Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images Here is a full list of what the Cowboys did through both free agency and the NFL draft. When it comes to the offseason there are two primary windows of opportunity for NFL teams to add to or adjust their roster. Things begin with free agency and the Dallas Cowboys do not exactly believe in utilizing it to a serious degree. This year ran a little counter to that, more on that in a moment, but anybody who has been paying attention knows that the Cowboys like to build primarily through the NFL Draft. The draft took place this past weekend which means we know the results of both windows in question. Obviously the Cowboys could still look to add to their roster through what would technically be free agency, but the point feels understood that the bulk of what they will do and the most serious things that they will do in that sense have already happened. Sometimes looking at all of this information together can be helpful in the name of seeing the offseason to assess the full body of work. That is what we are doing today. Notable Dallas Cowboys Retained DT Osa Odighizuwa WR KaVontae Turpin ST C.J. Goodwin P Bryan Anger LS Trent Sieg OL Brock Hoffman (ERFA) S Juanyeh Thomas (ERFA) DE Tyrus Wheat (ERFA) S Marquese Bell S Israel Mukuamu Notable Dallas Cowboys Additions (Free Agency/Trade) OL Rob Jones RB Javonte Williams DT Solomon Thomas DE Payton Turner CB Kaiir Elam (trade) LB Kenneth Murray (trade) LB Jack Sanborn RB Miles Sanders OT Dakoda Shepley DE Dante Fowler Jr. WR Parris Cambell QB Joe Milton (trade) OL Saahdiq Charles 2025 Dallas Cowboys Draft Class Tyler Booker, G, Alabama Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Boston College Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas Shemar James, LB, Florida Ajani Cornelius, OL, Oregon Jay Toia, DT, UCLA Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson Tommy Akingbesote, DT, Maryland There are of course several undrafted free agents who the Cowboys have signed – you can view the entire list here – and history suggests that at least one of them will make the team. Pardon the leaning into the cheesy phrase that Stephen Jones coined, but this really does feel like being selectively aggressive. If we are going into things with an open mind, we should be, then it is difficult to not feel extremely pleased with what the team has done over the last few months. Now, it goes without saying that the Cowboys could still look to add to the wide receiver spot. That is the lone corner of the room that they have not dusted and cleaned to this point. But it makes perfect sense that the Cowboys will be more talented on the field in 2025 than they were a year ago (not exactly a difficult thing) and likely beyond as well. Seeing all of the offseason together like this, how do you feel about it all?

Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images Here is a potential look at the Dallas Cowboys depth chart following the NFL Draft. With nine players coming from their 2025 draft picks, and more on the way through undrafted free agent signings, the Cowboys have a lot of new names on their roster. While we still need training camp and the reason to make it all official, let’s project how these rookies will slot into the depth chart. Most teams give a lot of deference to veterans in their early post-draft depth charts. Rookies have to earn their way up, and many do by the time you get to final cuts or even the preseason. Of course, early picks may get slotted immediately as starters based on the circumstances. For this depth chart, we’re focusing more on how we think things will shake out by the end of summer. So while a veteran like RB Miles Sanders may get the initial nod over rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, that probably won’t last by September or even by the end of training camp. This isn’t a roster projection; way more than 53 names on these lists. But in terms of where we think all of these new faces will eventually work their way onto the depth charts for their positions, here’s one guess. Offense Note: we have 12 starters because we placed FB Hunter Luepke on his own line. His position on the roster is discussed below. QB – With no drafted quarterbacks