Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images We’re counting down to the season opener (Day 37) with some Cowboys history We’re counting down the days until the Dallas Cowboys battle the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener of the 2025 NFL season. To pass the time and mark the days, we are running through 100 Days of Cowboys. So sit back and enjoy some Cowboys history while we countdown to football. Today – number 37. Mark Tuinei Born: March 31, 1960. Oceanside, CaliforniaPosition: Offensive tackle Dallas Cowboys: 1983-1997Awards: Super Bowl champion- XXVII, XXVIII, XXXPro Bowl– 1994, 1995 Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Mark Tuinei played offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1983 to 1997, spending his entire 15-year NFL career with the team. Originally a defensive lineman, Tuinei switched to offense early in his career and became a cornerstone of the Cowboys’ dominant offensive line during their 1990s dynasty. A two-time Pro Bowler, Tuinei helped protect Troy Aikman and clear lanes for Emmitt Smith, contributing to three Super Bowl championships. Respected for his toughness, consistency, and leadership, he was a key figure in one of the greatest eras in franchise history. TUINEI’S LEGACY CARRIED ON BY WIFE, EXTENDED FAMILY#Cowboys great Mark Tuinei played 15 yrs for the team, winning 3 SBs and playing in two Pro Bowls. Despite his passing in ’99, his wife Pono & multiple generations of Tuinei’s perpetuate his legacy. pic.twitter.com/1qLWbjx8nW — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 18, 2019 Sadly, in 1999, Tuinei was found unconscious in his car, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital. His death was attributed to an overdose and fellow players and fans were extremely shocked and saddened by the news. He left behind his wife and two children, but his memory lives on thanks to the legacy he created at Dallas. March 31st: Former Cowboys offensive lineman the late #71 Mark Tuinei (1983-97) was born on this day in 1960. He died at the age of 39 in May of ‘99 from an accidental drug overdose. #80sCowboys #90sCowboys pic.twitter.com/nfrZS4oKrH — Dallas Cowboys Old School (@CowboysOld) April 1, 2023 Best known for:Tuinei was best known for being a mainstay on the Cowboys’ legendary offensive line, playing a vital role in the protection and run-blocking that powered the team’s Super Bowl success in the 1990s. First thing I see upon entering Aloha Stadium — a picture honoring Mark Tuinei’s accomplishments with the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/sFMTkKnwth — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 18, 2019 Lesser known fact:Tuinei originally played defensive tackle at UCLA and the University of Hawaii before switching to offensive line with the Cowboys. His time playing on defense helped Tuinei understand defensive technique and alignment which helped him dominate the position for over 140 games at left tackle for Dallas, and become one of the longest-tenured linemen in team history. Photo by George Rose/Getty Images

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Things have been picking up for the Cowboys lately. The first week of training camp is over, which meant that Monday marked the beginning of what some consider to be the first week of “real” training camp. Pads came on for Monday’s practice, allowing for more physicality and a better assessment of players. With that in mind, here are the players who saw their stock move the most on Monday. Stock up Hunter Luepke A fan favorite is making some noise in training camp, as fullback Hunter Luepke earned some praise from Brian Schottenheimer in his press conference before practice. Luepke’s versatility – listed as a fullback but having also taken reps as a ballcarrier and tight end – was singled out, as well as his physicality and intelligence. A lot of praise for FB Hunter Luepke early in camp pic.twitter.com/uPHshzq7Sw — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2025 Brian Schottenheimer gave a shoutout to Hunter Luepke for how he handled this play. Originally was going for Alijah Clark. Once he went away, pivoted to helping seal off Marist Liufau. https://t.co/Br3chlTx3y — Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) July 28, 2025 Most presumed that Luepke’s roster spot was safe coming to Oxnard, especially with Schottenheimer’s preference for having a power running game, but it’s good to see the fullback continue to earn his keep and, perhaps, even earn a larger role than he’s previously had. Malik Hooker The 29-year old safety has been with the Cowboys for four seasons already, and now he’s reunited with Matt Eberflus, who coached him for three seasons with the Colts. Early on in camp, it seemed as if that familiarity hadn’t helped Malik Hooker, as he hadn’t really stood out that much. That changed on Monday. Malik Hooker has had a really good day pic.twitter.com/MPBDtgweOr — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 28, 2025 Oh yeah. The pads are poppin! Malik Hooker hits Cropper following a slight slip on the boundary. #CowboysCamp pic.twitter.com/QWF0bilO8v — Kyle Youmans (@Kyle_Youmans) July 28, 2025 Malik Hooker is having a DAY both in coverage and in run support. #Cowboys #trainingcamp — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) July 28, 2025 Hooker had an up-and-down 2024 campaign in Mike Zimmer’s defense, so he’s hoping for a bounce-back season. If Monday’s practice was anything to go off of, he’s primed for exactly that. Zion Childress Zion Childress hasn’t gotten a ton of love, as the undrafted free agent out of Kentucky simply isn’t a household name right now, but that may be changing. After a couple moments in practices last