Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images Who are your favorite draft prospects right now? The Ohio State Buckeyes victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the National Championship Game officially put an end to the 2024 NCAA season. And with just the Super Bowl to play, the 2024 NFL season is winding down as well. You know what that means? The 2025 NFL Draft season is upon us. Between now and April, every single prospect entering in the 2025 NFL Draft this year will be heavily scrutinized to determine exactly where they rank among their peers at their given positions. Today, we thought we’d share with all of you one ranking of the Top 10 at each position and who could be in play for the Cowboys. Barring a trade, the Cowboys currently hold the 12th overall pick in the first-round. That means nearly all of these players could still be available for them at some point in the draft, minus the 11 were selected ahead of them in the first-round. QUARTERBACK Cam Ward, Miami Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Jalen Milroe, Alabama Will Howard, Ohio State Dillon Gabriel, Oregon Tyler Shough, Louisville Kyle McCord, Syracuse Quinn Ewers, Texas Riley Leonard, Notre Dame Kurtis Rourke, Indiana As far as the Cowboys are concerned, it doesn’t really matter if Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders is the top-ranked QB or not. Neither is expected to be on the board at No. 12. It’s also unlikely they draft any other QB in the Top 10 after locking up Dak Prescott long-term. RUNNING BACK Ashton Jeanty, Boise State Kaleb Johnson, Iowa Omarion Hampton, North Carolina TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State Dylan Sampson, Tennessee RJ Harvey, UCF Cam Skattebo, Arizona State Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State Damien Martinez, Miami Devin Neal, Kansas Ashton Jeanty is a favorite to be drafted by the Cowboys with the 12th overall pick, but considering the depth of the 2025 RB draft class that’s not a given. Dallas could easily find their RB1 of the future at any point on Day 2 and possibly into Day 3. WIDE RECEIVER Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Luther Burden II, Missouri Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Elic Ayomanor, Stanford Matthew Golden, Texas Tre Harris, Ole Miss Savion Williams, TCU Isaiah Bond, Texas Jayden Higgins, Iowa State Jack Beck, TCU The Cowboys already traded a 2025 fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo, but that doesn’t mean they won’t double down on a WR ranked in the Top 10 this year. If they’re looking for someone to take pressure off of CeeDee Lamb, that’s probably what they’ll have to do. TIGHT END Tyler Warren, Penn State Gunnar Helm, Texas Colston Loveland, Michigan Mason Taylor, LSU Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green Terence Ferguson, Oregon Elijah Arroyo, Miami Luke Lachey, Iowa Benjamin Yurosek, Georgia Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame We can’t rule out the Cowboys drafting a tight end of this year. Jake Ferguson is coming off a down year and entering the final year of his rookie contract and Luke Schoonmaker has yet proven himself reliable. A Top 10 TE could be in play. OFFENSIVE LINE Will Campbell, LSU Josh Simmons, Ohio State Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas Armand Membou, Missouri Cameron Williams, Texas Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon Marcus Mbow, Purdue Wyatt Milum, West Virginia Grey Zabel, North Dakota State Considering both Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele struggled in 2024, and with the need to possibly replace Zack Martin, drafting a Top 10 offensive lineman seems possible. There’s a good mix of versatility in this group to play tackle or guard and a couple who can play center as well. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Mason Graham, Michigan Derrick Harmon, Oregon Kenneth Grant, Michigan Tyelik Williams, Ohio State TJ Sanders, South Carolina Alfred Collins, Texas Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee Walter Nolan, Ole Miss Deone Walker, Kansas Shemar Turner, Texas A&M Cowboys new DC Matt Eberlus needs a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball, especially at DT. With only Mazi Smith currently on the roster, DT is arguably Dallas’ biggest roster “need”. Drafting one of the Top 10 ranked players at the position looks plausible. EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State James Pearce Jr., Tennessee Mike Green, Marshall Mykel Williams, Georgia Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M Nic Scourton, Texas A&M Landon Jackson, Arkansas JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State Kyle Kennard, South Carolina Jack Sawyer, Ohio State Even though the Cowboys have Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams currently on the roster, defensive end is still an underrated roster “need”. It’s one of the big money positions that could definitely be in play with Dallas’ 12th overall pick. LINEBACKER Jalon Walker, Georgia Jihaad Campbell, Alabama Carson Schwesinger, UCLA Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon Jack Kiser, Notre Dame Barrett Carter, Clemson Jay Higgins, Iowa Kobe King, Penn State Linebacker is another one of the Cowboys offseason roster “needs”. With Eric Kendricks potentially leaving via free agency and DeMarvion Overshown 2025 season in jeopardy due to another season-ending injury, drafting one of the Top 10 LBs is a possibility. CORNERBACK Travis Hunter, Colorado Will Johnson, Michigan Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame Trey Amos, Ole Miss Zy Alexander, LSU Darien Porter, Iowa State Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State Jacob Parrish, Kansas State DaRon Bland is the only cornerback the Cowboys can count on right now as Trevon Diggs works his way back from another season-ending the injury. They could definitely use another starter on the outside as well as some more depth at the position as well. SAFETY Malaki Starks, Georgia Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina Xavier Watts, Notre Dame Jahdae Barron, Texas Kevin Winston Jr., Penn State Andrew Mukuba, Texas Sebastian Castro, Iowa Lathan Ransom, Ohio State Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma Jonas Sanker, Virginia Both Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson could potentially be salary-cap casualties, but even if they aren’t Dallas could choose to go younger/cheaper to try to upgrade the back end of their secondary. It’ll be interesting to see if they draft one of the
