Cowboys coaching hire shows them once again putting cart ahead of horse Ben Grimaldi The Dallas Cowboys are busy building their coaching staff, but there are still holes to fill before it’s complete. One role was checked off when the team hired Tiquan Underwood as the assistant wide receivers coach. There’s just one problem, the Cowboys don’t have a WR coach yet. This isn’t the first time the organization has built the coaching staff backwards. Underwood, like Jason Garrett and Kellen Moore before him, has been hired before his superior. This instance isn’t nearly as egregious as bringing the offensive coordinator onboard before the head coach, but it’s still an odd way to build the staff. What if Underwood and the WR coach don’t get along, or their ways of teaching don’t line up? Then it could be an awkward season where the coaches’ messages to a team that has several young WRs doesn’t help their players development. Underwood is qualified to have the gig; he spent six years in the NFL despite being close to Mr. Irrelevant as a late seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft. During his time in the league, Underwood caught 63 passes for 1,006 yards and six touchdowns. As a coach, Underwood has spent time with five different teams, both in college football and in the NFL, and as a WR coach in four of those stops. Last season, Underwood held the same job with the New England Patriots that he’ll have in Dallas. At 37-years old, Underwood also brings some youth to relate to young WRs like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Jalen Moreno-Cropper, Jonathan Mingo and Ryan Flournoy on the roster. This isn’t questioning the credentials of Underwood, but the Cowboys continue to put the cart before the horse when putting their coaching staff together. Maybe the team didn’t want to lose the promising young teacher, as there were reports he might take a job at Florida State, but it’s still strange to see the organization hiring an assistant before the coach. Dallas still needs to find it’s WR coach to advise a group of WRs led by CeeDee Lamb. And if the reports are true, the team is expected to add a young receiver early in the draft, so they’ll need a coach to help study the best receivers available, and to guide if they select one. Conventional wisdom says the Cowboys should hire the WR coach first, then let him help pick who he wants to work with as his assistant. That didn’t happen in this case, and it’s another example of the Cowboys building the coaching staff backwards. The organization remains consistent, but for the wrong reasons.
Dallas Cowboys 2025 draft scouting report: WR Luther Burden III
Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images Here is our scouting report on Luther Burden III from Missouri We continue our 2025 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that could interest the Dallas Cowboys. Today we are looking at wide receiver Luther Burden III from Missouri. Luther Burden III WRMissouri TigersJunior5-star recruit 5’11”208 lbs Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images History Luther Burden III, born on December 12, 2003, in St. Louis, Missouri, attended East St. Louis Senior High School, where he was a standout in both football and basketball. In his senior year of football, he recorded 71 receptions for 1,174 yards and 20 touchdowns, earning him MaxPreps Player of the Year and a 5-star recruit rating from major scouting services. He was one of the top prospects in the 2022 recruiting class, drawing attention from several major college football programs before committing to Missouri. He quickly became a key player in the Tigers’ offense and scored eight total touchdowns in his freshman year. He had 45 receptions for 375 receiving yards while also adding 18 rush attempts for 88 yards. In 2023, Burden had his most productive year as a receiver. He led the team catching 86 passes for 1,212 yards and scoring nine touchdowns. He was named First-team All-SEC for a highly productive season. In his junior year Missouri had its fair share of struggles, especially on offense, and Burden felt that struggle as he tried to rally the offense. He ended the year with 61 receptions for 676 receiving yards and six receiving touchdown. He also added two rushing touchdowns and 115 rush yards. He was again named First-team All-SEC and declared for the draft. 