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Cowboys, Packers among seven handcuffed teams heading into NFL free agency, draft
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- Cowboys, Packers among seven handcuffed teams heading into NFL free agency, draft
Quite a few NFL teams are maxed out this year.
Not Maxxed out , like the Baltimore Ravens , who will soon be enjoying the services of Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby . Not, well, Maxx out, like the Las Vegas Raiders , who now have two first-round draft picks in 2026 (and 2027) and scads of salary cap space . But maxed out, i.e. they don't appear to have the cap resources to sign or trade for a player of Crosby's caliber this week as NFL free agency kicks into high gear – the negotiating window for players on expiring deals set to open at noon ET on March 9, while trades and new contracts can officially be executed once the league's new year officially begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11.
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Furthermore, some teams not only lack spending bandwidth but also – at this point – appreciable draft capital. (But you never know, two apparently resource-deficient squads – the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears – agreed to a trade of WR DJ Moore that improved the Bills' roster and the Bears' draft outlook .)
Here are seven teams that seem to be in a serious bind in 2026 when it comes to trying to keep up with the Ravens (and even the Raiders ) in terms of trying to upgrade their existing rosters (salary cap projections courtesy of Over The Cap ):
OFFSEASON CHAMPS? Maxx Crosby-less Raiders, 6 other NFL squads could make big gains in free agency, draft
Atlanta Falcons
They're about to jettison QB Kirk Cousins , which could further exacerbate their issues behind center − unless new team president Matt Ryan can pull a Philip Rivers in September − given injured Michael Penix Jr. (knee surgery) may not be ready to play when the 2026 season starts. Otherwise? Ryan and new coach Kevin Stefanski currently have only about $8 million in cap space and as weak a draft position as any organization in 2026 – just five selections, none among the first 47, after trading their first-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams during last year's draft.
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Dallas Cowboys
Owner Jerry Jones recently said, "I can see us being aggressive in free agency." As he does. Yet "America's Team" is currently locked into a $27 million franchise tag with WR George Pickens – even though giving him an extension would free up room. But these are Jones' Cowboys, and − as things stand now − they basically have no cap room, already forced into a series of contractual restructures for their stars in order to shoehorn Pickens' tag under the cap. And while Dallas does own two first-round draft picks this year, one courtesy of last year's infamous Micah Parsons trade , the Cowboys' third selection of the 2026 draft is currently slotted in the middle of Round 4 – the trade for Quinnen Williams sending their second-rounder to the New York Jets and the Pickens deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming at the expense of this year's third-rounder.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 28: Xavier McKinney #29 of the Green Bay Packers tackles George Pickens #3 of the Dallas Cowboys in the end zone allowing a touchdown during the fourth quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Detroit Lions
Draft-wise, they're in the middle of the pack, though lack a third-rounder due to a previous deal with the Jaguars . Roster-wise, they don't have much cap space even as they part with former linchpins like RB David Montgomery and LT Taylor Decker . And with extending RB Jahmyr Gibbs ' contract a priority, GM Brad Holmes may not have much financial flexibility for many consequential veteran pick-ups in 2026.
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Green Bay Packers
They got Parsons, and hopefully he'll be ready to play by opening day as he continues to recover from last season's torn ACL. But the Pack doesn't have a first-round pick – or a selection among the top 51 – after spending it to get the pass rusher. GM Brian Gutekunst also has no free agency spending power ahead of the market's opening.
Indianapolis Colts
Even as he offloads players like LB Zaire Franklin , GM Chris Ballard is basically in a race against the clock to run it back – at least the early stages of the 2025 season. QB Daniel Jones is currently saddled with a $37.8 million transition tag. Barring a new deal for him in the coming days, it's going to be tough for the cap-strapped Colts to re-sign deep threat WR Alec Pierce , too. Indy also has no first-round pick, spending it at last year's trade deadline for CB Sauce Gardner . Simply achieving something close to a status quo will be quite a high hurdle for Ballard to clear.
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Jacksonville Jaguars
They pulled off the shocker of the 2025 draft , trading up to No. 2 overall for WR/CB Travis Hunter . ( Oops? ) But that means the defending AFC South champs have no first-rounder this year, nor a slot among the draft's top 55. Second-year GM James Gladstone is also tight against the cap yet on the verge of losing LB Devin Lloyd and RB Travis Etienne Jr. in free agency. The Jags were rumored to be among the suitors for Crosby, so maybe Gladstone has an ace up his sleeve. But hard to see him executing any big-ticket moves in 2026.
Minnesota Vikings
They've been in the process of shedding salary simply to become cap compliant ahead of the start of the new league year Wednesday afternoon. They essentially have a full draft – including the 18th overall pick … the slot reserved for the best team that didn't reach the playoffs during the previous season. The Vikes are also navigating their offseason with an interim general manager, Rob Brzezinski, in the aftermath of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's firing in late January. It should be noted that soon-to-be free agent QB Kyler Murray has been linked to the Twin Cities, and his guaranteed contractual offsets from the Arizona Cardinals mean the Vikings (or any team) could sign him for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL free agency, draft may not be kind to Cowboys, Packers, Lions
