The latest news and notes around the Dallas Cowboys
Which UDFA Can Make the Biggest Impact? – DallasCowboys.com Staff Writers
The Dallas Cowboys have a history of undrafted free agents making an impact as early as year one.
Kyle: For the better part of a decade, the Cowboys have found success in the UDFA class. This year seems like the lowest chance at striking yet, based purely on the small number of additions (nine) in the UDFA class. However, there’s a few names I keep coming back to, especially Justin Barron.
Barron, a five-year letter winner with Syracuse where he played safety, nickel and finally linebacker to round out his career. He looked the part during his rookie offseason, showing up in the rotation at linebacker throughout minicamp and OTAs. He joins a thin position group but has some veteran leadership around him with Kenneth Murray Jr. and a former UDFA Jack Sanborn. Don’t be surprised to see Barron make multiple plays throughout the preseason to work his way into playing time.
Tommy: Give me Alijah Clark, the safety from Syracuse. At 6’1, 188 pounds, he’s a versatile piece that can line up at safety or in the slot in the secondary and it’s that aspect of his game that I think helps him make the roster. Granted it was in OTAs and the two starting safeties were injured, but Clark was still out there taking reps with the first team defense in the media viewings of practice, which is certainly a good sign. He was also the highest paid UDFA the Cowboys brought in following the NFL Draft, which tells you what the personnel department thought of him. At the very least, he’s got experience as a gunner and jammer on special teams and has a chance to carve out a role for himself along that path if things don’t work out on the backend of the defense.
Tyler Smith contract projection: Dallas Cowboys guard looking for new deal – Rohan Chakravarthi, Blogging the Boys
Tyler Smith is next in line after Micah Parsons to be almost a near guarantee to be with Dallas long-term and for a massive contract.
Comparable baseline for a Tyler Smith contract
The guard market has erupted in recent years.
To name a few, Chris Lindstrom, Robert Hunt, Will Fries, Trey Smith (franchise tag), Landon Dickerson, Quenton Nelson, Aaron Banks, Sam Cosmi, Quinn Meinerz, Joe Thuney, and Jonah Jackson have all gotten a deal in the past two years that averages at least $17.5 million per season.
Dickerson’s four-year, $84 million deal from last offseason set the market until Trey Smith was franchise-tagged this year, setting him up to make $23.4 million on a one-year deal in 2025.
Smith has quickly developed into one of the top guards in the NFL since moving over from tackle in 2023, and he could very well be next in line for a market-setting deal.
Looking purely at contract extensions, Dickerson’s $21 million per year leads the way for average annual value. Hunt’s $63 million in practical guarantees on his five-year, $100 million deal with the Panthers is the top in that category. Lindstrom’s $48.2 million on his five-year, $102.5 million deal with the Falcons is the most guaranteed at signing. And Quenton Nelson’s $31 million signing bonus tops that filter.
With the guard market really expanding and teams taking care of their players early, four-year extensions seem to be the blueprint at the position. That makes sense for Smith, given that he still has two more years on his rookie deal (Year 4 + fifth-year option). It also allows the Cowboys more flexibility to structure the contract, which can be helpful in negotiations.
Timing will be crucial, as it usually is with major contracts, given others like Trey Smith are also vying for long-term extensions. But, given where the market currently is, let’s project what a contract for Tyler Smith could look like.
Cowboys claim 2 of PFF top 10 preseason battles to watch – Shane Taylor, Inside the Star
The Cowboys must decide who will be the starter at a few positions during training camp.
Running Backs
The first of the Masons’ preseason battles to watch, he talked about the Cowboys running back room. We all understand why.
“Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders headline the competition, with rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah aiming to carve out complementary roles,” Cameron noted.
The favorite should be Williams because he is younger and has more power to his game, but Sanders has been the more impressive player in offseason workouts, according to the folks who cover the Cowboys in person.
Yet, I have even seen reports saying that Dallas might cut Williams. If both Williams and Sanders struggle during training camp and into the preseason, will the Cowboys explore outside options?
I don’t see the Cowboys looking for anyone else to come in and take this job. I think this team will roll with whomever they have on the roster when week one gets here.
Edge Defenders
The second of the two that made the top ten list was the battle of the Cowboys edge defenders.
Dante Fowler Jr. vs. Donovan Ezeiruaku vs. Payton Turner vs. Marshawn Kneeland vs. Sam Williams.
Dallas brought in former first-round picks Dante Fowler Jr. and Payton Turner in free agency to compete with second-rounders Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland.
They also drafted Ezeiruaku in the second round of the 2025 draft.
Fowler had 10.5 sacks last season with the Washington Commanders, making him the favorite to start.
Still, there will be snaps for Kneeland and rookie Ezeiruaku. It will also be hard to keep Williams off the field if he’s at full strength following a torn ACL suffered in 2024.
Top five NFL draft values of the millennium at TE: Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski among all-time greats – Eric Edholm, NFL.com
There’s no question Jason Witten should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2026.
4) Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 69 overall), 2003.
As the fifth tight end selected in the 2003 draft, Witten entered the NFL as a 21-year-old rookie and earned respect early on, playing through most of that initial pro season with a broken jaw. He missed one game because of it … then never again missed a game in his career to injury.
After breaking out in Year 2, Witten became one of the steadiest and best tight ends of his generation — a model of consistency throughout his career. Although he didn’t put up the gaudiest receiving numbers at his position, he did make 110 catches in 2012 — a single-season record for a tight end at the time — and he still holds the record for most catches in a game by a tight end (18 in 2012).
Witten’s brief retirement, a tough lone season with the Raiders and a failed stint as a Monday Night Football broadcaster might have sullied his reputation unfairly in recent years. When you combine his receiving ability, blocking prowess, leadership and unquestioned toughness, he stacks up as one of the finest ever to play his position.
