The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here.
The latest on Micah Parsons’ contract negotiations ahead of Cowboys training camp – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
Things have gotten a little spicy between Parsons and the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys’ contract stalemate with Micah Parsons continues as the team prepares to leave for training camp in Oxnard, Calif., on Sunday.
The Cowboys’ star pass rusher seeks a contract extension that would make him one of the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL. Parsons is expected to arrive in southern California and stay with some family members, but whether he reports to training camp by Monday’s deadline for players is uncertain.
If Parsons doesn’t report on time, he’s subject to being fined $40,000 per day. Teams can reduce or waive these fines for players on their rookie contracts.
Parsons could also report to training camp and attend practices without participating until he gets a new deal.
Parsons and team owner Jerry Jones spoke this offseason about a new deal, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Dallas Morning News. Parsons told Jones he needed to contact his agent, David Mulugheta, to help facilitate the deal.
That has yet to take place, and it appears Parsons is frustrated with the lack of progress.
“We obviously want to get it done early,” Parsons said in an interview with former WWE star The Undertaker on the Six-Feet Under with The Undertaker podcast. “We want that relief off our backs, but, obviously, ownership’s always going to make it drag out, make it more complicated than it has to be, lack of communication.”
Jimmy Johnson gives his “No. 1 key” for Schotty & Cowboys in 2025 – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
This is something that plagued the Cowboys last season.
While he’s long been removed from the sidelines, and most recently hanging up the microphone as a studio analyst for Fox, Johnson is still excited about the 2025 season, especially for the Cowboys. Johnson will always have strong ties to Dallas, having coached there from 1989-93, winning two Super Bowls. He’s a member of the Ring of Honor and of course, the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And just recently, Johnson did an interview with the Cowboys media team for an upcoming documentary for the Deep Blue series. When asked about the current team, Johnson said there’s one thing that must happen for the Cowboys to have success under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The biggest thing for the Cowboys – it’s a big thing for any team – is to stay healthy. I think it’s probably more important for the Cowboys to stay healthy for a couple reasons,” Johnson explained. “No. 1, they’re top-heavy salary wise. And so their 53-man roster may not be quite as talented at the bottom the as some of these other teams.”
Johnson, referring to the high-dollar contracts of Dak Prescott ($60 million per season) and CeeDee Lamb ($34 million), said it’s difficult to have depth from top to bottom when the majority of the salary cap is getting use for the top-line players. And currently, Micah Parsons is counting $25 million on the cap – a figure that would be decreased if he were to sign a long-term extension.
But Johnson has another reason why staying healthy is so important for this year’s team.
“The other thing is, they have a very difficult stretch there toward the end of the season,” Johnson said. “So if they’re not at full strength when they’re playing those top teams – the second half of at the end of the season, it’s going to be a problem. So staying healthy is the No. 1 key.”
Five position battles to watch in Cowboys training camp: Who’s starting at strong safety? – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
The defensive side of the ball will have some intriguing competition in training camp.
Cornerback
Corner is perhaps the hardest position to predict heading into training camp. That’s because we aren’t exactly sure who will be healthy enough for the competition.
The Cowboys are still awaiting the practice debut of rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. There’s a lot of excitement about a player that could’ve been a first-round pick if not for a torn ACL early last season. They’re also awaiting the return of Trevon Diggs from offseason surgery. The Cowboys haven’t given a timetable for his return yet.
So far, the Cowboys have liked what they’ve seen from former first-round pick Kaiir Elam. He was a consistent starter during minicamp. He also impressed coaches with his consistency in both play — he broke up at least one pass per practice — and his effort. Schottenheimer pointed to his GPS numbers as proof of high effort.
Can Elam hold down an outside corner spot? Where will DaRon Bland line up? Can Caelen Carson, or Kemon Hall, or Israel Mukuamu be enough to hold the Cowboys until Diggs returns?
Strong safety
It’s felt for a couple years now that Juanyeh Thomas, a former undrafted free agent, has knocked on the door of being a full-time starter. Is this the year he can break down the door?
Thomas started during minicamp and OTAs at safety while Donovan Wilson recovered from offseason surgery. Wilson is expected to be ready to go for camp.
Wilson is also in the final year of a three-year extension. The Cowboys could save $7 million in cap space this year if they cut him before the start of the year. In order for the Cowboys to even consider that, they’d have to feel good about what’s behind him. That goes beyond Thomas, as well.
Dallas Cowboys sign 2nd-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku after leaguewide standoff – Nick Harris, Star-Telegram
There will be no draft pick holdouts for the Cowboys this year.
After a leaguewide standoff that saw all but two second-round picks not sign their rookie contracts throughout the summer in hopes of securing more guaranteed money, the dominoes have begun to fall. The Dallas Cowboys are one of those in line, as defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku signed his four-year rookie contract on Thursday worth $10.155 million. He was able to secure over $8.5 million in guaranteed money on the deal.
In a leaguewide trend that also took place in 2024 when second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland was also the last one to sign in the Cowboys’ rookie class, agents of second-round selections have begun seeking more guaranteed money for their clients. Before July 16, only two second-round picks had signed: Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (No. 33 overall pick) and Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (No. 34 overall pick). As the top two selections in the second round, they were able to secure their guaranteed money early in the process.
There hasn’t been any frustration with Ezeiruaku in the Cowboys’ building, according to one team source. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite since his arrival. Multiple team sources have told the Star-Telegram that the team feels they got a first-round value in their No. 44 overall selection after evaluating his early returns.
