Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Here is our latest Dallas Cowboys mailbag. Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it. “Why’s everyone high on Mike Green from Marshall and should the Cowboys draft him at 12?” (Ryan Jones on Facebook) Mike: Some people will say to pick him at 12 is too rich, but post-combine people will soon change that tune. Picking a defensive end early isn’t a bad way to go for Dallas and pairing an elite pass rusher opposite Micah Parsons would make this defense lethal. Mike Green led all of the FBS in sacks (17) and earned All-American honors and the Sun Belt Player of the Year award after an insane final season at Marshall. Green has an explosive first step, elite levels of bend around the edge, and a variety of pass-rush moves. His athletic profile, including his speed and agility, would add versatility to the Cowboys’ defensive line. His ability to set the edge and make tackles for loss would complement Micah Parsons, enhancing their defensive front’s effectiveness. Green would give the Cowboys a formidable duo on the edge. Combining Green’s skills with Parsons could create a dynamic pass rush, potentially overwhelming offensive tackles and quarterbacks. Dana: Mike Green had a stellar 2024 season at Marshall logging 84 total tackles (22 of which were tackles for loss), 17 sacks, 15 QB hits and 3 forced fumbles. It was a very impressive season for him and the buzz surrounding his draft potential only got louder after the Senior Bowl where he was able to show off his power and bend at the EDGE position. Mike Green. SIR. pic.twitter.com/v1CZAAzn0H — Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) January 29, 2025 Green is now being projected by some as a top-20 overall pick in this year’s draft. Should Dallas be the team to draft him? Well, there are a lot of holes to fill for many positions on this team and they may decide to go in another direction. Additionally, if the team does decide to pick an EDGE player with the 12th overall pick, there are some other really good players that may be a possibility; some players like James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams, and Shemar Stewart just to name a few. However, Green would be a great fit for the Cowboys if they do decide to pick him at number 12. The future is still unclear for DeMarcus Lawrence and Green would make an excellent young paring along side Micah Parsons to make life very difficult for opposing QB’s. “What are the new coaching staff members that has been selected so far?” (Cornell Johnson on Facebook) Mike: Officially, the Cowboys coaching hires were completed as of Friday. Klayton Adams took over the vacant offensive coordinator role left by the promotion of Brian Schottenheimer. This will be Adams first time as offensive coordinator and has a wealth of experience as an offensive line coach and was with the Arizona Cardinal last season. Matt Eberflus was quickly brought on to be the defensive coordinator. He became the first Chicago Bears coach to ever be fired mid-season, but some guys are better coordinators than they are head coaches. Eberflus has been in Dallas before as linebacker coach from 2011 until 2017, but the highlight of his career was how he turned the Indianapolis Colts defense around while hired as the team’s defensive coordinator. Nick Sorensen takes over from John Fassel as special teams coordinator. He’s mostly been employed as a defensive coach but almost had the special teams coordinator job in San Francisco to start this season. The rest of the coaching hires and positions: “What did Brian Schottenheimer bring to the table during the interview process to separate himself from other head coach candidates?” (MrEd315 via Twitter/X) Mike: In short, familiarity. He knows the offense and its shortcomings intimately and what the needs are. He also has chemistry with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and the rest of the offense which will help motivate the offense that fell short last year. On top of that, he also knows the Jones’ and the operation of the franchise meaning he leads straight into organizing the team rather than trying to climatize to the monster that is the Dallas Cowboys. Dana: Since the Cowboys were not able to retain Mike McCarthy as head coach, they interviewed a few coaches like Kellen Moore, Robert Saleh, Leslie Frazier, along with Brian Schottenheimer. After conducting these interviews, the things that make Schottenheimer stand out from the rest were familiarity, continuity, and long-standing experience. No other coach had all three. In an article from Todd Archer of ESPN, Schottenheimer was quoted: “The continuity through change,” Schottenheimer said. “I know the players. I know the building. I know our strengths. I know our weaknesses. I know our issues. And the more and more we got into conversations, sitting around and just discussing different things, I wanted it even more.” The Cowboys have Prescott and Lamb locked in for the next handful of years and it was likely a consideration when choosing Schottenheimer to keep some continuity with them to grow from rather than completely starting over.