Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images The former sixth-round pick is returning to Dallas. The Dallas Cowboys weren’t as busy on Thursday as they have been all week, but they did take care of one of their in-house players. Safety Israel Mukuamu has re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year deal per NFL Network’s Jane Slater. #Cowboys S Israel Mukuamu will return on a one year deal to the Dallas Cowboys terms are undisclosed. @davidcanter @nessmugrabi @aurasportsgroup — Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 13, 2025 Mukuamu was drafted in the sixth round by the Cowboys in 2021. He would only play in four games and logged just 20 snaps defensively and another 58 on special teams. In 2022, Mukuamu saw his time on the field increase to 153 defensive snaps in 15 games with three starts. He would play in 14 games the next year, but it was mostly on special teams as he played just 75 on defense. Last season, Mukuamu saw his most action on defense with 200 snaps in 17 games. Mukuamu came into the league with experience at safety and cornerback. He has played some nickel corner for the Cowboys. With Jourdan Lewis now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, this could be an opportunity for Mukuamu to earn significant playing time in 2025. His 6-foot-4 frame makes it a little difficult to cover wide receivers that are smaller and shifty, but his length and instincts help out a lot.

Amber Searls-Imagn Images The Cowboys will look very different at LB compared to last season For a team that started the offseason with roster needs up and down the depth chart, the Cowboys have been more than selectively aggressive in addressing them right from the start of free agency. After bringing in outside additions at running back, defensive end, defensive tackle, guard, and cornerback, on Wednesday the Cowboys used both free agency and the trade market to overhaul the linebacker position. The Cowboys signed former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn to a one-year deal, and swapped late-round picks for former Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray. Where the other moves the Cowboys have made so far are seemingly more for players that add depth in lock step with existing talent already on the roster, using both a signing and a trade to bring in two linebackers that could project as starters is a different approach, and very unlike how the Cowboys have typically acted in past offseasons. They have shown a preference to bringing in players their new coaches have some familiarity with already when Solomon Thomas reunited with defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton who was his coach with both the 49ers and Jets, and now former Cowboys coach Matt Eberflus was able to bring in one of his former players in Sanborn to pair with Murray. When it came to pure linebackers on the depth chart prior to Sanborn and Murray joining America’s Team, the Cowboys were looking at just second-year player Marist Liufau, Buddy Johnson, Darius Harris, Brock Mogensen, Damone Clark, and the injured Demarvion Overshown who will likely miss significant time at the start of next season. Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Cowboys approach at linebacker has changed a ton over just the last three seasons or so, going from Dan Quinn’s style of playing more hybrid defensive back-type players here, to Mike Zimmer piecing the position group together thanks to Liufau’s ability to step in and develop quickly as a third-round pick, and now they want to give their former linebackers coach Eberflus even more resources to make linebacker a strength. When Eberflus returned to Dallas as defensive coordinator after spending last season as head coach of the Chicago Bears up until Thanksgiving, it was a familiar name that reminded Cowboys fans of the great work he did with not only Sean Lee, but other linebackers further down the depth chart over his time here. The Cowboys have been criticized for overrating their own players in the roster-building process before, but in some cases there is simply no overrating that can be done. Lee was a great player when healthy for the Cowboys, and having the coach that helped him reach this status back in the building is seemingly all Dallas needed to want a makeover at linebacker in his first year back. The highest drafted linebackers the Cowboys took during Eberflus’ first stint were Bruce Carter at 40th overall in 2011 and Jaylon Smith 34th overall in 2016. This is good news for the undrafted Jack Sanborn, who has already proven himself as a player signed in college free agency by Eberflus and the Bears in 2022. He has started 19 games in three seasons, amassing 4.5 sacks, 164 tackles, five passes defended, and a fumble recovery. Eberflus’ history is also a positive when it comes to the new situation former first-round pick Kenneth Murray joins, the latest former first-round pick to be added at a position the Cowboys don’t often address in the first round themselves. Sanborn is a traditional stand up linebacker with surprising speed and bend to evade offensive linemen. This is a player very comfortable around the line of scrimmage, but can also line up at depth and both play coverage or rush the quarterback, all things the Cowboys are looking to add in Eberflus’ zone scheme. Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images The Cowboys will be looking to make their opponents take the long way downfield on offense and not aggressively get caught in blitz looks that leave themselves vulnerable to big plays. Adding Sanborn to the mix of players already with coverage instincts and range at the second level can go a long way here, but things like stopping the run and affecting the quarterback are still must-haves for any defense. More good news, Sanborn can help the Cowboys in both of these areas as well. This is an instinctual player that knows how to attack leverage when defeating blocks, has above average knockback strength, and very fluid change of direction ability. Listed at 6’2”, 234 pounds, Sanborn is the same listed height as DeMarvion Overshown, but plays a bit heavier. This noticeably helps Sanborn on film as a pass rusher, able to line up with his hand on the ground at select times and be effective against linemen or tight ends that have a hard time dealing with his mix of speed and strength. The full scope of what Sanborn can do as a versatile player will be understood well by the Cowboys, who have not only Eberflus, but former Bears linebacker coach Dave Borgonzi on staff in the same position. Borgonzi was with the Bears under Eberflus the entire time Sanborn played for them, coming over from Eberflus’ Indianapolis Colts staff. The Cowboys front office is doing a great job listening to the scouting knowledge their new-look coaching staff is bringing on players available in more than just the draft, upgrading all over the roster in ways that were completely unexpected. Sanborn became the latest example of this in a big way on Wednesday afternoon, but his moment as the latest addition to the Dallas defense was short-lived, as they soon after traded for Kenneth Murray. Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images Murray is a Texas native that played college football for Oklahoma, and now returns home with the Cowboys being his third team since 2020. A former first-round pick of the Chargers who spent four seasons there, Murray was

Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Here is an updated look at Dallas Cowboys draft capital. The Dallas Cowboys have been very busy throughout free agency to this point as they have added seven new names to their roster by Wednesday’s conclusion. The team took several avenues towards acquiring players as they negotiated a couple of deals in the legal tampering period, brought in a couple once the new league year hit, and even negotiated a couple of trades for some veterans. The two veterans were Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray of the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, respectively, and part of why the trades were executed in all likelihood was because the NFL awarded compensatory picks on Tuesday which gave the Cowboys more ammunition to play around with. The Cowboys held 10 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft before the trades, and still hold 10 picks but the selections changed a bit with the trades. Here is an updated list of Dallas Cowboys draft picks As noted, the Cowboys made two trades on Wednesday and sent away two draft picks to get them done. While they received players in return the Cowboys also received picks as well, which meant they only dropped spots on their selections. In the Kaiir Elam trade, the Cowboys picked up a 2026 sixth-rounder from Buffalo that comes in at number 204 overall, but they also gave up their first fifth-round compensatory pick which is 170 overall. For what it’s worth, Dallas also gave up their seventh-round pick next year so keep that in mind, but that means Dallas received Elam for dropping 34 spots from the selection that they gave up. Shortly after in the Kenneth Murray trade, the Cowboys gave up a sixth-round pick that was different from the one that they got from Buffalo. It was number 188 overall, but Dallas did pick up another seventh-rounder this year that comes in at 235 overall. That is a drop of 47 spots in order to acquire Murray. 2025 Dallas Cowboys Draft Picks, Updated After Wednesday’s Trades 1st Round (12th overall) 2nd Round (44th overall) 3rd Round (76th overall) 5th Round (149th overall) 5th Round (171st overall) [compensatory pick] 5th Round (174th overall) [compensatory pick] 6th Round (204 overall) [from Kaiir Elam trade] 6th Round (211th overall) [compensatory pick] 7th Round (239th overall) [from Kenneth Murray trade] 7th Round (247th overall) [from Jonathan Mingo trade] The first four picks that Dallas has were all their original selections, but after that things get a little interesting from an explanation standpoint. Dallas still holds three of their four compensatory picks and now has the selections acquired in the Elam and Murray trades as well. You will recall that the Cowboys gave up their original seventh-round selection back in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft when they made a trade during the first round with the Detroit Lions. Dallas sent the seventh-rounder in question at that point, but they picked one back up from the Carolina Panthers in the Jonathan Mingo trade. The Cowboys still hold 10 picks in the draft and dropped down 34 and 47 spots with Day 3 selections in order to land both Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray. That is solid business and logic and to be quite honest, exactly what we wanted to see them do the moment that the compensatory picks were awarded. They did it the very next day.

