The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. It remains hard to believe. Part of Parsons’ arrival in Green Bay is a brand new contract that pays him $47M per year. Obviously contract negotiations have been going on between the Cowboys and Parsons for some time now and they clearly […] The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. It remains hard to believe. Part of Parsons’ arrival in Green Bay is a brand new contract that pays him $47M per year. Obviously contract negotiations have been going on between the Cowboys and Parsons for some time now and they clearly felt that he was not worth what Green Bay offered him. Interestingly, in the aftermath of all of this it was reported that Dallas was literally offered the chance to talk to Parsons from a point of empathy. That is literally the word that Parsons used in a conversation with Jane Slater. It seems that Parsons and his representation returned to the Cowboys with one final chance to mend fences and that they were met with instructions from him to play the year out on his current deal (the fifth-year option on his rookie contract). That seems quite firm and as if the Cowboys had really made up their mind. Dallas has a right to run their team as they see fit. Doing this feels… questionable. 1 CommentSee More: Dallas Cowboys News

The new season is almost here, and with it comes many fantasy predictions. Each year provides new surprises, but there are also many things that continue to play out as expected. Being able to identify the constants and capitalize on the variables that hit is usually the difference maker in determining who emerges as a […] The new season is almost here, and with it comes many fantasy predictions. Each year provides new surprises, but there are also many things that continue to play out as expected. Being able to identify the constants and capitalize on the variables that hit is usually the difference maker in determining who emerges as a fantasy champion in your league. Today, we’ll look at one fantasy nugget for every NFL football team. Arizona Cardinals – Trey McBride is the less-popular twin of Brock Bowers, who has almost an identical elite target share. Atlanta Falcons – Bijan Robinson is the only elite RB who has all the green flags (workload, receiving, goal line) without any of the red flags (injury, timeshare, new coordinator, etc.). Baltimore Ravens – If you want a top 3 fantasy quarterback, Lamar Jackson is the safest choice every year. Buffalo Bills – Players see a drop in production after dating a celebrity (see Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers). Josh Allen just married Hailee Steinfeld. Expect him to bust thi…just kidding, Allen should tear it up again. Carolina Panthers – Rico Dowdle put up good numbers in Dallas last year because they had absolutely no one else. Don’t let his presence discount the always underrated Chuba Hubbard. Chicago Bears – D.J. Moore has Amon Ra St. Brown upside in Ben Johnson’s offense. Cincinnati Bengals – Chase Brown is a dynamic RB who now has full ownership of a backfield on a high-powered offense, who will almost never face a loaded box. Cleveland Browns – Only six WRs had more targets than Jerry Jeudy last year. He should see enough work to be a low-cost fantasy option. Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott has elite fantasy QB upside when he is healthy and has a good receiving group. He could be primed for a big season with the addition of George Pickens. Denver Broncos – R.J. Harvey could be the sneakiest pick in fantasy on a rising Broncos football team with a strong defense that will rely on their running game. Detroit Lions – The gap between St. Brown and Jameson Williams is shrinking. Buy J-Dub stock now before it skyrockets. Green Bay Packers – If you plan on waiting on TE, Tucker Kraft is a great target. His metrics (red zone usage, YAC) could push him closer to the top if his volume increases. Houston Texans – C.J. Stroud has too many receiving weapons to not rebound and be fantasy irrelevant this year. He should be a superflex target. Indianapolis Colts – Nothing mitigates QB discontent like a high-volume running game behind a good offensive line. Jonathan Taylor should once again feast. Jacksonville Jaguars – With Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, Trevor Lawrence has QB1 upside. Kansas City Chiefs – If your roster space allows, stashing Rashee Rice for a late-season run is a clever strategy. Los Angeles Chargers – Harbaugh is a run-first coach, but Justin Herbert has an assortment of receiver weapons to offer some sneaky value in superflex leagues. Los Angeles Rams – The volume, offense, and having zero competition behind him bode well for Kyren Williams in finishing as a top seven RB for the third-straight season. Las Vegas Raiders – All eyes are on RB Ashton Jeanty and TE Brock Bowers (and for good reason), but don’t sleep on the great fantasy value that is WR Jakobi Myers. Miami Dolphins – De’Von Achane is always dealing with something. Rookie RB Ollie Gordon could be this year’s “where did he come from” fantasy producer. Minnesota Vikings – How bad would J.J. McCarthy have to be to not produce good numbers throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson? If Sam Darnold can do it (fifth most passing yards last year), so can he. New England Patriots – While everyone is clamoring over the rookie TreVeyon Henderson (and you should), don’t completely forget about Rhamondre Stevenson. New Orleans Saints – Why do people keep forgetting that Alvin Kamara is a fantasy stud? Add Kellen Moore, who will assuredly feature his strongest weapon, and he should be poised for another strong season. New York Giants – Malik Nabers has talent, and he has a massive target share. Give him a viable quarterback, whether it’s Russell Wilson or Jaxon Dart, and he will cook. New York Jets – It’s not sexy, but Garrett Wilson is the only thing reliable about the Jets’ offense. He has yet to finish outside the top six in WR targets over his three-year career. Don’t expect things to change after reuniting with his college quarterback. Philadelphia Eagles – A.J. Brown missing four games last year could provide a recency bias discount if he slides out of the top 10. Pittsburgh Steelers – If RB Jaylen Warren finally gets more opportunities, he could eat in Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense. Seattle Seahawks – Jaxon Smith-Njigba is now the alpha, and Cooper Kupp is just enough of a beta to keep defenses honest. Expect a career year from JSN. San Francisco 49ers – George Kittle has averaged over 10 points per game in seven-straight seasons. Despite his durability concerns, he’s only had one season where he’s missed more than three games. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The weaponry of Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and the eventual return of Chris Godwin make Baker Mayfield primed for another top five fantasy finish. Tennessee Titans – Calvin Ridley has WR1 potential if rookie Cam Ward turns out to be a good quarterback. Washington Commanders – Whether it’s fantasy or reality, people continuously undervalue Terry McLaurin. 0 CommentsSee More: General

Today officially marks one week until the season begins for the Dallas Cowboys. It is an exciting time. As fun as it is that football is back, college football fully begins this week (this Sun Devil and Gator is ready), a cloud hangs over this team as it is unknown whether or not its best […] Today officially marks one week until the season begins for the Dallas Cowboys. It is an exciting time. As fun as it is that football is back, college football fully begins this week (this Sun Devil and Gator is ready), a cloud hangs over this team as it is unknown whether or not its best player will be on the field when the party kicks off. It was reported on Wednesday that Micah Parsons is seeking a second opinion on his back injury, a move that may or may not be related to ongoing contract extensions. Nobody is levying any accusations here, we are just noting what may or may not be happening here in the name of general discussion. Speaking of discussion, for ours today we have a very simple question. Would you forgive the Cowboys if they wound up trading Micah? We are asking you to answer the question and that means yes or no. Obviously this is a complicated issue with layers to it, but we are curious how the group feels. Parsons is indeed seeking a second opinion, but it all may be related to a situation that is irrecoverable with the Cowboys specifically. That is just one hypothetical which is why a trade still exists in a world of infinite possibilities. So if they did… would you forgive them? Let us know in the comments below! 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Mailbag: Can Eberflus avoid a slow start? – Mickey Spagnola & Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com Can the former Cowboys assistant coach hit the ground running? Last year during OTAs, minicamp and training camp, the coaches kept praising how everyone was buying into coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defensive philosophy. Based on the defense’s performance early in the season […] Mailbag: Can Eberflus avoid a slow start? – Mickey Spagnola & Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com Can the former Cowboys assistant coach hit the ground running? Last year during OTAs, minicamp and training camp, the coaches kept praising how everyone was buying into coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defensive philosophy. Based on the defense’s performance early in the season and Zimmer himself admitting he should have done things differently, how does Matt Eberflus and his staff prevent a repeat of the slow start everyone suffered through last year? – Gary Hemming/Blackshear, GA Mickey: Indeed, the Cowboys defense got off to a slow start last year, within the first seven games giving up 44 