or UDFAs yet, Dallas has who they had before the weekend. The big question this summer is who winds up as QB2 between Will Grier and Joe Milton. Many would assume it’s Milton as the younger guy with more upside, but Grier has a significant experience edge over him. How they take to the offensive changes under Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams will go a long way to deciding the order. RB – The Cowboys waited until Day 3 to finally add a running back, and then they added two with Blue and Mafah. While Mafah was only a seventh-round pick, his power style is exactly what they’ll need to complement Blue and Williams in the rotation. They should be the assumed top three going forward, with the rest merely camp bodies and insurance at this point. That may seem like a lot of faith in a couple of later-picked rookies, but that’s how deep this RB class was touted to be. FB – Hunter Luepke’s only challenge now is whether or not Dallas decides to keep a true fullback on the roster. He could lose out if some of the tight ends are effective enough blockers out of the backfield, especially now that Mafah projects to get more of the short-yardage and goal-line carries. If Luepke is going to make it, he has to stand out as the lead blocker and on special teams. WR – We still expect a trade or free agency move to address WR2 before training camp. But for now, Dallas’ lack of activity at receiver creates a major competition between Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo for the other starting spot. At best, undrafted rookies Traeshon Holden and Josh Kelly may become the new developmental guys on the practice squad, but it would be surprising to see them move up further. TE – Dallas was pretty high on Brevyn Spann-Ford and Princeton Fant coming out of last year, and John Stephens remains an enigma who just needs to stay healthy. Like at WR, the undrafted rookies here have an uphill battle to crack a group that already has young prospects filling up the depth chart. OL – Tyler Booker walks in as your new starting right guard as a first-rounder. The battle for backup spots will be very interesting with some new, but experienced veterans like Robert Jones and Saahdiq Charles in the mix. While sixth-round pick Ajani Cornelius projects as a guard in the NFL, he was a college tackle and is currently listed as an OT on the Cowboys’ official roster. It’s certainly where they need the depth more. Defense Note: we have 12 starters because we added nickel corner as a starter along with three linebackers. DE – While second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku should get an immediate role in the pass-rushing rotation, Marshawn Kneeland is the frontrunner to replace DeMarcus Lawrence in the starting lineup. He’s more of an all-around EDGE, and veteran Dante Fowler should get plenty of work in various roles as well. Thankfully, Dallas won’t be leaning heavily on Sam Williams or Payton Turner unless someone gets hurt. DT – It’s still Mazi Smith’s job to lose coming out of the draft. The third-year, former first-round pick didn’t get an immediate threat to his spot, but rookie Jay Toia should push for work as a true nose tackle in certain packages. While Solomon Thomas likely rounds out the core four, there’s plenty of room for prospects like Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon to push their way into the conversation. LB – We know DeMarvion Overshown won’t start Week 1, or perhaps even at all in 2025, as he recovers from injury. Still, we can hope. Veteran additions Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn will have a tough fight with Marist Liufau for primary reps, and rookie Shemar James may be better suited for nickel work than any of them. Don’t count out Damone Clark either, who has a lot of experience and could find new life with a new defensive regime. CB – With Trevon Diggs probably starting the year on PUP, Dallas added a potential starter in Shavon Revel Jr. While also coming off a knee injury, he’s expected to be ready for Week 1 and perhaps even camp. He’ll likely be one of the top three along with DaRon Bland, leaving Caelen Carson and Kaiir Elam to battle for the other spot. Don’t sleep on Israel Mukuamu as a corner option, either.

Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images Cowboys fans are a bit mixed on the Tyler Booker pick still. When the Dallas Cowboys were up for pick 12 on Thursday night in the draft, most fans probably thought Matthew Golden was going to the pick. Maybe Emeka Egbuka, but a wide receiver was the runaway favorite in most observations. The Cowboys surprised us by swerving to the offensive line and taking a player they had rated higher than many draft experts. Tyler Booker was arguably the consensus best guard in the draft, but guard is a position that is of lesser value in the NFL hierarchy, one that is generally not taken so high. Especially with other perceived needs. So that can definitely color people’s opinions on what just happened. It didn’t feel like a lot of people questioned Booker’s talent, but where the Cowboys picked him – as a reach, and not a huge position of need. So after the pick, we asked you to give a grade on the pick. 33% of you said it was an ‘A’ pick, while 38% said a ‘B’ pick. That lines up with how many of the draft experts graded the pick. Our own OCC rounded up those grades here, and if you look through, the vast majority fall in the B region with some at ‘A’ and others at ‘C’. B+ kind of felt like the average. Our own Sean Martin was bullish on the pick immediately after, giving it an ‘A’ grade. Meanwhile David Howman was less enthused, giving it a ‘B-’ grade. From an overall perspective, the Cowboys draft got high marks from the experts online. Below is a roundup of the grades for each team from a selection of draft pundits, and the Cowboys rank seventh in the NFL with a 3.4 GPA. 2025 NFL Draft Team Grades I´ve compiled 24 evaluations of the 2025 NFL draft and totaled the team grades. Sorted by GPA for all 32 teams. I sorted the 24 evaluations by GPA as well. From left (soft) to right (hard graders).Thanks to all who give out grades every year! pic.twitter.com/HW69yxX702 — René Bugner (@RNBWCV) April 28, 2025 Our friends over at FanDuel have odds for the offseason on all kinds of stuff. They have odds on Tyler Booker winning the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. As you can imagine since he is a guard, it is a real longshot at +25000. Second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku has odds for Defensive Rookie of the Year at a much more reasonable, but still long odds at +2500.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images Which Dallas Cowboys draft pick was your favorite and why? The Dallas Cowboys have officially assembled their 2025 draft class and we can now dive even deeper into the players that they selected knowing they are a part of the team. While the draft process is a ton of fun, being able to move on with a class is a different type of fun. All told the weekend featured a lot of interesting moments for the team and odds are you enjoyed a selection or two, likely more than others. For our Monday discussion around our proverbial water cooler we want to know which draft pick was your favorite. 2025 Dallas Cowboys Draft Class Tyler Booker, G, Alabama Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Boston College Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas Shemar James, LB, Florida Ajani Cornelius, OL, Oregon Jay Toia, DT, UCLA Phil Mafah, RB, Clemson Tommy Akingbesote, DT, Maryland While you may really like an udnrafted free agent or two for the purposes of this conversation we are discussing only draft picks. Let us know in the comments down below! Don’t forget to say why the pick is your favorite.

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Jerry Jones teases big Cowboys move fans are clamoring for after NFL Draft – Sayre Bedinger, The Landry Hat Adding another WR feels like a necessity. Jerry Jones understands the team still needs to do something at the wide receiver position and he’s teasing something potentially big. Cowboys might have big wide receiver move bubbling beneath the surface Those are some interesting words from Jerry Jones right there. It gives credence to the report that the Cowboys were potentially looking into making a trade with an AFC North team for a veteran receiver, and Dallas reportedly was going to take Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan if he would have been available at 12 overall. Even though that didn’t end up being the case, the need remained. The Cowboys didn’t just pivot to the next-best receiver on their board, and ultimately the only receivers that have been brought in are undrafted guys. So how much longer are we going to have to wait? Will the Cowboys be able to make a deal for someone soon? Nobody in NFL Free Agency is really going to move the needle all that much at this point, but a trade for someone of note — someone like George Pickens — would potentially shake things up in the NFC East for the Cowboys. Cowboys’ draft grades show consistently high marks, including rare A+ from PFF – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire If you put weight into draft grades, Jerry Jones and Will McClay did well with this one. USA Today: B+ Link It might not have been exactly what the fan base was hoping for – Jeanty – but owner Jerry Jones and his front office generally do a pretty solid job this time of year. Aside from being a bully on the field, first-round G Tyler Booker not only fills a need but