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images The Cowboys really love former first-round picks. The Cowboys continue to add former first-round picks to their roster. A day after signing Solomon Thomas and Payton Turner, they traded for Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam. Dallas gave up a fifth-round pick this year, as well as a seventh in next year’s draft, for Elam and a 2025 sixth-rounder. #NFL TRADE#Cowboys Acquire2025 6th Rd PickCB Kaair Elam2025: $2.5M (gtd)2026: $12.6M club option#Bills Acquire2025 5th Rd Pick2026 7th Rd Pick Buffalo frees up $2.5M of cap space in moving on from their 2022 1st Rd Pick. — Spotrac (@spotrac) March 12, 2025 Elam comes from a football family. The Florida native’s father is Abram Elam, who played eight seasons in the NFL, including two different stints for the Cowboys in 2006 and 2011. He is also the nephew to Matt Elam, a safety who was drafted in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Ravens. Kaiir Elam was hyped early on as the best in his lineage, though. Ranked the 74th best high school player in the nation, and the ninth best player in the talent-rich Florida, Elam chose to stay close to home and play for the Gators. Elam saw playing time right away, snagging three picks as a true freshman and being named to the SEC All-Freshman list. His second season saw continued dominance, earning a second team All-SEC recognition. That significantly raised the expectations going into 2021, but Elam took a bit of a step back in production. Still, the Bills felt strongly enough about him to select Elam with the 23rd pick in the draft. Prior to the pick, Dane Brugler of The Athletic offered this report on Elam: Elam checks boxes for size, strength, physicality and athleticism, mixing it up with receivers and crowding the catch point downfield. He will surrender spacing on stop and comeback routes, which can be masked by coaching and scheme, but slight stiffness in his mirror and transitions will always be there. Overall, Elam needs to tidy up his timing and processing issues, but he is a good-sized athlete with natural cover talent and NFL-ready intangibles. With his physicality for press-man, he compares favorably to Tampa Bay’s Carlton Davis when he was coming out of Auburn. Brugler also ranked Elam as the fifth-best cornerback in the draft – ironically, one spot behind now-former Cowboy Andrew Booth Jr. – and the 45th best overall player. The comparison to Carlton Davis evoked a very clear sense of Elam’s ceiling, which was also reflected with NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein comparing him to Bears cornerback, and former Matt Eberflus pupil, Jaylon Johnson: Back when Kaiir Elam was drafted, Lance Zierlein compared him to Jaylon Johnson Elam will now be coached by Matt Eberflus, Andre Curtis, and David Overstreet II, all of whom were in Chicago when Johnson became an All Pro pic.twitter.com/3PoCHAE2ka — David Howman (@_DH44_) March 12, 2025 Of course, Buffalo just traded Elam away for a couple of late-round draft picks, so his time there clearly hasn’t lived up to the draft night expectations. Still, Elam has put good football on tape over his three seasons in Buffalo. As a rookie, Elam’s play was inconsistent, which is about what you expect from a rookie cornerback. He finished the year with a 71.7% completion rate allowed, giving up two touchdowns but also picking off three passes. His passer rating allowed of 83.6 was only slightly behind veteran starters Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson and was sixth-best among rookie corners. Elam’s growth was stunted going into his second season when he suffered an injury that landed him on the injured reserve for much of the year. In total, Elam played just three games in 2023 after coming in with expectations to make the next jump in production. That led to this past year, where Elam found himself trying to make up for lost time. Ultimately, he fell behind others on the depth chart, and he made just six starts throughout the season; three of those came in the final weeks of the season, due to injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, but Elam was a healthy scratch in four of the Bills’ last seven regular season games. Statistically speaking, Elam is coming off his worst season as a pro. That explains why his cost was so low. But Elam still possesses exciting traits with elite size and length. Most Bills beat writers characterized Elam as a player who had all the ability but just lacked the consistency to become a trusted starter. In Dallas, he’ll work alongside Eberflus and a coaching staff with a strong track record of developing defensive backs. Given Elam’s physical abilities and play style, he seems to be a perfect fit in this defense moving forward. Elam has almost exclusively been an outside cornerback, so his addition could signal the Cowboys’ plan to move DaRon Bland back into the slot after the loss of Jourdan Lewis. Even if Elam doesn’t end up working his way into the starting lineup, though, he offers starting-caliber athleticism and has experience – with 34 career games played and 89 targets – that is rare to find these days. Like the Cowboys’ other moves thus far this offseason, Elam represents a very low risk move with a potentially high reward.