Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images DaRon Bland should be a big reason for optimism We continue the ‘Reasons To Be Positive’ series, where we look to find reasons for optimism ahead of the 2025 season. This installment looks at DaRon Bland. DaRon Bland Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images 2024 Season stats:Games- 7Snaps- 435Total Tackles- 41INT- 0Pass Breakups- 5Forced Fumble- 1 2025 Projected stats:Total Tackles- 61Tackle For Loss- 2INT- 4Pass Breakups- 10INT-TD- 1 Outlook for 2025Despite challenges in 2024, Bland’s resilience, ball skills, and potential for growth offer several reasons for optimism among Dallas Cowboys fans. Last season presented hurdles for Bland, including a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery that sidelined him for the first 10 games. Upon his return, he recorded 29 solo tackles, one forced fumble, and five pass deflections over seven games. While these numbers didn’t even come close to his standout 2023 performance, they underscore his determination and ability to contribute effectively despite setbacks. That’s some mental fortitude right there. Cowboys CB room looking nice ⬇️ Trevon Diggs DaRon Bland Shavon Revel Jr Kaiir Elam Caelen Carson pic.twitter.com/58sKQi5NJX — SleeperCowboys (@SleeperCowboys) April 27, 2025 With injuries affecting key players like Trevon Diggs, Bland had to take on a more prominent leadership role in the Cowboys’ secondary last year. His experience and commitment have been vital in guiding younger teammates and maintaining cohesion within the defensive unit, and that was seen last season as players came in out of the lineup with injuries. Bland’s adaptability, including his willingness to play both slot and boundary corner further enhances his value to the team and his level of mentorship to other players. DARON BLAND WITH AN NFL RECORD 5TH PICK-SIX THIS SEASON (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/QLd244fC3X — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2023 Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Bland’s future with the Cowboys is a topic of discussion. Team executives, including Stephen Jones, have expressed interest in securing extensions for players like Bland, recognizing their contributions and potential for continued impact. Locking in Bland will provide stability in the secondary and affirm the team’s commitment to developing homegrown talent. #Cowboys DaRon Bland getting ready for Year 4 ( : @ built4it_official) pic.twitter.com/uBDNdSeQ4v — Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) March 20, 2025 Outlook for 2025As the Cowboys aim to strengthen their defense at nearly every position, Bland’s role is poised to be more significant. His resilience and versatility make him a cornerstone in the team’s plans. With a full offseason to recover and prepare, Bland is expected to return to his peak form, contributing to a formidable defensive lineup. Could he surpass his pick-six record he made in 2023? It’s safe to say with Bland, anything is possible. The @DaRon_Bland story is a crazy one.But one all #DallasCowboys now want to know as Bland gets set to take another season by storm. Go get ‘em DaRon! #Cowboys #CowboysNation #NFL pic.twitter.com/YFBOyO9gC8 — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) May 27, 2024

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images Spelling player names correctly may not be as easy as it seems. You may have missed the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Friday, which a 13-year old boy from Texas won for spelling “éclaircissement.” Not to worry though, ESPN (“The Worldwide Leader in Sports”) has you covered: 13-year-old Faizan Zaki from Allen, Texas spelled the word ‘eclaircissement’ to win the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee He didn’t even need to ask a question before spelling it correctly ( ION, @ScrippsBee) pic.twitter.com/Z2dm8ewCgK — ESPN (@espn) May 30, 2025 In a roundabout way, and because we are in the depths of the offseason where a little fun never hurt anyone, that got me thinking about our Dallas Cowboys and some of the most misspelled player names from the past. Michael Irvin or Irving? And was it Emmitt or Emmit? What about the great Columbo, or was it Colombo? Remember Terrance/Terrence/Terence Williams? And why did some folks feel the need to spell Jason Witten “Whitten”? All of these were common misspellings you’d come across on message boards and blogs like ours in the past, and more recently social social media has carried on and amplified that proud tradition. But these misspellings are not just the the forte of fan conversations, even the Cowboys’ own equipment staff once misspelled a name on a jersey, swapping the “C” and “S” in “Esch” on Leighton Vander Esch’s jersey. On to the 2025 team. Here are nine names that might prove a challenge in a Cowboys Spelling Bee: Osa Odighizuwa His Nigerian surname presents challenges with its multiple syllables and consonant clusters, which is why he is often referred to by “Osa” and is the occasional target of unimaginative and overused “no diggity”/”o diggity” jokes. Markquese Bell The unconventional spelling of “Markquese” has conscientious fans always looking up the spelling before using his name online. DaRon Bland The capital “R” in “DaRon” is often overlooked, leading to incorrect spellings like “Daron.” Tommy Akingbesote Another Nigerian surname that could be prone to misspellings due to its length and complexity – especially if the rookie garners any playing time. Luq Barcoo Few people know he is even on the roster (Barcoo was a reserve/future signing in January), fewer people know how to pronounce his name. And the unique spelling of “Luq” (apparently pronounced “Luke”) may lead to issues, and the surname may prove a challenge as well, depending on how you pronounce it. Micah Parsons While “Micah” is a biblical