The latest Cowboys news heading into the weekend.
Cowboys banking on other teams’ busts forces them, once again, to aim for draft perfection – Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News
The Cowboys are putting a lot of faith in other team’s first-round busts to come through in 2025.
Even if it beats last year, when Jerry basically sat out free agency, it hasn’t been a week to inflate season-ticket sales, not to mention win projections.
Meaning they’d better come up big in the draft next month…
…Because of the recent departures of Martin, Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis and the questionable availability of Diggs and Overshown, the Cowboys still have a lot of holes. And it’s not like you couldn’t see through last year’s roster, either.
The Cowboys will still fill in here or there, but most of the fixes will have to come in the draft.
As it stands now, they need starters at running back and wide receiver, for sure, and maybe at cornerback and defensive tackle. And that’s assuming Marshawn Kneeland/Sam Williams replaces Lawrence and some combination of Brock Hoffman/T.J. Bass/Robert Jones can fill in for Martin.
The good news is this draft is considered deep at running back, offensive tackle, defensive line and defensive back. The Cowboys were also fortunate to pick last season to fall apart.
Cowboys free-agency rundown: Best decision, missed opportunity, biggest needs now – Saad Yousuf and Jon Machota, The Athletic
The writers from The Athletic answer a few questions about the Cowboys’ free-agency moves.
What was the best decision the Cowboys made over the past few days?
Machota: How they handled the linebacker position. With DeMarvion Overshown’s return date uncertain and Eric Kendricks a free agent, there were notable questions at linebacker. Trading for Murray and agreeing to terms with Sanborn answers those questions. The Cowboys can still draft a linebacker, but they don’t absolutely have to. They can go into the season with Murray, Sanborn, Marist Liufau and Damone Clark.
Yousuf: Signing free-agent linebacker Sanborn. I can also see him being a key piece to the defense. He has familiarity with the coaching staff and is still young (24). The hope is to get Overshown back at some point in the season, but Sanborn’s skill set, especially his play against the run, is different enough that he could still be part of the linebacker rotation.
What is the most underrated move they made?
Machota: Agreeing to terms with Javonte Williams. Bringing back Rico Dowdle and pairing him with a rookie running back always made sense. But if Dowdle’s asking price got too high, adding Williams could be the next best thing. Dallas still needs a running back in one of the first three rounds. This is considered a quality running back draft class. But the Cowboys can’t wait too long. Pair a top-100 pick with Williams and the running game could be just fine.
Yousuf: Adding linebacker Murray could be a good move if he can stay healthy and find a role in Matt Eberflus’ system. He’s a 2020 first-round pick, so clearly there are attributes to be excited about, but that he’s on his third team since being drafted also indicates he hasn’t tapped in to those traits. There should be a healthy competition at linebacker and Murray should be in the thick of it.
Playing for Cowboys is ‘a dream come true’ for Solomon Thomas – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
The newest defensive tackle on the Dallas Cowboys shares his thoughts on joining the team.
“It’s amazing, it’s truly a dream come true,” Thomas said. “Playing in Coppell, being raised in the Dallas area and now getting to play in my hometown in front of my people I love, my family, friends and close ones, I feel at home…”
“I can’t wait to put on that star and win games here and win a championship here.”
Thomas, a seven-year veteran defensive tackle, agreed to terms with the Cowboys on Tuesday after spending the last three seasons with the New York Jets. In 2024, Thomas produced 26 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and three and a half sacks.
His homecoming to Dallas is also a reunion with new Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who coached Thomas for three seasons in New York.
“I’ve been very blessed to work with coach Whitecotton,” Thomas said. “I got there his second year as the defensive line coach of the Jets and to see his growth the last three years has been insane. He’s become one of the best defensive line coaches in the league.”
Whitecotton has a strong track record of success at developing defensive linemen, including three-time Pro Bowler Quinnen Williams with the Jets. Thomas expects a lot of the same from him during his tenure as the Cowboys defensive line coach.
NFL analyst slams Dallas Cowboys over recent free agency moves – Ali Jawad, Sports Illustrated
ESPN’s Ryan Clark seems less than impressed with the offseason choices the Cowboys’ front office has made so far.
“They don’t care. I’m convinced the Cowboys just don’t care, Clark said. “The Cowboys are like it is what it is. We’re going to see what is going to happen. We’re not trying to get better all offseason.”
While Dallas has spent minimal money compared to its NFC East counterparts, the team is banking on some of these signings to help fill in the void’s that have now been left behind by a few key players, most notably All-Pro guard Zack Martin, who retired, and four time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who on Wednesday signed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Losing cornerstone players impacts far more than just on-field performance; it’s the irreplaceable traits before and after the game and during the week of preparation.
“It’s character and grit and leadership,” Clark added when discussing the losses of Martin and Lawrence. “When you watch DeMarcus Lawrence play he was the one guy on the front defensively that played football like it was supposed to be played. He played on the other side of the line of scrimmage. He was about hat and hands. He was about leverage. He played this game and gave them a sense of physicality that really no one else could, even with Micah [Parsons] being their best player.”
Cowboys, Israel Mukuamu agree to terms on one-year deal – Patrik Walker and Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
A solid depth piece in the defensive backs and special teams rooms is returning to the Cowboys for at least one more season.
Mukuamu, 25, was a Cowboys’ sixth round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. He’s spent all four of his NFL seasons in Dallas and will now return for his fifth.
Though Mukuamu was always listed as a safety by the Cowboys, the versatile defensive back made his way to the NFL as mostly a cornerback at South Carolina before being shoehorned into the safety room for depth reasons.
With the emergence of Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas behind contract-extended talent, i.e., Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, Mukuamu has found his way onto the field as a cornerback for Dallas and been more than serviceable in doing so.
A fiery, capable backup, viewed as a flier by many as defined by his pick status, Mukuamu stepped into a larger role in the 2024 season, posting career highs in tackles (19) and interceptions (2) over the course of 17 games. Mukuamu has also been a staple on special teams, playing 341 snaps on the unit last season.