points to the Saints, 28 to Baltimore, 47 to Detroit and 30 to San Francisco, in the end giving up an average of 27.5 points a game. Not good. This defense will be challenged early, Matt Eberflus having sort out the cornerback position until Trevon Diggs is ready to play – at least he’s off PUP. The other challenge will be the defensive tackle position, key to stopping the run. They are good with Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas but will need more from Mazi Smith and rookie Jay Toia in the middle against the run. Now also would help if the offense is dynamic, and that side of the ball got off to a slow start, too, last year. After scoring 33 points in the opener, only once in the next nine games did the Cowboys score more than 24 points, and that was 25 in a 28-25 loss to the Ravens and remember Dak Prescott having gone down for the season in Game 8. Some of that goes hand in hand. Tommy: Well, having your best player on defense back on the field would definitely help. Brian Schottenheimer’s confident that’ll be the case with Micah Parsons, but with how this saga has unfolded so far who knows? Aside from that, I think Eberflus has a lot of guys on this staff that are familiar with how he does thing and his system. That wasn’t necessarily as much of the case with Mike Zimmer. Familiarity with the scheme and how Eberflus will call the defense in general helps avoid some of the things early from last season that Mike Zimmer regretted not doing earlier. Agent’s Take: Putting Jerry Jones’ ‘handshake’ agreement with Cowboys star Micah Parsons into context – Joel Corry, CBS Sports The outcome remains ambiguous regarding Parsons and his contract. It’s already been an eventful week for hold-ins. Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin signed a three-year contract extension reportedly worth up to $96 million. Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson reached a compromise with the Cincinnati Bengals where he gets a $14 million raise to bring his 2025 pay to $30 million. The most high-profile contract dispute remaining is between edge rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys. All of the attention turns to the Cowboys. That’s exactly how Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants it. Jones is adamant that Parsons reneged on a “handshake” agreement they made sometime in March about a contract extension. His repeated insistence that he thought he had a deal contradicts his statements at the NFL annual meeting held March 30 to April 2. “I know that I’ve spent five, six hours with him (Parsons) myself and had a lot of discussions. Most of the issues are in agreement, and I’ve discussed it all,” Jones said. “We obviously don’t have an agreement relative to a new contract. Micah is under contract. So we’ll see how that goes. It’s not uncommon for me to visit directly with players, and in this particular case, that’s what I’m doing.” It’s understandable why Mulugheta wasn’t interested in validating anything Jones discussed with his client given Dallas’ contract preferences. Jones was likely speaking figuratively not literally about [David] Mulugheta supposedly telling the Cowboys to stick the details of the contract with Parsons up their ass. There’s good reason for Jones wanting to keep Mulugheta out of the process. Parsons becoming the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback is probably a necessity for Mulugheta. Jones surely recognizes that Mulugheta will balk at a longer-term extension. Mulugheta will likely be adamant that Parsons’ extension should be four years, just like in Lamb’s and Prescott’s cases, with a favorable guarantee vesting and player-friendly cash flow. Cowboys land reinforcements in an attempt to solve major problem on 53-man roster, including player with ‘unbelievable’ trait – Mauricio Rodriguez, et al., AtoZSports.com Roster cuts and waivers led to some new players being added in Dallas. Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer teased waiver wire reinforcements on Tuesday and on Wednesday, he delivered. The Cowboys claimed two defensive backs, Trikweze Bridges (from Los Angeles Chargers) and Reddy Stewart (from Minnesota Vikings). Though fans and media members expected help at defensive tackle, bolstering the defensive backfield also makes sense as the Cowboys navigate injuries. The latest additions to the 53-man roster means the Cowboys will need to open two spots. In the meantime, to get familiar with the newest members of the Cowboys, I reached out to A to Z Sports’ Vikings expert Tyler Forness and Chargers expert Adam Holt for insight. What they shared is encouraging, as Dallas is getting versatility and promising traits. Let’s dive in. On Reddy Steward: Aggressive playstyle Reddy Steward nearly made the Vikings’ roster and was a player they likely wanted to make the practice squad. He was an aggressive player on the outside and always seemed to be around the ball. His PBU on fourth down against the Tennessee Titans in the final preseason game really stood out as a positive play that could propel him to