This small data point hints that Deion Sanders could have been the right coach for the Cowboys
Photo by Sam Hodde/UFL/Getty Images It is hard to not wonder what could have been with Deion Sanders. The Dallas Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach. The team spent a few weeks turning over every rock they wanted to turn over and then enthusiastically deciding that it was Schott’s time to shine. Only time will tell whether or not that ends up being a good decision, but for now, he’s their guy. Over the years, the Cowboys’ organization has struggled to find the right guy to lead this team. They caught lightning in a bottle when Jerry Jones hired his old roommate Jimmy Johnson in 1989, but have been firing blanks ever since. In the Jones era, he’s had seven coaches take a shot at it with the mid ‘90s team the only group with any real postseason success. One might say that Jones isn’t very good at finding a head coach. It’s not that all of his choices have been terrible per se, but it’s been a long time since the Cowboys have made it past the divisional round. Whatever they’re doing, it’s not working. Jones has approached it several ways, but nothing has worked. Breaking them down into categories, which types of coaches have had the most success? Former Coordinators Scottenheimer was an offensive coordinator for 14 years between the Jets (six years), Rams (three years), Seahawks (three years), and the Cowboys (two years). He joins three other former coordinators who were promoted to head coach of the Cowboys. Jason Garrett is the most notable, spending three and a half years as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2007 until Week 10 of 2010 when Wade Phillips was fired. He is the longest-tenured head coach of the Jerry Jones era spending nine-plus seasons at the position. Dave Campo spent five years as the team’s defensive coordinator from 1995 to 1999 before being promoted to head coach in 2000. Campo lasted three seasons, finishing 5-11 in each one. Chan Gailey spent four years as an offensive coordinator between the Broncos and Steelers. He was hired to replace Barry Switzer in 1998 but only lasted two seasons despite making the playoffs both years. Retreads Mike McCarthy was the Green Bay Packers coach for 13 seasons, making the playoffs nine times, including a Super Bowl win (in AT&T Stadium) in 2010. He was fired after Week 13 in 2018 and took the 2019 season off to regroup. The Cowboys hired him in 2020 where he coached the team for five years, three times advancing to the playoffs before Jones moved on from him a couple of weeks ago. Wade Phillips spent most of his coaching career as a defensive coordinator, but at different times his success would lead to head coaching opportunities. He was the head coach of the Broncos for a couple of years (1993-1994), the Bills for a few years (1998-2000), and then the Cowboys for almost four years (2007-most of 2010). Phillips got off to a hot start his first year, but in fairness, he inherited the team that Bill Parcells built and couldn’t duplicate that strong first season. The Cowboys moved on from Phillips in Week 10 of 2010 after being embarrassed by McCarthy’s Packers. Bill Parcells is likely the best non-Jimmy hire of the Jones era. Parcells was a seasoned head coach with 15 years of experience between the Giants (eight years), Patriots (four years), and Jets (three years). He won two Super Bowls with the Giants and took the Patriots to the big game in 1996. It looked as if Parcells was on to something in Dallas turning the team around, but left with unfinished business after the 2006 season. Former College Coaches Jimmy Johnson was Jerry’s first hire and boy was it a good one. Johnson started coaching in college at a young age and spent 23 seasons at the college level, including five years each as the head coach of Oklahoma State and then Miami. In 1987, his Hurricanes won the National Championship, a team that featured Michael Irvin. He joined a Cowboys team that was one of the worst in the league in 1989, but surprisingly turned them into a Super Bowl winner in just a few short years. The Cowboys won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993. Unfortunately, Texas Stadium wasn’t big enough for both the egos of Jimmy and Jerry resulting in Johnson walking away from the team in 1994. The quick success of the Cowboys led Jerry to believe that anyone could coach the Cowboys and win. After Johnson left, that anyone was Barry Switzer. A lifetime college coach, Switzer spent time at Arkansas and Oklahoma with his last 17 years as the Sooners head coach. Twice Switzer won the National Championship with Oklahoma. His second win was in 1985 over Johnson’s Hurricanes. Switzer’s collegiate success and friendship with Jones made him an easy choice as Johnson’s successor in Dallas. The Cowboys continued to be one of the best teams in the league under Switzer advancing to the NFC Championship his first year and then back on top as Super Bowl winners the following year. Many will credit Johnson’s team-building skills as the reason for the Cowboys’ continued success and as many of those players left, so did the wins. Switzer was fired after the 1997 season when the team finished with a 6-10 record. When you look at this data, the hot college coaches are the clear winners. This is largely due to Johnson and then whatever residuals were left over from his team during the Switzer era. It’s hard to draw too much from this, but when you group Jerry’s hire into categories, the college guys win, and it’s not even close. They finished with the better regular season win percentage and ran away with the postseason win percentage. That is not to say that a hot college coach like, let’s just randomly pick one, okay… Deion Sanders would duplicate this success, but
Matt Eberflus’ defensive philosophy demands Cowboys re-sign this player