could provide fresh leadership in the locker room in time. Second-round DE Donovan Ezeiruaku and third-round CB Shavon Revel Jr. were certainly worthy of being taken a round earlier than they were. Fifth-round RB Jaydon Blue brings sub-4.4 speed if not the background to suggest he can shoulder the load on the ground. Receiving depth behind WR CeeDee Lamb still looms as a significant question. New York Post: B A touchdown-scorer was needed, but the Cowboys are trying to recapture their great line of the 2010s with three first-round picks since 2022 (Booker, Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith). Revel is a bargain if his torn ACL rehab checks out. Ezeiruaku reminds some of the departed DeMarcus Lawrence. Cowboys’ 2025 draft was one of the best, but skill players still lack – Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star Looking past the glaring hole, Dallas crushed the draft. Out of their nine draft selections, only two were offensive skill players, both chosen in the later rounds, suggesting what we all fear: that the Cowboys are content with the players already on the roster. Once again, it appears that the weight of the passing game will fall mostly on the shoulders of WR CeeDee Lamb and a bunch of players who don’t want to win the WR2 job. Building the Foundation With their first-round pick, the Cowboys selected Alabama guard Tyler Booker at #12 overall. Booker, known for his exceptional pass protection, having not allowed a sack in his final collegiate season, was brought in to strengthen the offensive line and provide better protection for quarterback Dak Prescott. Moreover, Booker’s size and strength at the point of attack in the running game is what excited OC Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley. Dallas is ecstatic to have drafted a player of Booker’s caliber immediately replace the retired Zack Martin. Cowboys secure a fierce group of edge rushers by selecting Donovan Ezeiruaku- Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys Eberflus has talent to work with off the edge. Nobody will blame them for going after pass rushers, as it’s one of the premium positions in the NFL. Load up and go! That’s the Operatus Mundi of most roster builders at the pro level. But what makes this weird is that the Cowboys keep doing this despite entering the draft deep at the position. They’ve had guys like DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler on the team, yet they keep adding more edge rushers to the roster. And it’s good because those guys eventually left in free agency. Fowler is back this year, and the team added free agent Payton Turner, again keeping some decent depth on the end. Their edge rushing room entering the draft looked as follows: Micah Parsons Marshawn Kneeland Dante Fowler Sam Williams Payton Turner And now they have Ezeiruaku, giving them six total. At first glance, this might not seem like the best use of premium draft resources, especially when they have so many other needs, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, three players on that list above have expiring contracts after the 2025 season. The free agents, Fowler and Turner, only signed one-year deals, and Williams is on the last year of his rookie contract. Technically, four of them have expiring contracts, but we’re not counting Parsons because a long-term extension should be right around the corner. That means that while the team is set right now, this group becomes scarce after this season, leaving Parsons, Kneeland, and the recently drafted Ezeiruaku.

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Cowboys’ future at edge rusher appears to be taken care of for now. The Dallas Cowboys did it again. For the third time in four years, the Cowboys have taken an offensive lineman in the first round. We all know about it. It’s brought up a lot, we get it. The Cowboys love guys in the trenches. But what isn’t talked about as much is how the team has done the same thing with defensive ends in round two in each of those same drafts. 2022: Round 1 = OL Tyler Smith, Round 2 = DE Sam Williams 2024: Round 1 = OL Tyler Guyton, Round 2 = DE Marshawn Kneeland 2025: Round 1 = OL Tyler Booker, Round 2 = DE Donovan Ezeiruaku And if you count Micah Parsons in 2021, they have used one of their top two picks on a defensive end in four of the last five drafts. One might say they love guys in the trenches on defense even more. Nobody will blame them for going after pass rushers, as it’s one of the premium positions in the NFL. Load up and go! That’s the Operatus Mundi of most roster builders at the pro level. But what makes this weird is that the Cowboys keep doing this despite entering the draft deep at the position. They’ve had guys like DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler on the team, yet they keep adding more edge rushers to the roster. And it’s good because those guys eventually left in free agency. Fowler is back this year, and the team added free agent Payton Turner, again keeping some decent depth on the end. Their edge rushing room entering the draft looked as follows: Micah Parsons Marshawn Kneeland Dante Fowler Sam Williams Payton Turner And now they have Ezeiruaku, giving them six total. At first glance, this might not seem like the best use of premium draft resources, especially when they have so many other