Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys have traded for a new quarterback in Joe Milton! As of Wednesday night the Dallas Cowboys had already executed two trades this offseason, sending compensatory picks to the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray, respectively. Dallas also received picks in return in both trades. On Thursday morning, the Cowboys landed a hat trick of trades of this particular variety as it was reported that Dallas traded with the New England Patriots for quarterback Joe Milton. The Patriots are trading QB Joe Milton III and a seventh-round pick to Dallas in exchange for a fifth rounder, per source. Milton drew interest from multiple teams but ends up with the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/pCfDbcWsTy — Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) April 3, 2025 Obviously Milton is the biggest piece of the trade, but the fact that Dallas is getting a pick in return is tremendous as well and speaks to the type of trades that they have been looking to execute this offseason. Recall that the Cowboys were awarded four compensatory picks as free agency began. At the time of this post’s initial publishing, it is unknown exactly which of their fifth-rounders Dallas is sending to New England, but they have three to work with so we will update this to reflect which one it is once we know. Credit to the Cowboys for being a bit honest here as Stephen Jones said earlier this week from the league’s owner meetings in Florida that he felt like they were still in the market to pull off a veteran trade and specifically mentioned backup quarterback as a position to watch. Look at Stephen calling his shots! Joe Milton was a sixth-round pick of the Patriots last year in the 2024 NFL Draft. Collegiately he played at Michigan before transferring and finishing his career with Tennessee. He was regarded as being extremely athletic while in college and was thought to be one of the finer athletes in last year’s quarterback class as it was being assembled. #Tennessee QB Joe Milton has some of the most impressive drive throws you will see at the college level. His game lacks refinement, but there is plenty of optimism in scouting circles – some believe he will be a top-100 pick next April. https://t.co/VxVAXAlABS — Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) August 16, 2023 This is a fantastic trade for the Cowboys as Milton’s athleticism is a lottery ticket of sorts. He has enough potential playmaking abilities to be intrigued by and that could (in the best case scenario) be the flash in the pan you need in a pinch if Dak Prescott has to miss time, and to be fair Prescott has missed some time in four of the last five seasons now (he did not in 2023). This is the exact kind of trade that the Trey Lance one should have been when the Cowboys pulled it off. Unlike with Lance though, the Cowboys still maintain several years of team control over Milton what with him only being on the second year of his rookie contract. It is brilliant and addresses a position of need before the draft even arrives.

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Cowboys fans! We’re back for another day of the Blogging The Boys in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Wednesday, April 2, 2025Tuesday, April 1, 2025Monday, March 31, 2025 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images The Cowboys could benefit from adding some depth before the draft. A little less than a month stands between the Dallas Cowboys and the 2025 NFL Draft. While the Cowboys have made some decent depth signings this spring, there’s plenty of room for upgrades at multiple spots on the current roster. Today, we examine two defensive free agents Dallas should consider taking a flyer on before the start of the draft. Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images 1) CB Asante Samuel Jr By all accounts, losing Jourdan Lewis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency came as a shock to the Dallas Cowboys. It sure seemed like the Cowboys were planning on having Lewis back as one of their starting cornerbacks for at least the 2025 season. As things stand during the first week of April, Dallas has yet to fill the void left in their defense by Lewis’s departure. While the Cowboys could undoubtedly spend one of their first picks in this month’s draft on a starting cornerback, finding someone left in free agency with starting experience would be wise to cover their bases and give them some flexibility. If Dallas goes in this direction, there’s one player still available who makes the most sense. That guy is 25-year-old cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. The former second-round pick is still on the open market after finishing a four-year tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers. During his time in LA, Samuel had experience playing both inside as a nickel corner and outside, which would be very valuable to Dallas’ defense. Injuries limited Samuel to playing in just four games during last season, ending his Chargers career on a sour note. While the results haven’t always been great during his four-year career, Samuel is undoubtedly a better option than anything the Cowboys currently have on their roster to play alongside DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson. Signing Samuel would give Dallas someone with starting experience at the cornerback position, giving them more flexibility in the draft and preventing them from being forced to spend a premium draft pick to address the position. Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images 2) DE DeMarcus Walker You can never have enough capable pass rushers on a defense, especially in today’s NFL. While the Cowboys did go out and sign edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr to a one-year deal back in mid-March, they could still benefit from adding some pass-rush depth before the draft. If they were to do so, former Chicago Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker would be a good target. Walker played under new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in Chicago during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Over that two-year span, Walker recorded 86 total pressures, 54 QB Hurries, and eight sacks, via Pro Football Focus. Signing Walker wouldn’t drastically change the outlook of the Cowboys’ defense, but it would give them another solid rotational pass rusher to pair with Dante Fowler Jr and Sam Williams. Walker makes even more sense when you consider that Williams is coming off a serious injury and could potentially be limited to start the year, The 30-year-old would likely be willing to sign a one-year deal, making this a very low-risk, no-brainer move for the Cowboys.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images 2025 is a big year for Matt Waletzko. Unlike most of the Cowboys’ 2022 draft class, offensive tackle Matt Waletzko isn’t going into 2025 with a great sense of security. But at least there’s a solid opportunity at his position, giving Waletzko a puncher’s chance at continuing his NFL dream in Dallas. The class of 2022 has already yielded two of the Cowboys’ youngest stars in G Tyler Smith and CB DaRon Bland, plus another Pro Bowler in TE Jake Ferguson. It also gave us WR Jalen Tolbert, a potential starter this season, and two likely role players in DE Sam Williams and LB Damone Clark. Only the last two picks of that draft, DT John Ridgeway and LB Devin Harper, are off the roster. Currently, Waletzko’s stock is the lowest of the remaining bunch. He’s had a hard time staying healthy, missing his rookie year including most of training camp with a shoulder injury. It was again a shoulder that took him out in 2023, and he missed all but the last few weeks of the season. After three years, Waletzko has only been active for 11 games and has yet to start one. We’ve all heard the line about the importance of availability, and that’s certainly been a problem for this fourth-year prospect so far. But even without the career momentum of his draftmates, Waletzko still warrants some intrigue in 2025. Even when he was drafted, Waletzko was considered a raw prospect with great athletic gifts but a heavy need for development. He’s a 6’8” specimen who’s missed out on the very things he needed most to make it in the league: practice and playing time. As long as he makes it to this year’s camp, perhaps whatever experience and coaching he’s had so far will give Waletzko a chance to start putting things together. And, of course, finally having better luck with injuries. It’s not like the Cowboys don’t need him. While Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele should be starting again this season, they come with their own question marks. Guyton struggled mightily as a rookie and Steele has never gotten all the way back to his 2021-2022 form, though there were encouraging signs late last year. The hope is that new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, an offensive line guy, and new OL coach Conor Riley will help them get back on track. If so, they could also have a positive impact on Waletzko. Veteran Chuma Edoga has left in free agency, leaving Asim Richards as the leading in-house candidate for the swing tackle job. But Richards has always been considered better suited for the interior line, while Waletzko is a prototypical tackle prospect. If Waletzko can finally play the part as well as he looks it, he could rise in that discussion. We’re still early in the offseason, so this is not the full scope of Waletzko’s possible competition. The Cowboys could still be looking at veteran tackles in free agency, especially as we get further down the line and asking prices drop. And then there’s the draft, where Dallas is a real wild card when it comes to offensive line prospects. If a strong OT candidate is available early, even in the first round, the Cowboys could justifiably take him as immediate depth and for competition, with an eye on probably replacing Steele in 2026. That would be the biggest blow to Matt Waletzko’s chances, and it’s not hard to fathom. But at the very least, he’s still here and will likely get one more training camp to fight for a roster spot. Injuries have delayed his development, but if things go right in this fourth year then Waletzko could become a bigger factor in the Cowboys’ roster decisions.