Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images Few NFL teams in 2025, if any, will have more chips on their collective shoulders than the Dallas Cowboys. From oft-criticized players to supposedly failed coaches to a much-maligned front office, Dallas won’t lack motivation to prove all of the doubters, naysayers, and haters wrong. Recent changes to the coaching staff bring this redemption theme to the forefront. Brian Schottenheimer wasn’t even an afterthought when the 2025 coaching changes began; he wasn’t a thought at all. After nearly 30 years in assistant and coordinator roles, and rarely being considered among the NFL’s best, Schottenheimer was shockingly named Dallas’ new head coach. Schottenheimer was immediately labeled a puppet and yes-man for Jerry Jones; a laughable hire for an unserious organization. He spent last week earning some new respect with how he handled the introductory press conference and other media, especially the notion that he will bring changes on offense after “biting his lip” during the last few years under Mike McCarthy. But those goodwill points will expire quickly if there aren’t some tangible results on the field, which unfortunately we all have to wait a while to see. The next big move was the hiring of Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator. Fired last November by Chicago, the first Bears’ head coach to ever be fired mid-season, Eberflus’ stock has fallen significantly from when he was a hot name as an assistant in Dallas and the Colts’ defensive coordinator. Now free of the burdens of being head coach, Eberflus is here to prove that he’s still one of the NFL’s top defensive minds. Even further down the coaching staff, you’ll find a guy like new special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen. He had one year as the defensive coordinator in San Francisco in 2024 and was quickly dismissed, and now returns to his roots with special teams work in Dallas. Still just 46, Sorensen has big shoes to fill from John Fassel’s departure and a great opportunity to get his career moving back in the right direction. If you agree that the coaching staff has a bit of a misfit vibe, the Cowboys’ roster should feel similar. You can start right at the top with Dak Prescott, who after placing second in MVP voting in 2023 had a disastrous campaign last season. From all of the criticism of his record-breaking contract extension to down performance over the eight games he played, capped by another season-ending injury, Prescott’s stock feels like it’s at an all-time low going into 2025. What about Dallas’ key defensive player, Micah Parsons? While he had an excellent second half to last season after getting healthy, he still gets tons of heat for having an active social media presence and accusations of not being focused enough on his craft. Baseless as those complaints seem, perception is still critical for Parsons with his rookie deal close to expiring. He wants to leave no room for doubts this season. We could find so many other examples among the players. Lots of guys looking to bounce back from down seasons: Jake Ferguson, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Terence Steele (if he’s still around), and others. Plenty of third- and fourth-year players trying to prove what they’ve got while they still can like Mazi Smith, Jalen Tolbert, Damone Clark, Luke Schoonmaker, Sam Williams, and more. This is true of most teams coming off a bad year, but it feels especially pervasive throughout Dallas’ roster right now. The need for redemption carries up through the front office, perhaps there more than anywhere else. Jerry and Stephen have well-earned animosity from fans for how they’ve handled the organization, not just from “the drought” but especially the more recent swing toward quiet, effort-lacking offseasons. Even the generally revered Will McClay, who just signed a new contract to stay in Dallas, has taken a lot of hits lately for the lack of impact from recent draft classes. Cowboys Nation’s depression and disengagement are seemingly reaching new highs (or is it lows), and nobody catches the vitriol from that more than these executives. Given the last three decades, redemption has been needed around Dallas for a long time. But with the influx of new coaches coming off demotions and firings, a head coach nobody else wanted, a roster full of guys with depressed stocks, and a front office that takes shots from all directions, it just feels like everyone around the Cowboys needs to either put respect back on their names or get some for the first time. Hopefully, this has a unifying, galvanizing effect on a team that needs every edge it can get in 2025.

Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Cowboys new offensive coaching staff is missing an important piece – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star Klayton Adams needs his guy. The bulk of Adams’ coaching history took place in college, where in 13 years he maneuvered his was up from a graduate assistant at Boise State in 2005 to the Colorado’s co-offensive coordinator and OL coach in 2018. What Are They Missing? So both of these guys love to run the football, yet what are the Dallas Cowboys missing? A running back that they can trust under contract. Rico Dowdle’s future in Dallas is murky at best as a free agent, but after rushing for 1,079 yards as part of a running back by committee for the first half of the season, he will have admirers for his services. Dowdle, per Spotrac.com, is likely to get around $6 million APY on the open market, and that seems easily doable for the Cowboys, but let’s remember who is running the team. The man who doesn’t spend money at all. Deuce Vaughn is currently the only running back that the Dallas Cowboys have under contract, and he is not going to be the one leading this team’s backfield, I can tell you that. With that said, we do have the NFL draft coming up, so maybe we see Dallas take a back there. This class is loaded. Dallas Cowboys zeroing in on running backs coach candidate – Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated A candidate for running backs coach. The Cowboys have added Matt Eberflus as the defensive coordinator and Klayton Adams as the offensive coordinator. Schottenheimer is still filling out other assitant openings, including the running backs coach opening. The Cowboys may already have their choice set to interview. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the Cowboys are bringing in Oregon Ducks running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples to interview for the same position. A Texas native, Samples has been the running backs coach at SMU and Oregon. Samples was also the wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and has coached wide receivers at Texas and Arizona State. This season, the Ducks rushed for 2,234 yards, averaging 171.8 yards per game. Oregon was also the number one seed in the College Football Playoff. 4 bold 2025 offseason predictions for the Dallas Cowboys – Maitland Rutledge, The Landry Hat Maybe, this offseason will be different. 1. Cowboys sign Tee Higgins This might fall more into the “wishing” category, but it is not impossible. Dallas has the opportunity to clear money off the salary cap if they want to. There would have to be a few cap casualties, but the team has done that in years past. If they make some room, Tee Higgins would be a big weapon to help this offense. The Cowboys had another season where CeeDee Lamb was the only good option at receiver. He put together another 1,000-yard season before he sat out at end of the year due to injury, but did not see a lot of other production around him. Dallas’ second-leading receiver was Jalen Tolbert and while he had his moments in 2024, there is belief he will not be back. Getting Higgins would give Dak Prescott more confidence and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer a reliable asset. While his production dipped in receiving yard the past two seasons, Higgins had a career-high ten touchdowns in 2024. With Ja’Marr Chase as the main man in Cincinnati, many believe Higgins will be playing elsewhere in 2025. That could be Dallas if Jerry wants to make it happen. He splurged a few offseasons ago by trading for Brandin Cooks so a move like this would not be too out of the question. While money would be the biggest obstacle, the Cowboys could make this happen. Signing Higgins would be a bold move, but it would pay off immediately for this offense. Senior Bowl riser seems like the perfect Cowboys draft target for Dak Prescott – Russel S. Baxter, FanSided Dallas needs to invest in adding weapons this offseason. Williams could be that guy. According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, Washington State wide receiver Kyle Williams showed him something that may have surprised him a bit. “I knew Williams had good speed, but what impressed me in practice was the polish he showed in his release. He created separation throughout the week and caught the ball well. He’s put himself in the mix to be drafted on Day 2 and he should benefit from this receiver class not being quite as strong as others we have seen in recent years. Williams helped himself a lot,” Jeremiah said. While three-year pro Jalen Tolbert comes off the best season of his young career, Dallas’ aerial game could use another downfield threat. Williams may wind up being a real bargain in the second or third round. Dallas Mavericks take bad spotlight from Dallas Cowboys with Luka Doncic trade – RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys In other Dallas news. We are gathered here today to discuss the horrible decision-making of a Dallas professional sports franchise, but today it is the Mavericks who are the subject of worldwide ridicule. Late Saturday night, the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic – one of the best players in the world – to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade: – Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris – Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st – Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025 ESPN’s Shams Charania had to say “yes, this is real” because in the moment the trade seemed so outlandish that the entire internet assumed his account had been hacked. When that is the response to the trade that you made, looking at you Nico Harrison, it doesn’t exactly suggest that you are on the right side of things. Maybe