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Ryan Flournoy needs to have a big second season for the Cowboys. When projecting the depth chart for the 2025 Dallas Cowboys, one of the brighter blinking red lights is the wide receiver room. Outside of CeeDee Lamb the Cowboys have zero proven receivers on the roster. That could change by the time we get to Oxnard, but in an underwhelming wide receiver free agent class and a wide receiver draft class that falls off outside of the top 50, the Cowboys will likely rely on guys on the roster to make bigger contributions in 2025. One of the biggest unknowns in the mix is second-year wideout Ryan Flournoy. Flournoy played just 13.32% of the offensive snaps in 2024. With Brandin Cooks expected to leave in free agency, players like Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks, Jonathan Mingo, and KaVontae Turpin all move up on the depth chart. Another guy who will get a look and could benefit from a big second-year leap is Ryan Flournoy, the 2024 sixth-round pick. Flournoy had a quiet rookie season in 2024 after impressing in training camp and during preseason games, spending a good chunk of his time on the game-day inactive list. With Cooks now likely out of the picture, Flournoy has an opportunity to battle for starting snaps at the X-receiver position. Flournoy has the size and skillset to excel on the outside in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. Flournoy finished his rookie campaign with 102 yards on 10 receptions and lost a fumble in week six against the Detroit Lions. This offseason will be a big one for the former Southeast Missouri wideout. The Cowboys currently lack quality X-receivers on the roster and with a big offseason, Flournoy could be primed to see more snaps in year two depending on what happens during NFL free agency and the 2025 NFL draft.

Mike Watters-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. 6 late-round wide receivers Cowboys should monitor at NFL Combine – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated These late-round receivers should be sure to ‘catch’ your eye. Ricky White III, UNLV Ricky White III topped 1,000 yards the past two seasons while scoring 19 touchdowns. He benefited from an explosive offense but should still be on the radar for any team wanting to add more firepower in the passing game. He has a strong feel for the game and is superior at tracking the ball in the air. White’s primary concern is dealing with man coverage but he also offers special teams versatility. That means he can still contribute while learning to overcome his weaknesses. Jaylin Noel, Iowa State At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Jaylin Noel isn’t the biggest wideout but you wouldn’t know that by watching his tape. He’s a tough receiver who wins more than his share of jump balls. Throw in his vertical speed and he could be a lot of fun in an offense that plans to utilize far more play-action passing. Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas If the Cowboys want to add someone with plenty of size, they could look to Andrew Armstrong from Arkansas. Born in Dallas, Armstrong began his collegiate career at Texas A&M-Commerce before spending his final two seasons with the Razorbacks. He proved to be a valuable weapon once he was in the SEC, recording 764 yards in 2023 and 1,140 in 2024. Despite his numbers and quick burst off the line, there are questions surrounding Armstrong. He might be able to quiet those at the Combine and given his ties to Dallas, the Cowboys will be watching. Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado If Dallas wants someone who can stretch the field and offer help in the return game, they could look to Jimmy Horn, Jr. The 5-foot-9, 160-pounder didn’t get the attention he deserved at Colorado, which is understandable. That team was loaded with star power on the field, plus they have Deion Sanders coaching them. Horn still managed to stand out due to his developed route tree and elite speed. He would likely be around late on Day 3 and would give them someone capable of hitting the home run. Are we sure this formula will work for the Dallas Cowboys? – Shane Taylor, Inside the Star Did the Cowboys really get it right this time? Here we are again, talking about an offseason filled with more questions than answers, and unfortunately for all of us fans, we are in store for much of the same. With a boat load of pending free agents, the Cowboys coaching staff is brand new and when it comes to scoring points, this team is going to rely on three people. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Brain Schottenheimer. Bad Formula? This offense maybe reached its peak two years ago, and yes bringing back the same guy who was behind the scenes may help with familiar, that does not mean it’s a good formula. Look, I’m not here to try and tell everyone how to run a football team, but now Micah Parsons is even speaking out. This team has to get more talent or they have no chance. The formula to win games right now is getting a running back in the backfield that can produce, Rico Dowdle is one of over 20 pending free agents, will he return? I don’t know. Brain loves to run the football, we know that is his and his dads philosophy, so is Jerry going to draft a back or not? Potential Draft Picks The clear-cut best running back prospect in the class, and a name that has been connected to the Cowboys early and often in mock drafts, with Jeanty. Kaleb Johnson is another guy that I really like from Iowa. Johnson racked up 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024, proving to be the Hawkeye’s primary source of