As the mass exodus of non-core players left the Dallas Cowboys following their worst season in a decade, the team decided to add a new player for a change, signing Parris Campbell, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, to a one-year contract.

“Former Eagles free-agent WR Parris Campbell reached agreement today on a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, per source. The Cowboys become the third NFC East team for which Campbell has played,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported.

Initially drafted by the Indianapolis Colts back in 2019, Campbell has bounced around the NFL over the past few seasons, playing for the New York Giants in 2023 before landing in Philadelphia last season as a part-time player for the Eagles.

Bouncing back and forth between the practice squad and the active roster, Campbell appeared in five games with no starts during the regular season, plus three more appearances in the playoffs, catching six balls on eight targets for 30 yards and a touchdown. While those numbers obviously aren't impressive, Campbell is just two years removed from his best season as a pro, where he caught 63 balls on 91 targets for 623 yards and three touchdowns.

Related Dallas Cowboys NewsArticle continues below
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Louis Riddick’s Emmitt Smith-Ashton Jeanty comparison will get Cowboys fans attention
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks to the media at a press conference at the Star.
Cowboys predicted to draft star running back, but it’s not Ashton Jeanty
Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden (2) stiff arms Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Maxwell Hairston (1) in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2024.
Cowboys rumors: ESPN insiders aligned on Texas star’s fit at No. 12

So why are the Cowboys signing Campbell this early in free agency, what with so many more ready-made contributors still available? Well, this has been sort of a trend for the Cowboys so far this offseason, signing re-tred players like Miles Sanders, Javonte Williams, Robert Jones, Dante Fowler Jr., Payton Turner, and Solomon Thomas to deals while acquiring a few new players like Kenneth Murray and Kaiir Elam via trade.

While some of these players, like Campbell, have produced in the past, with Fowler doing so for the Cowboys, each has their own unique question mark heading into the year, with at least one of them likely to be released before the season starts just from a numbers perspective.

On paper, this strategy isn't unique to the Cowboys, as the Eagles have been saying goodbye to their free agents while bringing in cheaper stopgaps to their roster to help fill holes before the 2025 NFL draft, but their strategy is based on having a stacked roster that just won the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys, by contrast, just finished third in the NFC East and had to hire a new coach after parting ways with Mike McCarthy. Unless Brian Shottenheimer can get things back on track in a major way, this free agency class feels an awful lot like last season, which certainly doesn't bode well for their success this fall.