2024 Statistics 537 Offensive Snaps80 Targets61 Receptions 676 Receiving Yards6 Receiving TDs373 YAC30 Missed Tackles115 Rush Yards2 Rush TDs3 Penalties NFL Combine/Pro Day TBC Awards First-team All-SEC (2024)First-team All-SEC (2023) Scorecard Overall- 88.8Speed- 90Acceleration- 96Agility- 89Strength- 78Catching- 92Route Running- 82YAC Ability- 96Blocking- 70Discipline- 93 THE GOOD: Burden shows an explosive first step and change-of-direction ability, making him a significant threat with the ball in his hands. Uses his speed and burst to get off the line and into his route stems quickly. Exceptional at generating yards after the catch due to his vision, agility, and strength. Good hands, especially in contested situations; he has a high catch rate even under pressure and in traffic. A tough player to bring down when defenders get to him. He led the NCAA in missed tackles forced among this year’s wide receiver draft class. Can line up in various positions of the field, including out of the backfield, which adds unpredictability to an offense. Physical and aggressive as a blocker. Has punt return experience. TAPE TIME WR Luther Burden IIIMissouri ✅ THE GOOD✅#scouting #NFLDraft #Mizzou #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/LpZF74AnpK — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) February 3, 2025 THE BAD: While he has shown improvement, his route tree is somewhat limited. This is most notable when lined up as an outside receiver. Needs to refine his route running to be more varied and effective against NFL-level defenses. His experience against press coverage is limited, having played mostly from the slot. (462 snaps from the slot to 55 snaps out wide in 2024). Consistency in his overall play dropped in 2024. Some of that can be written off by Missouri struggling on offense, but Burden looked noticeably different himself. TAPE TIME WR Luther Burden IIIMissouri ❌THE BAD❌#scouting #NFLDraft #Mizzou #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/pLp0uyc4sp — Mike Poland (@kenfigkowboy) February 3, 2025 THE FIT Expected to be a mid-first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, some analysts rank Burden as a top 15 prospect due to his dynamic playmaking ability. There is no doubt from his 2023 tape that he’s one of the better offensive talents in this year’s draft class with his biggest trait, versatility, being his most intriguing strength. He does come with questions. His style of play leads to concerns of over usage and becoming burnt out quickly. Thanks to his ability to lineup everywhere and even take snaps in the backfield there’s a general worry that Burden could get overused quickly leading to an early explosion of production early in the season, which then tails off quickly. The other concern is his lack of experience as outside receiver. This leads to his route tree being limited and experience getting off the line against physical defensive backs also short. Burden is ideally suited for offenses that utilize motion, quick game concepts, and plays designed to get the ball into his hands in space. His versatility could allow him to thrive in both spread and West Coast offenses, as well as teams looking for a Swiss Army knife to stretch defenses laterally. His ability to make plays after the catch, combined with his physical tools, make him an intriguing prospect for Dallas and a fantastic complement to CeeDee Lamb. COMPARISON Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers BTB GRADE 15th CONSENSUS RANKING 16th(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services)
Desired continuity may keep Cooper Rush in Dallas
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images If the Cowboys want offensive continuity, re-signing Cooper Rush may be an offseason goal. While not the biggest name among the Cowboys’ scheduled 2025 free agents, backup QB Cooper Rush serves valuable roles. Given the front office’s recent admiration for continuity on offense, could Rush be a priority re-signing for Dallas this spring? If the projected departures of Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence happen, Dak Prescott will become the Cowboys’ longest-tenured player at 10 seasons. Right behind him, both entering their ninth years in Dallas, will be Rush and CB Jourdan Lewis. While Rush did briefly leave in 2020, signing as a free agent with the Giants, he was available that October and signed following Prescott’s season-ending injury. What nobody could’ve expected at that time was that Rush would eventually reclaim his spot as QB2 and eventually post a 9-5 record in starts from 2021-2024. Now a proven commodity and one of the best-known backups in football, Rush should have a market with plenty of teams looking for a reliable veteran on their QB depth chart. Not only does Rush bring consistent competence on the field but has been praised for assisting the coaches and the starter with game preparation during the week. He’s even been projected as a future QB coach once his playing career ends. That only increases his value as a roster