Matt Eberflus’ defensive philosophy demands Cowboys re-sign this player reidhanson Free agency is time of comings and goings for NFL teams. Underperformers and poor fits typically leave, ideally replaced by higher performers and those who appear to be better fits. Coaching changes, like the kind the Dallas Cowboys are currently undergoing, can spark extra churn on the free agency front. Different coaches run different schemes, and since not all players fit all schemes, changes have to be made in personnel. The Kris Richard days are a perfect example. Richard, hailing from the Seattle defensive coaching tree, was a heavy Cover 1 and Cover 3 coach. Since his scheme demanded the most from his boundary cornerbacks, the Cowboys made an aggressive effort to replace their standard sized CBs with long and lean alternatives who were better equipped to handle the demands of Richard’s scheme. In 2025 the Cowboys have brought in Matt Eberflus to lead the defense. Like Richard, Eberflus has a particular brand of football he prefers and populates his roster accordingly. His brand happens to be on par with the direction most of the NFL has been trending in recent seasons: bend but don’t break. The pendulum has swung from the single-high looks and landed all the way on the other side of the schoolyard at the Vic Fangio 2-high. Eberflus’ defense, much like Rod Marinelli’s many years ago, plays with the middle of the field open. It lives in nickel personnel and disguises very little. It relies on a handful of key positions to make it all work and one of key positions is up for review this March in free agency. Aside from needing a dominant edge rusher, the Eberflus defense relies heavily on the 3-tech defensive tackle to provide most of the pressure. Micah Parsons, presumably in Dallas forever, has the edge position locked down. He’s one of the best edge players in the NFL and gives Eberflus everything he needs from either side of the defensive line. The 3-tech DT, aka under tackle, is considerably more unsettled. Osa Odighizuwa is about to enter free agency. With four years of service under his belt, he’s unrestricted in his availability and free to go to the highest bidder. It’s difficult to estimate for sure what the market will be for the UCLA product but as one of the most accomplished interior pressure players in the NFL, he’s likely to approach top 10 money at DT. With just 13.5 career sacks, it’s easy to take Odighizuwa for granted. Sacks are king in most minds and not everyone cares that Odighizuwa ranked fifth in pressures last season (tracked by Pro Football Focus). But care they should, because pressures are a far more stable statistic year to year than sacks and pressures are what Eberflus needs to make his defense work. Prior to 2024 there was concern Odighizuwa didn’t have the conditioning to make it through and entire 17 game NFL season. In previous years he faded down the stretch and wasn’t the same difference maker when games seemingly mattered the most. In 2024 that changed with him actually performing better down the stretch, thriving most in the back half of the year. Replacing Odighizuwa in a single season will be next to impossible if the Cowboys choose to go that route. Unless Dallas trades up for Michigan DT Mason Graham, they probably won’t find a plug-and-play rookie 3-tech like Odighizuwa would otherwise offer them. The new coaching staff needs certain competencies in place to make their systems work and one of those competencies for Eberflus’ defense is to have an explosive pressure player at 3-tech. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Sources indicate the Cowboys had real interest in Pete Carroll before deciding on Brian Schottenheimer
Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images It seems the Cowboys had a very legitimate level of interest in Pete Carroll before choosing Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys’ head coaching search was, predictably, one that took many twists and turns, but there was one that felt unusually sudden and random. Thursday evening, after four straight days of tea leaves and sportsbooks pointing to Brian Schottenheimer being the next head coach, a new name emerged: former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. The report only indicated that Carroll, who had spent the 2024 season out of coaching, had spoken with Jerry Jones regarding the vacancy. No formal interview had been set up, and it was unclear what might come of it, but the two sides had spoken. The next morning, Carroll agreed to terms with the Raiders for their head coaching job. Carroll was announced as having signed a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth year. A day later, the Cowboys announced the hire of Schottenheimer. Just in: Pete Carroll and the Raiders now have reached agreement on a three-year deal with a fourth-year team option, sources tell ESPN. Another veteran legendary coach has returned. pic.twitter.com/Jc2J0EPo7N — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 24, 2025 The possibility of Cowboy Carroll didn’t even last a full 24 hours, at least in the public eye. However, multiple sources indicated to me that there was significant interest on both sides, and that this was part of a conversation that had been going on for some time. Carroll first emerged as a candidate for the Bears, having interviewed in Chicago and reportedly discussing a succession plan as part of his candidacy, given that the Super Bowl winning coach will turn 74 just a few weeks into next season. Carroll also interviewed with the Raiders for their vacancy, but both franchises had their sights set on Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Many expected the coaching carousel to take a while, as most teams were waiting on Johnson and fellow Lions coordinator Aaron Glenn. As such, Carroll and other head coaching candidates were essentially in a holding pattern. Then, the Cowboys failed to come to terms with Mike McCarthy on a new contract. According to one source familiar with Carroll’s thinking, he had genuine interest in the opening. Just a few days after McCarthy parted ways with the Cowboys, Carroll made a phone call to Jerry Jones, and the two spoke for a considerable amount of time. The call reportedly ended on an open note; Carroll was still very interested in the Bears and Raiders jobs, and Jones had only really begun to build a candidate pool. Then the Lions were eliminated from the playoffs, and every team’s timeline sped up. The Bears agreed to terms with Johnson on Monday, the Jets agreed to terms with Glenn on Tuesday, and the Raiders settled on Buccaneers executive John Spytek to be their new general manager on Wednesday. Just like that, Carroll was out of the running in Chicago but very much viewed as the favorite in Las Vegas, though it was still going to be Spytek’s call. In between all of that, Jones brought in Schottenheimer for two interviews over two days. While speculation suddenly started to swirl that Schottenheimer was going to be the next head coach, that was not the sole