FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys and the rest of the NFL are past the first major wave of free agency. One of the more exhilarating times on the NFL calendar outside the regular season and postseason provided some considerable shakeups.
Unlike last offseason, the Cowboys were not complete bystanders this time around and made some additions to their roster. But they did not reel in any big fish either.
When they signed Osa Odighizuwa two weeks ago, many thought that return combined with the cap space the team kicked into place signaled a more aggressive Cowboys approach. Not necessarily.
But Dallas will still welcome some notable free agents to The Star next season. Having established this batch of players, the newbies (and some returners) got their jersey numbers for next season.
There are some of note. Juanyeh Thomas will don the No. 2 jersey in the secondary next season, taking over for Jourdan Lewis who wore it previously.
Newly signed defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, an eight-year pro, will wear No. 90 most recently befitting the Cowboys' defensive leader in DeMarcus Lawrence.
Dallas' two new running backs Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams also got their numbers. Sanders will wear No. 27, though his new teammate gets the most surprising figure of the bunch.
Williams takes on No. 33, a number quite famous in Cowboys' lore. Hall of Famer and Super Bowl Champion Tony Dorsett graced No. 33 throughout his storied Cowboys tenure.
For the newcomer, that number comes with some hefty expectations.
Dante Fowler and Will Grier headline the final 10 numbers that were handed out to the remaining players. … which are …
2 Juanyeh Thomas
3 Dante Fowler
20 Kaiir Elam
27 Miles Sanders
33 Javonte Williams
57 Jack Sanborn
59 Kenneth Murray
65 Rob Jones
80 Parris Campbell
90 Solomon Thomas
98 Payton Turner
The Cowboys could potentially add a few more players and will have an influx of young pieces coming from the NFL Draft, so the process is not entirely done. Players may also opt to change their numbers before the season as well.
But with a new running back taking on a number of such significance and two key defensive losses having theirs replaced, these changes marked another symbol of the new era of the Cowboys currently taking shape at The Star.