The Dallas Cowboys have been busy over the last day and change. On Tuesday afternoon the team finalized their initial 53-man roster, one we all knew was going to undergo amendments in the day that followed. That has happened. Here is what happened in sequence to catch you up: After all of this the team […] The Dallas Cowboys have been busy over the last day and change. On Tuesday afternoon the team finalized their initial 53-man roster, one we all knew was going to undergo amendments in the day that followed. That has happened. Here is what happened in sequence to catch you up: Dallas was awarded Trikweze Bridges and Reddy Steward on waivers The Cowboys then released Andrew Booth and Zion Childress (with the latter as a practice squad candidate) to make room for them On the subject of the team’s practice squad, the Cowboys began filling theirs out After all of this the team did what it had been reported they might by placing Phil Mafah and Caelen Carson on injured reserve, making room for C.J. Goodwin and Hakeem Adeniji to return to the active roster. Final touches on the 53-man roster and practice squad can take a day or two to fully settle as the team is evaluating who is available like with Bridges and Steward. We are just about through with all of that processing though, and the Cowboys are close to beginning their first game week with them playing in the season opener next Thursday night. Meanwhile, Micah Parsons is seeking a second opinion on his back injury. That doesn’t feel great. At least we were able to throw some cold water on those Green Bay Packers rumors, though. Kind of. 38 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons obviously, but as of late that chatter has also involved a third party… the Green Bay Packers. You may have seen that the Packers have been “connected” to a trade offer for the Cowboys’ star pass rusher, but […] There has been a lot of chatter on the internet about the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons obviously, but as of late that chatter has also involved a third party… the Green Bay Packers. You may have seen that the Packers have been “connected” to a trade offer for the Cowboys’ star pass rusher, but these have not come from the standard NFL insiders and reporters. To date there has been nothing along those lines, and what has been out there has been internet fodder more than anything, but that all changed a bit on Wednesday. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported that the Packers are definitely interested in Parsons, but the Cowboys have apparently not tolerated any of it and the noise around the situation is not as intense as the internet would have had anyone believe. In response to recent indications from the Twitter user known as “RickeyScoops” (who undoubtedly owns real estate on the NFL’s grapevine) that the Packers want to trade for Parsons, we’ve done some digging. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Packers are “interested.” However, the interest is “nowhere near the smoke that’s out there.” To be fair this “report” that the Packers are “interested” in Micah Parsons isn’t really much of anything if we take it as it is. Who wouldn’t be interested in Micah Parsons? This is like saying every team is interested in Patrick Mahomes or Myles Garrett. Everybody holds “interest” on some level. The only reason this is notable is because of the internet fires that have been circulating around Parsons in general but with specific regard to rumors of the Packers having interest. Our friends at Acme Packing Company had been covering this in the same sort of way from their side of the equation. As Florio pointed out, the Packers’ interest doesn’t matter as long as the Cowboys choose to hang onto Parsons. Until Jerry Jones decided that the two sides are beyond the point of a makeup, following sputtering contract negotiations that included Jones talking with Parsons instead of his agent, there will be no trade. For now we can file this under a bunch of nothing, but again it felt relevant to put to bed as best we could. 0 CommentsSee More:

While the dust is still settling from the Dallas Cowboys’ roster moves, one decision that appears etched in 2025 stone is the return of defensive tackle Mazi Smith. This has drawn criticism throughout sectors of Cowboys Nation, but should it really have come as a surprise? Smith being a former first-round pick does matter, and […] While the dust is still settling from the Dallas Cowboys’ roster moves, one decision that appears etched in 2025 stone is the return of defensive tackle Mazi Smith. This has drawn criticism throughout sectors of Cowboys Nation, but should it really have come as a surprise? Smith being a former first-round pick does matter, and the team’s history of dealing with them shows how this third season should’ve never really been in doubt. Frustration