan Wilson, Safety

Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass against the Washington Commanders. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

It’s hard to see Dallas paying for both Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson. If they decide to bring Hooker back, that could be an issue for Wilson, who is slated for $8.65 million this year.

As a post-June 1 cut, Wilson would save the Cowboys $7 million. That’s why he seems to be the one most likely headed elsewhere in 2025.

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Arizona State grad