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys lose DeMarcus Lawrence: Four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher departs Dallas after 11 NFL seasons – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports Another Pro Bowler from the Cowboys’ 2014 draft class won’t be wearing the star anymore. The Dallas Cowboys’ longest-tenured remaining player is on the move. Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence is signing a three-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks worth up to $42 million with $18 million guaranteed, per NFL Media. The Cowboys selected Lawrence in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he proceeded to rack up 61.5 sacks in his 11 seasons in Dallas. Unfortunately, his 2024 season cut short by a foot injury he suffered on “Thursday Night Football” at the New York Giants in Week 4. There was a slim chance he was going to attempt to suit up for Dallas last season, but once a five-game losing streak killed its hopes at postseason contention, Lawrence shut it down for the year. Despite only totaling 27.5 sacks since 2019, Lawrence remains a strong defender setting the edge in the run game. He’ll reunite with a familiar face in Seattle in defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who worked as the Cowboys defensive line coach from 2021 to 2023 under Dan Quinn. Lawrence will line up alongside Pro Bowl edge rusher Leonard Williams, 2024 first-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, recently re-signed defensive tackle Jarran Reed and veteran edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu. Lawrence joins a Seahawks defense that was the league’s 11th-best scoring unit, allowing 21.6 points per game. Watch: Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb shares live reaction to DeMarcus Lawrence’s Dallas departure – SportsDay Staff CeeDee Lamb learning about Lawrence signing with Seattle was caught in real time. It appears CeeDee Lamb was caught off guard by the news of a longtime teammate’s departure. The Cowboys receiver was on a live stream with YouTuber N3on when he found out DeMarcus Lawrence would continue his playing career in Seattle. The veteran pass rusher agreed to a three-year deal with the Seahawks, his agent announced on social media. Lamb seemed shocked when viewers on the live stream’s chat told him Lawrence’s time in Dallas was ending. “D-Law to Seahawks… woah,” Lamb said. “He’s gone. “I gotta hit my man up.” CeeDee Lamb reacting to the Demarcus Lawrence trade. pic.twitter.com/vEurofb3HS — FLEX (@flexquickk) March 12, 2025 Lamb and Lawrence played together in Dallas for the last five seasons. Lawrence, a Boise State product, became a well-known name in Dallas since joining the franchise as a second-round draftee in 2014. The pass rusher posted 450 total tackles, 126 quarterback hits, 97 tackles for loss and 61.5 sacks in his 11-year Dallas tenure. His 2024 season was shortened due to a foot injury sustained in Week 4. Cowboys agree to terms on trade for Titans LB Kenneth Murray – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com While players have left Dallas, a new ones have been coming on board. FRISCO, Texas – In their second trade of the day, the Cowboys have agreed to terms to send a sixth-round pick (188th overall) to the Tennessee Titans for linebacker Kenneth Murray and a seventh-round pick (239th overall). Murray, 26, has played five seasons in the NFL. Four of those were spent with the Los Angeles Chargers, and then Murray signed a two-year deal with the Titans ahead of the 2024 season. In his first and only year in Tennessee, Murray put together 95 tackles, eight tackles for loss, an interception and a career high 3.5 sacks. He was a team captain for the Titans in started in all 14 games he played in. Over the course of four years with the Chargers, Murray started in 53 of the 59 games he played in and tallied 321 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions. Murray led the Chargers in tackles in his rookie season with 107 in 2020 earning him a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie team, and finished with 107 once again in 2023, good for third on the team behind Derwin James Jr. (125) and Eric Kendricks (117). Kendricks played middle linebacker for the Cowboys in 2024 and is now an unrestricted free agent. In three seasons at Oklahoma, Murray was named the Big 12 conference Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2017, followed it up with a second-team All-Big 12 nomination in 2018, and finished as a first-team All-Big 12 player in 2019. The Chargers selected Murray with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, making him the fourth former first round pick that Dallas has added thus far in the 2025 offseason. Murray joins former Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, former