with where Smith is at this point in his career is natural and appropriate. Rest assured, the front office and coaching staff share it. But even with an overhauled defensive staff under Matt Eberflus, the notion that Smith might not make the roster ahead of just his third NFL season was shaky at best. When we discussed the biggest surprises from Dallas’ recent roster moves, Smith’s continued presence didn’t make the list. Things got especially hot against Smith during a brief period on Tuesday when it was reported that DT Perrion Winfrey was released. This turned out to be false, but it set off a wave of criticism of how Smith would make the team over one of the standout performers from the summer. Others have suggested that seventh-round rookie Jay Toia is more deserving of a roster spot than Smith, despite not having a particularly strong camp or preseason himself. In the end, all three made the initial roster along with veterans Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas. We’ll see if the Cowboys add more DT talent from trades or free agency in the coming days, and who gets cut to make room for them. That could bring us back to this conversation of Smith versus Toia or Winfrey quickly. The level of first-round frustration we’ve reached with Mazi Smith is rare in Dallas. We hit on these picks far more often than not. By the time they’ve reached their third and fourth seasons, the debate is usually about when to give them their second contracts as opposed to whether or not they’ll even get one. Tyler Smith, Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, Byron Jones, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant; it’s been a good run. Even Leighton Vander Esch, whose only sins were health-related, shouldn’t fall into the bust category. But yes, and their names are already coming to your mind, there have been some failures along the way. But even in the worst of those cases, they all made the roster in their third seasons. Let’s run through them. DE Taco Charlton in 2019 The closest thing we’ve seen to the Mazi Smith situation in a long time, Charlton probably doesn’t make the roster in his third season if not for injury and other issues at defensive end. He didn’t last long, getting released in mid-September to make room for Robert Quinn’s return from suspension. What makes Charlton different from Smith is that there was a publicly known rift between him and the coaching staff, particularly defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Charlton being in the doghouse was reported on, and he made his own frustrations known through social media. We haven’t seen anything like that coming in either direction between Smith and the current regime, or previous ones. That had far more to do with Charlton’s early undoing than his lack of accomplishments on the field. CB Morris Claiborne in 2014 We remember Claiborne so unfondly because of Dallas trading up in 2012 to take him sixth overall. But even with his issues, he still played five seasons here before finally moving on. Even after an injury-plagued second season, there was no doubt he’d be part of the team in 2014. He played out his rookie contract and got a one-year, make-or-break opportunity to return in 2016. Things never went well with Claiborne, but it took way longer than two years for the team to finally cut bait. CB Mike Jenkins in 2010 Another guy who struggled with injuries, Jenkins was actually a Pro Bowl alternate in his second season. It’s easy to forget that, though, as he was off the team just three years later and didn’t do much else in his career. Jenkins fell out of favor after struggles in the 2009 playoff loss to the Vikings, then the following two seasons with play and health issues. His decline was part of what prompted the big move for Morris Claiborne in 2012. But for as bad as it went from there, he went into Year 3 on a relative high. RB Felix Jones in 2010 The Cowboys’ other first-round pick in 2008, Jones was never given much chance to live up to that draft status. He was taken to be a speedy complement to the bruising Marion Barber, and later got passed on the depth chart by DeMarco Murray. But it took five years before Dallas finally pulled the plug, LB Bobby Carpenter in 2008 Some called him “Bo Carp.” Others called him “Barbie.” But nobody’s ever called him a good use of a draft pick. As much as Carpenter struggled, though, he lasted four years in Dallas before finally getting traded away to the Rams. Going into his third season, Carpenter had only started one game and was falling out of favor. But he remained in a backup role for two more years, even after his biggest advocate, Bill Parcells, moved on. We could keep going from here. Other ill-remembered first-round picks like DE Ebenezer Ekuban, TE David LaFleur, and DE Shante Carver got at least four seasons with the team. And this is all over a 30-year period, spanning six different head coaches and all the coordinator and assistant changes along