needs, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, three players on that list above have expiring contracts after the 2025 season. The free agents, Fowler and Turner, only signed one-year deals, and Williams is on the last year of his rookie contract. Technically, four of them have expiring contracts, but we’re not counting Parsons because a long-term extension should be right around the corner. That means that while the team is set right now, this group becomes scarce after this season, leaving Parsons, Kneeland, and the recently drafted Ezeiruaku. The second thing is that the Cowboys are coming off a year where they were struck unusually hard with injuries, with defensive ends taking the brunt of it. Williams missed the entire season Lawrence missed 13 games Kneeland missed six games Parsons missed four games That’s a lot of edge rushers out of action. Entering the year, the team seemed equipped to handle the free agency losses of Armstrong and Fowler, but fate had other plans, and the Cowboys were left high and dry at the position. Chauncey Goltson and Carl Lawson finished second and third on the team in sacks behind Parsons. The Cowboys will not have that problem this season, and they should have a strong core for future seasons. Ezeiruaku has the talent to find work right away. He has deceptive footwork and employs a sudden eurostep to attack the unsuspecting blocker from either side. When tackles try to get their hands on him, he’ll use his long arms to swat away any resistance. And when you think you might have him contained, Ezeiruaku still gets by you because he is one of the most bendy edge rushers in this draft class. He dips his body and accelerates around the edge. He’s just one of those pass rushers who slips by you before you can even blink. It’s quite impressive. Another edge rusher may not have been number one on the need list, but that’s okay. The Cowboys didn’t let need keep them from taking a strong talent. Ezeiruaku should be able to work himself into the rotation this year and have a more impactful role in subsequent seasons. His physical traits, fundamentals, and mental makeup should help this guy maximize his potential and give the Cowboys a fierce pass-rushing group now and for years to come.

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images The Cowboys added an insurance policy at cornerback throughout the draft. The cornerback position group of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the biggest mysteries on their roster. On one hand, they have two All-Pro players on the roster, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. On the other hand, the future of those two players is murky, and everything beyond them is a great unknown. Let’s break it down. The Trevon Diggs situation Diggs was sensational in his first three years in the league. He was viewed as a second-round steal for the Cowboys and flashed his great talent early before a fractured foot ended his rookie season. His second year in the league was remarkable as he finished with 11 interceptions. It was the most picks in 40 years, when Everson Walls also had 11 picks in 1981. After three good years, the Cowboys signed him to a five-year, $97 million extension, but the ink hadn’t dried on the contract before bad luck struck. Two games into the season, Diggs tore his ACL in his left knee. It gets worse. Diggs returned last year, but his knee was never right, and after muddling through most of the year, his season was once again cut short because of his left knee. The concern is more serious now. He underwent surgery again to repair cartilage, and his 2025 season timeline to play is unclear. Additionally, the cause of this setback has been up for discussion including how Diggs handled his rehab during his initial injury, creating strife between him and the Cowboys organization. Diggs’ 2025 salary is injury guaranteed, and the Cowboys will have given him $42 million over the past three seasons despite getting limited returns. How he recovers this year will loom large on his future with Dallas, as none of his remaining $55 million is guaranteed, and the team could release him next offseason with only a $5.8 million dead money hit. This dilemma brings us to the next complicated matter, which is… The DaRon Bland situation Bland was another draft-day steal, only this time coming in the fifth round. And like Diggs, he had an amazing second year in the league with nine interceptions. He also set a new NFL record with five pick-sixes en route to his own All-Pro season. How lucky can the Cowboys get? Last year, Bland missed the first part of the year with a foot injury. He only played seven games, and his interception totals went from nine to zero. It wasn’t because he played poorly, as he was solid down the stretch. The puzzling thing about Bland is that even though he was statistically sensational in 2023, there were elements to his game that keep him from being in the upper echelon of corners. However, other teams might view it differently should he hit free agency next offseason. What are the Cowboys to do? Should they try to get a deal done before the start of the season? Should they wait and see, and keep the franchise tag option open to prevent him from hitting the open market? There are a lot of other factors that will go into making that decision and those factors