member, even if there are legitimate complaints about his upside when he actually plays. No team better understands Rush’s lesser-seen qualities than the Cowboys. While Kellen Moore may try to get him over to New Orleans, assuming Moore even gets that head coaching job, Dallas should have the deepest appreciation of Rush’s value. So if that’s the case, why is there even a question of Rush getting a new contract? With Brian Schottenheimer’s promotion and Klayton Adams’ arrival as offensive coordinator, plus a new quarterbacks coach still TBD, there are lots of new opinions and perceptions in the coaching staff. But if a degree of continuity is what the front office valued in making Schottenheimer head coach, keeping Rush could help take that further. Still, the new guys may have strong feelings about the type of backup they want. If mobility is something they particularly desire, re-signing Trey Lance might become preferable to Rush. For that matter, Dallas might let both walk and just go with Will Grier as a cheaper backup, or bring in other guys who have worked with Schottenheimer or Adams at previous stops. The coaching staff changes create more variables for the offseason, particularly when it comes to free agency. Dak Prescott may also have a say in this. It’s clear that he influenced the promotion of Schottenheimer, so what if he also throws his support behind Rush? They’ve worked together for the better part of a decade, with Rush being the primary backup for at least six full seasons. With a new OC and position coach coming, Prescott may want a guy he trusts to help him digest the changes. There will be a large number of experienced passers in this year’s free agent crop; many with far more skins on the wall than Cooper Rush. But none of them offer the familiarity and chemistry that he would bring to the offense as Dak Prescott’s backup, and that could be enough to help Rush earn at least one more year with the Cowboys.
Cowboys defender with two years left on $21 million deal may no longer fit
Cowboys defender with two years left on $21 million deal may no longer fit reidhanson Matt Eberflus is the Dallas Cowboys new defensive coordinator and with him comes a new defensive scheme. As a former Cowboys coach, Eberflus isn’t foreign around these parts. His scheme is much more straight forward than that of Dan Quinn or Mike Zimmer. He stunts less, blitzes less, and disguises his coverages less. For safeties like Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker it means a higher proportion of split safety looks. This impacts both players since most of those two players’ careers have been spent in some form of single-high secondaries. By most predictions, Wilson won’t be able to play in the box as often as before and Hooker won’t be able to play centerfield as often as before. Hooker’s ability to effectively play as a single-high safety made him a valuable commodity for the Dallas defense over the years. His range and consistency made him a top player at one of the NFL’s most demanding roles. With more split safety looks on the horizon, Hooker’s top skill, his range, loses some of its value. Split-safety looks like Cover 2, 2-man and Quarters don’t require the same extraordinary range as a Cover 1 or Cover 3 scheme. As such, the role is easier to fill and doesn’t require a high investment cost. Hooker signed a three-year, $21 million extension in 2023 that runs through 2026. At a cap cost of $7.5 million in 2025, Hooker is one of the top-10 cap hits and certainly qualifies as a high investment cost (per OTC). The Cowboys got a taste of Hooker playing more diverse coverage roles in 2024 when Zimmer increased the amount of 2-high looks Dallas played mixing and matching Wilson and Hooker in the process. It didn’t turn out well. Both safeties posted their lowest graded qualifying seasons of their respective careers in 2024. In previous seasons in Dallas, Hooker was a player most teams avoided. He was rarely targeted and routinely ranked among the best safeties in yardage allowed. Playing in a less demanding split safety role more in 2024, Hooker appeared to regress, giving up more yards than ever before in Dallas. Not focusing on his area of expertise, as demanding as that expertise may be, was a bad thing for Hooker and possibly a sign of things to come in 2025. Like Wilson, his counterpart, Hooker’s return to the Cowboys in 2025 is far from assured. He’s an expensive player coming off a down year. Significant costs could be saved by letting him go if the Cowboys think they can adequately replace his production. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Winners and losers from Cowboys hire of new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Here are all the winners and losers from the Cowboys’ hiring of Klayton Adams. What a week it’s been for the Dallas Cowboys. Since naming Brian Schottenheimer their new head coach and the discourse surrounding the decision, the team has made some good decisions in assembling their coaching. First, the team named Matt Eberflus as their defensive coordinator to replace Mike Zimmer. Eberflus once worked in Dallas, coaching under Rob Ryan and returning to Dallas after his stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears. The other hire that has fans excited is Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator. Adams comes over from the Arizona Cardinals, where he made an instant impact with their offensive line, and the Cowboys feel he can give the Cowboys some fresh ideas and diverse looks to spice up the offense. Focusing more on the offense, with the addition of Adams, some players/staff will prosper because of it, while some may see a change in their standing with the Cowboys. Here are the winners and losers of Dallas hiring Klayton Adams as their offensive coordinator. Loser: Mike Solari It’s hard to envision a way Mike Solari can remain on the staff for much longer. Despite his years of experience, the Cowboys’ offensive line has regressed over the past few seasons. Terence Steele doesn’t look quite right since his season-ending knee injury in 2022, and Solari was tasked with getting a young offensive line going on the right foot. Cooper Beebe fared relatively well, but Tyler Guyton did not. Even though Solari has a relationship with Schottenheimer dating back to their time with Seattle, Adams’ presence on the team pushes Solari into a corner. If your new coordinator can get results from what he had to work with Arizona, imagine what he could do with the prospects in Dallas. Solari isn’t out the door yet, but his standing in Dallas is becoming more tenuous with Adams’ arrival. Winner: Tyler Guyton For the Cowboys offense to get back on track in 2025, you get the sense that it’ll be contingent upon how well Tyler Guyton develops. He had a rough rookie year where he was flagged for penalties numerous times and was benched for inconsistency while learning a new position at left tackle. Adams’ reputation as a miracle worker with offensive linemen could be what Guyton needs to get his confidence and start trending his career in the right direction. The hiring could very well have been done with Guyton in mind. It was already expected that Guyton would improve from year one to year two, but because of Adams’ impact, it could mean much more. Guyton having a coordinator with that area of expertise and playing for a coordinator who understands the importance of using misdirection runs will tremendously help showcase Guyton’s athleticism in the running game. Expect to see a more diverse running game with Guyton punishing smaller defenders on the move. Loser: Rico Dowdle This depends on how you want to look at it. Rico Dowlde is coming off the best season of his career at 26 years old, when he ran for 1,079 yards for an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Still, he’s an unrestricted free agent, and if we’re being honest, the Cowboys could already have their eyes elsewhere. It’s a loaded crop of running backs in the draft; the one name being floated around is Ashton Jeanty, with Omarion Hampton and TreVeyon Henderson also connected to the Cowboys. Although Dowdle ran well last year, there’s still a lack of speed in his game, which makes him feel replaceable. A new staff, a new coordinator, and rumors of former Cowboys running back Tashard Choice coming to be the running backs coach could mean a fresh start at the position. It’s for the best. The Cowboys’ running back room needs a reset, and Dowdle, coming off the year he had, would be wise to look for a pay raise elsewhere that the Cowboys likely would not be inclined to pay. Winner: Dak Prescott A new coordinator with innovative ideas in the running game will also benefit the passing game. In speaking with the media this week, Coach Schottenheimer said that he wants to design runs and passing plays to look the same. He wants to create indecision from opposing defenses that will permit Dak Prescott with opportunities to attack the defense off play-action and manufacture big plays in the secondary. Prescott has always been an excellent passer attacking the middle of the defense. If Adams’ offense is designed to create hesitation in the defense, expect Prescott to exploit that area of the field. CeeDee Lamb also benefits from this change by being a premier receiver at every level of defense. A healthy Prescott with a potent play-action attack is a formula success in 2025.
