5 Cowboys Players Who Will Get Overpaid in Free Agency

The Cowboys have a number of players set to hit the free agent market, and plenty of them are coming off of career seasons. In every phase of the game, it seems like a key guy is due for a big pay day.

Some of them, though, might have earned themselves a bit of an overpay, with these five players stand out from the pack as the most likely candidates to get more than they're legitimately worth when free agency starts.

5. Jeff Heath

Heath could get overpaid this offseason. / Al Pereira/Getty Images

Be it the Cowboys or one of their competitors, it seems inevitable that someone will give Jeff Heath a handsome contract. Heath has played admirably both as a special teams star and a safety during his career in Dallas, but just doesn't have the stuff to be a full-time starting defensive back. It just seems inevitable, though, that as Heath tests the open market, rebuilding teams in need of help against the pass will hand him more than he really should get.

4. Maliek Collins

Maliek Collins is a good-not-great defensive lineman in line for a large payday. / Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

The top of the free agent pile on the defensive line is headlined by some big names, but when the Jadeveon Clowneys and Chris Joneses of the world are all signed, there will be a team that panics and signs Maliek Collins for far too much. He pieced together a solid campaign on the interior for the Cowboys last year, logging four sacks. However, when the well dries up, he will garner a deal well above his true value based purely on supply and demand.

3. Byron Jones

Jones seems destined to get a contract he doesn't fully deserve. / Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Jones had a strong year in the defensive secondary for the Cowboys, but it seems as though a number of teams are high on him. His youth and athleticism in contrast to the rest of the free agent class seems to have clouded teams from recognizing that he really hasn't pieced it all together from a production standpoint. If free agency follows the path of the reports on his potential contract, he'll go down as one of the biggest overpays of the offseason.

2. Randall Cobb

The lack of free agent wide receiver depth will play in Cobb's favor. / Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Despite Amari Cooper receiving the bulk of the targets, Cobb donned a Dallas uniform and managed to piece together his best season since 2015. The 29-year-old amassed 828 receiving yards and three touchdowns catching passes from Dak Prescott last year. Those are solid numbers, but they aren't eye-popping. This year's free agent class doesn't feature much depth at wide receiver, though, putting him in a good spot to earn a large sum of money that he wouldn't otherwise have earned -- perhaps even from his former Green Bay Packers.

1. Sean Lee

Sean Lee's reputation will carry him to an overpaid contract. / Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Lee seems intent on testing the free agent market, and he's wise to do so. Good tackling linebackers aren't always in high supply, after all. But the former All-Pro simply isn't worth the contract he's going to command based on his health history. Injuries have plagued him for the majority of his career, and considering he's heading into his age-34 season, it's unlikely that history will look back on his next contract with favor.