The NFL offseason has been all about adding to rosters across the league. Eventually, that trend will reverse as teams can ultimately only carry 53 players on the active roster.

With that in mind, the Cowboys will likely have at least one surprise cut or trade candidate on the roster.

Despite a relatively quiet offseason in Dallas, they have just $4.5 million in cap space, which ranks 28th in the league right now, per Spotrac.

The pressure is on for Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott to break through in the playoffs so it's hard to see them doing anything too drastic. But there are realities of their cap situation that could force them to make some moves.

Based on their potential to clear cap space, be replaced or bring a return on a trade here are the top candidates to either be cut or traded before the season in Dallas.

WR Brandin Cooks

Brandin Cooks is a good receiver but his best chance at holding an NFL record is to get traded one more time. He's currently tied with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson as the most-traded player in the league since 1980.

The Cowboys could give him sole ownership of the record if they decide to move on from him this summer.

Cooks has been swapped four times in his career and there's a case to be made the Cowboys should make it a fifth. His production has dropped off over the last two seasons. He had 54 receptions for 657 yards and eight touchdowns last season and that was under the ideal conditions of playing across from CeeDee Lamb and catching passes from Dak Prescott.

Trading away the veteran receiver would save the Cowboys $8 million against the 2024 salary cap if the move was executed after June 1.

The Cowboys didn't take a receiver until the sixth-round. Ryan Flournoy could be an underrated gem of the class as a 6'1", 202-pound receiver with 4.44 speed and some potential as an FCS prospect.

If they believe Flournoy can contribute right away and that Jalen Tolbert will finally break out, they could decide that Cooks is not a necessity in the offense.

QB Cooper Rush

Cooper Rush might not have much trade value, but he did come through for the Cowboys in 2022. He made five starts as the backup two years ago going 4-1 and throwing five touchdowns to thee interceptions.

It isn't like he set the league on fire, but he came in, operated the offense and won some games. That's the job of a backup NFL quarterback.

Unfortunately for him, the Cowboys took advantage of Trey Lance being made available on the trade market. They traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for the former No. 3 overall pick.

They ended up carrying Lance and Cooper Rush on the active roster. With the new rule that NFL teams can carry a third emergency quarterback without using a 53-man roster spots, it's a little easier to hang on to developmental options.

But the Cowboys can save $2.3 million against the cap by either trading or releasing Rush.

Given how tight the Cowboys budget is right now, it just doesn't make sense to pass on that kind of cap savings when Lance has now been around for a year to learn the offense and step in if Prescott is injured.

LB/S Markquese Bell

Markquese Bell was an interesting player for the Cowboys last season. Dan Quinn liked to carry more safeties than most and Bell was converted to a linebacker because the Cowboys lacked depth there.

The result was a former undrafted free agent who ended up starting eight games in his second season.

His fit within Mike Zimmer's scheme and philosophy is a little more questionable. Zimmer is a little more traditional with his approach and it can be expected that the Cowboys will play their base defense more often.

It's clear the Cowboys have valued the linebacker position a little more than the previous defensive staff. They signed Eric Kendricks and drafted a 6'2", 238-pound linebacker in Marist Liufau.

That could signal a move back to safety for Bell where he will have tough competition to guarantee a roster spot. Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, Juanyeah Thomas and Israel Mukuamu is a solid quartet.

If Quinn would be interested in trading for Bell or another team believes he makes sense as a nickel linebacker the Cowboys should be willing to listen to calls.