The latest and greatest Dallas Cowboys news.
The Cowboys’ training camp battle for CB2 will be one to watch – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside The Star
New Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus getting the most out of this team’s cornerbacks is key for the entire defense to find success.
Cornerback Moves
This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys made a few transactions with regard to their cornerback room.
Long-time Nickel CB Jourdan Lewis outplayed what the Cowboys were willing to pay him, and he has moved on to Jacksonville to join the Jaguars.
Dallas acquired a former 1st-round pick from Buffalo, Kaiir Elam, to help stop the bleeding from Diggs’ injury.
In the draft, they were ecstatic to select CB Shavon Revel in the 3rd round, a 1st-round talent.
Aside from that, the Cowboys are largely bringing back the same group that has battled over the past couple of years, but only four of those players stick out above the rest.
Sophomore Surge?
A 5th-round pick in 2024, CB Caelen Carson saw limited snaps as a rookie but flashed potential in spot duty.
Known for his discipline and fluid hips, Carson’s strength lies in man coverage.
With a full year in an NFL defensive system, he enters camp more comfortable and confident.
Carson is a coach’s favorite for his football IQ and work ethic, and if he shows development in camp, he could emerge as a reliable option opposite Bland.
Time for Redemption?
Formerly a 1st- round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2022, Kaiir Elam arrives in Dallas looking to reignite his career.
Injuries and inconsistency plagued his early seasons, but Elam still possesses elite athletic traits and starting experience.
If DC Matt Eberflus can tap into his potential, Elam could offer a high-reward option.
This training camp may be his best shot to re-establish himself as a starter in the NFL.
DeMarvion Overshown shares a realization that new Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus should be paying close attention to – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
DeMarvion Overshown has an optimistic timetable for his return in 2025, as well as an idea for how Eberflus should best use him.
Like a little kid counting down the days to open the gifts under the Christmas tree, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will have to wait to deploy one of the most talented players on the roster, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.
And when he does, it’ll be very intriguing how exactly does he use him. Overshown appears to have a preference and him sharing a recent realization while watching highlights of himself is a hint. He wants to blitz often.
“I be watching highlights and realized if I just would’ve blitzed more, easily would’ve tallied more sacks,” Overshown posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
I don’t blame Overshown for wanting to blitz, as he was highly effective in that department in 2024.
Under Mike Zimmer, Overshown was often used as a blitzer, logging 74 pass rushing snaps in 13 games, per Pro Football Focus. In those, he recorded 20 pressures, five sacks, good for third on the team.
However, it’s not a guarantee Eberflus will use him in similar fashion upon his return. In four years as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and three as head coach of the Chicago Bears, his defenses consistently ranked among the lowest in blitz rate:
Eberflus units in Indy and Chicago only finished inside the Top 20 in blitz rate one year (2024) and that was 19th. The previous two years, he ranked 21st and 25th, respectively. As defensive coordinator of the Colts, he ranked 29th, 27th, 31st, and 29th in blitz rate, according to Pro Football Reference
Five questions to monitor as Cowboys begin OTAs – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
With as much of an emphasis as the Cowboys are putting on line of scrimmage play this season, it’s never too early to look for positive signs from developing players like Mazi Smith and Tyler Guyton.
Can Tyler Guyton, Mazi Smith show flashes of taking the next step?
Speaking of taking steps in the right direction, two key young players that could use a breakout year are left tackle Tyler Guyton and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Both are getting new coaching this season with strong track records of developmental success at their respective positions.
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley have specialized in development up front, something that Guyton will benefit from after an up and down rookie season in his first year playing left tackle.
Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton has gotten a lot out of his former players like Quinnen Williams in New York, and the Cowboys are hoping he can do the same with Smith, who has shown flashes but not necessarily consistency in his play since being drafted in the first round out of Michigan in 2023. The spotlight is only getting brighter on the two young players early in their careers.
Score 30+ points per game in 2025 and Dallas will almost certainly make the playoffs – One Cool Customer, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys were 3-0 when they scored at least 30 points last season, something they’ll be looking to do a lot more of with a healthy Dak Prescott.
One interesting quirk of the 2024 Cowboys season is that the team lost every single game in which the opponent scored 27 points or more. The 2024 opponents scored 27 or more points in nine games and the Cowboys were 0-9 in those games. When the opponents scored 26 or fewer points, the Cowboys were 7-1.
So how can the Cowboys avoid a repeat this year?
One option is to hope that a defense that ranked 31st last year in points allowed suddenly transforms into a top 10 unit and holds every opponent to no more than 26 points.
Another, and possibly better, option is to look to your offense to score more, which is not as far-fetched as it may sound.
Before the injuries and a head coach who didn’t want to “light the scoreboard up” derailed the Cowboys offense in 2024, the Cowboys were one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. In fact, between 2021 and 2023, the Cowboys scored more points than any other team in the NFL. They led the league in scoring in 2021 (530 points, 31.2 points per game), ranked third in 2022 (467, 27.5), and again led the league in 2023 (509, 29.9).
Why shouldn’t the team get back to its high-scoring ways in 2025, especially with the addition of WR George Pickens? Tony Romo weighs in:
“That’s a big trade. Having him and Ceedee together, that’s a gamechanger.
If you remember when they had Amari, it makes it very difficult to focus on one player when you have two superstars out there. And I feel like if you have two guys like that out there it just opens up the offense quite a bit.”
But why open up the offense, as Romo says? Because there are not that many teams in the NFL that can keep pace with an offense that consistently puts up 30+ points. The Cowboys’ record over the last five years in games where they scored 30+ points: 30-4. If you’re looking for a shortcut to the playoffs, scoring 30+ points per game would be a convenient way.
PFF names Cowboys starter projected to earn $76 million one of NFL’s 25 best under age 25 – Ali Jawad, The Cowboys Wire
It will be fun to watch Tyler Smith play with the new talent Dallas has added on the offensive line around him.
Pro Football Focus’ Jonathon Macri recently ranked the top 25 NFL players under the age of 25 heading into the 2025 season, and the Dallas Cowboys’ versatile guard came in at No. 22.
Offensive line is one of the most difficult positions to hit the ground running at in the NFL, but through his first three years in the league, Smith has done just that, ranking in the top 10 at his position since 2022 in PFF WAR.
Smith has established himself as a very good run blocker, ranking in the top 20 at his position in each of his first three seasons, though he has also developed nicely as a pass blocker. He has gradually increased his PFF pass-blocking grade each year since entering the NFL, culminating in a 76.0 mark in 2024 — a top-10 figure for the position.
Since being drafted in 2022, Smith has become one of the most dependable young linemen in the league. He’s logged over 3,300 snaps in three seasons, a workload that speaks to his durability and consistency, and he’s backed it up with performance. His three-year PFF grade sits at a strong 79.1, and his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric ranks him among the top 10 offensive linemen in football during that stretch.
Smith’s run blocking has been a strength since Day One, finishing in the top 20 at his position in that department every year he’s been in the league. But what’s impressed evaluators most is his steady growth in pass protection. After entering the NFL with room to grow in that area, Smith’s pass-blocking grade has improved every season — peaking at 76.0 in 2024, good for top-10 status among guards.
He’s so talented, he has a projected market value of a four-year, $76 million extension, according to Spotrac.