include Diggs’ recovery, Bland’s true skills, and what the team might have in their new third-round draft pick, Shavon Revel Jr. We’ll get to him in a moment. The depth situation The Cowboys were hit hard with injuries last season. Because of that, seven corners played at least 100 snaps last year – Jourdan Lewis (872), Diggs (685), Bland (436), Amani Oruwariye (286), Caelen Carson (252), Josh Butler (160), and Andrew Booth (118). Last year’s snap count leader, Jourdan Lewis, left in free agency. Last year’s rookie, Caelen Carson, did not have a good rookie season. This leaves a lot of questions about the Cowboys’ depth at corner, which could be an issue early without the presence of Diggs. Revel in the glory of a fallen draft pick The Cowboys selected one of the top corners in the draft in Shavon Revel Jr., but there’s only one problem. He’s coming off a torn ACL injury himself. For that reason, he fell to the third round, which makes him an absolute steal if one has the patience to lower their expectations for his rookie season. The Cowboys are saying they do. Talent alone, he’s a first-round corner. He has exceptional length at 6’2” with a wingspan of nearly 80 inches. He’s a menace in press coverage and is physical with those long arms to disrupt routes. He also has excellent acceleration and top-end speed to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. And despite being a slender guy, he’s a very aggressive player. He will come at you fast and use that momentum to stop runners in their tracks or even toss them to the ground. While his interception production is low, he is a pass-break-up master with the skills to create his own No Fly Shavon (sah-vone). A lot to prove – and the talent to back it up. Next step for @ECUPiratesFB DB Shavon Revel Jr.? ➡️ 2025 #NFLDraft : 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC : Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/2aY6LKIghh — NFL (@NFL) April 5, 2025

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The 2025 NFL Draft has concluded, with the Dallas Cowboys making nine picks. Originally scheduled for ten, the Cowboys went into day three with the bulk of their picks still remaining, and did some wheeling and dealing to move up in the fifth round and target even more defensive help with Florida linebacker Shemar James. Day three was also the point the Cowboys waited until to address running back, which came as a surprise, but they double-dipped with Texas’ Jaydon Blue at 149th overall and Clemson’s Phil Mafah at 239th in the seventh. The single biggest surprise from this Cowboys draft is that they left wide receiver completely untouched. Some runs on the position ahead of their picks in each round may have forced their hand here, but Dallas did a terrific job sticking to their board and finding high-value players, mainly by trusting first-year DC Matt Eberflus to bulk up his side of the ball. Both of the Cowboys day two picks went to defense, as well as three of their six on day three with another double-dip at defensive tackle in the seventh. Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote became something of last-ditch picks to address an underrated position of need, at very least from a depth and bodies standpoint, giving the Cowboys more size on the defensive interior. One of the great initial things to seemingly come out of this draft is also the way the Cowboys created competition. The Cowboys newest rookies will push existing depth players to the roster bubble, especially those that were brought in under previous coaches, almost none of which are still here. The Cowboys also have some clear winners from the existing roster who seemingly got a vote of confidence based on the team’s drafting. Let’s take an early look at who some of these Cowboys’ roster winners and losers are following the draft. Winners: WRs Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy and Jonathan Mingo The Cowboys positioning in each round did not fall favorably for them to target a receiver with any of their four picks in the top 150. Tet McMillan was gone before their first round choice, Matthew Golden went later in the first, and Luther Burden was drafted before they pivoted to defense in the second round for Donovan Ezeiruaku. There was a total of 20 wide receivers drafted after the Cowboys third-round selection, but by this point the team must have felt none could play right away and make the impact they need. By doing so, the Cowboys put a lot of faith into an existing receiver group that lost Brandin Cooks this offseason. Obviously they could still add a vet WR through free agency or a trade. The biggest names to keep in mind here are Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and Jonathan Mingo, because they have all been on the roster for part of the time the Cowboys offensive play caller in Schottenheimer has been on staff. Tolbert has yet to show much over his three years with the team that inspires confidence he can be much more than a third receiver alongside an established primary and secondary option. The Cowboys have their primary target in CeeDee Lamb, and even drafting a receiver 12th overall wouldn’t have changed this, but having to put Tolbert in the current conversation for WR2 is not the best of circumstances. Still, Tolbert emerges from this draft as a winner, at least because he