name, not everybody can quote chapter and verse, so you’ll see the occasional “Micha” or “Mika.” DeMarvion Overshown The capitalization in his first name is an issue he shares with Bland, but both his first and last names are uncommon, which could result in frequent misspellings. Marist Liufau His Samoan surname could be challenging due to its unfamiliar phonetics and spelling. Donovan Ezeiruaku Already going by “Easy” because there are “too many ‘Donovan’s’ around here,” his is the third Nigerian surname on the list and perhaps the most difficult to spell. Mark Twain allegedly once said, “I don’t give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.” And while he may not have been welcome at the 2025 National Spelling Bee with a quote like that, he’s welcome here. What’s your favorite player name typo or misspelling that you have come across, here on BTB or elsewhere?

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Any Cowboys’ player that emerges is great for the team, but some players are more helpful than others. With more and more football activities ramping up, the time is coming for us to start identifying some of our training camp crushes. Yes, we want all players on the Dallas Cowboys to work out, but it’s inevitable that we migrate to our favorites and start buying tickets to the hype train. There can be several reasons that we take a particular interest in a player. Perhaps it was a draft prospect we once touted, and we are now looking to confirm some priors. Maybe a player attended our favorite college. Or, perhaps we just like the dude. While there are a slew of reasons that drive our rooting interest, one element that is often overlooked is low-cost player control. If you ever find yourself torn between which players you’d like to see make the roster or have a breakout season, it’s always more beneficial for the Cowboys if that player has more years left on their contract, preferably at a cheaper cost. Using this as a guideline, here is how it should help us answer the following roster battle questions. Which emerging WR3 would help the Cowboys the most? The great thing about having a one-two punch like CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens is that it takes a lot of pressure off of so many other guys who we might have seen as a potential WR2 a few weeks ago. Now, we’re just hoping one other player emerges as the team’s third wide-receiving option. And the choices are plentiful. And while you might already have you’re favorite picked out, the most ideal candidate is… KaVontae Turpin Why Turpin? Because he just signed a three-year extension this offseason, meaning he’s sticking around through 2027. You could also make a case for last year’s sixth-round pick, Ryan Flournoy, as he also has three years left on his deal. Turpin is still the better choice because he’s also an All-Pro returner. If you’re a Jalen Tolbert fan, it would be great to see him do well, but the timing would stink because he’ll enter free agency next offseason. Parris Campbell is also an unfavorable choice since he’s only on a one-year deal. Jonathan Mingo or Jalen Brooks have two years left on their rookie deals, so one of them emerging would be okay, but still not as advantageous as Turpin or Flournoy. We should add that any undrafted free agent would come with up to four years of player control (counting the year they’re a restricted free agent), so any rookie, drafted or undrafted, will always be most desirable should they breakout. Who should our favorite young edge rusher be? Dante Fowler should be the team’s top edge-rushing option opposite Micah Parsons, but there is a good list of choices who will rotate in and out to help fortify the Cowboys’ pass rush. Homegrown players like Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, or Donovan Ezeiruaku were all drafted in the second round and had the front office excited when they were selected. Former first-rounder and free agent signing, Payton Turner, is also here to help. Of these choices, which one would benefit the Cowboys the most should they break out? Donovan Ezeiruaku We already spoiled it in the last section, but any rookie gives the team four years of player control. It will be fun to see Williams back in action after a knee injury squandered his third season, but he’s only got one year left on his rookie deal. The same goes for the free agent Turner, who is just a one-year rental. Kneeland is only in his second year, so he’s the easy second-best choice for this question. What TE should we all be pulling for? The Cowboys waited too long to find Dalton Schultz’ replacement, forcing them to use the franchise tag on Schultz in 2023. That same year, they hit on fourth-round rookie Jake Ferguson, allowing the team to move on from Schultz the following season. Well, time flies. Ferguson is now entering the final year of his rookie deal. The Cowboys selected Luke Schoonmaker just a year after Ferguson, which seemed a bit too early if they wanted to space them out a bit. Schoonmaker has been slow to develop, but even if he does take a good step forward, he’d only have a chance to be the Cowboys’ lead tight end for one season, which would be next year, assuming Ferguson leaves in free agency. So, who would be the best player to emerge as a key tight end? Brevyn Spann-Ford Last year’s UDFA Spann-Ford logged 305 snaps on offense. He could be a sneaky-good piece of the puzzle for new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who has shown to be very reliant on additional tight ends in his blocking schemes. Spann-Ford has three years of player control, counting his RFA year. If you’re really greedy, one of this year’s UDFA’s, like Rivaldo Fairweather or Tyler Neville, is technically the correct answer to this question, but we’re also trying to be somewhat realistic and feel the year two jump of an UDFA is more likely to produce favorable results.