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Should the Cowboys consider DeMarcus Lawrence for the Ring of Honor? A few weeks ago DeMarcus Lawrence left the Dallas Cowboys in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks. Leaving one team for another is quite normal. What made that situation stand out (to put it lightly) was how Lawrence commented about the team on his departure. He said in an interview in Seattle that Dallas would never win the Super Bowl and then had a back and forth with Micah Parsons on social media. It is possible that the whole situation impacted how you view DeMarcus Lawrence and his place in franchise history. Interestingly, while making some comments on Tuesday at the NFL’s owner meetings, Jerry Jones was asked about the entire saga with Lawrence. Jerry took the high road (for real) and praised Lawrence which is obviously the right move. What’s more is that he said that none of how it all went on will have any influence on his “desire” to put Tank in the team’s Ring of Honor. When asked about this, Jerry Jones was effusive in praise for DeMarcus Lawrence and the leadership he gave Cowboys. Said these comments have “zero” influence on his desire to put DeMarcus in Cowboys Ring of Honor https://t.co/ILyxOPAkON — Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) April 1, 2025 The Ring of Honor?! Let me be clear that I mean absolutely zero disrespect to Lawrence, but that kind of took me by surprise. Jimmy Johnson’s situation was clearly unique, but for the most part the people who have joined the team’s Ring of Honor have felt very obvious from the time they left the team. Zack Martin stands as a very possible option, but do we think that Lawrence does? They entered the NFL together as a part of the team’s draft class in 2014, but again I don’t know that the thought of the latter ever joining the Ring of Honor ever legitimately entered my mind. For our Wednesday poll we are asking all of you to vote and specify your thoughts/justifications in the comments below!

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Cowboys fans! We’re back for another day of the Blogging The Boys in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Tuesday, April 1, 2025Monday, March 31, 2025Sunday, March 30, 2025 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The path that the Cowboys took to paying Dak Prescott was interesting to say the least. The Dallas Cowboys are always in the news for the drama surrounding signing their star players. There’s this whole song and dance that seems to accompany each new deal, and it drags on for what seems like forever. Recently, Brian Murphy, the founder and CEO of Athletes First, sat down with Dak Prescott’s agents, Todd France and A.J. Stephens, and gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the negotiations that went on with Jerry and Stephen in Prescott’s contract extensions. Some of the things they said were things we already knew, but other things were quite interesting. Here are some of the nuggets from this insightful, in-depth look at Prescott’s contract ordeal. Four vs. Five The Cowboys engaged in conversations about getting a deal done after Prescott’s third season, which is the earliest a team can offer a veteran contract to a player on a rookie deal. It’s been stated repeatedly over the years that the big holdup with his first deal is the length. The Joneses wanted longer terms, which lowers his overall cost, while his agents wanted a four-year deal, allowing Dak to hit the market sooner and capitalize on a market that would then be much higher. There’s really not much to say about this issue as both sides had good reasons for wanting what they wanted. It’s not surprising that things ended with a standoff. Baiting with guarantees With neither side willing to budge on the length, the front office enticed Prescott with very high guarantees. The hope was that a player who had made less than $3 million over his first three seasons would jump at the opportunity to secure so much money. But France was not having it. He and Prescott had great conversations where they brainstormed every scenario and developed contingency plans. They felt good enough about their options that they were okay letting things play out without a deal. It was tough to turn down that much money, but in the overall grand scheme, more money could be made by holding strong. Tag, you’re it We all know what happened after the two sides failed to reach a deal. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on him in March of 2020. Negotiations continued in the summer leading up to the July 15th deadline, but once again, the obstacle was the length. And once again, no deal got done. Prescott plays on the tag for $31.4 million that year, and sadly, tragedy strikes. Dak suffers a catastrophic foot injury in Week 5 and misses the remainder of the season. The critics came out in full force on how negligent it was for Prescott to not take the deal, but his side never looked back. All the focus was put on the healing process. Fortunately, surgery and recovery go well and Prescott heals up fine without any concerns about his future. The best contract of all time Negotiations picked up again in the spring of 2021, and once again, the Cowboys presented a five-year deal, which France quickly said they were not going to go through again. The Cowboys agreed to do four years, but the numbers still didn’t line up at first. However, three weeks later, a deal was done as they