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys need to be monitoring the trade market this offseason. It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys need to add some offensive firepower this offseason. The shortcomings of Dallas’ offense last season were a big reason why the Cowboys underperformed as a team. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, Dallas lacks any other real offensive weapons that strike fear in opposing defenses. It was reported early last week that the Cowboys are focused on adding a wide receiver in the first two rounds of the draft to pair with their All-Pro. Per @TonyPauline, the #Cowboys may be taking a hard look at wide receiver early in the draft: “I’m told the team will look for a receiver during the first two rounds of the draft to pair with CeeDee Lamb…” Full article: https://t.co/hukR0dsxCu — Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) January 30, 2025 While, in theory, this does make sense, there are some potential problems with relying on a first- or second-round receiver to be the missing piece in the offense. The 2023 NFL Draft is an excellent example of the risk involved with expecting a rookie wide receiver to come in and make an immediate impact. In that draft, eight receivers were drafted in the first two rounds. Of those eight, only three recorded 800 or more receiving yards in their rookie year, the type of production the Cowboys would need out of their number two wideout. Two of those players drafted, new Cowboy Jonathan Mingo and Marvin Mims of the Denver Broncos, were busts in their rookie years and provided virtually no positive impact on their offense. The Cowboys 100% need to find a talented receiver to pair with Lamb this spring; there’s no denying that. But there is a way to do so without taking the risk of relying on a rookie wideout to produce in a big way in year one: exploring the trade market. In the spring of 2023, the Cowboys went out and made a deal to acquire veteran wideout Brandin Cooks from the Houston Texans. That turned out to be an A+ move, as Cooks had a great season during his first year in Dallas. Cooks scored eight touchdowns during that campaign, and Dallas was a perfect 9-0 in the regular season when he recorded 35 or more receiving yards. Cooks cost Dallas just a fifth- and sixth-round pick, so the deal ended up being a sure win for the Cowboys. With the current state of the Cowboys’ offense, they’d need to be willing to part with more premium draft capital to find a receiver capable of being the x-factor to turn their unit around. Thankfully, there’s a player who seems to be very available that would fit that role perfectly. That guy is Jets’ wide receiver, Garrett Wilson. Wilson came into the league after being drafted with the 10th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and immediately produced in a big way. Wilson has put up some great numbers in his three years with the Jets despite dealing with mostly poor quarterback play. Wilson has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and recorded at least 83 receptions in all three of his seasons in the league, serving as the lone model of consistency in a very rocky Jets offense. The former Ohio State Buckeye has also been as consistent as it comes when relating to being on the field, never missing a regular season game in the 51 he’s played in during his career. The star wideout is widely expected to request a trade this offseason, and the Cowboys would be very wise to get in the mix for acquiring Wilson’s services. Many insiders believe that Jets WR Garrett Wilson will still request a trade out of New York due to the team’s constant turnover at QB and Head Coach, per @JamesPalmerTV pic.twitter.com/KLZAJsvwSQ — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 31, 2025 If the Cowboys were to seriously consider a deal for Wilson, the price to acquire the wideout wouldn’t be cheap. With Wilson’s services likely being in high demand, the possibility of a first-rounder for compensation is not out of the question. That price is too high for the Cowboys at pick #12. But, if the Jets are willing to look at multiple picks plus a player, Dallas would likely have to start the negotiations by offering New York this year’s second-round pick, number 44 overall, plus multiple other 2025/26 draft picks. Add in a 2026 second-round pick plus a mid-round pick along the way, and/or a young player, potentially wide receiver Jalen Tolbert, and you might present the Jets with enough of an intriguing package to make the deal work for both sides. While giving up potentially multiple top-50 picks for a receiver with just two years left of team control may seem like a risky move, let’s take a look at what the Cowboys have done with their second-round picks in recent memory. Below are Dallas’ last six second-round picks. 