Cowboys legend Darren Woodson comes up short of Hall of Fame status once again: ‘I feel like it’s failure’ :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
After 17 years of waiting to hear his name called as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Ring of Honor member was denied once again. “I got to deal with it. It is what it is. It sucks. I wish I could walk in and grab that gold jacket. It’s painful, it really is.” Woodson has three more years to get in as a modern-era player; if induction doesn’t come by then, he’ll move to the more difficult seniors category. “At my core, I’m more competitive than anyone else. It’s being patient, understanding that there are other people that are on that list who have had to be patient as well.”
Cowboys’ Darren Woodson waits for Canton call; ‘probably deserves to be in’ :: Cowboys Wire
Earlier in the day, Woodson was trying to be optimistic about his chances of getting the call to Canton. “I just feel like my body of work probably deserves to be in,” Woodson said. “It’s not up to me. It’s up to the writers if I should be in or if I shouldn’t be in.” Voters could have selected five players for the Class of 2025; they chose just four.
Several notable Cowboys eligible for Hall of Fame in 2026 :: Calvin Watkins
Ashton Jeanty: ‘It would be special’ to play for Cowboys :: The Mothership
Jeanty says he would love to come home to Frisco, where he was a high school star. “I think it would be cool to have the star on my helmet again,” the running back said. “Playing for Lone Star, I had a star on my helmet as well, so it would be a dope moment if that were to happen.” He says he’d be excited to help build a new, stronger culture in Dallas under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. “The culture, the history, the city, everything that comes with playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I think would be special.”
Emmitt Smith: Cowboys shouldn’t draft RB Ashton Jeanty for one key reason :: Cowboys Wire
The all-time rushing king doesn’t believe his former team has a plan when it comes to the offensive stars they already have, so it makes no sense to draft the electrifying Boise State running back with their first-round pick, as most mock drafts are calling for. Explaining that Cowboys ownership has not committed to the kind of balanced attack Smith himself was part of with the Triplets, he thinks there’s too much focus on building the brand of the Cowboys but not enough devoted to actually winning games.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says new coach, other moves made to ‘compete right now’ :: Newsday
Jones says hiring Brian Schottenheimer as head coach was not a conservative move at all. And he maintains that the team is in “win-now” mode, not a rebuilding mindset. “The decisions I made last year were based on competing now. Now, they didn’t exactly work out. But I think I paid Dak [Prescott] more than anybody’s ever been paid in the NFL. That’s now. That’s not the future,” Jones said on the red carpet at NFL Honors. “We’re excited about our team’s ability to compete right now.”
Cowboys Super Bowl drought roasted with Bill Belichick girlfriend joke :: SI.com
During his opening monologue, Snoop Dogg remembered back to “when the Cowboys was good.” To put the distant memory in perspective for the audience, he helpfully pointed out that “Bill Belichick’s girlfriend wasn’t even born yet.” Cameras cut to 24-year-old Jordon Hudson, who looked shocked that she had suddenly ended up the punch line of a joke while on the arm of the 72-year-old coach.
Micah Parsons on Cowboys extension: ‘I don’t think we can afford to keep having things wait out’ :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Parsons has said he’d prefer to get a new deal done sooner rather than later this offseason. It would be better for the team, too. “We have a lot of guys to sign,” he said. “I don’t think we can afford to keep having things wait out.” He also had an interesting take on missing games due to injury for the first time ever, calling it “the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” since it forced him to change his perspective on being a leader when things are going poorly.
Mike McCarthy helped Brian Schottenheimer prepare for his interview :: Blogging the Boys
Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer reports that McCarthy helped his former offensive coordinator prepare for the interview to take the job he himself had just lost in Dallas. Glazer said McCarthy’s parting was “really amicable,” but despite the coach’s longstanding loyalty to the Schottenheimer family, giving him pointers on meeting with Jerry and Stephen Jones was “selfless” on McCarthy’s part.
2 free agent successes provide affordable blueprint for Cowboys in 2025 :: Cowboys Wire
Despite a reputation for free agency failure, things worked out quite well with both Dante Fowler in 2022 and Carl Lawson in 2024. In both instances, the Cowboys received quality snaps from a player who cost them relatively very little. Fowler is gone now, but if the team can bring back Lawson, Matt Eberflus could get some of that veteran production in his first year running the defense. If not, Dallas may look at someone like Matthew Judon, Dennis Gardeck, Poona Ford, or Teair Tart.
NFLPA boss Lloyd Howell: ‘No one wants to play an 18th game’ in regular season :: Dallas Morning News
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has openly talked about it like it’s inevitable, but the players aren’t nearly excited about adding a game to the regular season. The league and the players union have not had formal talks about it, but the NFL would no doubt be expected to make some concessions in order to expand to 18 games. Among the possible issues to be addressed for players? More money, another bye week, amendments to the offseason calendar, improvement of playing surfaces, a larger roster, and time off between games, especially the expanding slate of international games.
NFL will hold first-ever game in Australia in 2026 :: NBC News
The Rams will play host for the NFL’s first appearance in Australia in 2026. The game will be staged at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground. Early reports suggest the game may be a sellout, with a passionate fanbase on the island continent. The game will most likely be a Week 1 matchup; the Cowboys are slated to be a visiting opponent for the Rams in 2026.
