When the Cowboys declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Leighton Vander Esch’s contract a few weeks ago, they ensured their 2018 first-round pick could hit unrestricted free agency in 2022 absent a new deal this year.
That decision upped the total number of players playing on expiring contracts this year to 34. Those 34 players are a motley crew of soon-to-be free agents.
All six players remaining from the 2018 draft class. Vander Esch’s declined option means he’ll be joining Connor Williams, Michael Gallup, Dorance Armstrong, and Dalton Schultz as players entering the final year of their rookie contracts.