2024 – Marshawn Kneeland 2023 – Luke Schoonmaker 2022 – Sam Williams 2021 – Kelvin Joseph 2020 – Trevon Diggs 2019 – Trysten Hill Looking at the list above, no player has had close to as productive a career as Wilson has. While Trevon Diggs was an outstanding selection in 2020, the other five players have contributed virtually nothing to the Cowboys since being drafted, and two are not just off the Cowboys roster but completely out of the league altogether. There are absolutely no guarantees with any draft picks, especially Cowboys’ second-round picks. If the Cowboys were to acquire the star wideout, they would take the unknown out of the equation and instantly have a star-caliber player who could completely change the dynamic of their offense. Time is dwindling for the Cowboys to make another serious run at a Super Bowl. Dallas has four more years with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, both under contract. The Cowboys have to be bold to take advantage. You want to make Brian Schottenheimer’s

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images Stefon Diggs is a name to pay attention to this offseason. After a disappointing season for the Dallas Cowboys, they’ve attempted to fix things by hiring a brand new coaching staff led by Brian Schottenheimer. While a fresh new coaching staff is certainly a step in the right direction to change, it’s just the first part of improving the team’s chances to contend next season. The second part is roster improvement. It’s no secret that the Cowboys are typically not heavy spenders in free agency. They tend to focus on retaining the players they draft, and bargain-shop in free agency. Knowing this, it’s not realistic to expect the team to bring in a marquee free agent such as Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. However, there is a big name that the team could realistically pay for in free agency who would improve the wide receiver room. He’s already been heavily linked to the Cowboys throughout his career. Stefon Diggs didn’t have the season he was hoping for this year with the Houston Texans. He played just eight games before tearing his ACL, having his season end prematurely. He finished with 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns. While on a one-year, $22.5 million contract last season, he is set to enter free agency. The Cowboys aren’t in a position where they should be signing receivers to this amount of money this offseason, especially after paying CeeDee Lamb the amount they are. But after a disappointing season and suffering an injury, the Cowboys could likely get Diggs at the bargain price they like. Over at Spotrac, they have his value at a one-year contract at $13.5 million. That seems low for a player of Diggs’ capabilities, but age and injury have played a role in this valuation. Back in February 2023, CB Trevon Diggs talked to RJ Ochoa, expressing his desire for his brother to join him in Dallas. “We need Cowboys Nation to go and help and tweet to get bro here. We need everyone to know. We need to put it on notice that we need to get bro to Dallas.” While Stefon certainly isn’t in his prime, prior to suffering injury this season he had six straight 1,000+ yard seasons. He is an established veteran and would require attention from opposing defenses, giving CeeDee Lamb some help in the wide receiver room. He is a big name that actually seems financially realistic for the Cowboys this offseason.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The Mavericks have outdone the Cowboys and lately that is not a good thing. It has been a very long year and change for the Dallas Cowboys. From the moment the Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of last season’s playoffs, just about anything and everything they have done has been met with disaster and chaos. The hope is certainly that the new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer can change that, although the process that led to him was hardly peaceful and universally agreed upon. We are gathered here today to discuss the horrible decision-making of a Dallas professional sports franchise, but today it is the Mavericks who are the subject of worldwide ridicule. Late Saturday night, the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic – one of the best players in the world – to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. Yes, this is real. Sources tell ESPN: Full trade: – Lakers: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris – Mavericks: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, 2029 LAL 1st – Jazz: Jalen Hood-Schifino, 2025 Clippers 2nd, 2025 Mavericks 2nd https://t.co/bltojdTaQj — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2025 ESPN’s Shams Charania had to say “yes, this is real” because in the moment the trade seemed so outlandish that the entire internet assumed his account had been hacked. When that is the response to the trade that you made, looking at you Nico Harrison, it doesn’t exactly suggest that you are on the right side of things. Maybe you are a Cowboys fan who is not a Mavericks fan. The Cowboys have a worldwide fandom and we all have different interests outside of our favorite football team. Personally I am a San Antonio Spurs fan so I get it, maybe you are even a Lakers fan so this is an incredible thing for you. But Mavericks fans, and particularly those who are DFW strong with all of the teams that they root for, are really going through it. The trade seems like s slap in the face to Mavs loyalists, so much so that our friends at Mavs Moneyball called this one of the worst moments in DFW sports history. This makes zero basketball sense, zero cultural sense, and zero fanbase goodwill sense. Then as if on queue, the Mavs via Tim MacMahon of ESPN relay some organizational justification that is downright bizarre. If Doncic’s conditioning was a major issue for the Dallas brain trust, you ride out the storm and find ways to help make it better given that the top 5 players in the league who are smack dab in their 20s do not grow on trees. Instead, they originate a trade that if pushed through on NBA 2K would rightfully cause your PlayStation to instantly combust. … Tonight, I pulled my “Opening Night” coin from the first Maverick game ever in 1980 out of its original plush drawstring pouch and looked at it. Zales Jewelry sponsored that opening night promotion and my grandmother worked for them at the time. For some reason, she thought her five-year-old grandson should have it. I held that coin and thought about all the bad basketball I watched as a teenager in the ‘90s when Mike Iuzzolino started at point guard and Dallas spent first-round picks on guys like Doug Smith and Cherokee Parks. The era when winning that night’s game was a remote fantasy, let alone the playoffs, to say nothing of a championship. Then Mark Cuban (who has no decision-making power as a minority owner to prevent this travesty) saved us, Dirk redeemed us, and Luka prevented a trip to the basketball wilderness. In one fell swoop, Nico Harrison must have said to himself…ya know, the Sahara desert in a couple of years sounds lovely. A team, a future, and an era undone for naught. It has been a very tough few weeks, months and year at large for the Cowboys as previously noted. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones should send Nico Harrison and the Mavericks an edible arrangement for taking the heat off of them, particularly in the run-up to Super Bowl week where the Schottenheimer hire will be discussed all over the place. Sorry, Mavs fans.

Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK Klayton Adams is going to bring a lot to the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys hired former Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams as their new offensive coordinator. Many are happy about the hire due to the Cardinals’ overachieving in the run game during his time in the desert. Will he be able to duplicate that success in Dallas? It’s unclear what things will look like, but here are three things we should expect after adding Adams to the coaching staff. 1. Re-invest in the running back With a run-game specialist as the new OC, it’s no secret the Cowboys will focus on improving their ability to run the ball. Dallas finished as the third-worst rushing efficiency team last year with just 4.0 yards per attempt. During his time with the Cardinals, Adams’ squad ranked second in the league with 5.0 yards per attempt in 2023 and 5.3 yards per attempt last year. Running the ball effectively is going to be priority one. It helps when you have a capable running back handling the workload and the Cardinals have had that in James Conner. Over his career, he’s been a steady 700-yards-per-year type of runner, but during these past two seasons, we’ve seen a jump in production. Since taking over the starting job in Pittsburgh (2018-2020) = average 719 yards/season His first two years in Arizona (2021-2022) = average 767 yards/season His last two years in Arizona (2023-2024) = average 1,067 yards/season That is a 300-yard-per-season jump for Conner since Adams started coaching the Cardinals offensive line. His only two 1,000-yard seasons have come with Adams and also include the two best yards-per-attempt years of his career. While Conner has been a good running back over the years, he’s not one of those dynamic playmakers like Saquon Barkley or Jahmyr Gibbs. Instead, he’s a straight line running with a bit of wiggle and enough physicality to punish arm tacklers. He’s not electric, but he’s effective. In a lot of ways, he’s like Rico Dowdle. A lot of ways. Check out their 2024 rushing stats… Games played: Conner = 16, Dowdle = 16 Rushing attempts: Conner = 236, Dowdle = 235 Yards per carry: Conner = 4.6, Dowdle = 4.6 That is not to say the Cowboys will again be content with re-signing Dowdle and calling it good. Even with Conner playing well, the Cardinals drafted Florida State’s Trey Benson in the third round. He was the second running back taken in last year’s draft. The Cowboys must take action to upgrade the running back position group, but it might not come in the form of using their 12th overall pick on Ashton Jeanty as many expect. 