purpose of these meetings. Per a source familiar with the team, Carroll’s name came up in those conversations with Schottenheimer. The specifics were not made clear to me, but it was characterized as Jones feeling out a potential Carroll coaching hire via Schottenheimer, who worked as Carroll’s offensive coordinator for three seasons in Seattle. Carroll ultimately fired Schottenheimer following the 2020 season, though reports quickly emerged in Seattle that the decision was heavily motivated by Russell Wilson. Carroll reportedly did not want to move on from Schottenheimer, but Wilson escalated his complaints above Carroll and ultimately won out. Earlier that year, Carroll had sung Schottenheimer’s praises and endorsed him as a head coaching candidate. Pete Carroll on Brian Schottenheimer’s qualifications if he were to be a head coach someday (from 2020). #Cowboys https://t.co/LE46dONIh7 pic.twitter.com/m6wwEBYTxT — Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) January 24, 2025 Schottenheimer, who spent most of the week’s consecutive interviews pitching his vision to be head coach, made it clear that he would only return to Dallas for a chance to call offensive plays. Per the source, he was open to doing so under Carroll, citing a positive working relationship between the two. Jones came out of the meeting on Wednesday seemingly convinced of one thing: Schottenheimer must return in 2025. The coach’s mandate of calling plays effectively ruled out Kellen Moore, who seeks to call his own plays as a head coach, but Jones was also tantalized by the idea of bringing in Carroll, per the source. Another person aligned with the Cowboys camp insists now that Jones was sold on Schottenheimer’s vision early on, and that Carroll was not as high up on the list. Flash forward to Thursday night, when news first broke about Carroll’s phone call with Jones about a week after it happened. Schottenheimer had effectively acted as a surrogate for Carroll – to the extent that Jones had asked about Carroll in the interviews with Schottenheimer – but no interview had been arranged for the coach himself. Meanwhile, the Raiders were getting close to making things official. There was a brief moment of panic Thursday night, when some Raiders fans worried that Spytek – who had not yet been officially introduced as the new general manager – might renege to join fellow Buccaneer Liam Coen as the Jaguars general manager following Coen’s own change of heart in Tampa Bay. At the same time, Carroll wanted to know his status with Jones and the Cowboys before making a decision on a Raiders offer. Speculations from some in Dallas are that the Carroll phone call news was leaked to try and speed up Jones’ process, but it didn’t work. In the end, Carroll
Cowboys news: Dallas, Schottenheimer considering Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images The latest news around the Dallas Cowboys as they continue to shape their new coaching staff. Cowboys offensive coordinator rumors: Here’s who Dallas is closing in on to join Brian Schottenheimer’s staff – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports Ken Dorsey is a target for the next offensive coordinator in Dallas. Speaking at his introductory press conference Monday, Schottenheimer spoke about the pride he had in having top-ranked rushing offenses throughout his career as an offensive coordinator. It’s safe to say that will be a priority in Dallas in 2025. “We want to be able to run the ball,” Jones said. “Everybody says that we want to run the ball and we want to stop the run, and certainly that’s what we want to do. That’s what great championship football teams do, and I know coach Schottenheimer wants to do that. I think it’s real important that we find in this hire a coach that’s going to be outstanding in the run game area.” That’s why Dorsey is receiving consideration. His Buffalo offenses averaged the seventh-most rushing yards per game in the entire NFL in both 2022 (139.5) and 2023 (130.1). Dorsey’s 2024 attack in Cleveland, which averaged the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game (94.6) in the entire league, was set up to fail due to quarterback Deshaun Watson’s poor play before a season-ending injury and running back Nick Chubb’s season-ending injury. Dorsey ended up being the Browns’ fall guy after Cleveland went 3-14 to secure the 2025 NFL Draft’s second overall pick; head coach Kevin Stefanski gave him offensive play-calling duties during the season and has since taken them back for 2025 following Dorsey’s firing. New Report Reveals Why Jerry Jones Ultimately Parted Ways With Mike McCarthy – Madison Williams, Sports Illustrated The length of contract was the deal-breaker in resigning Mike McCarthy. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported on Thursday that McCarthy was adamant about agreeing to a five-year contract extension with the team. However, owner Jerry Jones apparently was stuck on a three-year deal. Both sides couldn’t agree on a deal, although the details of the contract the Cowboys offered McCarthy are unknown. It was previously reported that McCarthy “surprised” Jones by walking away from the negotiations. McCarthy has decided to not pursue any head coaching roles in the NFL for the 2025 season as the New Orleans Saints job is the only one still open. The Cowboys hired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as McCarthy’s replacement. Schottenheimer agreed to a four-year deal with the team. Lunda Wells, Cowboys agree to terms on contract extension – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys’ 2025 coaching staff will include some consistency by extending Lunda Wells. The heralded tight ends coach has agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him in the organization going forward, and that can only be seen as great news for Schottenheimer’s plans on offense and the continued development of talent like Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker. A native of Louisiana, Wells began his coaching career as an offensive line coach at the high school level before joining LSU as an offensive line assistant. He’d then land a promotion with the Tigers to assistant head coach and assistant special teams coach, ascending to the NFL when he signed on to become offensive line quality control coach of the New York Giants in 2012. His path ultimately led him to becoming the tight ends coach for the Giants before bringing those talents to the Cowboys in 2020, where he’s helped make household names