week, Childress built on it in a big way Monday, drawing plenty of eyeballs. Zion Childress nearly had his second INT of camp. pic.twitter.com/qkcBVPKqUE — Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) July 28, 2025 Feels like anytime Zion Childress (48) is on the field, he’s on the ball pic.twitter.com/X1HwY0fmdB — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 28, 2025 Childress faces long odds to make this roster, given how many big names are ahead of him on the cornerback depth chart, but it’s also no secret that the Cowboys have plenty of injury uncertainty at the position, too. And in that regard, Childress is only helping himself by displaying his ability while others are still working off to the side. Stock down Mazi Smith Mazi Smith has been a subject of much discussion. Once again, he’s been asked to radically change his body, cutting down to right around 300 pounds after bulking back up to his college weight last year. Unsurprisingly, it’s once again seeming to stunt his growth. The third-year defensive tackle hasn’t made much noise in camp thus far, and even with the pads coming on, he was largely unable to overpower others the way he did at Michigan. Tyler Smith pushing Mazi Smith back pic.twitter.com/2G4PSSsSWt — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 28, 2025 It’s hard to fault Smith too much for this, given all the physical changes he’s been asked to undergo, but it’s still tough to watch. Once a dominant force in college, Smith appears to be having the same problems that plagued his rookie year. Player health For as much excitement that comes with training camp, there is also the ever-present worry of injuries. The Cowboys seemed to get bit especially hard on Monday, a day that began with the news that free agent guard Rob Jones – who began to take first team reps just last week – would miss several months with a broken bone in his neck. If that wasn’t enough, left tackle Tyler Guyton went down later in Monday’s practice, and had to be helped off the field by several trainers. That obviously carries massive ramifications for Dallas, as Guyton was showing tangible improvements from his rookie year and also mans the most important position on the Cowboys offensive line. On top of it all, wide receiver Parris Campbell is sidelined with an MCL sprain and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford has an ankle injury, both of which are expected to keep the players out multiple weeks. Spann-Ford, in particular, had been having a great camp, even getting some work with the first team. Injuries this time of year are horrible but inevitable, and it’s an early test for Schottenheimer in how he handles them, especially as he tries to inject added physicality into the culture of this team.

Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images Cowboys are still adding players to the roster After working out several free agent defensive backs on Monday, the Cowboys have added 28-year-old Christian Matthew to their roster. What is Dallas getting in their latest acquisition, and does it tell us anything about their concerns for the cornerback position? Matthew was a seventh-round pick in 2022 by Arizona, already 25 when he was drafted. But at 6’2” and with a reported 41.5” vertical and 4.5 in the 40-yard dash, his size and athletic potential are hard to dismiss. Matthew made the Cardinals roster as a rookie, appearing in 14 games and with three starts. He did it again in 2023 but was released in early October. The next day, the Bears added Matthews to their practice squad. Interestingly, and perhaps not coincidentally, Dallas’ new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was Chicago’s head coach at the time. Matthew only appeared in two games for the Bears, only on special teams, and was not re-signed after the regular season. Baltimore scooped up Matthew for the final weeks of their 2023 playoff run. He was re-signed and competed in their 2024 camp, but was eventually placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed medical issue. The Ravens did not bring him back this year, and he remained available until now. The Cowboys worked out four defensive backs Monday: Thomas Graham, Harris Hand Christian Holmes and Christian Matthew. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 28, 2025 Cowboys are signing former Ravens cornerback Christian Matthew, per Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2025 So why are the Cowboys making this move? While there’s never a bad time to churn the bottom of the roster, it’s a little surprising given all we’ve been hearing out of the position. Kaiir Elam has been one of the stars of camp so far, Andrew Booth is starting to figure some things out, and we’ve had recent positive injury news on Trevon Diggs, Josh Butler, and Shavon Revel. But even with those developments, there are still preseason games to get through. If guys like Elam and Booth may be needed come September, Dallas doesn’t want them getting hurt now. Having plenty of CB options to get through the upcoming August schedule makes sense. After a week of camp practices, opinions are starting to form on the guys we already have. This is probably as simple as the team thinking Matthew could be an upgrade over one of their undrafted rookies, or maybe another older CB like Robert Rochell. We’ll see what the corresponding move is to make room for Matthew, if needed. Christian Matthew presents the Cowboys with the same points of intrigue he has presented to three other teams since 2022, rare size and speed as a cornerback. He must have made enough of a positive impression on Matt Eberflus to get this opportunity. It probably doesn’t mean much in terms of the eventual 53-man roster, but you never know.