2. Getting linemen into space The success the Cardinals had running the ball isn’t predicated on having a star running back, but rather having all hands on deck when run blocking. Our own David Howman did a great job breaking down what we should expect from Adams, highlighting several key elements of his blocking schemes. The Cardinals have been one of the top gap-blocking teams in the league these past two years, using at least one pulling offensive lineman on just under two-thirds of their run plays this past year. In 2024, they found great success running counter, finishing second in the NFL in counter-run plays but showing a wide variation of formations they ran it from. Adams will rely heavily on the athleticism of his offensive linemen. It wouldn’t surprise us if Tyler Smith ends up the top left guard in the league under Adams’ watch. Smith moves in space very well and could open up his own house of pancakes with the number of running starts he’ll be getting. The stage is set for many of the team’s young linemen to take a step forward. Cooper Beebe had a great rookie season and should be even better in year two. And while many are sour on Tyler Guyton, the athleticism is there and it will be interesting to see what he looks like with Adams. And even Terence Steele, the guy most believe will be a cap casualty this offseason, should flourish in this new system. Before his injury, Steele flashed some great moving run-blocking chops and could be in store for a career season this year. One cool thing about Klayton Adams’ run schemes is how often his RBs get a running start before they’re even touched. The constant pulling of linemen, great seals, and second-level execution makes for some nice running lanes. pic.twitter.com/xpkr8gJlt8 — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) February 1, 2025 3. Heavy tight end personnel The Cowboys are no strangers to using multiple tight ends in the past, but last season was a different story as they relied heavily on three wide receiver sets. They ran 775 plays last year using three wide receivers, ranking inside the top 10 in 11-personnel usage (one RB, one TE, and three WRs). Conversely, they ranked outside the top 20 in heavy tight end personal, running just 119 plays with two tight ends, and only 13 plays with three tight ends. They did use a fullback quite a bit, running 90 plays using 21 personnel (two RBs, one TE), which ranked seventh most last season. Mike McCarthy loved him some Hunter Luepke. Expect a change with the addition of Adams running the offense. He absolutely loves tight ends. There were 13 players for Arizona last year who had at least 400 offensive snaps, and three of them were tight ends. We all know about the pass-catching Trey McBride, but Adams also employed quite a bit of Tip Reiman (third-round pick last year) and Elijah Higgins (sixth-round pick in 2023). Here are last year’s personnel tendency rates for both teams (data courtesy of sumersports.com) TEAM 11 PERSONNEL 12 PERSONNEL 13 PERSONNEL Dallas Cowboys 70.2% (9th) 10.8% (26th) 1.2% (13th) Arizona Cardinals 50.4% (25th) 29.2% (8th) 14.5% (8th) League Average 60.7% 21.7% 3.3% What this means for

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. Who is Klayton Adams? 5 things to know about Dallas Cowboys’ new offensive coordinator – Staff, DMN Adams is expected to have a big impact on the ground game. Schottenheimer steps in as the Cowboys’ head coach already with a reputation for preferring a strong run game. He said during his press conference that he was proud of his teams leading the NFL in rushing twice while he was a coordinator. The Klayton Adams hire seems to confirm that running the football will be a priority in Dallas. In 2024, Arizona finished 7th in the NFL in rushing yards (2,451) and yards per game (144.2). The previous season, the Cardinals were fourth in rushing yards (2,365) and yards per game (139.1). Now … is Adams’ run-heavy background expected to impact the Cowboys’ 2025 first-round draft pick, No. 12 overall? That’s yet to be seen, but some on social media have a theory. There’s a certain running back from Boise State who could be available, should he get to No. 12. Drafting Ashton Jeanty would be a nice housewarming gift for a run-heavy OC. The capper: Klayton Adams was an offensive lineman at Boise State where he was a part of two WAC Championship teams. He graduated in 2004 and converted