The latest headlines surrounding the Dallas Cowboys all in one place.
Cowboys’ offseason needs to be judged on actions, not slogans and catchphrases – Saad Yousuf, The Athletic
After last season’s “all-in” comments and this season’s “selectively aggressive” comments, it’s time for the Cowboys’ front office to show it.
Speaking last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, executive vice president Stephen Jones described the 2025 offseason approach as “selectively aggressive.” Again, there was a strong reaction.
Anger. Disappointment. Annoyance.
Wednesday, after Zack Martin’s retirement news conference at The Star, the Dallas front office spoke more words into the ether, and that led to more reactions. Jones contradicted his son’s comments, saying “I don’t think aggressive is the right word.”
The vibes during Cowboys offseasons too often have gone the way of the words. They need to be reserved for actions…
…Words in the offseason, whether they come from Jerry, Stephen, Prescott or anybody else in the organization should be viewed in the same light as regular-season wins. It might sound good; it might not. The real barometer is: What are you doing in the playoffs?
Actions are the offseason’s playoffs.
Open Market: Eric Kendricks atop list of LB options for Cowboys in free agency – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
What will the linebacker room look like for the Dallas Cowboys next season?
What’s Here:
Eric Kendricks: The former First-Team All-Pro linebacker was a stabilizing force for the Cowboys in 2024, and served as a sensational mentor to young talent like Marist Liufau and DeMarvion Overshown as well. Having poached him away from the 49ers in last year’s free agency, the headline outside signing for Dallas, Kendricks deserves a second round with the same ask: play at a high level and stabilize a unit that will be without Overshown for a while; and his potential asking price of $7 million (per Spotrac) isn’t entirely different from others I’ll mention in a moment.
Darius Harris, Nick Vigil: Both were solid rotational pieces when called upon, though it was Vigil who left the biggest footprint on the 2024 season — especially as a special teamer (even if someone else forgot to not touch the ball after a blocked punt). Neither Harris nor Vigil would cost much, think veteran minimum, and let’s face it: the Cowboys need as much insurance at the linebacker position as they can possibly get.
What’s Out There:
Note: These players will be unrestricted on March 13, barring a newly-signed deal with their incumbent team prior to that date.
Jamien Sherwood: The good news for the Cowboys is there isn’t much to figure out as far as pricing goes for most of the players I’m mentioning on this list. Kendricks, Wagner and Greenlaw (see below) are all being valued at around $7 million annually, per Spotrac, so losing out on one still gives Dallas an opportunity to pivot to another impact linebacker for the same cost. Sherwood is on the younger end of the spectrum though, a 25-year-old who went from being a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2021 to being the league’s reigning tackles champion in 2024 and, wouldn’t you know it, he did it for/with Aaron Whitecotton, the newest Cowboys’ defensive line coach (hint, hint, wink, wink).
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones ‘not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids’ on roster – Kevin Patra, NFL.com
The Cowboys have freed up a big chunk of change for next season. How will they decide to spend it?
“I’m not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids,” Jones said on Wednesday, via ESPN.
The Cowboys created $56.6 million in salary cap space with the Prescott and Lamb restructures. The moves pushed cap dollars to future years, opening up space in the current market. Any cap space left by the end of the season can be rolled over into next year.
Dallas could use some of the cap space to keep its own, as they did with the Osa Odighizuwa extension, and the Cowboys certainly have needs, including on the offensive line, at running back and throughout the defense.
After last year’s “all-in” comment from Jones got skewered following another year of free agency inactivity, the owner is taking the opposite approach, downplaying Dallas’ plan when the market opens next week.
A new contract for Parsons would open up additional cap space for the Cowboys to use — or not — in free agency. Jones dismissed the Cowboys’ penchant for waiting until much later in the process to get big deals done in recent seasons. Last year, Lamb signed at the end of training camp and Prescott hours before the season opened.
“We get criticized because we wait until the end or what you would call the end, and that is lining up for the first game,” Jones said. “It just happens that way. I’ve been one of the earliest out there on several contracts in my 35 years.”
2025 NFL free agency: Underrated players who could be steals – Ben Solak, ESPN
ESPN listed players who could be a great addition through free agency. Rico Dowdle made that list.
RB Rico Dowdle
2024 team: Dallas Cowboys | Age entering 2025 season: 27
A lightbulb went on for Dowdle late last season. From Weeks 1 through 12, he had minus-24 rushing yards over expectation in what was largely a timeshare with Ezekiel Elliott. After that, Dowdle had plus-85 rushing yards over expectation, in a role in which he consistently had 15 or more carries. He isn’t the most explosive back and won’t break tackles the way elite runners do, but on the season, he ranked eighth among all running backs in success rate. He is a grinder who only got to become that grinder late, both in the 2024 season and in his contract with the Cowboys, as he spent much of his first few years on the bench behind Elliott and Tony Pollard. That developing role, along with only two rushing touchdowns (because the Cowboys loved Elliott so much) and two lost fumbles, hurt his season numbers.
The question is what value Dowdle can bring if he’s not given 15-plus carries a game. Can he tranfer his more explosive, splashy play from the end of the season into another committee role — as that’s likely what awaits him in free agency? Teams without a clear committee should add Dowdle and use him as their 1A back, and if he outproduces the other options, ramp up his volume to that of an every-down ball carrier.
Though Dowdle didn’t get many pass-protection opportunities relative to Elliott, he’s fine in that regard, and he had 39 receptions last season. He can give teams late-down production if they need it.
Offenses with plenty of handoffs to dole out should add Dowdle. He’s a good, young option for a team that might want an elite back at some point but has other more important gaps to fill. The Raiders make perfect sense for Dowdle, or the Broncos if Sean Payton wants to stick with a committee approach. Should the Chargers get priced out of J.K. Dobbins’ market in free agency, Dowdle is a great fit for that offense and could easily outproduce Dobbins. The two-year deals signed by Zack Moss ($8 million) and Austin Ekeler ($8.43 million) are good comps for a Dowdle contract, indicating he has a clear role but won’t be handed starter-level volume without proof of concept.
Cowboys’ DeMarvion Overshown progressing fast in injury recovery? – Matt Galatzan, Sports Illustrated
After suffering an ACL, MCL, and PCL tear in his right knee, Overshown has a long journey to recovery.
The injury was so bad, in fact, that it was at one point feared that he could miss the entire 2025 season.
And while that still could theoretically be the case, it appears that, according to reports from Cowboys insider Calvin Watkins, Overshown seems to be making progress in his recovery.
“In a positive sign toward his recovery, DeMarvion Overshown was at The Star without using crutches,” Watkins said on X.
Obviously, considering the nature of the injury, that is quite the remarkable feat.
This is the second season-ending injury in as many seasons for Overshown, after tearing his ACL in the preseason last year. He is also one of several Cowboys to be lost due to injury this season, alongside quarterback Dak Prescott, top corner Trevon Diggs, and offensive guard Zack Martin.