Jets defensive lineman Soloman Thomas, and former Saints defensive end Payton Turner. Free agency: Cowboys add rising Bears LB; reunite him with Matt Eberflus, position coach – Todd Brock, USA Today Jack Sanborn was the second linebacker Dallas added on Wednesday. The Cowboys, frequently accused of going dark during the NFL offseason, have wasted no time this year in making a promising upgrade to a worrisome position group. Just minutes into the official start of free agency, the team has reportedly come to an agreement with former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn. That news was posted Wednesday afternoon to social media by ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. Sanborn went undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2022 and went on to not only make Chicago’s final roster but become a starter before Thanksgiving of his rookie year. Although an ankle injury ended his season early, he showed enough to be named to PFF’s All-Rookie Team and was honored with the Bears’ annual Brian Piccolo Award for 2022. The Illinois native played in every game over the past two seasons, starting 13 of 34. He spent more time on special teams than on defense, however, never topping 38% of the defense’s snaps in any of his three seasons in Chicago. To contrast, Sanborn was in on 84% of the Bears’ special

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Cowboys lose Rico Dowdle to the Panthers The Dallas Cowboys struck a deal with running back Javonte Williams on Monday, and that seemed to point to one thing – the team wouldn’t re-sign Rico Dowdle. That turned out to be very true as Dowdle is heading to the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal. ESPN reports that Dowdle’s deal is worth a minimum of $3 million but could go as high as $6.5 million. Similar to what happened when they let Tyron Smith leave, the Cowboys must not have been comfortable with the incentives reaching that high, and decided to get Williams at a max of $3.5 million. You could make the argument of sticking with Dowdle for the extra money given how he performed last year, but the Cowboys may be thinking more about the draft. That is where the team can find a new running back for cheap, especially given how there is a deep talent pool to choose from in 2025. Williams is their backstop, but whoever they take in April will probably be looked at as the guy for 2025 and the future.

Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Dallas adds more linebacker depth. The busy day continues for the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to acquiring talent in free agency. They have made a trade to acquire veteran linebacker Kenneth Murray from the Tennessee Titans. This is their third signing on the defensive side of the ball on Wednesday to go with trading for cornerback Kaiir Elam and signing linebacker Jack Sanborn. The Cowboys are working towards acquiring LB Kenneth Murray and a seventh round pick from Tennessee for a sixth round pick, per source. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 12, 2025 Murray is a former first-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2021. In his four years there, he registered 321 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Murray would sign a two-year, $15.5 million deal with the Titans in 2024 after the Chargers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option. He amassed 95 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble before going on injured reserve late in the season. With Murray and Sanborn on board, the Cowboys have done a good job of adding depth to the linebacker spot, which was much-needed with DeMarvion Overshown recovering from an ACL tear and Eric Kendricks being on the open market.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images All the best to DeMarcus Lawrence in Seattle The longest-tenured player on the Dallas Cowboys is no longer part of the team. DeMarcus Lawrence, who had a high quality career with the Cowboys ever since they drafted him in 2014 out of Boise State, has agreed to a contract with the Seattle Seahawks. For Demarcus Lawrence, a 3-year, $42M max deal with $18M guaranteed, a contract negotiated by @davidcanter and @NessMugrabi of @aurasportsgroup. https://t.co/DTtr1ypLYz — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2025 The Cowboys would have loved to have Lawrence back, but they were not going to pay the price that the Seahawks did in their contract. Although the guaranteed money is not too bad, the Cowboys were likely offering a much smaller per year number and likely weren’t going past a year or two. You can’t blame Lawrence for taking the money, he has earned it in his career, but his age is creeping up on him and injuries are always an issue for older veterans. Lawrence was a class act in Dallas and in the latter part of his career he took up the mantle of leader. He will be missed both in the locker room and on the field. The Cowboys drafted Marshawn Kneeland last year and he was immediately anointed as a Lawrence replacement. It looks like his time has come.