agreed on a four-year, $160 million deal, making Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history. While the Joneses still ended up getting their five-year deal when you include the franchise tag, Prescott’s agents were able to get a front-loaded deal and added a little insurance policy into the language. Even with a deal imminent, Dak’s agent required them to franchise tag him a second time as a formality just so the chance of him being tagged a third time at any point in his career would be nearly impossible because of the financial implications of such a move made it cost-prohibitive. Team Dak made sure his tag days were over. Dak almost caved on a small detail There was a point late in the negotiations where the two sides were haggling over contract language, and Prescott wanted it to be over. It was a stipulation that could void guarantees if he was ever fined. Dak, believing it was a non-issue because he would never be fined, was willing to cave and just make the deal, but France protected his client. He told Prescott to sit tight, and it would get worked out. Three days later, it did. No such clause existed. Ironically, it turned out to be a good thing because Prescott did get fined the following year for making remarks condoning fans for throwing garbage at the officials after the Cowboys lost their Wild Card game against the San Francisco 49ers when time ran out on them after not being able to get a QB spike off. Get it done, or Dak’s gone Prescott didn’t ask for a lot of things, but he did make one request. If the two sides could not get a deal done by the start of the 2024 season, there would be no negotiations taking place during the year. He didn’t want to go into his bye week and hear about this or that with his contract. For Dak, that time was all about football. So, if they couldn’t reach an agreement by the start of the season, that’s it. No more talks, and he’s content to hit free agency in 2025. Additionally, his agents mentioned that the offseason would see a bidding war like no other, and France felt that would mean the end of his time in Dallas. Fortunately, the Joneses were aware of this also, and it never got to that point, although they held their breath as long as they could with a new deal not getting done until hours before kickoff. Alas, Prescott was locked down long-term, and disaster was averted. The “new” best contract of all time Again,

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The latest news from around the division. No resolution reached on fate of Eagles’ signature Tush Push – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia It seems a decision on the Tush Push won’t be made this month. PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL’s debate on the future of the Tush Push has been tabled, according to multiple reports. The proposal from the Green Bay Packers presented this week at the NFL’s annual meetings was to make the push element of the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature quarterback sneak play illegal. Opinions were clearly split on the Tush Push entering Tuesday and this debate will be revisited. The next league meetings are in May. The proposal would have needed support from 24 of 32 owners to pass and it clearly didn’t have the votes. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, there were 16 teams that opposed the rule change. Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said the debate lasted 30-40 minutes and went beyond potential player safety concerns into the aesthetics of the play. The fate of the Tush Push has been one of the biggest topics at these meetings at The Breakers with some strong opinions on both sides. The Eagles have obviously been pushing hard (no pun intended) to keep a play that has been huge for them and hasn’t worked nearly as well for other teams. “You guys know my opinion on it,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said on Tuesday morning ahead of the scheduled vote. “I’m not going to continue to dive into it. My opinion is very well documented and I won’t continue to dive into that. I think maybe that’s why there’s so many cameras here today to talk about that. I still stand where I stood when we talked at the Combine. We’ll see how it goes down. Have I been lobbying? I’ve talked to a couple people, yeah. We’ll see how it goes today.” Jameis Winston hoping to be part of ‘paradigm shift’ for Giants: ‘I saw that window of opportunity open’ – Erich Edholm, NFL.com Despite being the backup, Winston wants to bring change to New York. Jameis Winston said he wanted an opportunity to play this season, and the New York Giants apparently provided him the best opportunity for that — even with a more accomplished quarterback now on the roster. The Giants introduced Winston to the media on Monday, and Winston explained the thought process behind signing a two-year deal with the Giants coming off their 3-14 campaign in 2024. The only remaining QB from last season is Tommy DeVito. “This team is looking for a complete paradigm shift,” Winston said. “This team is looking to make a splash, and it’s no better place to do it with no greater calling to do right here in New York City being a New York football Giant.” The Giants, of course, also later signed veteran QB Russell Wilson, and