Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The latest and greatest Dallas Cowboys news. The Cowboys’ training camp battle for CB2 will be one to watch – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside The Star New Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus getting the most out of this team’s cornerbacks is key for the entire defense to find success. Cornerback Moves This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys made a few transactions with regard to their cornerback room. Long-time Nickel CB Jourdan Lewis outplayed what the Cowboys were willing to pay him, and he has moved on to Jacksonville to join the Jaguars. Dallas acquired a former 1st-round pick from Buffalo, Kaiir Elam, to help stop the bleeding from Diggs’ injury. In the draft, they were ecstatic to select CB Shavon Revel in the 3rd round, a 1st-round talent. Aside from that, the Cowboys are largely bringing back the same group that has battled over the past couple of years, but only four of those players stick out above the rest. Sophomore Surge? A 5th-round pick in 2024, CB Caelen Carson saw limited snaps as a rookie but flashed potential in spot duty. Known for his discipline and fluid hips, Carson’s strength lies in man coverage. With a full year in an NFL defensive system, he enters camp more comfortable and confident. Carson is a coach’s favorite for his football IQ and work ethic, and if he shows development in camp, he could emerge as a reliable option opposite Bland. Time for Redemption? Formerly a 1st- round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2022, Kaiir Elam arrives in Dallas looking to reignite his career. Injuries and inconsistency plagued his early seasons, but Elam still possesses elite athletic traits and starting experience. If DC Matt Eberflus can tap into his potential, Elam could offer a high-reward option. This training camp may be his best shot to re-establish himself as a starter in the NFL. DeMarvion Overshown shares a realization that new Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus should be paying close attention to – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports DeMarvion Overshown has an optimistic timetable for his return in 2025, as well as an idea for how Eberflus should best use him. Like a little kid counting down the days to open the gifts under the Christmas tree, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will have to wait to deploy one of the most talented players on the roster, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. And when he does, it’ll be very intriguing how exactly does he use him. Overshown appears to have a preference and him sharing a recent realization while watching highlights of himself is a hint. He wants to blitz often. “I be watching highlights and realized if I just would’ve blitzed more, easily would’ve tallied more sacks,” Overshown posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. I don’t blame Overshown for wanting to blitz, as he was highly effective in that department in 2024. Under Mike Zimmer, Overshown was often used as a blitzer, logging 74 pass rushing snaps in 13 games, per Pro Football Focus. In those, he recorded 20 pressures, five sacks, good for third on the team. However, it’s not a guarantee Eberflus will use him in similar fashion upon his return. In four years as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and three as head coach of the Chicago Bears, his defenses consistently ranked among the lowest in blitz rate: Eberflus units in Indy and Chicago only finished inside the Top 20 in blitz rate one year (2024) and that was 19th. The previous two years, he ranked 21st and 25th, respectively. As defensive coordinator of the Colts, he ranked 29th, 27th, 31st, and 29th in blitz rate, according to Pro Football Reference Five questions to monitor as Cowboys begin OTAs – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com With as much of an emphasis as the Cowboys are putting on line of scrimmage play this season, it’s never too early to look for positive signs from developing players like Mazi Smith and Tyler Guyton. Can Tyler Guyton, Mazi Smith show flashes of taking the next step? Speaking of taking steps in the right direction, two key young players that could use a breakout year are left tackle Tyler Guyton and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Both are getting new coaching this season with strong track records of developmental success at their respective positions. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley have specialized in development up front, something that Guyton will benefit from after an up and down rookie season in his first year playing left tackle. Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton has gotten a lot out of his former players like Quinnen Williams in New York, and the Cowboys are hoping he can do the same with Smith, who has shown flashes but not necessarily consistency in his play since being drafted in the first round out of Michigan in 2023. The spotlight is only getting brighter on the two young players early in their careers. Score 30+ points per game in 2025 and Dallas will almost certainly make the playoffs – One Cool Customer, Blogging The Boys The Cowboys were 3-0 when they scored at least 30 points last season, something they’ll be looking to do a lot more of with a healthy Dak Prescott. One interesting quirk of the 2024 Cowboys season is that the team lost every single game in which the opponent scored 27 points or more. The 2024 opponents scored 27 or more points in nine games and the Cowboys were 0-9 in those games. When the opponents scored 26 or fewer points, the Cowboys were 7-1. So how can the Cowboys avoid a repeat this year? One option is to hope that a defense that ranked 31st last year in points allowed suddenly transforms into a top 10 unit and holds every opponent to no more than 26 points. Another, and possibly better, option is to look to your offense to score more, which is not as far-fetched as it may sound.

Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens going for 1,000 yards each is no guarantee. Imaginations have run fully wild. When the Dallas Cowboys traded for wide receiver George Pickens, the floor for the offense as a whole was immediately raised. Dak Prescott, Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo will all have easier lives because of Pickens’ presence, but outside of the quarterback there is no one who will benefit more than CeeDee Lamb. Lamb and Pickens appeared to be getting along well at a softball game last weekend for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s foundation, and once more minds began to race at the idea of these two receivers suddenly sharing an offense. When it comes to prolific NFL pass-catching duos, a common goal is for them each to have 1,000 receiving yards. In the current era of football, particularly with how long the regular season has become, having two 1,000-yard WRs is more possible than ever. Comparing it to the past requires context, but you get the overall point here. If Lamb and Pickens were to each go for 1,000 receiving yards, then we would likely consider the season a success in that particular way (obviously there is lot more to the hypothetical). This is not as easy of a thing as you think, at least in Cowboys history. A wide receiver duo has each reached 1,000 yards only three times in franchise history Thanks to our friends at Stathead we can quite easily search for something this specific. A couple of quick clicks tells us that there are seven years in which the Cowboys had multiple players reach 1,000 receiving yards. That word matters, though. Players. 1979: Drew Pearson and Tony Hill 2006: Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn 2007: Terrell Owens and Jason Witten 2009: Miles Austin and Jason Witten 2010: Miles Austin and Jason Witten 2012: Dez Bryant and Jason Witten 2019: Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup Jason Witten’s name appears here on four occasions which means that a wide receiver duo specifically has only done this three times in franchise history. By the way, it is remarkable how it was happening with such regularity throughout the Tony Romo era. He and Witten both remain perennially underrated. The 2019 season was the last one in which the Cowboys franchise played without Lamb being a part of it. Diluting the point to talk about yards specifically isn’t wise either, but this whole exercise partly shows how Lamb has not had a proper running mate to work opposite of him which is why we are all so excited. Speaking as a whole across the entire NFL, this phenomenon doesn’t happen as often as you might think. There are certainly instances of it occurring since Dallas last did it themselves in 2019 with a handful of teams doing it each year since. Stathead Individually, Lamb has reached the 1,000-yard mark in each of his last four seasons (he came 65 yards shy as a rookie) where Pickens did it only in 2023 (obviously his sample size is smaller). While there is only one ball and we can make the argument for this overall thing not happening more often as a result of it the talent on the field (or lack of it) is a huge factor. That goes without saying. Consider what happens if we lower the bar for success in this particular discussion. If we search for the last time that the Cowboys had multiple players hit 900 yards in a season then our answer is 2020 when Lamb did it alongside Amari Cooper. If we lower the bar one more time and look for the last time multiple players hit 800 yards then our answer is 2021 when Cooper and Lamb were joined by Dalton Schultz. Think about that. The Cowboys have gone three straight seasons in which only a single player (an incredible one in CeeDee Lamb) had 800 receiving yards. An addition like Pickens has been overdue for some time, but this all really underscores that. Whether or not George Pickens has 1,000 receiving yards is not going to be what matters the most. But if he does reach that point, it certainly will not hurt.