Cowboys news: Dallas continues filling out offensive coaching staff
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images The latest Super Bowl week Dallas Cowboys news. Report: Cowboys to hire RB coach with ties to Alvin Kamara, Austin Ekeler – Todd Brock, The Cowboys Wire The Cowboys have their running back coach to help refill the depth chart at their thinnest spot. Foster, 38, will come to Dallas from New Orleans, where he served as RB coach this past season and helped guide Alvin Kamara to 950 rushing yards in 14 games and a yards-per-game average (67.9) that was 12th-best in the league for 2024. He was in same position for the Chargers prior to that and was instrumental in helping Austin Ekeler deliver the three highest season yardage totals of his NFL career. Foster had interviewed with the Cowboys last week, as had former Dallas running back Tashard Choice, currently the position coach at Texas. Oregon running backs coach and Metroplex product Ra’Shaad Samples was also reportedly on the candidate list. Both Choice and Samples were highly regarded, though there was speculation that either would have had to take a significant pay cut to leave their premier Power Five programs to work for Jerry Jones, who has a reputation for giving budget-conscious contracts to his coaches. Like those individuals, Foster also has extensive college experience, dating back to 2011 with stints on staff at Valdosta State, Tennessee, Northwestern State, Samford, and three seasons at Iowa before making the jump to the NFL in 2021. His role at nearly all of those stops focused on running backs. The Cowboys will look to turn around their ground game in 2025 after a season in which they ranked 27th leaguewide in rushing yards, were third-worst in yards per carry, and had the fewest number of rushing touchdowns of any team in the NFL. Rico Dowdle finished the season ranked 12th in rushing yards with 1,079. Cowboys add Tiquan Underwood as assistant wide receiver coach – Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys Much like their hire at RB coach, Tiquan Underwood joins the staff at a position in need of talent. After his playing career, Underwood has spent time in both the college and pro ranks with the University of Lafayette (2018), the Miami Dolphins (2019), Rutgers University (2020-2021), University of Pittsburgh (2022-2023), and the New England Patriots (2024). Underwood has experience as a wide receivers coach, offensive quality control coach, passing game coordinator, and assistant wide receivers coach in his five stops. With the wide receiver coach job still to be decided, Underwood was a unique hire. Reports suggested that Underwood was receiving interest from Florida State, but elected to stay in the National Football League to work with the Cowboys receiving group that could have some new faces here soon. Cooper Kupp says Rams are looking to trade him ‘immediately’; could the Cowboys be a fit? – Staff, Dallas Morning News It wouldn’t be the offseason without wild trade speculation, would it? Kupp was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2021 after his staggering 145 catches for 1947 yards, both of which are second on the all-time single-season record list. But he’s played in just 33 out of 51 possible regular season games over the past three seasons due to a rash of injuries, including missing four games last season with a high ankle sprain. He finished the 2024-25 season with 67 catches for 710 yards. “2024 began with one of the best training camps of my career,” Kupp wrote. “Preparations start now for 2025. Highly motivated, as healthy as ever, and looking forward to playing elite football for years to come.” Could Kupp be a fit for the Cowboys? Dallas has been in need of a No. 2 offensive weapon next to CeeDee Lamb for a while now, and that won’t change next season without a big pickup either via the draft, free agency or a trade. Cowboys No. 2 WR Brandin Cooks will be a free agent. Kupp is under contract for 2025 at a $29.7 million cap hit. According to USA Today’s Jacob Camenker, who tabbed Kupp as a possible fit with the Cowboys in a piece from earlier this season, the Rams have expressed a willingness to absorb some of that cap hit in order to move Kupp. In terms of the likelihood Dallas lands the WR, though, Camenker says don’t hold your breath. High 5: Rising stocks from Senior Bowl & Shrine Bowl – Kyle Youmans, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys were well represented at the collegiate