out of Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson — two former fourth-round picks — Ferguson having earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023. Fizzling Cowboys have lost their buzz. Here’s a quick way Jerry Jones can bring it back – Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News Will drafting Ashton Jeanty bring excitement back to Dallas? The notion of using the 12th pick on a player who could give you a running start on catching Saquon Barkley and the Eagles, not to mention open vistas for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, would certainly be appealing. The Boise State whirlwind would make play-calling easier for the new head coach. He’d top Rookie of the Year odds. He’d sell tickets and merch and hope… …Believe this: Jeanty’s talent will tempt more than just Jerry. The sight of Barkley running away from everyone this season as well as the resurgence of Derrick Henry will no doubt cause a reset in an undervalued market. Because defenses are harder than ever to diagnose, offenses need to counter with more playmakers wherever possible. The Cowboys, in particular, need more playmakers… …Jerry needs something to fire up a fan base that watched him sit on his hands last offseason, burning another year of their thinning patience. Letting Mike McCarthy walk satisfied some. But an incompetent search culminating in a first-time head coach at 51 didn’t answer the question of what “all in” really meant. NFL insider’s diary: Cowboys’ plan to get CeeDee Lamb some help – Tony Pauline, Sportskeeda The Cowboys may be taking a hard look at wide receiver early in the draft. I’m told the team will look for a receiver during the first two rounds of the draft to pair with CeeDee Lamb, who they signed to a massive contract extension last August. Aging veteran Brandin Cooks will be a free agent come March, and the team has no true No. 2 receiver. They will also look for help in the defensive front seven during the draft, specifically to stop the run. Dallas was the fourth-worst rushing defense in the league last season, surrendering 2,331 yards. Mazi Smith, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, has been a disappointment, and veteran middle linebacker Eric Kendricks is a free agent. Dallas also wants to resign center Brock Hoffman, yet they are debating how much to pay him. Hoffman is a restricted free agent coming off his terrific 2024 season, meaning he can’t really test the market despite the fact that teams
Cowboys Headlines: Contract length doomed McCarthy, Tyler Smith wins dodgeball, nutty plan brings Manning (and Saban) to Dallas
How Brian Schottenheimer became the Cowboys’ head coach :: ESPN Link Todd Archer reveals that Mike McCarthy wanted a five-year deal to stay in Dallas, while Jerry Jones stuck to his guns at a three-year offer. That ended up being the difference that led to the Jan. 13 split. Then, only after three other candidates had been interviewed did the Joneses sit down with Schottenheimer, and Schottenheimer impressed. “The more we met, the more we wanted to meet,” Stephen Jones said. “I think that was helping us come to a conclusion on what that decision should be.” DeMarvion Overshown gives injury update, outlook under Schottenheimer :: The Mothership Link The promising linebacker says he’s getting around much better now than just a few weeks ago as he rehabs his second torn ACL in two seasons. And while he’s got a long road ahead of him, he’s already looking forward to a return to the field in 2025 under his new head coach. “He’s a guy that wants it as bad as we do — a family guy. Football is his passion,” Overshown said of Schottenheimer. “I can just see it in his face how badly he wants it. … When a coach shows me that side of him, it makes me want to go out there and give 100 percent on every play.” Fixing the running game high Cowboys priority under Schottenheimer :: Cowboys Wire Link Fans can expect the Cowboys to devote some significant attention to improving a ground attack that finished 26th in the league in EPA/rush. New blood is likely coming to the backfield even if Rico Dowdle is re-signed in free agency. But also look for offensive line play to be a major focus, with as many as two starting spots potentially up for grabs. Fizzling Cowboys have lost their buzz. Here’s a quick way Jerry Jones can bring it back :: Dallas Morning News Link A beefy O-lineman or another backup tight end taken in the first round won’t move the needle with mutinous Cowboys fans the way an electrifying running back from right in the Metroplex would. Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty would rack up yards, make playcalling easier, be in the mix for year-end awards, and sell a ton of tickets and merch… not to mention hope. The only chance Jerry has at making nice with fans may be to give them something with a little buzz. Cowboys 7-round mock draft tailored to the new Schottenheimer regime :: Cowboys Wire Link Another first-round lineman? Yep, but Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons would be a big upgrade over Terence Steele. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson in the second round offers a reliable chain-mover out of the backfield. Even if the club brings back Osa Odighizuwa, Kentucky’s Deone Walker is a freak at D-tackle and a great third-round find. Later rounds bring a safety and linebacker from the Big Ten, an X-receiver from the SEC, a Syracuse tight end, and two prospects- a cornerback and a value QB project- from Louisville. Cowboys sign TE coach Lunda Wells to contract extension :: Cowboys Wire Link A key piece of the Cowboys’ offensive puzzle for the past five years and a talented coaching candidate still on the rise, Wells signed an extension to remain on Brian Schottenheimer’s staff. He did visit with the Bears and their new head coach, Ben Johnson, this week, but will instead return to the Cowboys for a sixth season. Cowboys interview Saints RBs coach Derrick Foster for same job :: ProFootballTalk Link Derrick Foster spent one year in New Orleans but was with the Chargers for three years prior to that. After working with Alvin Kamara and Austin Ekeler, he could be brought to Dallas to handle the implementation of Schottenheimer’s running game, a job held last year by Jeff Blasko. Report: Cowboys ‘are considering’ controversial twice-fired candidate for OC role :: Cowboys Wire Link Ken Dorsey is remembered as the winningest quarterback in Miami Hurricanes history… and for his viral meltdown in the coach’s box during a 2022 game as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. He was fired by both the Bills and Browns in over the past two years, but Dallas is reportedly keen to interview him for their OC job opening. Tyler Smith makes game-winning catch for NFC in Pro Bowl Games dodgeball :: Dallas Cowboys Cam Newton suggests Cowboys could tank for Arch Manning, hire Nick Saban :: Longhorns Wire Link The outlandish ex-Panther offered his wild take on First Take Thursday. “I think they’re tanking for Arch,” Newton said. “Coach Schottenheimer has one-and-done written all over him. Okay, why do you want one and done? You get the first pick of the draft. Not only that, I’m going to go back into my Godfather bag and say, ‘Okay, Jerry Jones is a businessman, and he’s going to get into his Don Corleone mentality and he’s going to give him a deal he can’t refuse.’ Who? Nick Saban. Go get Nick Saban as your head coach and Arch Manning as your No. 1 pick.” Never mind that Manning hasn’t even been named the starter in Austin yet, or that no one at all is talking about Saban making a return to the NFL. Alternate Reality: Cowboys could’ve been led by Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer as opposed to current path :: Cowboys Wire Link The Cowboys could have axed Mike McCarthy after the infamous playoff loss to Green Bay and handed the 2024 reins to Dan Quinn. Or they could have let last season play out and then promoted Zimmer to head coach earlier this month, opening the door for Matt Eberflus or even Al Harris to take over as defensive coordinator. In both scenarios, Schottenheimer might have been let off his leash as an OC with actual play-calling duties. Dallas Cowboys flex brand power as new hosts of tennis tournament :: Bloomberg Link Since they don’t need their practice facility to prep for the Super Bowl, the Cowboys are loaning it
Cowboys may be well prepared for loss of $111 million, 9x All-Pro
Cowboys may be well prepared for loss of $111 million, 9x All-Pro reidhanson Zack Martin is at a crossroads in his Dallas Cowboys career. The 34-year-old guard has had a Hall of Fame worthy career since joining the Cowboys in 2014. He’s been selected to nine Pro Bowls and earned seven First-Team All-Pro (2x Second-Team) throughout his 11 seasons. The only time he didn’t qualify for one or the other were in his injury shortened 2020 and 2024 campaigns. With more Pro Bowl appearances than career holding penalties, Martin is undeniably one of the all-time greats. Despite this, the Cowboys legend may be on his way out of Dallas. Martin is coming off an uncharacteristically pedestrian season. Whether it was age or injury that was the primary cause for the decline is difficult to say. But Martin didn’t look his usual self, and it impacted the Cowboys offensive line in a rather significant way. After reworking his contract before the 2023 season, void years were affixed on the back end beginning in 2025 (per Over the Cap). It has given both parties an out in the contract should either side decide to turn the page on this dominant era in Cowboys history. Martin has made over $111 million over his career in Dallas, but there’s over $27 million remaining to be allocated to the books over the next few seasons. The Cowboys have been in the business of turning pages on the offensive line as of late. Last season they parted with great left tackle Tyron Smith and a young veteran in center Tyler Biadasz. This season they rebuilt their coaching staff and look to mix up the blocking scheme. Saving money has been the name of the game and gambling big dollars on a veteran who may be on the decline is something the front office wants to avoid. But can the Cowboys survive the loss? To those who were paying attention in 2024 the answer is probably a firm, “yes.” Brock Hoffman, the man who was beat out at starting center by the rookie Cooper Beebe in training camp, proved to be more than capable at right guard. Hoffman embodied the type of nasty attitude offensive lines strive for. He was routinely playing through the whistle, virtually living under the skin of his opponents. He doesn’t have the stratospheric ceiling of Martin, but he played like a plus-level starter in the seven starts he made. Not to be forgotten, T.J. Bass also appears to be a solid replacement option. He was the expected heir apparent at RG when the 2024 season kicked off and he’s a player who already possesses a starting caliber skillset. The two guard options give the Cowboys a lot to work with if Martin does indeed depart Dallas. Their presence would allow the Cowboys to survive such a monumental departure and save the team fairly significant money in the process. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Everything you need to know about the Cowboys 3 new defensive coaches
Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Cowboys are filling out their staff. The Dallas Cowboys have been hard at work in building the coaching staff under Brian Schottenheimer. Just a day after officially hiring Matt Eberflus to be the defensive coordinator, they hired three assistants under him. Here’s everything you need to know about these new coaches. Pass game coordinator Andre Curtis Andre Curtis has a history with both Schottenheimer and Eberflus. The 48-year old coach played linebacker at Virginia Military Institute, overlapping with then defensive line coach Dan Quinn for a year, before beginning his coaching career at his alma mater. Curtis broke into the NFL in 2006 as a quality control coach with the Giants, where he first met current Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Curtis won a Super Bowl with the Giants, a season in which Spagnuolo’s defense was one of the best in the league. When Spagnuolo got hired as the Rams head coach, he brought Curtis with him as his defensive backs coach. After three seasons, Spagnuolo was fired and joined the Saints as defensive coordinator, once again bringing Curtis with him to assist in the secondary. Spagnuolo left after just one year, but Curtis was retained under new coordinator Rob Ryan, who had just left Dallas. After two seasons working under Ryan, Curtis left to coach safeties for the Seahawks. The position opened up after Kris Richard was promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Quinn. Two seasons later, Curtis was promoted to full time defensive backs coach, and new Cowboys special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen was reassigned from assisting with the Seahawks special