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Our latest Cowboys roundtable hits on remaining free agent targets Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Jess Haynie, David Howman and Brian Martin. Who are the top remaining free agents you hope the Cowboys target this year? Make sure to follow the Blogging The Boys tracker and stay up to date with all the Cowboys deals that come through. And leave in the comments any players you hope Jerry Jones decides to put to paper. Brian: DT Levi Onwuzurike, CB Asante Samuel Jr., WR Cooper Kupp, and re-signing DE DeMarcus Lawrence would be my top free agent targets for the Cowboys. All of these players would immediately fill a need and allow them to enter the draft without any glaring holes. Howman: I’m really intrigued by Alex Cappa or Kevin Zeitler as short-term options at right guard, even after adding Robert Jones. Tyler Lockett or Cooper Kupp would be great additions at wide receiver to help ease the burden off of CeeDee Lamb. Jess: I think it’s critical for Dallas to find their next WR2 through free agency. Waiting until the draft comes with a lot of risk, and I don’t know that this class features too many guys who’d be an immediate upgrade over Jalen Tolbert. That’s a limited pool and it forces you into potential reaches with your early picks. I don’t know the medical reports on veterans like Stefon Diggs and Amari Cooper, but I’d be happy with any of them as long as they’re expected to be at full capacity this season. With the Cowboys restructuring contracts to free up money, what are your thoughts of free agency this year? Was the whole clearance just a formality? The Cowboys restructured both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s contracts which helped create an extra $56 million in cap revenue, with still more potential savings after the front office decides what to do with Zack Martin’s retirement allocation. So far we’ve seen some movement on the free agent market with signings of defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, defensive end Payton Turner, running back Javonte Williams, and offensive guard Robert Jones. Fans are still waiting for a big splash and so far it’s just been roster fills to cover the draft. Brian: The Cowboys have the money to be big players in free agency, but based on their history of doing things I doubt that happens. I expect them to be bargain shoppers once again for the most part and maybe sign some mid-tier veterans. Howman: My initial reaction to the restructures was that it was for Micah Parsons, but it sounds like they’re content to slow play those talks for now. Either way, the Cowboys don’t create cap space just to have it. If these moves aren’t precipitating a Parsons deal, I’m expecting some big moves (for Dallas, that is) once free agency continues. Jess: They don’t need the cap space for a deal with Parsons. He already counts $24 million on his fifth-year option, so that would likely get worked down through salary-to-bonus conversion and other mechanisms on a long-term contract. Clearing cap space on Prescott’s deal only makes it harder to cut him later, so it would be pure stupidity to create that room and not use it to try to win now. We’ve already seen that they’re not completely breaking from being conservative, but I still expect more activity than in recent years. Does the recent Osa Obdighizuwa signing, as well as the recent additions in free agency change the Dallas Cowboys’ plans at drafting defensive line this year? Last week, Osa Odighizuwa signed a contract extension filling a huge need for the Dallas Cowboys defense. The Cowboys also made two signings to the defensive line this week with defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, and also defensive end Payton Turner who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. The question now is how this will effect their draft plans and how early they will draft a defensive linemen in this year’s draft. Brian: The simple answer is no. Osa Odighizuwa doesn’t change Dallas’ need for more help on the defensive line. Mazi Smith still hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Cowboys drafted another DT early with a premium pick in the Top 100. Howman: It should. Osa Odighizuwa is the perfect 3-technique for Matt Eberflus, so he’s going to play a lot of snaps. The 1-technique simply isn’t as valuable in this scheme, and Mazi Smith was much better over the final stretch of this past season. They could add some depth behind those two, even beyond Solomon Thomas, but the interior of the defensive line is no longer a priority. Jess: Like David, I think it changes the priority but I still expect there to be a DT in this draft class. Without Odighizuwa or a comparable free agent, it was arguably the top need and would need to be addressed in the first two rounds. Now, especially given the depth of this DT class, I think you can wait until Day 3 and still land a solid depth player with long-term developmental potential. Even after signing Solomon Thomas, they still need a true nose tackle.