all star games, looking to turn their draft fortunes around and bolster the roster. Let’s rank the top five players that improved their draft stock from a week full of football between the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl, starting with the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Jack Bech – WR (TCU) – One of the great stories of the week, Bech stood out as soon as he took the field for National Team practice on Tuesday. Just one month after his brother passed away in the deadly New Orleans attack, he honored him by winning the overall MVP award and catching the game-winning touchdown. It wasn’t just the story that stood out, his play spoke wonders too. His six catches for 68 yards in the game included a down-field strike from quarterback Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) for 39 yards. His performance capped a dominant week of practice where he was named the top wide receiver on the national roster by his peers. Now, let’s look at who put together a great week with the East-West Shrine Bowl. Jordan Phillips – IDL (Maryland) – It could be argued that no one had a more complete week than Maryland defensive tackle Jordan Phillips. The 320-pounder showed his strength and quickness off the line of scrimmage is NFL ready, dominating in both the four practice sessions and the game as well. Phillips finished his college career without a sack, but did tally 31 run stops and 26 pressures. That production, paired with his Big Ten tape, could present
Cowboys Headlines: Cooper Kupp’s potential fit in Dallas, 2 assistants hired, Micah Parsons says he almost quit football
Cooper Kupp says Rams are looking to trade him ‘immediately’; could the Cowboys be a fit? :: Dallas Morning News Link With word coming down that he’s actively being shopped, Kupp could fit in nicely behind CeeDee Lamb in the Cowboys passing attack. While the Rams have expressed a willingness to absorb some of a $29.7 million cap hit in order to move Kupp, it seems unlikely that the Joneses will fork out what it would take to get 2021’s Offensive Player of the Year. Myles Garrett trade odds for 31 NFL teams :: Dawgs by Nature Link Very shortly after Garrett announced his desire to be traded out of Cleveland, Vegas put up odds for all 31 teams on where he might wind up. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Cowboys lead the list at 4/1 odds. (Philadelphia and Washington are up there, too.) Garrett specifically says he wants to go contend for a Super Bowl, and while Dallas has been a mix of contender and mess lately, a move this big seems unlikely for Jerry Jones after the year he’s had. Which is exactly why it will remain a tantalizing possibility to so many… Report: Cowboys to hire RB coach with ties to Alvin Kamara, Austin Ekeler :: Cowboys Wire Link Derrick Foster will come to Dallas fresh from working in New Orleans with Alvin Kamara for a year. Prior to that, he helped lead Austin Ekeler to his best three years of production with the Chargers. Now he’ll be tasked with turning around a Cowboys ground game that was near the bottom in most categories last season. Cowboys hire David Overstreet as their cornerbacks coach :: ProFootballTalk Link Overstreet was with Matt Eberflus in both Chicago and Indianapolis, so his addition to the Dallas defensive staff shouldn’t be a huge surprise. The Dallas native is the son of the late David Overstreet, who chose the CFL after the Dolphins made him first-round pick in 1981 and then joined Miami for the 1983 season before losing his life in a 1984 car accident. Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons explains why he almost quit football :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Link Parsons is no stranger to hard work, but he says the grind at Penn State nearly drove him to quit the game just two months in. “I was in a 4 a.m. group, like when we had to have, like, morning workouts at 4:00 a.m. Like, I was in that era of, like, like, pain and suffering, like, before they kind of like, tweaked it out,” he said on his podcast, talking of the pre-NIL days. “Yeah, it’s sweet now, bro.” Anti-Jerry: NBA’s Mavs show Cowboys fans the flaws of a professional GM :: Cowboys Wire Link Mavericks GM Nico Harrison defended the Luka Dončić trade by citing things like culture, fit, defense, and conditioning as reasons. It was a move that made Jones and the Cowboys look good. But unlike Jones, Harrison doesn’t have the benefit of eternal job security on his side; that