offense. He could be available when Dallas is on the clock at No. 44, and if they don’t land a back in Round 1, he would be a tempting option. Yet, the back I really want Dallas to take is one of the two who just won the national championship. Think about this: TreVeyon Henderson finished his Ohio State career with 667 touches, 4614 yards, 48 touchdowns and ZERO fumbles. Give me a guy who touches the ball as much as he did, plus playing in the big ten with nothing but NFL talent who didn’t put the ball on the ground once. Other guys like Cam Skattebo, Dylan Sampson, Kaleb Johnson, TreVeyon Henderson and Devin Neal will all be around in the later rounds for this team to get. ESPN’s 2025 NFL predictions makes intriguing statement about Cowboys – K.D. Drummond What the experts think of ahead of 2025 season reveals about the Cowboys. With the conclusion of the 2024 season and the requisite championship parade, the NFL world is ready to move on to bigger and better things. The chase for SuperBowl LX has begun and to kick things off, ESPN’s collection of analysts weighed in with their early thoughts about how things are going to shake out. 13 NFL experts were asked for their predictions about a wide variety of topics, including which two teams would represent their conferences in The Big Game, who would take home the MVP and what teams would breakout in a big way. 65 predictions were made, some with the requisite “if it isn’t X, then Y” double dips and the most interesting thing for fans of the Dallas Cowboys was that they weren’t mentioned at all. Not once. Has the malaise brought on by Jerry Jones’ inability to manufacture hope among his team’s fanbase finally soured the media from including Dallas in every conversation? Dallas didn’t garner a single thought in the entire lengthy article. There was no wild predictions they would breakout in the first year under head coach Brian Schottenheimer, no mentions

Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images The Cowboys are going to have to figure out a plan at running back this season. The Dallas Cowboys’ moves at running back, or really the lack thereof, were one of the major talking points in last year’s offseason. That topic continued through the season as players Dallas could have targeted like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry ran over the NFL. In 2025, the Cowboys again have a big RB need, and there’s endless debate about how much they will and should be willing to spend to fill it. Under Contract Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke (FB), Malik Davis Potential Departures Rico Dowdle It feels like we’ve done a lap around the RB conversation and are right back where we started before the 2024 offseason. Tony Pollard was headed into free agency and there wasn’t anyone of consequence under contract. Once again, we find last season’s starter with an expiring contract and not much to speak of behind him. The cupboard wasn’t as bare as most people thought a year ago. They didn’t realize that Rico Dowdle had a 1,000-yard season in him. Once he was finally given full RB1 treatment around Thanksgiving, Dowdle’s productivity soared. Had the Cowboys not gotten nostalgic with Ezekiel Elliott early in 2024, Dowdle might have finished as the NFL’s third-leading rusher behind Barkley and Henry. But even without those extra yards, Dowdle still enters the 2025 free agent market with momentum. Though he turns 27 in June, he has relatively low NFL mileage. An all-around player with skills that suit most systems, Dowdle should attract plenty of interest. And with this being his first chance at free agency with some actual juice, Dowdle may want to see how that feels before agreeing to anything the Cowboys might offer. Granted, many would like to see a more explosive, game-breaking runner in Dallas. But that requires an outside move as none of the current in-house options fit the bill. At best, Hunter Leupke and Deuce Vaughn are utility players. And while Malik Davis has his fans from the last few preseasons, he couldn’t even beat Dowdle for a roster spot. Free Agency While Dowdle won’t be the biggest name in the 2025 RB market, there isn’t a Barkley-level option out there for teams needing a new starter. Aaron Jones and Nick Chubb are the more accomplished prospective free agents, saddled with their own age and injury concerns. Dowdle falls more into the next tier with guys like J.K. Dobbins and Najee Harris. Without any splash signing to be had, Dallas’ strategy may be to re-sign Dowdle or replace him with someone comparable. If the team believes it can maintain the kind of production that Dowdle had in the back portion of last season, they might take more of a “moneyball” approach at RB and focus cap dollars and draft picks on bolstering other parts of the offense. If Dowdle could be that productive with last year’s issues, imagine what could happen in stronger surroundings. That said, the Cowboys were unwilling to pay the modest salaries that guys like Henry and Zack Moss got in last year’s market. With renewed appreciation for running backs after 2024, the prices aren’t going to get any lower. If Dallas is unwilling to cough up the cash to retain Dowdle or fill the spot with a veteran, then handling the position through the draft becomes more important. 