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Hey Cowboys fans! We’re back for another day of the Blogging The Boys in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Monday, July 28, 2025Sunday, July 27, 2025Saturday, July 26, 2025 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Cowboys could be looking to lock up another player The Dallas Cowboys front office is in the mood for making deals—just not with Micah Parsons as of yet. On Sunday, Dallas agreed to a four-year extension with tight end Jake Ferguson and the talks don’t seem to be stopping there. After practice on Monday, starting cornerback DaRon Bland spoke to the media and said that there have been talks between his agent and the front office. Cowboys CB DaRon Bland said there have been talks between his agent and the Cowboys about a contract extension. “Dallas is always where I want to be. Hopefully can get it done.” pic.twitter.com/1tbw3OqU5a — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2025 As mentioned in the tweet above, Bland mentions that Dallas is where he wants to be. He also said that he’d “definitely” like to get an extension done during training camp. Cowboys CB DaRon Bland said he’d “definitely” like to get a contract extension done with the team while he’s in Oxnard. “Dallas is always where I’ve wanted to be, so hopefully we get it done.” He said talks are ongoing. pic.twitter.com/XuOG8yuNfe — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 28, 2025 The Cowboys find themselves in need of securing another cornerback for their future. There is uncertainty surrounding Trevon Diggs as he works his way back to the field. Additionally, Kaiir Elam and Israel Mukuamu are both on one-year deals, while Caelen Carson is still in the development phase as a young player. Bland showed he has the skills to be an All-Pro corner like we saw in 2023 when he led the NFL in interceptions, set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a season, and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Like Ferguson, Bland is coming off a disappointing season during which he missed time due to a foot injury and did not perform as well as he had the previous year. If the front office can reach an agreement with Bland before the season starts, they may be able to secure a better deal now, rather than risk his price increasing if he has another Pro Bowl-worthy season.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Tyler Guyton is reportedly feared to have suffered a torn ACL. Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton is feared to have torn his ACL, according to NFL Network. The news was reported a few hours after Guyton left Monday’s practice after needing attention. Sources: #Cowboys starting OT Tyler Guyton, who went down in practice today, is feared to have torn his ACL heading into the MRI. A significant blow to Dallas’ offensive line if tests confirms, as big things were expected of the former first-rounder. pic.twitter.com/fQHSioe8tM — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2025 Simply put, this is a devastating bit of news to the Cowboys overall roster. While the news is technically not official as Ian Rapoport notes an MRI is still to come… clearly all parties involved fear the worst possible outcome. Tyler Guyton was entering his second season with the Cowboys, one where a lot was riding on him as the team’s left tackle. The Cowboys took Guyton in the first round last year and he took a bit of time to find his footing as a rookie and many were hopeful that his sophomore season would be when he finally found his proper form. As things relate to Guyton he will obviously have a long road to recovery, presuming this is indeed the case with him. From a rest-of-the-roster perspective the Cowboys now have to figure out a plan at left tackle and have to do so on the fly. All the best to Tyler Guyton.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Tyler Guyton went down with an injury during Monday’s Dallas Cowboys practice. The Dallas Cowboys held their second padded practice of training camp on Monday and suffered a bit of a scare, the severity of which is unclear at the time of this writing. Starting left tackle Tyler Guyton went down with an apparent injury and was tended to before being immediately taken to the locker room. Tyler Guyton is down. pic.twitter.com/1CD8hP94Nf — Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) July 28, 2025 Micah Parsons helping Tyler Guyton to the locker room pic.twitter.com/KBv98l3bvZ — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2025 Once again, the exact situation surrounding Guyton is unclear at this particular moment in time and we will obviously provide updates as soon as they are available. It stands to reason that the Cowboys wanted to get working on him as soon as possible. Guyton is one of the more critical members of the Cowboys roster as he is the team’s starting left tackle. On an offensive line with so much youth, having it all come together is going to be critical. Guyton is an essential part of that entering his second season protecting Dak Prescott’s blind side. As noted we will provide updates on Guyton as soon as they are available.