Sara Diggins / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Jaydon Blue’s role in the offense is going to be fascinating to figure out. It was a bit of a surprise when the Cowboys got through the first two days of the 2025 NFL draft without addressing the running back position. They finally addressed the position with Texas’ running back Jaydon Blue in the fifth round. Blue was a dynamic threat in the backfield for the Longhorns in 2024, but played primarily in a rotation with freshman running back Jerrick Gibson. Blue was also one of the most explosive backs in the 2025 class, but his size, physicality, and fumbling concerns had him fall into day three despite his tremendous upside. Let’s take a look at what Blue did in 2024 and project out what he could do in 2025 in Dallas. 2024 Stats:Games Played: 15Carries: 134Rushing Yards: 730Yards Per Carry: 5.4Rushing Touchdowns: 8Receptions: 42Receiving Yards: 368Receiving Touchdowns: 6 As proven in his stats from 2024, Blue’s ability to impact the running and passing game was evident on tape. His speed, elusiveness, and crisp route running should have him involved early in the Cowboys offense. Whether that is a starting role or not is still to be seen, but now let’s project out what his rookie season could look like in Dallas. 2025 Projection:Carries: 95Rushing Yards: 525Yards Per Carry: 5.5Rushing Touchdowns: 4Receptions: 18Receiving Yards: 152Receiving Touchdowns: 2 There is a really strong chance the Cowboys 2025 rushing plan goes similar to the 2024 rushing plan. As it stands today, it sounds like JaVonte Williams will get the first crack at starting reps heading into camp, similar to Ezekiel Elliott in 2024. With Williams projected to start the season off getting the bulk of the carries, expect Blue’s start of the season to be a bit underwhelming. But similar to 2024, do not be surprised if by week six or seven, we start seeing a bit more of Jaydon Blue and his breakout really begins.

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images It is going to be important for the Cowboys to establish an offensive identity. One interesting quirk of the 2024 Cowboys season is that the team lost every single game in which the opponent scored 27 points or more. The 2024 opponents scored 27 or more points in nine games and the Cowboys were 0-9 in those games. When the opponents scored 26 or fewer points, the Cowboys were 8-1. 2024 season Cowboys record 27 or more points allowed 0-9 26 or fewer points allowed 7-1 So how can the Cowboys avoid a repeat this year? One option is to hope that a defense that ranked 31st last year in points allowed suddenly transforms into a top 10 unit and holds every opponent to no more than 26 points. Another, and possibly better, option is to look to your offense to score more, which is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Before the injuries and a head coach who didn’t want to “light the scoreboard up” derailed the Cowboys offense in 2024, the Cowboys were one of the most prolific scoring teams in the league. In fact, between 2021 and 2023, the Cowboys scored more points than any other team in the NFL. They led the league in scoring in 2021 (530 points, 31.2 points per game), ranked third in 2022 (467, 27.5), and again led the league in 2023 (509, 29.9). Why shouldn’t the team get back to its high-scoring ways in 2025, especially with the addition of WR George Pickens? Tony Romo weighs in: “That’s a big trade. Having him and Ceedee together, that’s a gamechanger. If you remember when they had Amari, it makes it very difficult to focus on one player when you have two superstars out there. And I feel like if you have two guys like that out there it just opens up the offense quite a bit. Tony Romo on the George Pickens trade pic.twitter.com/UQ6CVlL1eC — MartinTalkCowboys (@DAK_4_MVP) May 17, 2025 But why open up the offense, as Romo says? Because there are not that many teams in the NFL that can keep pace with an offense that consistently puts up 30+ points. The Cowboys’ record over the last five years in games where they scored 30+ points: 30-4. If you’re looking for a shortcut to the playoffs, scoring 30+ points per game would be a convenient way. Since realignment in 2002, 32 teams have averaged more than 30 points per game (480 points per season until 2020, 510 points since 2021), and all but one of those teams made the playoffs. Here are the last 10 teams to do so: Year Team Points Scored W/L Record 2024 Detroit 564 15-2 2024 Buffalo 525 13-4 2024 Baltimore 518 12-5 2021 Dallas 530 12-5 2021 Tampa Bay 511 13-4 2020 Green Bay 509 13-3 2020 Buffalo 501 13-3 2020 Tampa Bay 492 11-5 2020 Tennessee 