2025 NFL Draft It would be rather ironic if, after our year with the zombified version of Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas once again spent a first-round pick on a star college running back. But if Ashton Jeanty is available when we get to the 12th pick, that’s what many Cowboys fans want and many analysts believe will happen. We’ll do a deeper dive into the idea of drafting Jeanty as we get closer to draft time. It’s important to note that this isn’t like 2016, when the Cowboys plopped Elliott into a ready-made rushing juggernaut behind Zack Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyron Smith on the offensive line. Zeke was put in an ideal situation to flourish and carry the offense, but would Jeanty get the same chance to maximize his potential? Remember, many would love to go back to 2016 and dump Elliott and Jaylon Smith for Jalen Ramsey and Derrick Henry. While some of that is hindsight, there was plenty of clamoring for Ramsey to be the pick over Zeke even leading up to that draft. It all comes down to your belief in where the RB position falls in the cause-and-effect spectrum. That’s not to say the Cowboys shouldn’t consider a RB in this draft. It’s a great year with considerable depth right on through the later rounds. But unless some unusually big moves come in free agency, Dallas may be going into the draft needing a new starting WR, one more starter on the offensive line, and several different replacements on defense. Given what we got out of Dowdle with such minimal investment, there’s good reason to think a mid-round pick at RB could come in and duplicate or even upgrade that production. Final Thoughts Again, this feels like a full-circle moment at the RB position. The Cowboys are in a very similar position to last February, and now it’s a matter of if they adjust their offseason approach. If not, we’ll probably watch Rico Dowdle sign with a new team and see what Dallas pulls out of the NFL scrap pile. At the very least, we’d expect the Cowboys to give RB more attention in this year’s draft. That won’t be hard given it received none in 2024. But it will be scary if Dowdle leaves and the team does nothing, even if it’s just adding a solid backup option, before they’re on the clock next April. One major swing factor here, potentially, is the coaching change. Mike McCarthy never placed top priority on running backs but Brian Schottenheimer’s best NFL work has come in the

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Needless to say there are a lot of doubters in Brian Schottenheimer. When the Dallas Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer as their tenth head coach in franchise history, it was met with less than glowing reviews. The long-time NFL journeyman and son of the late great Marty Schottenheimer is getting his first shot at being a head coach. Other coaches hired in this cycle will be first-time head coaches, but their names have more buzz on a marquee sign. NFL Insider Jeff Howe for The Athletic recently conducted a poll with “10 NFL personnel executives and coaches, asking them to assess each coach’s fit and rank their top five hires, with a first-place vote worth five points, a second place vote worth four points and so forth. Votes were not solicited from members of each coach’s new organization to limit subjective balloting.” Below is the graphic from the article showing the results of the poll. Kellen Moore, the last head coach to be hired this offseason, got more points in the poll than Schottenheimer and Liam Coen, who have been employed for a few weeks. Credit to Moore and the goodwill he’s built after his Super Bowl-winning season with the Philadelphia Eagles. Given the lack of hype and excitement of Jerry Jones’ hiring of Schottenheimer, there should be no surprise he finished last in the poll. Despite the vacancy of optimism, there were some positive reviews from coaches about Schottenheimer as a coach and belief he could have success with the Cowboys. “He’s a good coach,” a coach said. “The team will improve.” “He’s underrated,” an executive said. “He has the ability to be a better head coach than coordinator. He’s confident. He has a vision for who he wants to be and how he wants to play, and he’ll be able to communicate that across the team.” History shows that some head coaches succeed better in the big chair than their time as coordinators and vice versa. Matt Eberflus was not a great head coach for the Chicago Bears, but he is well-suited to be a great defensive coordinator in Dallas, as he was in Indianapolis before his Chicago days. Nick Sirianni was a good offensive coordinator with the Colts from 2018 to 2020. Still, he never achieved the level of success he experienced with the Eagles. In Philly, Siriani is in more of a leadership role and hasn’t called plays since his first season with the team. When Siriani spoke after winning the Super Bowl, he touched on the locker room being a close group of men and how the team’s culture led to their success this year. If there’s one thing fans can hang their hat on about Schottenheimer, he’s trying to build and fix the team’s culture, which he spoke about in his opening press conference. His coaching staff looks impressive on paper and should theoretically facilitate the transition for the first-time head coach. I can’t believe this is an actual sentence, but if Schottenheimer can achieve Siriani-like success during his first few seasons with the Cowboys, this poll will seem silly two years from now.