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images The NFC East has improved a ton this week Sources: Texans land S Gardner-Johnson from Eagles for OL Green – DJ Bien-Amie, ESPN Free agency isn’t the only way to acquire players right now. The Texans are trading for Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in exchange for left guard Kenyon Green, sources told ESPN. The deal also includes a pick swap, with the Eagles getting a 2026 fifth-round pick and the Texans getting a 2026 sixth-rounder. Gardner-Johnson is a known ball hawk, with six interceptions in 2024 and 2022 for the Eagles in separate stints. The Texans lost starting safety Eric Murray to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a three-year, $22.5 million deal in free agency, so they’ll use Gardner-Johnson to fill that void. […] Gardner-Johnson joins a Houston pass defense that ranked sixth in passing yards allowed (201) and 13th in scoring defense (21.9). Gardner-Johnson’s 18 career interceptions fit right in with what the Texans’ defense did last year as they ranked second in interceptions (19). Gardner-Johnson acknowledged the trade, expressing his “love” for Philadelphia in a series of X posts Tuesday morning. “This decision wasn’t mine, but I walk away proud of what we built together,” Gardner-Johnson wrote. “To my teammates: Brothers, we bled, cursed, and laughed through it all. To the coaches and front office: Thank you for trusting a kid from Florida with a chip on his shoulder to lead this defense. And to the Philly Faithful — you’re unmatched. You embraced my edge and fire, for this game even when I got too hot.” Popular veteran becomes collateral damage of Commanders’ Laremy Tunsil trade – Dean Jones, RiggosRag.com Washington made it a priority to protect their young quarterback. The Washington Commanders pulled off another bombshell trade for a prolific veteran while other teams were focused on free-agent additions. Second-year general manager Adam Peters had a different strategy, striking a blockbuster deal with the Houston Texans for Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. This was a major statement of intent from the Commanders. They are pushing all their chips into the middle with quarterback Jayden Daniels on his rookie contract. They are ready to win now and will stop at nothing to ensure this Super Bowl window is maximized. Unfortunately, this came with some collateral damage attached. Tunsil’s arrival was never going to be good news for everybody. That’s the price of progress around the league. Fortunately for popular veteran Cornelius Lucas, his production in 2024 gave him a solid platform to get another deal elsewhere. Cornelius Lucas takes chances elsewhere after Commanders’ trade for Laremy Tunsil The Commanders had no use for Lucas after acquiring Tunsil. That might be a little harsh on the versatile swing tackle, but it’s all part of the business. His spell in Washington officially ended after he signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns. [,,,] As for the Commanders? They are going for broke. Trading for Tunsil is the latest example of Peters’ purposeful aggression to keep Washington among the leading Super Bowl contenders. Jevon Holland agrees to three-year contract with Giants, per reports – Nick Brinkerhoff, USA Today New York has focused on improving their secondary early in free agency. Jevon Holland has agreed to a deal with the New York Giants, ending his free agent journey. Holland’s deal with the Giants will span three years and will pay him $45.3 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The contract could be worth as much as $46.8 million and comes with $30.3 million in guarantees. The 25-year-old’s signing comes after the Miami Dolphins declined to place the franchise tag on him and gave him the opportunity to test the free agent waters after four years in South Beach. Checking in as the top safety available on the market, Holland figured to be in demand despite coming off what was his worst season in the league. The Dolphins selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, becoming a fixture in the back-end of the Miami defense. Head coach Mike McDaniel previously didn’t seem optimistic about the team’s chances of bringing Holland back. “Jevon has earned the right to go out and test his market,” McDaniel said via the Sun Sentinel. The Dolphins’ salary cap situation hasn’t afforded them much flexibility this offseason, which leaves them facing difficult roster decisions going forward.