491 11-5 2020 New Olreans 482 12-4 And all else being equal, had the Cowboys scored 30 points in every game last year, they’d have had an 11-5-1 record. Will the Cowboys be able to average 30+ points per game again in 2025? If they do, a playoff berth is a given. In fact, teams last year were 122-17 when scoring 30 points or more for an .878 winning percentage. Applying that winning percentage to a 17-game schedule gives you a cool 15-2 record. And you know what doesn’t matter when you score 30 points per game? Your defense. Every year in Dallas, there will be fans waiting for a return of the Doomsday Defense, or at least a reasonable facsimile of that defense. But today’s Cowboys are about as far removed from a Doomsday Defense as they can be, and that’s not an indictment in any form, it’s simply a fact. Every team in the NFL has to figure out which side of the ball it wants to emphasize more, and in Dallas it’s offense first, second, and third. Philosophically, the Cowboys are built to be a team that wins by outscoring you. The defense in turn works best when the offense has established a lead and the defense can pin its ears back and attack the opposing offense. The question is, can the Cowboys live up to those expectations? It’s early days still, and Dallas is flying a bit under the radar in terms of expectations for 2025, but the 2025 Cowboys could have a sneaky good offense: Dak Prescott is back healthy and could pick up where he left off in 2023 The offensive line, with three first-round picks, might be as good as it has been since they had a healthy Travis Frederick With the addition of Pickens, the team could have it’s first 1,000-yard receiving duo since 2019, with a Pro Bowl tight end on top McCarthy’s caveman offense along with his abysmal play-calling and kindergarten time management is gone Possibly the best special teams trio in the league for additional support Frankly, if the Cowboys don’t finish at least among the Top 5 in points scored, I’d consider that a big disappointment. They were specifically built to do just that, and barring injuries, there is no reason why the 2025 team should not pick up where the 2023 team left off and be one of the top scoring offenses in the league. If they’re not, the Cowboys will have to do some serious soul-searching about why they can’t get it done.

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Which Cowboys player do you trust the most at their particular job? When it comes to trust relative to NFL players we have to evaluated it on a person by person basis. Asking a question like “who do you trust the most” means measuring your trust for a certain person relative to the expectations that you have for them specifically. Today we are asking everyone which Dallas Cowboys player they trust the most, but if you say Brandon Aubrey over Micah Parsons you are not saying that you would draft the former over the latter in building a team. Aubrey is arguably the most trustworthy kicker in the entire NFL so if you were to answer him then that would make sense, but there are other options on the Cowboys roster like Parsons. Maybe you think that KaVontae Turpin as a return man is the most trustworthy player on the team or perhaps you will give your vote to someone like CeeDee Lamb. Whatever the case is we want to know. Who do you trust the most on the Cowboys at their particular job?

Think you can figure out which Cowboys player we’re talking about? You’ll get five clues to figure him out in our new guessing game! Can you guess this free agent addition in today’s in-5 trivia game?Hey Cowboys fans! We’re back for another day of the Blogging The Boys in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form. If you can’t see the game due to Apple News or another service, click this game article. Previous games Sunday, May 18, 2025Saturday, May 17, 2025Friday, May 16, 2025 Play more SB Nation in-5 trivia games NFL in-5MLB in-5MMA in-5 Blogging The Boys in-5 instructions The goal of the game is to guess the correct Cowboys player with the help of up to five clues. We’ll mix in BOTH ACTIVE AND RETIRED PLAYERS. It won’t be easy to figure it out in one or two guesses, but some of you might be able to nail it. After you correctly guess the player, you can click “Share Results” to share how you did down in the comments and on social media. We won’t go into other details about the game as we’d like your feedback on it. How it plays, what you think of it, the difficulty level, and anything else you can think of that will help us improve this game. You can provide feedback in the comments of this article, or you can fill out this Google Form. Enjoy!