the pre-draft presumption is that Wilson is the early leader for the starting role in New York. After all, Wilson has started 11 or more games in each of his 13 NFL seasons, even while joining his third team in four years. Winston has started only 17 games total over his past five seasons and hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2019 with the Buccaneers. “My initial vision, approaching this offseason, was to find an opportunity that gave me either a starting role or a bridge opportunity to be a starting quarterback,” Winston said, “and I believe this situation is a situation that looks similar. “Whether it’s a veteran quarterback that I have to compete with and help serve and help make better for this team or it’s a quarterback from college who I have to help get better, I have to compete with and serve.” Commanders: Jayden Daniels to polish his dual-threat tools – John Keim, ESPN Washington’s QB wants to hone his craft this offseason. PALM BEACH, Fla., — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels used his legs to escape trouble and make big plays as a rookie. But that’s not what stood out to the Commanders — and it’s why they’re excited about what he’ll do for an encore. “He’s established the throwing side. If he wasn’t a dynamic runner, he’d still be an excellent quarterback,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said at the NFL’s annual league meeting. As Daniels and the Commanders prepare for his second season — they begin spring workouts April 21 — the question will be how he improves upon his rookie season. And how to do so while defenses study how to defend him better. Daniels was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and finished seventh in MVP voting. He achieved those feats because of his dual-threat ability. But, though Daniels ran for 891 yards and six touchdowns, it was his ability as a passer that helped elevate his play — as well as Washington’s. But his legs increased his playmaking ability. “He adds the value of mobility and being outside the pocket and creating scrambles to run and on scrambles to pass,” Quinn said. “Teams wanted to try a certain unique thing, a spy or what have you, but we’ll just continue to look at that as we progress.” “We thought he made a lot of improvement extending plays,” Quinn said. “Early on in the season, they were extending to run, and then now they got extending to throw the ball down the field. But for him, the footwork, that’s one thing I know he’s going to dig in hard on this year.”

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys are talking like they want to keep Cooper Beebe at center. There are a number of needs on the Dallas Cowboys roster at the moment. We can sit here and fairly note that wide receiver, cornerback, pass rusher or anywhere along the offensive line are positions that could/should be addressed near the top of the NFL Draft. That feels fair. Some of our opinions on this front have to do with the way that we see the team’s roster and potential depth chart at the moment. Obviously if a player is here or there then that impacts how any single person can view it. One of these potential twists, so to speak, involve one of last season’s favorite rookies in Cooper Beebe. The Cowboys landed Beebe in the third round thanks to a first-round trade and started him at center and we were all quite pleased. It felt like the beginning of a new era, and Beebe would man the spot for years to come like Tyler Biadasz and Travis Frederick before him. This still remains possible, but the math along the offensive line is significantly different now and almost different than the entire Biadasz and Frederick eras with Zack Martin having retired. Martin’s departure means the Cowboys have a need at right guard and Cooper is a potential answer to that question. Brian Schottenheimer noted on Tuesday at the NFL’s owner meetings in Florida that the plan for now is to keep Beebe at center. Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer said that keeping Cooper Beebe at center is the plan “right now.” He had this to say on if Brock Hoffman can be a 17-game starter at right guard: “I would never bet against Brock Hoffman. Brock Hoffman man, if I was in a back room of a bar and had… pic.twitter.com/qtN7RB8sYL — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) April 1, 2025 In the same quote Schottenheimer expressed confidence in Brock Hoffman as the potential slide-in at right guard which is a logical place to go. An offensive line (from left to right) of Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Brock Hoffman and Terence Steele makes sense on many levels. An often said thing about this type of discussion is that you do not want to solve one problem by creating another. Moving Beebe to guard sounds great in theory, but then the Cowboys have a need at center. There are potential answers there as well obviously, but I don’t think anyone wants to leave it to a largely inexperienced player. It is also possible that this is some gamesmanship from the Cowboys. The NFL Draft is later this month and they could have their eyes on an offensive lineman or two and maybe even a center. Holding cards close to the vest at this point in time is wise. Where do you want to see Cooper Beebe play in 2025? Center or right guard?