The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys predicted to sign irreplaceable star to record-breaking contract – Koby Skillern, Sports Illustrated
Another one of Dallas’ all-star players is likely to get a new deal this year.
Since the moment Micah Parsons stepped onto the field as a rookie in a Dallas Cowboys uniform, the spotlight was on him—and he didn’t disappoint.
Now, four years later, he’s a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro.
Parsons has quickly become one of the best defenders in the league, with the stats to back it up. Now, it’s time to pay him like it.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicts that Micah Parsons will sign a record-breaking extension worth around $180 million, with $125 million guaranteed over four seasons.
This deal would significantly raise the market for top-tier edge rushers, following Nick Bosa’s recent five-year, $170 million contract that reset the market. Parsons’ deal would represent roughly an $11 million increase from Bosa’s contract.
The deal would not only make Parsons the highest defender in the league but it would also make him the highest-paid non quarterback in the league.
Parsons who has 52.5 sacks and nine force fumbles in his career is certainly worth every penny; however, Parsons did come out and say, “It would be nice to be surrounded by good players, players that will help me win championships, I’ll say that. To me, having $40 million and being chipped every play and slid into three, four people, that doesn’t sound too fun to me. So, to me, it’s about keeping people that can make a difference.”
Brian Schottenheimer candid on Cowboys’ offensive plan, blueprint in 2025 and beyond – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Despite the coaching continuity, there will be some offensive changes this season.
Three consecutive years of 12-5 gave way to a train wreck of a campaign from the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, the team finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2020, and while the blame could be slathered over several slices of the proverbial bread, e.g., injuries, the offense under Mike McCarthy earned its fair share of accountability as well.
Losing Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury made things worse, true enough, but the unit was disjointed prior to the All-Pro being lost in early November, giving way to backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
How might things look differently under Brian Schottenheimer, though?
“I’ve watched him have deference to experience,” said Jones. “… I’ve watched him bite his lip sometimes, when he didn’t necessarily agree with the direction. He bit his lip as [Marty Schottenheimer] would’ve told him to: ‘Bite your lip and have deference to the head coach.’”
It’s unclear in which situations that occurred, but the coming era of Schottenheimer in Dallas will soon begin to shed light on his thought process as it relates to all things offense — his hiring of Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator and Derrick Foster as running backs coach giving strong indication, already, as to the direction things will go on that side of the ball.
“I go back to my days with Pete [Carroll],” said Schottenheimer. “I think if you go back and you look at some of the things we did in Seattle, obviously, the starting point for me would be things that our players do well. You’re always going to start with that. If your system’s not flexible enough to do what your players do well then you’re probably in the wrong business.”
Dallas Cowboys 2025 free agent wishlist: Offensive edition – Brian Martin, BloggingTheBoys.com
Maybe this year will be the year that Dallas is active in free agency.
Considering all of the current “needs” they have, the Cowboys can’t simply rely on building their roster through the 2025 NFL Draft. They will have to address a few of those “needs” via free agency, but who those players may be is the ultimate unknown right now.
Today, we thought we’d have a little fun and remove all restraints by putting together a wish list of free agents the Cowboys to target in order to upgrade the offensive side of the ball. As unlikely as it is a sign anyone from this list, we still have our fingers crossed.
RB – J.K. Dobbins
Running back is arguably the Cowboys biggest roster “need” right now and why they are projected by some mocks to draft RB Ashton Jeanty with the 12th overall pick in the first-round. If they choose to go the free agency route though, J.K. Dobbins is a player to target. His injury history is well documented, but when healthy he’s proven he can be a highly productive RB in the league. Signing him as a free agent could allow Dallas to wait a little later in the draft to take advantage of the deep RB draft class.
OG – Trey Smith
Protecting Dak Prescott, the highest-paid player in the league, has to be one of the Cowboys top priorities, if not the top priority, moving forward. And, if they are serious about improving the running game, then finding Zack Martin’s replacement at RG if he retires is something they should focus on. By signing Trey Smith via free agency they would accomplish all that. He still just 25 years old and and is the best OG on the open market. He is a plug-and-play starter at RG and would help solidify Dallas’ OL for years to come.
Cowboys defender with two years left on $21 million deal may no longer fit – Reid Hanson, USA Today
A new defensive scheme may lead to a secondary player being let go.
Matt Eberflus is the Dallas Cowboys new defensive coordinator and with him comes a new defensive scheme. As a former Cowboys coach, Eberflus isn’t foreign around these parts. His scheme is much more straight forward than that of Dan Quinn or Mike Zimmer. He stunts less, blitzes less, and disguises his coverages less.
For safeties like Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker it means a higher proportion of split safety looks. This impacts both players since most of those two players’ careers have been spent in some form of single-high secondaries. By most predictions, Wilson won’t be able to play in the box as often as before and Hooker won’t be able to play centerfield as often as before.
Hooker’s ability to effectively play as a single-high safety made him a valuable commodity for the Dallas defense over the years. His range and consistency made him a top player at one of the NFL’s most demanding roles.
With more split safety looks on the horizon, Hooker’s top skill, his range, loses some of its value. Split-safety looks like Cover 2, 2-man and Quarters don’t require the same extraordinary range as a Cover 1 or Cover 3 scheme. As such, the role is easier to fill and doesn’t require a high investment cost.
Like Wilson, his counterpart, Hooker’s return to the Cowboys in 2025 is far from assured. He’s an expensive player coming off a down year. Significant costs could be saved by letting him go if the Cowboys think they can adequately replace his production.