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images How many young QBs will the Cowboys face this season? The Dallas Cowboys’ week two opponent, the New York Giants, traded up into the first round of the draft just a few weeks ago to select QB Jaxson Dart. The understanding in New York is that Russell Wilson is the likely starter – head coach Brian Daboll, speaking to reporters, said that Wilson “will be our starter” as they began OTAs – but the Jaxson Dart excitement is building in New York. This week, NBCSports analyst Chris Simms said he ‘would not be shocked’ if Jaxson Dart is Giants’ Week 1 starter. If this happens, there could be up to nine rookie or second-year quarterbacks starting in week one. The table below summarizes the QBs penciled in as the presumptive starters on the Ourlads.com depth charts (with Dart getting the nod over Wilson in New York) along with their NFL experience in years. AFC AFC East QB Exp BUF Josh Allen 7 MIA Tua Tagovailoa 5 NE Drake Maye 1 NYJ Justin Fields 4 AFC North QB Exp BAL Lamar Jackson 7 CIN Joe Burrow 5 PIT Mason Rudolph 5 CLE Joe Flacco 17 AFC South QB Exp HOU C.J. Stroud 2 IND Anthony Richardson 3 JAC Trevor Lawrence 4 TEN Cameron Ward 0 AFC West QB Exp KC Patrick Mahomes 8 LAC Justin Herbert 5 DEN Bo Nix 1 LV Geno Smith 11 NFC NFC East QB Exp PHI Jalen Hurts 5 WAS Jayden Daniels 1 DAL Dak Prescott 9 NYG Jaxson Dart 0 NFC North QB Exp DET Jared Goff 9 GB Jordan Love 4 MIN J.J. McCarthy 1* CHI Caleb Williams 1 NFC South QB Exp TB Baker Mayfield 7 ATL Michael Penix 1 CAR Bryce Young 2 NO Tyler Shough 0 NFC West QB Exp SF Brock Purdy 3 LAR Matthew Stafford 16 ARI Kyler Murray 6 SEA Sam Darnold 7 Greybeard Joe Flacco is the presumptive starter in Cleveland, which means the AFC North QBs have 34 years of combined NFL experience, the highest total of any division in the league. Add a potential Aaron Rodgers signing in Pittsburgh, and that number would climb to 49, clearly outpacing the NFC West (32 years) and AFC West (25). At the other end of the spectrum, the AFC South features a rookie in Tennessee, two guys entering their third seasons in Houston and Indianapolis, and four-year veteran Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. Combined NFL experience: eight years. All of this got me wondering: How many young QBs will the Cowboys face this season? Turns out, a lot! Here’s the Cowboys’ 2025 schedule, including the projected starting QBs and their respective NFL experience in years: Week Opponent QB Experience 1 @ Eagles Jalen Hurts 5 2 Giants Jaxson Dart 0 3 @ Bears Caleb Williams 1 4 Packers Jordan Love 4 5 @ Jets Justin Fields 4 6 @ Panthers Bryce Young 2 7 Commanders Jayden Daniels 1 8 @ Broncos Bo Nix 1 9 Cardinals Kyler Murray 6 10 Bye Week 11 @ Raiders Geno Smith 11 12 Eagles Jalen Hurts 5 13 Chiefs Patrick Mahomes 8 14 @ Lions Jared Goff 9 15 Vikings J.J. McCarthy 0 16 Chargers Justin Herbert 5 17 @ Commanders Jayden Daniels 1 18 @ Giants Jaxson Dart 0 A lot can happen between now and Week 1, but going by the data above, the Cowboys would face seven opponents whose quarterback is either a rookie or a second-year guy. Four other teams do as well (Raiders, Giants, Eagles, and Packers), but when you add up the QB experience of each team’s opponents, the Cowboys play 17 games against quarterbacks with a combined 64 years of NFL experience, the lowest value in the league. Notwithstanding what the Giants are trying to sell us about Jaxson Dart sitting behind Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston being “beneficial,” the days where teams would groom a young quarterback for a couple of years seem to be mostly behind us. The fact that a good quarter of the 32 starting QBs this season could end up being players with a year or less of NFL experience on opening weekend signals that the way the NFL operates has changed. These days, young quarterbacks are thrown into the NFL waters immediately, and they either sink or swim. It’s learning by doing instead of learning by sitting. In each of the last two years, three rookie QBs started for their team on opening weekend. In 2023, 10 rookie quarterbacks started at least one game over the course of the season, setting a new NFL record. Expectations for the young QBs in the league may be at the highest level they’ve ever been. So this is a good time to remember that Offensive Rookie of the Year performances like those from Jayden Daniels (2024) or C.J. Stroud (2023) are the exception, not the rule. This year, three rookies could end up starting at quarterback in Week 1. Cam Ward in Tennessee looks like a lock, Tyler Shough currently looks like the favorite in New Orleans, and Jaxson Dart in New York is also a possibility. It’s not going to be pretty for those young QBs, and a good defense will make them pay their NFL dues. Let’s hope the Cowboys are one of those defenses.