will have a clear path to see the field and find a new role in Schottenheimer’s offense. This is a player that got better with the most consistent reps of his career a year ago, and still fills an obvious need for speed at the skill positions for Dallas. From the somewhat limited nuggets of information we have about how Schottenheimer wants to scheme the Cowboys offense moving forward, using consistent formations that look the same but present a wide array of concepts to the defense is a priority. This would align the Cowboys closer to teams in the way they help their quarterbacks with these looks. A staple of playing offense in this way is the ability to dictate the matchups receivers, backs, and tight ends get in coverage. If the Cowboys can hone in on this for Tolbert and get his vertical speed working against linebackers and safeties more consistently, it could be the key to seeing the former third-round pick make another leap. As for both Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy, the Cowboys may not find a lot of dynamic speed and explosive play ability from either, but these are big targets that present wide catch radiuses for Dak Prescott. Both receivers have their best potential in the red zone, where Dallas was 31st in the league only ahead of the New York Giants in scoring touchdowns last season. If using Prescott’s mobility is going to be another focus for the redesigned offense, moving him out of the pocket to layer throws to the likes of Brooks, Flournoy, and even last year’s trade acquisition Mingo, can become bread and butter plays. This is an offense that will have to work hard to create run-after-the-catch situations for their receivers, but has some of the potential to do so on the depth chart. The Cowboys also ended the draft without making any of the “substantiated” trades Jerry Jones hinted at coming into it, and wide receiver is a position they’ve shown a propensity to target in trades before. Not just with Mingo a year ago, but obviously Amari Cooper in 2018 when things were looking bleak at receiver prior to that trade. Fans may think things are equally bleak on the current depth chart at WR, but at minimum this team has young talent still on the rise in multiple receivers for the first time in a long time, all of which became winners after the draft without a single new rookie to compete with. Losers: OL Nathan

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys seem to feel confident in the idea of Jonathan Mingo as WR2. The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone and the Dallas Cowboys did not address one particular area of need/concern. Among the millions of Cowboys fans who did mock drafts, it would be shocking to find one that didn’t contain drafting a singular wide receiver. In fact, if you saw one I’m sure you laughed at how preposterous that idea was. The notion of doubling down at wide receiver even made a lot of sense, so for Dallas to get skunked was just a meeting of unfortunate variables and circumstances. Depth is necessary, but more than that the top of the position is in need of help as CeeDee Lamb is the only legitimate option of the entire group. WR2 is a very real concern. In their press conference following Saturday’s culminating rounds, Jerry Jones noted that the Cowboys could still elect to add to the receiver position. He mentioned that “the train has not left the station” which could suggest veteran help might be found somewhere down the road. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones on addressing the WR position moving forward: “It definitely was a big time thought, and the train has not left the station.” — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) April 26, 2025 That makes sense. If this team adds a Keenan Allen, or dare I say, an Amari Cooper, then we would all allow ourselves to let Lucy line the proverbial ball up for another go at a field goal attempt. We are not asking for much in this way. But the Cowboys could always elect to sit where they are. That would not be surprising to anyone who has paid attention to this team for even a short amount of time. A reason for Dallas feeling like they are good could be that they feel they “drafted” Jonathan Mingo this cycle given that they spent what would have been their fourth-round pick on him at the trade deadline last season. Jerry also hyped up Mingo in the press conference and mentioned him as a player who could “make a jump” this coming season. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys could look at add to the wide receiver room with a veteran. He also mentioned Jonathan Mingo, who was acquired with a fourth round pick last year, as a player they can make a jump in 2025. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 26, 2025 It is fine for the Cowboys to hope that Mingo “makes a jump” but at a certain point we are dealing with a sunk cost fallacy. Just because capital was spent to acquire him does not mean that you should dig in on this. The sample size for him last season was small and did not feature Dak Prescott. That is fair to say. But counting on him, or Jalen Tolbert for that manner, is not exactly a responsible decision based on the facts at hand of who they have been for this team. Help is needed. The Cowboys seem to realize this on some level, at least. Hopefully they do something about it.