We’re counting down to the season opener (Day 96) with some Cowboys history We’re counting down the days until the Dallas Cowboys battle the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener of the 2025 NFL season. To pass the time and mark the days, we asked some of our writers to rank their top-100 players in Cowboys history using no particular criteria, and put the results together into one list. The further away you get from the top 20 or so, the more varied the opinions. Sometimes it is about more than just stats. Things like fame level, length of career in Dallas, the era they played in – all can affect where an individual might rank them. So sit back and enjoy some Cowboys history while we countdown to football. Today – number 96. Dennis Thurman Born: April 13, 1956. Los Angeles, CaliforniaPosition: Defensive Back Dallas Cowboys: 1978–1985Awards: N/A Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Dennis Thurman’s career started at Dallas in 1978 after being drafted in the 11th round of the NFL Draft after playing for USC. Though considered undersized and overlooked coming into the league, Thurman became a standout in the Cowboys’ secondary with his sharp instincts and playmaking ability. A versatile defensive back, he played both cornerback and safety, and was known for his knack for being around the ball. Thurman played in Super Bowl XIII as a rookie, making a crucial special teams play but it wasn’t enough to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers that year. He had a career-high nine interceptions in 1981, and his 36 interceptions is fourth-most in Cowboys history to this day. Only DaRon Bland has more pick-sixes in team history, just another point to highlight his reputation as one of the most cerebral defenders of his era. Incredibly, he never missed a game in his nine year playing career. January 16, 1983#NFCDivsional#Packers #CowboysLofton 1-71-1 5-109-1Hill 7-142Dickey 19-36-332-1-3Dennis Thurman has 3 INT’s37-26 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/7yVAG8vHnA — Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) December 24, 2023 Best known for:Thurman was best known for his ball-hawking ability and football intelligence, leading the Cowboys in interceptions multiple times during his tenure. Dallas Cowboys to have at least 9 interceptions in a single season:– 1969 Mel Renfro (10)– 1981 Everson Walls (11)– 1981 Dennis Thurman (9)– 1985 Everson Walls (9)– 2021 Trevon Diggs (11)– 2023 DaRon Bland (9) — RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) January 8, 2024 Lesser known fact:Thurman was so well disciplined and prepared he often studied opposing offenses in such depth that coaches relied on his input during game planning. ✭ COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF ✭ With 100 days to go until the #Cowboys kickoff the season the #Eagles, we are counting down with a @BloggingTheBoys Top-100 consensus ranking. We asked staffers to give in their top-100 so let’s begin. DAY 99Dennis Thurman#DallasCowboys #NFL… pic.twitter.com/CkzEbarSBT — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) May 31, 2025

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! Can you guess this free agent addition in today’s in-5 trivia 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 Friday, May 30, 2025Thursday, May 29, 2025Wednesday, May 28, 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 John McDonnell/For The Washington Post via Getty Images The latest news from around the division. 3 standouts from Commanders OTAs – Zach Selby, Commanders.com Some Washington players are already turning heads. The Washington Commanders wrapped up their first OTA practice of Phase 3, and while nothing seen at this time of year should be taken as an indication of how players or the team will perform in September, there were a few standouts on Wednesday. Here are three players that caught our eye. Trey Amos There’s no telling at this point just how many snaps the second-round pick will get as a rookie or where he will land on depth chart, but Amos made the most of his snaps in seven-on-seven drills. Amos, who the Commanders considered taking with their first-round pick, held his own against several of the team’s veterans. In one of his more impressive plays, he managed to stay upright after his feet got tangled with Michael Gallup and got under a tipped pass for an interception on the second play of the drill. He nearly got a second one later in the day while working against Luke McCaffrey and kept up with Deebo Samuel when lined up against him. Although general manager Adam Peters said Amos is an all-around cornerback, the Commanders primarily view him as a perimeter defender. As shown during his reps against Samuel, his large frame allows him to be physical at the line of scrimmage with bigger receivers. Amos still has months before he is ready to be a regular defensive contributor, but he’s off to a good start. Jayden Daniels Daniels didn’t have many eye-catching moments during Wednesday’s practice. He was as comfortable