no doubt contributed to the highly controversial roster move. Say what you will about Jones and the Cowboys’ unique power structure, but the man has to weigh the long-term value of a superstar player in a way that Harrison did not. If anything, maybe that leads to a lack of aggressiveness in making offseason moves to help the Cowboys win now. Ranking Dončić-to-Lakers among biggest Cowboys, Mavs, Rangers, Stars trades :: Cowboys Wire Link Dallas sports has seen its share of stunning blockbuster trades. The Cowboys’ acquisition of Lions wide receiver Roy Williams in 2008 was one, as was the trade for Amari Cooper 10 years later and getting Joey Galloway eight years before. Landing Charles Haley was the final touch the dynasty needed, but nothing will likely ever compare to the 1989 deal that sent Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a truckload of draft picks that kickstarted three Super Bowl runs. Lance Zierlein 2025 NFL mock draft 1.0: Giants land Travis Hunter; Bengals add WR for Joe Burrow :: NFL.com Link The network’s draft analyst thinks the Cowboys will look to their D-line in the first round. He picks Mississippi defensive tackle Walter Nolen, who he says will be a disrupter on all three downs. In this mock, Dallas leaves Jalon Walker, Luther Burden III, Nic Scourton, and Emeka Egbuka on the board to grab Nolen. WATCH: Cowboys return ace KaVontae Turpin dominates Pro Bowl… on defense?!? :: Cowboys Wire Link Turpin put his blazing speed to good use on defense during the NFC-AFC flag football game, bagging both Joe Burrow and Russell Wilson for sacks and preventing a touchdown by chasing down Brian Thomas Jr. at the goal line. The return specialist thought he’d be taking home the MVP trophy but says he had fun moonlighting on the other side of the ball. Super Powers: What 1971 Cowboys had the current Cowboys need :: The Mothership Link The Cowboys’ first Super Bowl-winning squad boasted a stellar offensive line who paved the way for 25 rushing touchdowns that season. (Dallas had just six this year but played three more games.) They also had a linebacker corps with two future Ring of Honor members. And, of course, they got MVP-caliber play from their quarterback, as Roger Staubach was the runner-up for the regular-season award. Come closer to that on those three fronts, and the 2025 Cowboys will be well on their way to a sixth Lombardi Trophy. Washington owner Josh Harris says Commanders will remain team’s nickname :: The Athletic Link Despite a vocal contingent of fans who want to return to their former nickname, the Cowboys’ longest-standing rivals will remain known as the Commanders, says the team’s owner. The name isn’t exactly a fan favorite, but many inside and outside team headquarters began embracing the moniker over their 12-5 regular season and two road playoff wins last month.
Cowboys hiring Derrick Foster to coach running backs
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images The Cowboys have made their pick for a running back coach. The Dallas Cowboys have been filling out their coaching staff under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. The defensive side of the ball came together pretty quickly, but the offensive side has been at a more deliberate pace. Klayton Adams coming on as offensive coordinator was an important hire. Both Adams and Schottenheimer are big proponents of the run game, so the running backs coach is an important hire for 2025. The Cowboys have settled on Derrick Foster. The Dallas Cowboys are hiring Derrick Foster as their new RBs coach, multiple sources tell @startelegram. Foster, 38, served the same role for the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-2023, overseeing Austin Ekeler’s rise. An important hire for… pic.twitter.com/y3U2vlz28A — Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) February 3, 2025 Foster is a veteran NFL position coach. He worked his way up through the college ranks, capitalizing on a successful turn at Iowa to jump to the NFL. He landed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and stayed until they recently cleaned house in 2023. He spent last year with the New Orleans Saints, another team that is cleaning house this season. Foster will need some talent to work with as the Cowboys only real running back under contract for 2025 is Deuce Vaughn. Rico Dowdle is a free agent so it is possible he returns. But the draft is loaded with quality backs this year and Dallas is expected to dip into that pool.