Molly McVety / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It has been a tough week in the NFC East. Giants exploring potential sale of minority stake in 100-year-old New York franchise – Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports Up to 10% of the Giants may soon be sold. The New York Giants are exploring the potential sale of a minority stake in the NFL franchise, the team said in a statement obtained by NFL Media on Thursday night. The team has retained Moelis & Company, an investment bank and strategic adviser, to examine the possibilities around selling a non-controlling stake in the team. This announcement comes in response to an initial report from the Sports Business Journal that reported on the potential sale. “The Mara and Tisch families have retained Moelis & Company to explore the potential sale of a minority, non-controlling stake in the New York Giants,” the club said in a statement, via NFL.com. “There will be no further comment in regard to the process.” The Mara family has owned the franchise in some capacity since its inception in 1925, when it was founded by Tim Mara. More recently, the team has been split 50-50 between the Mara and Tisch families since 1991. John Mara and Steve Tisch have been in control of the organization since 2005. While there was no specific reason given surrounding the possible sale of a minority stake, this isn’t an unprecedented practice in the league. The Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills are among a handful of teams that have completed minority sales of their franchises. The league also approved a vote to allow private equity firms to buy up to a 10% stake in organizations last August. The report from the Sports Business Journal indicated that the Giants are looking to sell up to 10% of the team. Of course, the price for the New York franchise will be a fascinating situation to follow. The Philadelphia Eagles sold 8% of the team in a pair of deals last year, which valued the team at $8.1 billion and $8.3 billion. Given the New York City market, it’s possible, if not a certainty, that the evaluation for the Giants will exceed that of their division rival. ‘The connection we have in this locker room is pretty special’ – PhiladelphiaEagles.com Eagles players reflected on their season as they cleaned out their lockers. Eagles players were back at the NovaCare Complex on Thursday to clean out their lockers before Friday’s Championship Parade in Philadelphia. For many of them, it’s the first time they will experience anything like this – there is expected to be more than a million fans decked in green cheering them on each step of the way up to the Philadelphia Muesum of Art. As they packed up for a final time this season, players reflected on their memories from the season and how excited they are to celebrate with the fans. “I’m excited for it. Can’t wait. It’s going to be crazy, I’m sure. I’m just excited to see all of the people and to be able to celebrate with the whole city,” rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean said. The rookie likely had the most memorable birthday he will ever experience – winning a Super Bowl and getting a pick-six in the game. He shared his favorite memories of his outstanding rookie season: “Spending time with the guys, really. The connection we have in this locker room is pretty special, I think. For center Cam Jurgens, his favorite memory of the 2024 season came on the field, and it was with a guy who was just a little popular in his first season in Philadelphia. “This game right here (Week 17 vs. Cowboys) when Saquon (Barkley) broke 2,000 yards. That was such a historic landmark for Eagles franchise history, for Saquon, and for us to be a part of it. We know how much hard work we put in, how dominant we were, and to reach that milestone it felt pretty good,” Jurgens said. The Nebraska native will experience an Eagles Championship Parade for the first time on Friday. “I’m just super excited to see everybody. I know what it means to me, what it means to the team and the franchise, but I don’t fully grasp what it means to this community and Philadelphia and all of the fans out there and how it plays such a role in their lives. I can’t wait to see that,” Jurgens said. Commanders ‘have chance to take a big leap’ in 2025 NFL season – Darius Hayes, Sports Illustrated More surprises may be in store in Washington in 2025 after surprising everyone in 2024. After a surprising run to the NFC Championship Game, the Washington Commanders enter the offseason with momentum and significant questions. With rising star quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the way, the Commanders are positioned to take another leap forward. However, general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn must navigate a critical offseason to solidify its roster and maintain its newfound success. ESPN writer John Keim highlights both the potential for Washington and their challenges. “After unexpectedly reaching the NFC Championship Game, and with a young rising star at quarterback in Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have a chance to take a big leap,” Keim said. Washington has the financial flexibility to be aggressive in roster building. “They do have the third-most salary cap space available and seven draft picks,” Keim said. That kind of capital gives the team the ability to target key free agents and make strategic draft selections to reinforce its roster. However, there are significant roster concerns that must be addressed. “But they have 28 unrestricted free agents and the second-fewest players under contract for 2025. Washington has only two receivers under contract for 2025,” Keim added. With so many players potentially leaving, General Manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn must decide which core pieces to retain while identifying external upgrades. The offensive and defensive lines are