and collected as ever, leading the offense during drills and dishing out the ball to his receivers with accuracy and poise. Daniels, who appears slightly more muscular, has clearly been putting in the work to stay on top of his game this offseason, and that deserves some credit. “I gotta go out there and prove myself each and every day, no matter if it was last season, this season, 10, 20 years down the road. You have to prove yourself each and every season,” Daniels said. By all accounts, Daniels has had an excellent offseason and earned some praise from his teammates and coaches for it. “He’s…as focused and relentless as you could be about getting better,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “And so that’s why I said for us around here, we appreciate that.” Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury echoed that sentiment, saying Daniels is “very highly motivated to be as good as he can be.” Jalen Hurts embracing change under Philadelphia Eagles new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo – Kelsey Kramer, AtoZSports.com A new offensive coordinator this year is nothin new for Jalen Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles made another big change this offseason, swapping out Kellen Moore for Kevin Patullo as Jalen Hurts’ new offensive coordinator. That makes technically five offensive coordinators (Doug Pederson (2020), Nick Sirianni/Shane Steichen (2021), Shane Steichen (2022), Brian Johnson (2023), and Kellen Moore (2024). Patullo) since Hurts entered the NFL in 2020 and at least ten different playcallers for him dating back to high school. It’s a lot of change for any quarterback, but Hurts just keeps rolling with it and is embracing the change. “I know in the past, I would have given a number on that matter. But things evolve and things change and so we’ve just really bought into that,” Hurts said. “That’s an important thing. I think that’s something I’ve learned as well, that you have to be able to evolve as time goes on. And so given coach Kevin Patullo and his new role now, and him being one in charge of offensive leadership — you get new pieces and new ideas that come from everyone.” The silver lining is that Hurts is finally getting some consistency. Patullo was promoted from within, moving up from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator. It also helps that Hurts has a ton of control over the offense, so it doesn’t really matter who is in charge anymore, since it’s Hurts’ offense. Cam Skattebo Reveals Giants Drafted Him Despite Notable Pre-Draft Blunder – ProFootballNetwork.com Skattebo thought he messed up on his pre-draft visit to New York. Cam Skattebo didn’t just break out in 2024 — he bulldozed his way into the national spotlight, racking up over 2,300 total yards and 24 touchdowns on his way to putting the NFL on notice. The Arizona standout was selected 105th overall by the New York Giants, but that was the last team he expected to land with. Skattebo’s tough, physical running style earned him comparisons to NFL players like Kyren Williams and made him a guaranteed Day 3 pick. However, the 23-year-old thought he blew his chance with the Giants during the top 30 visit when he was late to his first-ever meeting with the front office. “I never thought it was going to be New York cause I was actually late to the first meeting ever, on my 30 visit,” Skattebo said on the “St. Brown Podcast”. “I was five minutes late to the bus pickup. I thought I was cooked there.” Skattebo further revealed he was expecting to be drafted 100th overall by the San Francisco 49ers before falling to the Giants. His reaction when the Giants called him was, of course, one of relief and joy. “Getting the call on draft night, it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a New York Giant,’” Skattebo said. “I’m like, ‘holy cow.’…After I was drafted and they FaceTimed me, I told them I’ll never be late again.” Skattebo was lucky to still get drafted by the Giants, but it wouldn’t have been possible without his production in college. Nevertheless, the Arizona State star knows there’s a big difference between college and professional football, and that he will have to prove himself all over again with the Giants. “How many snaps of the

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images A lot depends on Tyler Guyton taking a big step in his second season. Last year in the NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys took Tyler Guyton in the first round as the heir apparent to Tyron Smith, who held down the left tackle spot for the organization for over a decade. While he was at Oklahoma, Guyton played in 20 games and logged 14 starts. 13 of them were at right tackle though, meaning he was going to have to adjust to being on the left side full-time. Guyton came into the league with a ton of potential, but he was also raw and needed to fine-tune some things like getting stronger and not playing so upright. Those shortcomings would show throughout the season, and Guyton had his expected rookie struggles, which included the second-most accepted penalties in the NFL at 14. Cowboys’ head coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to the media on Thursday. When he mentioned Guyton and his progress during the offseason, Schottenheimer raved about the second-year tackle. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tyler Guyton. He’s having a terrific offseason. He’s working his ass off, he looks great. The Cowboys will need Guyton to be refined and ready to go for the 2025 campaign for a few reasons. First, he simply needs to be better seeing as Dallas spent a first-round pick on him. That comes with a ton of expectations no matter what the position is. As a left tackle, Guyton is responsible for the blind side of quarterback Dak Prescott, which makes this season even more important. Prescott is coming off a torn hamstring and a history of injuries over the last few seasons. If he isn’t kept upright, then the Cowboys aren’t going to be successful offensively. It’s just that simple. One of the biggest reasons for optimism around the Cowboys isn’t just the players they acquired in the draft, and trading for wide receiver George Pickens, but the revamping of the coaching staff. According to Schottenheimer, it’s certainly helped Guyton as he enters a critical second season. He’s having a great offseason. I think some of the new things that Klayton Adams and Conor Riley have brought really fits him…He has not missed a day, he was one of the first guys back in the building. He understands how important this year is for him. The Cowboys have a shot to be extremely good on the interior of their offensive line this season with All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith, center Cooper Beebe going into his second year and new rookie Tyler Booker. Getting Guyton to take that next step can help them elevate to one of the better units league-wide.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Here is a look at the state of the Cowboys defensive line group. This past offseason, the Dallas Cowboys made many changes. Aside from parting with veterans DeMarcus Lawrence and Brandin Cooks, the team also named their offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, their new head coach. With that change, also comes a new defensive coordinator. Mike Zimmer lasted one season in his return with the Cowboys, replaced by another reunion with a former coach. Matt Eberflus, who was with the Cowboys from 2011-2018, takes over as their defensive coordinator. In our roster review series, we examine what Eberflus has to work with, starting with the defensive tackles. Mazi Smith Much more has been expected of Mazi Smith since he was team’s top draft pick in 2023. Smith has been disappointing thus far. When he was selected, was seen as the solution to the team’s struggles with stopping the run. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been case and Dallas’ struggles in stopping opposing teams from running the ball have persisted. That’s not all on Smith. However, his individual production has left a lot to be desired. Over his first two seasons, Smith has totaled 54 tackles and two sacks. In his third year, Smith has to produce more than he has and start to anchor the middle of the defensive as Dallas had hoped when he was drafted. Osa Odighizuwa After completing a contract at the last minute, the Cowboys made sure that Osa Odighizuwa would be around for the foreseeable future. The team and Odighizuwa agreed to a 4-year, $80M contract right before the start of free agency. It’s a big payday for Odighizuwa and for whom much is given, much is expected. He has 13.5 sacks over his four-year career and Dallas hopes the best is yet to come. Odighizuwa has great quickness to get past interior offensive linemen and closes in quickly on quarterbacks. Per PFF, Odighizuwa was 11th overall among defensive tackles in pass rush grade. That said, he could also be better as a run defender and some teams can use his quickness against to create running lanes. Solomon Thomas Fans may remember Solomon Thomas as the former top-five pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 20217. Although his career hasn’t matched the expectations that come with being drafted that high, he’s still managed to carve out a long career for himself by being a good rotational player. With Dallas, he would likely settle in as the under-tackle to spell Odighizuwa, and move around the defensive line as he has great versatility. Thomas is not too dissimilar from Odighizuwa in the way he can beat guards on pass rush downs with his quickness and hand usage. He’s totaled 7.5 sacks over his last 28 games with the New York Jets. That pretty good when you consider he has played 43 and 42 percent of the snaps respectively in 2023 and 2024. Dallas gave Thomas a two-year, $8M contract which should signify his standing to make the team out of training camp. Jay Toia Despite many people urging the Cowboys to take a defensive tackle earlier in the draft amidst a solid class for the position, Dallas was patient and landed