Tunnel of Darkness: Nightmarish Cowboys season is about to come to a close
Tunnel of Darkness: Nightmarish Cowboys season is about to come to a close Ben Grimaldi With Super Bowl LIX on the horizon, the nightmarish 2024-25 season for the Dallas Cowboys is about to mercifully come to a close. After three straight 12-win seasons that included two NFC East titles, the Cowboys floundered through an embarrassing campaign. The mess of a year couldn’t have been a surprise to those paying attention. It began with a disaster of an offseason where the front office decided it was better to wait and sign their best players to extensions until training camp. That mistake was compounded by the team deciding to not participate in free agency while allowing many of their own free agents to walk out the door. It was a disappointing offseason that was made worse by Jerry Jones’ “all-in” comments. Savvy fans knew better than to believe the Cowboys were going to spend money and be aggressive in acquiring talent since it would’ve signaled a major change in organizational philosophy, but it was something that followed the team around for months leading up to the regular season. When September arrived, things appeared to turn. The team extended quarterback Dak Prescott on opening day and blew out the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. The Cowboys’ performance provided hope that the previous six months of worrying were all for nothing. Reality smacked the Cowboys in the face in Week 2, and the disaster many predicted was beginning. There were numerous blowouts throughout the year as the team finished 7-10 and in third place in the division. Dallas finished a putrid 2-7 at home, which included an embarrassing incident with the sun shining through the large windows and AT&T Stadium contributing to a losing storyline against the Philadelphia Eagles. The episode was made worse by Jones remaining defiant that the franchise wouldn’t draw the curtains for Cowboys games like the stadium does for other events. The Cowboys weren’t just getting humiliated, they were finding new ways to lose. Their special teams unit blocked a punt late in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which turned disastrous when cornerback Amani Oruwariye tried to recover and run with it. Instead of a game-winning play for Dallas, Oruwariye fumbled the ball away and the Bengals recovered it, which led to the winning score just three plays later. Injuries were also a theme for the Cowboys, who had many of their best players miss chunks of the season, including Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and CB DaRon Bland. As if the team’s record wasn’t bad enough, it was a season that saw the Eagles soar back to the top of the division fueled by free agency pickup of the year, running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley, who came from another division rival, ran for over 2,000 yards. To make things worse, the Washington Commanders saw a resurgence under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who looks like he’s going to be a problem for the Cowboys’ defense for years to come. The Eagles and Commanders both finishing ahead of the Cowboys and making the postseason further stuck the knife into the craw of Jones’ organization. It also had to hurt that the top two coordinators during McCarthy era in Dallas both played big roles in the Eagles and Commanders’ success. Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn left the Cowboys and found prosperity with NFC East rivals. The 2024-2025 season still might not have felt so bad if the postseason hadn’t been a kick in the teeth for the Cowboys as well. The team didn’t make the playoffs, but that didn’t stop the embarrassment. The Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to advance to the divisional round where they pulled off a major upset of the Detroit Lions, making it to their first NFC Championship game in 33 years. That left the Cowboys with the longest title game drought in the NFC. It didn’t make things better that the Commanders’ win over the Lions meant they’d matchup with the Eagles, who got a home game as the No. 2 seed, for the right to go to the Super Bowl. When Philadelphia won that game, it marked the third Super Bowl appearance for the Eagles in the last eight years, a feat that crushes every Cowboys fan who counts the Eagles as their biggest rival. This hasn’t been a fun season for the Cowboys, and it could hit a peak level of frustration if the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. Hopefully that doesn’t happen, there have been too many dreams coming true for the Cowboys rivals in 2024-2025, while they have been living in a nighmare. Thankfully, the NFL season is about to end and the reset can begin. A shot at better season in 2025 is just around the corner. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Cowboys add Tiquan Underwood as assistant wide receiver coach
Welcome aboard, Tiquan. The Dallas Cowboys have had a busy week as they continue to build their coaching staff under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys are bringing former NFL wideout Tiquan Underwood aboard as assistant receivers coach, per source. He was with New England last year, and had interest from Florida State before making the call to stay in the league. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 3, 2025 According to Albert Breer, the Cowboys have added former NFL wide receiver Tiquan Underwood to be the assistant wide receivers coach. Underwood spent five years in the NFL after being selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. After his playing career, Underwood has spent time in both the college and pro ranks with the University of Lafayette (2018), the Miami Dolphins (2019), Rutgers University (2020-2021), University of Pittsburgh (2022-2023), and the New England Patriots (2024). Underwood has experience as a wide receivers coach, offensive quality control coach, passing game coordinator, and assistant wide receivers coach in his five stops. With the wide receiver coach job still to be decided, Underwood was a unique hire. Reports suggested that Underwood was receiving interest from Florida State, but elected to stay in the National Football League to work with the Cowboys receiving group that could have some new faces here soon.