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports The Cowboys have to start getting extensions taken care of. The Dallas Cowboys have spent a lot of money this offseason. Between re-signing their own free agents, signing outside free agents, and making trades, the team has allocated almost $70 million to their 2025 budget for the services of those players (see the full breakdown here). With all the activity that has taken place, there still remains one business matter needing attention, and that is re-signing their star edge rusher, Micah Parsons. The team’s 2021 first-round draft pick is still under contract through the 2025 season thanks to the team exercising his fifth-year option last year. All signs are pointing to a lucrative contract extension at some point before the new season begins. Stephen Jones has communicated to the media that a deal will eventually happen, but didn’t elaborate on when that would be. When everyone’s ready, it’ll happen. One might think that the urgency to get a deal done falls upon the front office since they don’t want him to hit the open market next offseason. There’s no chance the Cowboys will allow that to happen. However, unlike Dak Prescott a year ago, the team still has an ace up their sleeve to keep Parsons in Dallas another season. And that ace is the franchise tag. If the Cowboys aren’t able to get a deal done this year, the team can choose to slap the franchise tag on him next offseason. This move would most likely serve as a placeholder to keep him off the market and allow them to mid July of next year to finalize a long-term deal. Parsons’ annual cost would be cheaper than his average annual cost of a new deal because the tag price is an average of the top five salaries of players at his position, versus a cost that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. His full tag price would count against the cap, whereas his first-year cap cost would be much cheaper if he signed a new deal. We would all just as soon have them get the deal done and over with, but the franchise tag next offseason is certainly an option available to them. However, that route becomes far less appealing if there is another player who might also be a candidate for the franchise tag. And there could be if the team also chooses not to re-sign DaRon Bland. The Cowboys keeping Parsons is a foregone conclusion. What they do with Bland remains a bit of a mystery. Bland burst on the scene in his second season with an impressive nine interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns. He missed part of last year with a foot injury, but was solid despite not filling up the highlight reel anywhere close to his big 2023 season. The team already extended Trevon Diggs a couple of years ago, but a grey cloud of doubt has crept over his future as the All-Pro has struggled to stay healthy. The team soon may have to choose which of their All-Pro corners they want to hang on to and part ways with the other one. If that’s the case, which one do they pick? That question is a lot harder to answer now than it would be after the season, which is why it could be wise for the team to have the franchise tag as an option next offseason. If the team already knows they want to keep Bland, then they should work on an extension before the new season starts. If they want to wait and see and give them more time to choose between him and Diggs, then waiting is the way to go. The only thing that muddles the water is not re-signing Bland or Parsons, forcing two key defensive players into free agency with only one franchise tag at their disposal. That would cause an unnecessary predicament. This dilemma can easily be avoided if they just extend one or the other. Parsons is the obvious choice because we all know he’s returning, and the only thing holding it up is the song and dance hoopla that seems to accompany any Jerry Jones contract extension these days. Sign Parsons this summer and save the tag option for Bland, where the added flexibility could be put to good use.