FRISCO, Texas -- At some point, it would be wise to listen to the Dallas Cowboys when they say they will not spend big in free agency.

At some point, it would be wise to see the Cowboys as a draft-and-develop team, choosing to keep their own players with big-money deals.

"Anytime you're fighting to get your free agents back in the locker room, that's the place you want to be," coach Mike McCarthy said at the scouting combine.

The Cowboys' goal is to use free agency to plug holes and allow them to set up a draft board based less on filling gaping holes and more on taking the best player available.

That has happened -- to a degree -- with their free-agency moves so far. They've re-signed 10 of their own and kept most who they prioritized, save pass-rusher Randy Gregory. They added two players -- defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and wide receiver James Washington -- although neither would prevent them from drafting a player at those positions.

With the draft five weeks away, the Cowboys have plenty of time to set their board and plenty of needs to address.

Interior offensive line

The Cowboys were not going to keep Connor Williams, who signed a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth $14 million. Not after he committed 15 penalties (12 accepted) in 2021 and had too many inconsistencies over the years. They knew -- and he knew -- the best thing was a fresh start elsewhere.

It does, however, leave a hole. Connor McGovern could not keep the job after the coaches benched the penalty-ridden Williams last season. Can the Cowboys enter 2022 with him as the unquestioned starter? Right now, Tyler Biadasz is the unquestioned starter at center. Will he remain that when camp opens this summer? Probably. The Cowboys need to add a veteran presence to fill a backup role or push for a starter role on the interior (think Joe Looney, but maybe a little bit better).

But based on the current composition of the roster, if the Cowboys had to use their No. 24 pick in the first round right now, guard and center would be the most pressing needs. That falls in line with where Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green or Boston College's Zion Johnson figure to go in April.

Defensive line

The Cowboys kept Dorance Armstrong and signed Fowler after losing Gregory. They also kept DeMarcus Lawrence on a re-worked contract. It's clear they're going for a rotation of defensive linemen up front, so adding a pass-rusher in the first few rounds makes sense.

So does adding a defensive tackle. They have a plethora of 3-technique types -- Trysten Hill, Neville Gallimore and Osa Odighizuwa. They don't have much bulk, with Quinton Bohanna (6-foot-4, 360 pounds) as the exception. They could re-sign Carlos Watkins and Brent Urban on one-year-deals, which would help.

Considering their approach in recent years, they don't look at a nose tackle as a big priority (i.e. first round or big money), so this would appear to be a middle- to late-round add.

Offensive tackle

At right tackle, the Cowboys have Terence Steele replacing La'el Collins, who was cut and joined the Cincinnati Bengals. They are high on Steele, who has started 27 games over his first two seasons. Tyron Smith is entering his 11th season and has not played a full season since 2015. Finding a potential replacement in the draft would be nice, but that would have to come early.

Smith's predecessor at left tackle was Doug Free, a former fourth-round pick, so anything is possible in the middle rounds.

It's not just the starting tackle spot, however. Who is the swing tackle? Last year's fourth-rounder, Josh Ball, did not play and barely practiced because of an ankle injury. The Cowboys have used veterans to fill this role in recent years, such as Cameron Fleming and Ty Nsekhe. Perhaps bringing Nsekhe back for a year and having him compete with Ball and/or some other pick/low-cost free agent is the Cowboys' course of action.

Wide receiver

After trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and seeing Cedrick Wilson leave in free agency for the Dolphins, the Cowboys kept Michael Gallup on a five-year, $57 million contract and added Washington on a one-year deal. They also kept Noah Brown on a one-year deal.

Is that enough? The hope with Gallup is he can return from his knee injury in September, which means he could miss a game or two. Washington had 24 receptions last year, just eight more than Brown. Considering how much the Cowboys like three-receiver sets, it might not be enough and they could look to add another one earlier in the draft than the fifth round, where they got Simi Fehoko a year ago.

Tight end

Dalton Schultz is back on the franchise-tag tender at a cost of $10.9 million. The Cowboys have until July to sign him to a long-term deal, but at the moment that does not look like part of their plan. Blake Jarwin was released with a hip injury. They also have Jeremy Sprinkle, Sean McKeon and Ian Bunting on the roster.

Given Schultz is tied to the roster -- at the moment -- for just one more year, adding a tight end would appear to be a must. The good news? This looks to be a deep tight end class. The Cowboys got Schultz in the fourth round. Maybe there's another option out there in the middle rounds, like Washington's Cade Otton, Iowa State's Charlie Kolar or Wisconsin's Jake Ferguson.

Kicker

They were able to retain Pro Bowl punter Bryan Anger on a three-year deal, but the only kicker on the roster is Chris Naggar. They have to do something, right?

The feeling entering free agency was that Anger would cost too much. At $3 million per season, the Cowboys are at the top of the punter market, which likely means they will have to go low on the kicker market. The Cowboys could re-sign kicker Greg Zuerlein, whom they cut after missing six field goal attempts and six extra points last season, to a minimum salary benefit deal.

The Bengals drafted Evan McPherson in the fifth round last year, and he kicked them to the Super Bowl. Going with a rookie kicker is a mixed bag, but so was going with a veteran like Zuerlein last year.

What round was McPherson picked in last year? The fifth. The Cowboys have four fifth-round picks at the moment.