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images John Stephens Jr. remains a name to watch. On the day of the first padded practice of training camp, the Cowboys made some contract news. No, not Micah Parsons, but they did sign Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year, $52M contract to keep him with the club for the foreseeable future. As for on the field, coinciding with the padded practice was an uptick in intensity and trash talk. Dak Prescott and the offense gave a few verbal jabs to cornerback Troy Pride after CeeDee Lamb got the best of him on a nice play. As the team prepares for their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on August 9th, expect the energy to increase even more. As for today’s undrafted free agent of the day, he’s somebody who we’ve waited to see emerge over the last few seasons. In the absence of another undrafted free agent tight end, Brevyn Spann-Ford, John Stephens saw more opportunities at Sunday’s practice. Stephens, a converted college receiver, is a unique prospect because of his ability to be a mismatch in coverage. He’s too fast for linebackers and can outjump smaller defensive backs for jump balls. Since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2023, Stephens has had very strong training camps. Unfortunately, both of his professional seasons have been derailed by season-ending knee injuries in each of his first two years. Now healthy again, Stephens looks to push for a spot on the roster. John Stephens Jr. need only stay healthy. great catch here with the defender draped all over him. #Cowboys #trainingcamp pic.twitter.com/LDFeqnL7wv — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) July 27, 2025 To have a chance, he’ll have to amaze the coaches at practice and in the preseason games, as he has Ferguson, Spann-Ford, and Luke Schoonmaker all ahead of him on the depth chart.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images What grade would you give the Jake Ferguson deal? The Dallas Cowboys took care of one of their own on Sunday morning by inking tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year extension worth $52M in new money. It was great to see Dallas be proactive on a deal, something they haven’t done in a minute. Ferguson is coming off of a “down” year, but he has shown flashes of serious potential in the past (notably during the 2023 season). The Cowboys have locked up two of Dak Prescott’s most important pass-catchers for the foreseeable future and if they take care of George Pickens then the overall nucleus will be set. Factoring in all things what grade would you give the Ferguson deal? General chatter around the internet seemed to suggest that most fans were happy about it, but they obviously wish that other deals (notably Micah Parsons) were taken care of first. It is possible to look at and evaluate everything separately and not connect the situations to one another. That being said, we are certainly interested in hearing what everyone has to say. What grade would you give the Ferguson deal? You can go with a standard letter, or some sort of comment that summarizes your feelings.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Cowboys HC says newly-signed $52 million player’s down year was ‘more of a fluke’ – Ali Jawad, Cowboys Wire Dallas believes in their newly signed tight end. The Dallas Cowboys extended Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson with a four-year, $52 million contract extension, which includes $30 million guaranteed. The deal makes the former 2022 fourth-round pick the highest-paid TE in franchise history. The 26-year-old is coming off an injury-riddled season which included an injured knee and a concussion, and saw a decline in his production, finishing with 59 receptions for 494 yards and failing to find the end zone throughout the season. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer made it clear the call to extend Ferguson wasn’t about the production, but instead about what the former Wisconsin Badger brings to the team. “He’s a great leader. He’s lighter (this season). He’s moving around really, really well,” Schottenheimer said. “I think last year, you look at the first game against Cleveland, and he gets his knee pretty banged up. And then he’s got a concussion mid-season at some point. That’s so uncharacteristic of (Ferguson). It was just a year prior, in 2023, when following the departure of Dalton Schultz, the Cowboys moved Ferguson int the role of the full-time starter. In his first season leading th group, Ferguson recorded 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns and was named a Pro Bowl selection. BREAKING NEWS: Cowboys extend Jake Ferguson to 4-year deal – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star #87 is locked down for the foreseeable future. Jake Ferguson: Cowboys Buy Low, Bet Big On Tight End The new deal keeps Ferguson in Dallas until 2030 and places him sixth among NFL tight ends in total contract value, just behind Cleveland Brown, David Njoku, and slightly ahead of Chicago Bear, Cole Kmet. In short, $52M is nothing to scoff at, and his $30M in guaranteed money isn’t either. The thing is, had Dallas waited until next offseason, that price tag could have ballooned. Ferguson caught fire in 2023, alongside the near-MVP Dak Prescott, but his numbers fell off a cliff last season with his QB1 sidelined. 12 fewer receptions, over 250 fewer receiving yards, and a five-touchdown drop to zero. I can promise you that, if he had repeated his 2023 success in 2024 or if he returned to that level this season, Jake Ferguson would have asked for a $65M+ extension. This is a smart buy-low, bet big move on a young weapon with a ton of potential. Brian Schottenheimer may have revealed Joe Milton’s Cowboys role by accident – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat Schottenheimer is planning on using his QB2. While Milton isn’t taking Dak Prescott’s job anytime soon, head coach Brian Schottenheimer may have accidentally revealed the 25-year-old’s role for this season (other than backing up Prescott): the wildcat quarterback. “We’re gonna be multiple. We’re gonna be under center. We’re gonna be in shotgun. We’re gonna run the pistol. We’re gonna run some wildcat. We’re gonna be very difficult to defend,” Schottenheimer said, via Clarence Hill of All-City DLLS. As fun as it is to daydream about CeeDee Lamb or KaVontae Turpin taking snaps from the wildcat, Milton has the perfect build and athleticism for it. While Lamb is as dynamic as any player in football, do the Cowboys really want to subject him to more hits? He’s going to get plenty of touches in the offense. In terms of the quarterback position, Milton ranked at or above the 85th percentile in height, weight, vertical jump and broad jump before the 2024 NFL Draft. He is a better scrambler than outright sprinter, but he still clocked an impressive 4.56 40-yard dash at his Tennessee pro day. That is tied for the fifth-best time among quarterbacks in the last three years. All-UFL standout gets first-team reps after shining at Cowboys camp – Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated Dallas has seen success pulling players up from the USFL, maybe history is set to repeat itself. Running backs and the men up front in the trenches had the most excitement about bringing the contact, including former UFL standout Perrion Winfrey, who could develop into a force along the Cowboys’ interior defensive line. The 6-foot-4, 291-pound Winfrey, a former Cleveland Browns fourth-round NFL Draft pick, starred for the Birmingham Stallions during the 2025 season and earned All-UFL honors. Winfrey recorded 29 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a sack in 10 games. Throughout the first week of training camp with the Cowboys, Winfrey is already impressing the coaching staff and has earned first-team reps. Dallas has some serious questions at defensive tackle, especially with former first-round pick Mazi Smith struggling with consistency throughout the start of his NFL career, so Winfrey is an intriguing player. Cowboys 2025 training camp Day 4: CBs ramping up, WR goes down- Jess Haynie, Blogging The Boys A summary of Sunday’s action. Heading into Oxnard, we knew that corners Trevon Diggs, Josh Butler, and Shavon Revel would all be missing from action with various injuries. But Saturday offered some encouraging news for two of them. Obviously, Revel getting in as much work as possible ahead of his rookie season is a positive. But even back during the draft, when a college knee injury caused him to fall to the third round, it was generally expected that Revel could be ready by Week 1. So while we’re delighted to see that his recovery seems to be going well, it’s not that shocking. Getting Butler back this quickly would be more of a surprise. Getting hurt last Thanksgiving, the 28-year-old was doubtful to return for the start of the regular season. Butler was an emerging role-player last year, starting three games due to injuries and looking like he could hold his own. Dallas would love to have the veteran competing before the end of preseason, with CB depth still a critical