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Asking for your take on these Cowboys’ questions Each week we ask you the readers to give your opinion on five questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Cast your vote on each question and leave your opinions in the comment section. Based on the recent schedule release, how many wins do you predict the Dallas Cowboys will have this year? Now that the 2025 NFL schedule has officially been released, it’s time to hear from Cowboys Nation. How many wins do you think the Dallas Cowboys will rack up this season? With key matchups laid out and primetime games locked in, there’s plenty of speculation flying around. Facing the Philadelphia Eagles on opening night, and again during the tight stretch of games over Thanksgiving sees a tough run of games. But facing teams like Chicago, Green Bay and Denver early in the season is a touch of fortune given they won’t be played in the heart of winter. Are you feeling optimistic about a deep playoff push, or cautious given the tough stretches ahead? Vote below, the drop your pre-training camp predictions in the comments. Will Micah Parsons get his deal done before the season starts? As yet, there is very little news on a contact extension for Micah Parsons. The Cowboys so far have had an intriguing and very positive offseason, but the big question now is whether star linebacker Micah Parsons will secure a contract extension before the season kicks off. Parsons, entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, has expressed a strong desire to remain with the Cowboys long-term. Negotiations have been sporadic, with reports indicating that Parsons is seeking a record-breaking extension that could make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. While other reports have stated he wants a “team-friendly deal”. Despite some public disputes and the complexities of salary cap management, both Parsons and the Cowboys’ front office have shown interest in reaching an agreement. A place where major deals have been secured in the past is in Oxnard. Perhaps the same will happen again this year. Or maybe we see a Dak situation again that came right down to the wire. Will Deuce Vaughn make the final 53-man roster this year? He was the highlight draft moment back in 2023, All-American honors and is one of just two Big-12 players to ever register 3,600 rushing yards and 1,250 receiving yards in a career while at Kansas State. Since then, Deuce Vaughn has been an enigma. He’s a big fan favorite and Cowboys Nation routinely back him up, but since joining Dallas his career has been lackluster. Only 110 rush yards for an average of 2.8 yards per carry and has yet to score a touchdown. The forecast was always he would be a special teams ace, but KaVontae Turpin holds that role securely, so the question becomes what to do with him. Does he make the final cut this year, or is he on the verge of seeking a new team after the recent free agency and draft additions? What’s your prediction on receiving yards for George Pickens this year this year? The Cowboys added a huge X receiver in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers by acquiring George Pickens. He’s known for his deep-threat capability, averaging 16.3 yards per reception during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2023, he achieved a career-high 1,140 receiving yards, followed by 900 yards in 14 games in 2024. Now, as he joins forces with CeeDee Lamb in Dallas, expectations are high. Some analysts project that Pickens could surpass the 1,000-yard mark this season, with some setting the over/under at 950 yards. But what do you think? Is there any player from the UDFA signings you feel high on and want to see make the roster? We recently covered the undrafted free agents (UDFA) signings made by Dallas and gave you their scouting reports here on BTB. Are there any undrafted free agents that might secure a spot on the final 53-man roster? The Cowboys have a rich history of discovering impactful talent among UDFAs, most catch fans off guard. Is there any UDFA you feel has the potential to make this year’s roster?