teams to assisting Curtis. A year later, Richard was fired (precipitating his move to Dallas) and Curtis was named the defensive pass game coordinator, a role he held up until the 2021 season. He then joined the Bears on Eberflus’ inaugural coaching staff, working with the safeties. While there, Curtis oversaw the development of both Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker into top safeties. When Eberflus took over defensive play-calling during the 2023 season, Curtis began assisting with the third-down defensive strategies; for what it’s worth, Chicago finished that season 29th in third-down defense, but rebounded to 13th in 2024. Overall, Curtis makes a lot of sense here. He overlapped with Schottenheimer in Seattle and holds three esteemed defensive minds – Spagnuolo, Pete Carroll, and Eberflus – as the main influences on him. Curtis has also overseen the rapid growth of several young players, which makes him a strong addition in Dallas. DL coach Aaron Whitecotton The addition of Aaron Whitecotton brought some fanfare, and for good reason. The new defensive line coach is still fairly young, as he started his coaching career in 2013 as a defensive quality control coach with the Jaguars. As part of the inaugural staff of head coach Gus Bradley, formerly the first defensive coordinator of the Pete Carroll era in Seattle, Whitecotton was learning from an esteemed mind. After three years with the Jaguars, Whitecotton was promoted to assistant defensive line coach. However, Bradley was fired midseason, and Whitecotton was forced to find a new home. He joined the Bills on Sean McDermott’s inaugural staff, reuniting with former Jaguars defensive coordinator Bob Babich and assisting with the defensive line. After three seasons, he took the same position with the 49ers under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who had coached linebackers in Jacksonville under Bradley and Babich. Saleh left to be the Jets head coach one year later, and he brought Whitecotton as his defensive line coach, the first time Whitecotton had led a position group. Over the next four years, Whitecotton was instrumental in the rapid development of several star defensive linemen, including Bryce Huff, John Franklin-Myers, Will McDonald IV, Jermaine Johnson, and Quinnen Williams. Whitecotton also spent three of those seasons working with Carl Lawson, currently a pending free agent for the Cowboys who has already expressed a desire to return. Schematically, Whitecotton has a lot in common with Eberflus. He comes from the school of Pete Carroll, whose own defensive scheme, like Eberflus, is derived from Monte Kiffin; of note, Kiffin actually served as a senior defensive assistant for one season in Jacksonville while Whitecotton was there. In Whitecotton’s final three years with the Jets, his defensive line ranked in the top 10 in both pressure rate and sacks each season. Given how Eberflus prefers to win with just four pass rushers, adding a coach like Whitecotton is a major coup. LB coach Dave Borgonzi Dave Borgonzi always seemed like a lock to join the Cowboys once Eberflus was made official; the two have coached together for 10 of the last 14 seasons. Borgonzi, whose brother was just named the general manager of the Titans, played linebacker at Amherst College before working at Syracuse and Harvard, first as a graduate assistant and then as a defensive backs coach. Not long after Eberflus was hired in Dallas back in 2011 as the linebackers coach, following Rob Ryan from Cleveland, the team added Borgonzi as a defensive assistant specializing in the linebackers. In 2013, he was moved to the offensive side, but then left for the Buccaneers. In four seasons with the Buccaneers, Borgonzi served as a defensive assistant on Lovie Smith’s staff, another disciple of the Monte Kiffin school of defense. When Eberflus became the coordinator for the Colts in 2018, he reunited with Borgonzi, having him coach the linebackers. Borgonzi followed Eberflus to Chicago in the same role. In breaking down Eberflus’ defensive scheme, the linebackers were noted as a position of extreme importance, which is why Eberflus – himself a linebackers coach by trade – has been so keen on retaining Borgonzi everywhere he goes. Borgonzi has been viewed as a rising star, fielding multiple interviews for coordinator positions throughout his time working under Eberflus, but he’s remained by his mentor’s side. Expect him to play a key role in installing the new scheme and getting the linebacker corps – which
Cowboys sign TE coach Lunda Wells to contract extension
Cowboys sign TE coach Lunda Wells to contract extension Todd Brock The Cowboys have had to fend off suitors for Lunda Wells in recent offseasons, blocking an interview request as recently as last February after Dan Quinn expressed interest in bringing the well-respected tight ends coach to Washington. Now he’s officially off the market for this hiring cycle, too. Wells will stay in Dallas for Brian Schottenheimer’s first year as head coach, according to the 41-year-old himself via a report from Patrik Walker of the team website. Wells and the team have agreed on a contract extension that will keep him on staff, maintaining some continuity on the offensive side of the ball as Schottenheimer, the former offensive coordinator, continues to build his staff. It was not immediately specified if Wells will return to the Cowboys as tight ends coach or perhaps, as some have proposed, in another capacity. Wells had reportedly gotten some interest from the Bears and new head coach Ben Johnson; he visited with Chicago earlier in the week. Wells was an assistant O-line coach with the Giants for several years before taking over their tight end room for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He joined the Cowboys staff as tight ends coach in 2020, where he has overseen the development of Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz, and Jake Ferguson, who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2023. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] The Louisiana native has also been instrumental in the progress shown by 2023 second-round draft pick Luke Schoonmaker. As a rookie, Schoonmaker put up very meager stats over his first 17 games as a pro. In his second season, the Michigan man more than doubled his targets, more than tripled his catches, and saw a 270% increase in receiving yards. This contract extension for Wells will bring him back to Dallas for a sixth season with the Cowboys.
