What would you say are the biggest remaining questions you have about the Cowboys?
The bulk of the Cowboys’ offseason work for 2025 is over. Free agency is down to table scraps, the draft’s come and gone, and most players on the roster today will be heading to Oxnard, CA in late July for training camp. As the team now focuses on rookie camps and OTAs, what are the biggest questions lingering for these final months before camp?
A big one got answered last week when Dallas finally found its new WR2, trading a future pick for George Pickens. That would have been the chief concern in all our minds, and intrigue about how Pickens meshes with his new coaches and teammates certainly remains a hot topic. But that’s a far better worry than what the Cowboys had before the trade.
So with the WR problem off the board, what’s next?
What’s up with Micah Parsons’ contract?
The long-term future of the best player on the roster is certainly a worthy concern. While the Cowboys could easily retain his services in 2026 and 2027 through the franchise tag, that would mean locking up tons of salary cap space on those one-year, fully guaranteed deals. The better thing for overall roster management, and for preserving a good relationship with Parsons, is to agree to a multi-year extension.
At this point, the market has been set by new contracts for other top edge rushers like Myles Garrett, Danielle Hunter, and Maxx Crosby. Given his younger age and comparable production, Parsons can demand to make as much or even more than they do. So it’s really just a matter of working out details like the number of years and the amount of guaranteed money in the deal.
Contract talks tend to stall around this time of year as teams focus on the draft and the spring practices. We can expect them to pick back up in June and, hopefully, be resolved before the start of camp. Especially with Matt Eberflus’ arrival as the new defensive coordinator, having Parsons in the mix as early as possible is important. But even if he doesn’t report right away, as have Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, and others in similar situations, there’s little worry that there won’t be an agreement before we get too deep into August.
When will various key players be healthy enough to return?
Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs, and DeMarvion Overshown highlight the list of players who finished last season on the injured list. Thankfully, QB1 appears to be making excellent progress from his leg injury and there’s been little talk of him not playing Week 1, or even missing much of camp. But as for the two defensive stars, the prognosis isn’t as favorable.
Diggs went on IR after battling knee issues most of last year. There were reports of frustration from the front office about how Diggs approached his rehab from the 2023 injury, which Jerry Jones confirmed with some comments a few weeks ago. The effects of that were seen last season and may cost Diggs some games this year. At least Jones now sounds happy about Diggs’ current effort with his recovery. But the veteran corner is still expected to miss camp and probably at least the early portion of 2025.
Overshown’s breakout season was cut short by a major knee injury in Week 14. Full recovery won’t come until the middle of the year, with some projecting that Overshown may have to skip 2025 entirely. A lot could depend on how the Cowboys are performing overall and if Overshown’s return would help them make a late-season push to the playoffs and perhaps better contend in the postseason.
While not as high-profile as these, cornerbacks Caelen Carson and Josh Butler are also worth monitoring. Diggs’ likely absence, plus losing Jourdan Lewis in free agency, means these young prospects will be needed. Even after drafting Shavon Revel Jr., Dallas could still be asking Carson or Butler to be their third CB until Diggs returns. Carson should be all the way back from last year’s shoulder injury, but Butler’s ACL tear will likely keep him limited or out entirely from camp and perhaps into the regular season.
How will things shake out at running back?
It could be an entirely new cast at RB this year after Dallas signed veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, then drafted Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. It will certainly look very different from 2024, and now the questions are who will actually make the team and how the touches will be split between them.
The rookies would seem to have the clearest paths to the roster. Your one sure bet is Blue, who is the frontrunner to be the primary back. Some have suggested he’s the most talented RB to come to Dallas since Ezekiel Elliott, but his size will limit him from being a workhorse and all-purpose back. Blue likely knocks Deuce Vaughn off the roster as the speed and receiving threat. Then Mafah, the one true power RB, is the logical choice to make up where Blue lacks. But he’ll have to deal with Hunter Luepke, who offers a lot of versatility as a blocker and special teamer.
That said, the veterans won’t go away quietly. Williams is still just 25 and, now further removed from a major 2022 knee injury, could have his best chance to shine. Sanders feels like an afterthought now, especially since the draft, but does bring the most experience to the mix. That matters more at other positions than RB, though.
Who’s the new backup quarterback?
Dallas gave up one of their fifth-round picks this year for Joe Milton III, making him their new developmental QB after one year in New England. But he won’t just be handed the immediate backup job as veteran Will Grier is also here to compete. There’s a chance at least one more passer will be added for Oxnard, at least as a camp arm, but we can expect Grier and Milton to get the bulk of the work as the Cowboys sort out QB2.
Dallas has generally preferred experienced veterans in the backup role. It used to be guys with ample starting experience like Brad Johnson, Jon Kitna, and Kyle Orton behind Tony Romo, and in 2020, Dallas let Cooper Rush go briefly so they could supposedly upgrade the spot with Andy Dalton. Rush eventually returned and became that veteran presence, so that would seem to give Grier an edge.
But while he’s been in the league since 2019, a third-round pick by Carolina, Grier hasn’t seen much action. He started two games for the Panthers as a rookie and hasn’t taken a single regular-season snap since. That doesn’t mean his experience from multiple camps and preseason isn’t valuable, but it does narrow the gap between him and a second-year prospect like Milton.
How will the coaching changes impact the early weeks of the season?
Little remains from the Mike McCarthy era on the 2025 coaching staff. Brian Schottenheimer is back, of course, but in a much bigger role and with a lot more room to do things his way. Outside of a few underlings like TE coach Lunda Wells and DB assistant Darian Thompson, the change up top also brought in new coordinators on all sides of the ball and mostly new assistants with them.
While there’s hope that this shake-up will spark positive outcomes, they come with the risk of a learning curve that could hinder Dallas in early-season games. Even when there’s coaching continuity, the NFL’s more restrictive policies on offseason practices have made it harder to hit the ground running in September. The Cowboys will be even more challenged in this area, particularly on defense, as newly-installed systems get put to their first tests.
One mitigating factor to this is that your new stuff is also new to opposing defenses. So if this overhauled staff can do a good job of getting the players ready, solid execution could balance the scale or even flip things to their advantage.