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images What are your expectations for Javonte Williams? The Dallas Cowboys have been busy. Between the free agency, the draft, and trades, the front office has attacked weak spot after weak spot on the roster, covering quite a bit of ground. With each new move, a new position group takes over as one of the biggest needs. For example, just recently, everyone was worried about the WR2 spot, but after the George Pickens trade, those worries have disappeared. Now, it’s on to something else. One of those positions that has resurfaced as the “weakest link” is the running back position. The Cowboys have done things to address the position group. Many things. They started by signing two veteran free agents in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. They followed that up by drafting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. That’s four new backs. While the quantity is plentiful, the quality leaves something to be desired. Both free agents were low-cost signings. Both draft picks were late-round selections. Are we really to expect the Cowboys’ running game to hinge on some assortment between two veterans who have both been ineffective in each of the last two seasons or two rookie backs taken late in the draft? For the new rookies, Blue and Mafah, it’s hard to know what to expect. Rookie backs can hit the ground running, and they don’t have to be high draft picks to do so. We’ll just have to wait and see how those guys pan out, but it’s perfectly natural to be both excited and skeptical at the same time. All signs are pointing to the veteran Williams to start the season as the team’s lead running back. A second-round pick in 2021, he was one of the best backs coming out of college, averaging 7.3 yards in his final year at North Carolina. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even the leading rusher on the Tarheels his last year in college. That went to senior Michael Carter, who was also drafted in 2021, but not until the fourth round. Williams was the thunder to Carter’s lightning. He was one of the best at making guys miss, leading the FBS with 47 missed tackles in his final year. And that translated well in the NFL. During his rookie season with the Denver Broncos, he broke a tackle every 6.5 rushing attempts. That was the best in the league that year. He has powerful legs, excellent contact balance, and a willingness to lower the shoulder and punish defenders. Coming out of college, Javonte Williams was one of the best running backs at forcing missed tackles. He averaged 7.3 yards per carry in his final year. In his rookie season, he broke a tackle every 6.5 rushing attempts, BEST in the NFL. Pre-knee injury, this guy was a bruiser. pic.twitter.com/tQTDhK0WFg — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) May 13, 2025 But then Williams suffered a bad knee injury four games into his second season. He tore his ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. He hasn’t been the same back since. Over the past two seasons, he’s rushed the ball a total of 356 times for 1,287 yards, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry. And he’s not breaking tackles anymore. Last season, he finished with the third-worst tackling-breaking rate, breaking a tackle once every 34.8 attempts. That is quite the contrast from his rookie season. When we try to diagnose the decline of Williams, it’s easy to point to the knee injury. Obviously, that’s a big factor. Watching tape of him before and after, you can see that his build-up speed is not the same. When the strength of your game is predicated on force and angle of contact, a slight dip in one’s ability to create momentum can be a big deal. If defenders can beat him to the spot and square up without him gaining a head of steam, he’s not going anywhere. He’s not an elusive guy who makes guys miss with his wiggle, his decision-making is a fraction slow, and he doesn’t have great speed. He’s really just a bruiser back and nothing more. The question for Williams and his ability to be an asset for this offense will stem from how well he and the blocking scheme come together. Will he bring more juice, being a year further removed from his knee injury? Can the new offensive regime create holes for him to build up steam and power through creases? There are opportunities for things to go well, but also for this to be a whole lot of nothing. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer wants a physical run game, and that’s right up his alley. Williams is also very good in the passing game. He’s a good blocker to help out in pass protection, and he is sneaky good as a pass catcher. The Broncos used him well on swing screens, where he kept his momentum going, getting out in space. He had 52 receptions last year for 346 yards. He has all the tools to be a three-down back. He’s also a high-character guy who fits the culture Schotty is creating. He’s an intelligent back who was a valedictorian in high school. There shouldn’t be any issues with him coming in and doing what the coaches ask of him. We don’t know how effective he’ll be, but what we do know is that he lines up well as a nice running back partner with the rookie Blue. They have contrasting skill sets. Don’t expect Williams’ yards per attempt to spike up as his job will be to pound away at the defense and get the job done in short-yardage situations. Wear them down enough that when they change things up with Blue, the opportunities for big plays go up. Who knows, with any luck, they might be able to bring a little thunder and lightning of their own to the offense. Nothing stormy, just a few scattered showers here and there. If Williams can return to his bruising