Let's be real for a second. When you hear "Dallas Cowboys" and "free agency" in the same sentence, you usually expect a lot of talk and not much action. But back in March 2025, things took a turn. The front office decided to roll the dice on a high-upside project. That's when the Dallas Cowboys acquired former Saints first-round pick Payton Turner, signing the 6-foot-6 defensive end to a one-year "prove-it" deal.
It was a classic low-risk, high-reward move. You’ve seen this script before in Frisco. They love finding guys with "first-round traits" who just haven't stayed on the field. Turner fits that description perfectly. He was the 28th overall pick in 2021 out of Houston, a physical specimen with 35-inch arms and the kind of frame coaches drool over. But in New Orleans? It was mostly a story of "what if."
Why New Orleans Moved On
Honestly, the Saints didn't have much of a choice. When a team declines a fifth-year option on a first-rounder, the writing is on the wall. Turner's time in the Big Easy was defined by the training room more than the highlight reel. We’re talking about a laundry list of injuries: shoulder issues, turf toe, calf strains, and knee problems. Basically, if it could get tweaked or torn, it did.
By the time 2024 rolled around, Turner actually managed to stay relatively healthy, appearing in a career-high 16 games. He put up two sacks and 21 tackles in a rotational role. It wasn't "All-Pro" stuff, but it showed he could actually survive a full NFL season. Still, the Saints were ready to clear the deck and let someone else deal with the medical reports.
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Breaking Down the Cowboys' Investment
When the Dallas Cowboys acquired former Saints first-round pick Payton Turner, the money told you exactly what they thought of him. It wasn't a "starter" contract.
The deal was a one-year contract worth up to $3 million, with $2 million of that fully guaranteed. For a guy with his pedigree, that’s essentially a subsidized tryout. Dallas needed bodies after losing some rotational depth, and Turner represented a guy who could theoretically give them 15–20 high-quality snaps a game behind Micah Parsons and the rest of the crew.
- Height/Weight: 6'6", 270 lbs
- Draft Pedigree: 2021 1st Round (28th overall)
- Contract: 1 Year, $3M ($2M Guaranteed)
- Key Stat: 35-inch arms (94th percentile for the position)
The scheme fit made sense, too. Under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys wanted length and power on the edges. Turner isn't a "speed burner" like Parsons; he’s a heavy-handed end who is supposed to set the edge and use that massive wingspan to disrupt passing lanes.
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The 2025 Season: A Familiar Frustration
If you followed the Cowboys through the 2025 season, you know the Payton Turner experiment hit a major speed bump early. During training camp in August, Turner suffered a rib injury that eventually landed him on Injured Reserve before the season even started.
It was a "here we go again" moment for a lot of fans. He missed the first 14 weeks of the season. It wasn't until mid-December that Dallas finally opened his 21-day practice window. By the time we hit the tail end of the year, he was practicing in a limited capacity, but the team was cautious. They didn't even activate him for the Week 17 matchup against Washington.
Basically, the Cowboys paid $2 million for a guy to rehab at their facility for four months. That’s the risk you take with "injury-prone" labels. They stick for a reason.
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What This Means for the Cowboys' Future
So, was it a bust? It's hard to call a $2 million gamble a "bust" in a league where some guys make $30 million for average production. But it definitely didn't provide the spark Dallas was hoping for in 2025.
Looking ahead to the 2026 offseason, Turner is once again an unrestricted free agent. The Cowboys have to decide if they want to run it back on another cheap deal or if they've seen enough. With younger players like Donovan Ezeiruaku and veterans like Solomon Thomas in the mix, the room is getting crowded.
Actionable Insights for Cowboys Fans:
- Monitor the 2026 Free Agency: Turner is a free agent again. If the Cowboys bring him back, expect it to be a veteran minimum deal with almost no guarantees.
- Watch the Medicals: If Turner signs elsewhere, pay attention to the physical. If he can't pass a rigorous one in March, his NFL career might be nearing its end.
- Draft Strategy: Because the Turner experiment didn't yield a long-term starter, expect Dallas to look heavily at the Defensive End position in the upcoming draft. They still haven't found that permanent bookend for Micah Parsons.
The reality is that when the Dallas Cowboys acquired former Saints first-round pick Payton Turner, they were buying a lottery ticket. Sometimes those tickets pay out, and sometimes you're just left with a piece of paper. For Turner, the talent is undeniably there, but the best ability in the NFL is availability—and that's the one thing he hasn't been able to master yet.
Keep an eye on the official roster moves as we head into the 2026 league year. If Turner finally gets a clean bill of health, he might still have one more "breakout" in him, whether it's in Dallas or somewhere else.