Story by
Cowboys shave $6.5M off cap, release former 3rd-round pick before FA
- Story by
- Cowboys shave $6.5M off cap, release former 3rd-round pick before FA
The Dallas Cowboys are not wasting any time now that their defensive coaching staff has been put in place. On Tuesday, they presented Christian Parker to the world, as the new defensive coordinator took the podium next to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. The folowing day, the Cowboys released their full list of coaches for the 2026 season , with the scouting combine set for next week and free agency not too far behind.
One would imagine the first job of the new staff is to review the personnel already on the roster, with the front office indicating which players they had earmarked for changes in status. That could range anywhere from extensions to release, and on Friday they made the first move; cutting a player. Linebacker Logan Wilson has been released.
The Cowboys acquired Wison from the Cincinnati Bengals at the trade deadline , the same day they acquired DT Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets . The need for Wilson was obvious, as the club was not getting the expected return out of Kenneth Murray , the former Tennessee Titan and Los Angeles Charger whom they had acquired via a separate trade back last spring.
Advertisement
But Wilson, who had fallen out of favor with the Bengals staff, a team that was competing with the Cowboys for the worst defense in recent NFL memory, did not make an impact in Dallas. The six-year veteran saw 224 snaps across seven games for Dallas, starting just one contest.
Cincinnati's third-round pick in 2020 out of Wyoming played extensively in the season finale, after the Cowboys had been eliminated from the playoffs, and turned in his best performance with a pressure and a pass deflection . But apparently Parker and new Inside Linebackers coach Scott Symons did not see any reason to convince the front office that he was worth the $6.5 million salary he was scheduled to make in 2026.
There was no guaranteed money left on Wilson's contract when he was acquired via the trade, which sent a seventh-round pick to the Bengals for the flyer.
The release moves the Cowboys closer to the projected salary cap limit of $303.5 million , which has yet to be finalized. With WIlson's hit removed, Dallas still has around $24.5 million worth of work to be done to be compliant by the start of the new league year.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys release LB Logan Wilson after deadline trade acquisition
