The latest headlines surrounding the Dallas Cowboys are here.
Will McClay excited about ‘different energy’ that Brian Schottenheimer and his staff bring – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
VP of Player Personnel, Will McClay, recently talked about a different approach to player acquisition this offseason with a new head coach.
McClay and Schottenheimer have spent the last three seasons together on the Cowboys staff, but now he’s getting to see a different side of Schottenheimer in his first head coaching position. In terms of how Schottenheimer approached building his staff, McClay thinks that Schottenheimer got all the pieces that he needed.
“Most coaches when they assemble a staff, they got a bunch of their friends and people that they know,” McClay said. “He went out to find the best for what he was looking for, ideas, and new guys to bring new things and make it his way.”
So what does the Brian Schottenheimer way look like?
“He’s very humble, but very hungry…” McClay said. “He’s going to be confrontational with the communication but respectful with that, and test your conviction, and he’s very, very clear with what he wants and what he wants to do, and getting everybody on the same page.”
In the construction of his staff, the Cowboys have a mixture of guys with a lot of NFL experience like Matt Eberflus, as well as an influx of former collegiate coaches like Junior Adams and Conor Riley. The mixture of the two gives Dallas an advantage in both the draft and free agency given where, and who these coaches have been able to see in their previous experiences.
If Cowboys actually attack free agency, which Tier 1 players could fit in Dallas? – Saad Yousuf, The Athletic
Seven top tier free agents that the Cowboys should target this offseason.
The “selectively aggressive” mantra offers even more ambiguity than last year’s “all in.” Dallas will be in position to publicly defend its activity (or lack thereof) in free agency by harkening back to the “selective” or “aggressive” part, whichever fits the team’s agenda. But the way the Cowboys could show their level of ambition to upgrade the roster and position themselves for success in 2025 is to acquire actual difference-makers.
To that extent, let’s look at the seven Tier 1 free agents on The Athletic’s Top-150 list, and see which players could fit in Dallas. We’ll examine players beyond Tier 1 another time.
(1) Tee Higgins, WR
Any team would be happy to have Tee Higgins on its roster and the Cowboys need playmakers around CeeDee Lamb. However, the current circumstances make this extremely unlikely. Quarterback Joe Burrow has publicly pressured the Cincinnati Bengals to re-sign Higgins, along with Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals could re-sign Higgins to a long-term deal, or at the very least, place the franchise tag on the star wide receiver again (he was tagged in 2024) to buy time to work out a new contract. Even if Higgins somehow reaches the open market, he’s the projected top wide receiver. History indicates the Cowboys are unlikely to participate in that bidding war.
Likelihood Cowboys legitimately get in the mix: 5 percent
(2) Trey Smith, G
The Kansas City Chiefs already have significant financial investments in their offensive line, so Trey Smith could be the odd man out. He’s a great run blocker, still an ascending player and doesn’t turn 26 until June. Following Zack Martin’s retirement, the Cowboys have a need at right guard, but it’s worth questioning how much more the Cowboys are willing to invest up front. They used a first-round pick on their left tackle last year and their right tackle is playing on a lucrative deal. The bill is coming due for Tyler Smith, who is the team’s best offensive lineman. Cooper Beebe is a quality interior lineman who has guard-center flexibility. The in-house options to replace Martin aren’t bad, but Smith would be an upgrade over any of them.
Likelihood Cowboys legitimately get in the mix: 20 percent
Cowboys Brian Schottenheimer discusses potential Cooper Beebe move – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
With Zack Martin retiring, what will the Cowboys do to fill that new hole on their offensive line?
While they could go for a free agent — like Will Hernandez who has experience with offensive coordinator Klayton Adams — they’ve also kicked around the idea of moving Cooper Beebe from center to guard.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about this potential move while speaking at the NFL Combine. He didn’t commit to a move but said the goal is to get the five best players on the field.
Brian Schottenheimer on the idea of moving Cooper Beebe back to guard:
“We’ll see. We’re always going to play the best five. It’d be hard to move a guy that had that much experience playing center this year at a high level, but anything is on the table in playing the best five.”
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) February 27, 2025
Schottenheimer added that it’s a difficult decision moving someone after so much work at one position.
32 NFL players who need a change of scenery this offseason – NFL Nation, ESPN
The writers at ESPN listed a player from each team that could benefit from moving to a new team. For the Cowboys, that player is Damone Clark.
LB Damone Clark
If Mike Zimmer remained as defensive coordinator, this would be a no-brainer. But with Matt Eberflus taking over, things change and it might be best for Clark to find another place to play to further his career. After leading the Cowboys in tackles in 2023 with 115 while playing 784 snaps, he had only 35 tackles in 163 snaps in 2024. He was inactive three times and there were five games when he did not play a defensive snap. The Cowboys are thin at linebacker with DeMarvion Overshown dealing with a major knee injury and veteran Eric Kendricks set for free agency, but Clark has not taken the jump the Cowboys had hoped for as an every-down contributor. — Todd Archer
Cowboys have easy DeMarcus Lawrence decision to make after massive update – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
It appears as though DeMarcus Lawrence is looking to play at least one more year in the NFL. As he is a free agent, it may not be with the Cowboys.
David Canter, who is the agent of multiple Cowboys free agents, including Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis and Rico Dowdle, sat down with 105.3 The Fan at the NFL Combine and confirmed the 32-year-old wants to continue playing…
…Following Thursday’s revelation, though, re-signing Lawrence should be an easy call. While approaching the end of his career, he is a year removed from one of his finest seasons. He also started 2024 on a tear before succumbing to a mid-foot sprain.
Lawrence is still comfortably the best run defender on the roster.
Prior to last season, the four-time Pro Bowler ranked in the top 10 among edge defenders in run-stop percentage in five of the last six seasons, per Pro Football Focus. 2021 season was the lone exception, but he only played seven games. He ranked first in that category in 2022 and 2023.
It’s unclear what Lawrence is looking for in terms of salary, but we’re talking about a culture- and tone-setter and future Ring of Honor inductee. Lawrence deserves to play out his career as a Cowboy. He’s the longest-tenured player on the team following Martin’s retirement.
Stay up to date with all of the formal and informal interviews the Cowboys are conducting at the 2025 NFL Combine at the Blogging the Boys’ Combine Visits Tracker.