a pretty good prospect with Jay Toia in the seventh round. Toia is a huge plug in the middle of the defense at 6’2”, 342 lbs. He’s got a solid base to occupy double team blocks and also offers some pass rush upside for his size to collapse the middle of the pocket. The question is: Can Toia earn meaningful snaps as a rookie where the Cowboys need it? They’ll be others vying for that spot, but Toia involvement is going to be one of the more overlooked, yet important storylines of the offseason. Tommy Akingbesote Doubling down on the defensive tackle position, the Cowboys also drafted Tommy Akingbesote in the seventh round of the draft. Akingbesote was a high school basketball player that began playing football his junior year, therefore he’s still relatively new to the spot. He is a bit smaller than his draft-mate Toia, but is also a bit more athletic. Akingbesote will need to improve his playing strength as he develops. The Cowboys will likely try him out at different positions/situations so they can better assess what they have in the former Terrapin. Denzel Daxon Denzel Daxon joined the Cowboys last year as an undrafted rookie from Illinois. While his running mate on the Fighting Illini interior, Jer’Zhan Newton, got a lot of the fanfare, Daxon was very good at Illinois in his own right. In 2023, Daxon had 27 tackles while playing the nose tackle next to Newton. Daxon is big and strong. At 6’2”, 320 lbs., he’s got enough of a base to anchor himself in the running game and occupy two blockers. He also can drive offensive linemen backwards to collapse the pocket but isn’t much of pass rusher. Last season, he made a solid impression in the preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders where he had five tackles and the Raiders running game was held under four yards per attempt. Last year, because Daxon is a native of the Bahamas, the Cowboys were given a roster exemption and therefore Daxon didn’t count against the roster, much like when the Cowboys had Isaac Alarcon on the team.

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images We’re counting down to the season opener (Day 97) with some Cowboys history We’re counting down the days until the Dallas Cowboys battle the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener of the 2025 NFL season. To pass the time and mark the days, we asked some of our writers to rank their top-100 players in Cowboys history using no particular criteria, and put the results together into one list. The further away you get from the top 20 or so, the more varied the opinions. Sometimes it is about more than just stats. Things like fame level, length of career in Dallas, the era they played in – all can affect where an individual might rank them. So sit back and enjoy some Cowboys history while we countdown to football. Today – number 97. Tom Rafferty Born: August 2, 1954. Syracuse, New YorkPosition: CenterDallas Cowboys: 1976-1989Awards: Super Bowl champion – XII Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Tom Rafferty was a key member and one of the best inside offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys from 1976 to 1989. Drafted in the fourth round out of Penn State, he became a versatile and dependable lineman, starting at both guard and center over his 14-year career, exclusively with Dallas. Rafferty was part of several dominant Cowboys teams, including the squad that won Super Bowl XII. Known for his intelligence and technique, he anchored the offensive line during the transition from the Staubach era all the way up to the Aikman era, earning respect as a quiet leader in the locker room. He’s the only offensive player that played with both Hall of Fame quarterbacks for the Cowboys. Best known for:Rafferty was best known for his durability and consistency, starting 167 consecutive games (which for an offensive lineman is rare) and helping lead the way for legendary Cowboys running back, Tony Dorsett. He was an instrumental part that set a huge block for Dorsett when he ran his legendary 99-yard touchdown. Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Lesser known fact:Despite being known primarily as a center and guard for Dallas, Rafferty actually began his Cowboys career as a backup offensive lineman and even played long snapper for Dallas during his early seasons, demonstrating rare versatility for an offensive lineman. ✭ COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF ✭ With 100 days to go until the #Cowboys kickoff the season the #Eagles, we are counting down with a @BloggingTheBoys Top-100 consensus ranking. We asked staffers to give in their top-100 so let’s begin. DAY 97Tom Rafferty#DallasCowboys #NFL… pic.twitter.com/zPJ6Nlh9Jo — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) May 30, 2025

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! Can you guess this free agent addition in today’s in-5 trivia 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 Thursday, May 29, 2025Wednesday, May 28, 2025Tuesday, May 27, 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!