Without a philosophy shift, the Cowboys could be chasing the Eagles for years to come
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images It feels like the Cowboys have a long way to go to catch the Eagles. In a little over a week, the Philadelphia Eagles will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. This will mark the fourth time since the year 2005 that the Eagles have achieved the spectacular feat of making it to football’s biggest stage. During the same time span, America’s Team, our very own Dallas Cowboys, have failed to record a single appearance in an NFC Championship game. Right now, the Cowboys and Eagles are opposite organizations in many ways. The Eagles are aggressive in player acquisition and willing to take financial risks to acquire outside talent. The Cowboys chose to virtually sit out free agency altogether, which was proved by Dallas being the only team in the NFL not to sign an outside free agent to a deal totaling $30M or more since 2013. On the field, the Eagles resemble their fans with their ultra-aggressive playstyle and mentality. They are consistently up to the challenge and show up in big moments. The same can’t be said about the Cowboys, who in recent memory, seem to come up short when the lights shine the most bright. Just making the Super Bowl once is an achievement in itself, but securing your spot four times in even a little over two decades is an extremely impressive feat. Even if things don’t go their way and the Eagles lose to Kansas City, as they did back in Super Bowl 57, they’ve given reasons to believe and be confident their organization has what it takes to make it back again rather quickly, just like they did this season. The Eagles are currently run as well as any franchise in the NFL. Philadelphia has nailed their last four drafts and shown the willingness to lock up their star players early, refusing to let the market dictate what they will pay. The Eagles are also willing to spend out outside free agents as much as any team in the league, a huge advantage when looking to build a Super Bowl-caliber team. All these things have made the Eagles what they are and will continue to give them chances to win it all in the coming years. Like it or not, the Eagles aren’t going anywhere. Defenders Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Nolan Smith Jr. are all 25 years or younger, and all but Davis are under contract for at least two more seasons. On the offensive side of things, the Eagles have two budding starts on the offensive line in Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, paired with veterans Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, who are both under contract for at least one more season. To make the future look even brighter for Philly, A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts, and DeVonta Smith are all locked up until 2029, and All-Pro running back Saquon Barkley has two full seasons left on his deal with a cap number no greater than $9.3M. Philadelphia’s offense is led by Kellen Moore, who many speculated may leave Philadelphia to become the next Cowboys’ head coach. As we all now know, Moore never got the job, meaning the Eagles’ league-leading offense might retain their offensive coordinator for at least one more season although the New Orleans Saints just might lure him away. Moore staying would be a big positive for an offense that had by far the best rushing attack in the league this season. Looking down the line, the Eagles have plenty of cap flexibility to make outside acquisitions in free agency to improve their team. This offseason, Philadelphia has $18M in cap space that can easily be turned into $30-40M with some simple restructures. After this upcoming year, Philadelphia is projected to have $36M of cap space in 2026 and $102M in 2027. It’s not just the financial ability to make aggressive moves to improve your team; it’s the willingness to do so that sets the Eagles apart from the Cowboys right now. Dallas could restructure some of their own contracts and have just as much, if not more, cap space than the Eagles this offseason, but with their current strategy, it wouldn’t mean much. Even with $45M in cap space, there’s zero reason to believe it would lead the Cowboys to spend on players at the top of the free-agent market. Philadelphia signing Barkley last March is a perfect example of where both teams currently stand. Did the Eagles absolutely need to sign Barkley? No, but they recognized the potential to acquire a generational talent that could be a true difference-maker for their offense, and they went out and got it done. Barkley was, and still is, a perfect fit for the Cowboys. Dallas could have easily afforded the three-year $37M deal he signed with Philadelphia and still locked up their stars. Still, once again, the Cowboys were too stubborn to change their own philosophy and let a franchise-changing player go to a division rival without even a thought of signing him. During Brian Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference, Stephen Jones mentioned how the Cowboys are going to take a “long hard look” at how they’ve operated in free agency and change some things if needed. Getting back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1996 may hinge on just how truthful Jones was with that statement. It’s hard to look at a division rival’s success and marvel at it, but the Eagles are operating the way the Cowboys should be. If the Cowboys want to catch them in the coming years and not continue lagging in the rearview mirror, they’ll need to adopt Philadelphia’s organizational philosophy and start acting the way America’s Team should.
