The Dallas Cowboys' 2026 offseason is underway. Here is a schedule of dates to know as they prepare for the season.
The Dallas Cowboys offseason really got going two days after their season-ending loss to the New York Giants when they fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, what figures to be the beginning of a busy next eight months as they angle toward the 2026 kickoff.
Next up is evaluations of draftable players in advance of April's draft, free agency, then minicamps. Dallas has a lot to fix as they look to retool their defense.
Here are key dates in the coming offseason.
January
- January 5: Teams can sign free agents, CFL players and futures deals
- January 5: Teams can begin negotiating extensions for 2023 draft pick(s)
- January 27: East-West Shrine Bowl (Frisco, TX)
- January 31: The Panini Senior Bowl (Mobile, AL)
February
- February 3: NFL Pro Bowl Event(s) (San Francisco)
- February 8: Super Bowl LIX (Santa Clara, CA)
- February 17: Teams can designate players for Franchise Tag/Transition Tag
- February 23-March 2: NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis)
March
- March 3: Deadline to designate Franchise/Transition players (4 p.m. ET)
- March 9-11: Legal tampering permitted for pending free agents
- March 11: First day of new league year, official free agency period (4 p.m. ET)
- March 29-April 1: Annual League Meeting (Phoenix)
April
- April 15: Deadline for club visits with draft prospects at team facility
- April 17: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets
- April 20: Start of offseason workouts for teams with no head coaching change
- April 22: Deadline for teams to exercise Right of First Refusal on RFAs
- April 22: Deadline for visits with draft prospects at any location (including digitally)
- April 23-25: 2025 NFL Draft (Pittsburgh)
May
- May 1-4/May 8-11: Rookie minicamps (clubs must pick one of the two weekends)
- May 13-17: NFLPA Rookie Premiere (Los Angeles)
- Mid-May (TBD): 2026 NFL Schedule Release
- May 20-21: Spring League Meeting (Orlando)
June
- Mid-June (TBD): Mandatory OTAs
July
- July 15: Deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign multi-year extensions
- Late-July (TBD): Training Camp Begins
August
- Early August (TBD): Hall of Fame Game, Preseason begins
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NFL offseason 2026: Dallas Cowboys offseason schedule; dates to know
Category: General Sports