to an assistant for the Broncos in 2005. Texas football RB coach Tashard Choice reportedly set to interview with Dallas Cowboys – David Eckert, Austin American-Statesman A familiar face could be another former-player-turned-coach for the Cowboys. Texas football assistant coach Tashard Choice is reportedly a candidate to join Brian Schottenheimer’s staff with the Dallas Cowboys. According to longtime Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill, Choice is expected to interview with Dallas on Saturday. Choice has served as the Longhorns’ running backs coach for the last three seasons. Within that span, he has coached three different NFL running backs in Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Jonathon Brooks. Jaydon Blue, part of Texas’ backfield-by-committee approach in 2024, could become the next Choice disciple to hear his name called in the NFL draft. Before arriving at Texas, Choice coached at Georgia Tech, where he tutored Jahmyr Gibbs and Jordan Mason. Choice appeared in 88 NFL games from 2008-13, including 54 with the Cowboys. The Dallas organization also helped kickstart his post-playing career by hiring him as a coaching intern before he caught on as an assistant at North Texas. He’s proven a valuable contributor to Texas’ recruiting efforts, too, with 247Sports crediting him with helping reel in the likes of CJ Baxter and Ryan Wingo. Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer selects Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator – Jon Machota, The Athletic With Adams under contract, the search begins for a new O-line coach – and running backs. Schottenheimer will be calling the offensive plays, but Adams will be a key part of trying to get more production out of a disappointing rushing attack. During his previous two seasons in Arizona, the Cardinals had one of the NFL’s top rushing offenses. They averaged an NFC-best 5.3 yards per carry and 144 yards per game last season. To compare, Dallas averaged only four yards per carry and 100 yards per game. Of course, a big part of turning the running game around will involve upgrading the roster. The Cowboys are still expected to hire an offensive line coach with Mike Solari not currently set to return after two seasons. Cowboys hire David Overstreet as their cornerbacks coach – Charean Williams, PFT This might be an important step towards retaining Jourdan Lewis. The Cowboys have hired Overstreet to coach their cornerbacks, Todd Archer of ESPN reports. Overstreet coached the Bears’ nickelbacks in 2024. Overstreet also was with Eberflus in Indianapolis. He began his NFL coaching career as a defensive quality control coach for the Colts from 2018-20 before a promotion to assistant defensive backs coach. Overstreet went to Chicago with Eberflus in 2022, where he spent two seasons as assistant defensive backs coach before overseeing the nickelbacks. He helped develop Kyler Gordon last season. Cowboys Offensive Line and Run Game to Get Big Boost – Cody Warren, Inside the Star The Cowboys just made a huge addition to their running game with the hiring of their offensive coordinator. Klayton Adams played football at Boise State, where he was the center for two WAC Championships in 2003 and 2004. As a senior in 2004, he earned second-team All-WAC. Playing center for a high-level program gives him a great perspective on offensive line play, and this has been evident throughout his coaching career. Klayton Adams’ coaching career took off at the University of Colorado, where he coached from 2013 to 2018. In the 2016 season in Colorado, the offensive line posted its highest average per rush (4.1) in 10 seasons. He also helped RB Philip Lindsey become the first player in school history to post back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He would continue this type of success in the NFL. His first stop was with the Indianapolis Colts. There, Adams coached the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs over three years. With Adams in charge, the offensive line and run game ranked in the top ten in several categories. In Arizona, the offensive line helped the running game reach number four in rushing yards with 2,365 and second in rushing average at 5.02 yards per carry. The Cardinals led the NFL with 23 runs of 20+ yards. This was due to Adams’ influence on the offensive line and run game. These numbers would be a nice change if the same type of success could be seen in Dallas, and it could come with a commitment to the run. Klayton Adams used what was available to him at each stop and turned around the offensive line play and the run game. The same could happen with the Dallas Cowboys and the young offensive line. Once Adams gets into Dallas and sees the young players on the line and their success towards the end of the

Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Cowboys need some interior linemen. There has been a lot of talk about the 3-technique position over the last few months. With Osa Odighizuwa a current free agent, and likely to demand a contract that could pull him away from Dallas, the Cowboys could be in desperate need of a 3-technique defensive tackle this offseason. We all know by now the Cowboys do not spend big money in free agency, and with Odighizuwa staring a big payday in the face, the Cowboys will need to replenish the defensive tackle room with or without Odighizuwa returning. That need became an even bigger position of concern once the team announced the hiring of Matt Eberflus as the defensive coordinator earlier this week. It is no secret that the 3-technique spot is one of the key spots in a successful Eberflus defensive system. “Big, long and fast.” -Matt Eberflus when asked to describe his ideal defensive lineman. The Bears are still on the hunt for a three-tech anchor. It’s a crucial position in Eberflus’ defensive scheme and one of the Bears’ biggest priorities this offseason. — Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) February 28, 2023 During his time in Indianapolis, Eberflus shored up the spot with the addition of Deforest Buckner. When in Chicago, Eberflus did a nice job developing Gervon Dexter and Justin Jones. In Dallas, Eberflus’ only 3-technique is a current free agent with no proven NFL talent left on the roster. That is where Toledo’s Darius Alexander comes into play. The interior of the defensive line has been a weakness for the Cowboys over the last several seasons. And it looks to be even more of an issue heading into 2025. The Cowboys currently hold three picks in the top 100, and with a plethora of needs, it will be hard for them to check every box in this year’s draft. One name to get familiar with is Darius Alexander. Every Darius Alexander 1-on-1 from the Senior Bowl – this is what it looks like pic.twitter.com/qSu0VxExll — James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 30, 2025 Alexander is not a guy you have heard about often in this year’s draft cycle… yet. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound interior defensive lineman is coming off an excellent year at Toledo where he recorded four sacks, 25 hurries, and a pass rush win-rate of 12.8%. Alexander is also coming off a nice week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, proving to be one of the top interior defensive linemen in Mobile. If Matt Eberflus is looking for big, long, and fast three-techniques, Alexander checks all the boxes. 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl Measurements.✅ Verified.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/U9rmMM8JEU — Reese’s Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) January 27, 2025 Along with being a very good pass rush presence along the interior, Alexander more than holds his own against the run. Alexander uses his 34+” arms well to shed blockers and make plays in his gap, as well as using his quickness and power to win behind the line of scrimmage consistently. In 2024, Alexander posted a 90.3 run defense grade according to PFF and an impressive 7.9% run-stop win rate. Before raising his stock at the Senior Bowl, Alexander was projected as a day three pick but will likely push himself into the day two conversation after an impressive Senior Bowl week and his expected testing at the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. There are plenty other intriguing options for the Eberflus coached defense in this upcoming draft and the Cowboys could elect to shore up the position in free agency, but Darius Alexander is a name that should be on the Cowboys radar, whether that is to pair with Osa Odighizuwa or the plan to help replace the four-year veteran if he is to sign elsewhere this offseason.

Robert Scheer/IndyStar The Cowboys have made another addition to their defensive staff. The Dallas Cowboys have had a busy week filling out their coaching staff. They hired Matt Eberflus to be the defensive coordinator as well as several position coaches on that side of the ball. After bringing in Klayton Adams to be the new offensive coordinator on Friday, the Cowboys have now added David Overstreet as their new cornerbacks coach per ESPN’s Todd Archer. Curtis worked under Eberflus while he was the head coach of the Chicago Bears for three seasons. The Cowboys have hired David Overstreet, who worked with defensive backs in Chicago under new DC Matt Eberflus and new passing game coordinator Andre Curtis. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) February 1, 2025 Overstreet spent two years as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Bears before taking over as teams nickel coach in 2024. Before he went to Chicago, Overstreet spent four years with the Indianapolis Colts. The first three were as a defensive quality control coach before moving up to an assistant defensive backs coach in 2021. He worked under Eberflus while he was the defensive coordinator for the Colts during that time as well. One thing is for certain, Eberflus is getting a ton of familiarity with his style of coaching on board in Dallas, which should make for a smooth transition, and hopefully a better defensive unit in 2025.