Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Here are some names to keep an eye on in the Shrine Bowl. With the end of the College Football Playoff and draft season getting ready to kickoff, we get the start of the All-Star season with the oldest bowl game in football history, the East-West Shrine Bowl. The game will be played Thursday night (8 PM ET) at AT&T Stadium on the NFL Network. This yearly bowl game has led to some better NFL draft outcomes in recent years, attracting more talent each subsequent year. Eric Galko, the Shrine Bowl’s director of football operations, is confident that the talent pool for 2025 will exceed last year’s impressive draft results. When it comes to the all-star games, the Dallas Cowboys always show keen interest and many players over the years have come from these bowl games. Last year’s sixth-round draft pick Ryan Flournoy and seventh-round picks, Nathan Thomas and Justin Rogers, were all Shrine bowl players that left a mark on the coaches. And in 2023, Jalen Cropper, Princeton Fant, Luke Schoonmaker, Earl Bostick Jr, Tyrus Wheat, and Eric Scott Jr. all stood out to become Cowboys players thanks to the Shrine bowl. So who are the expected standouts this year the Cowboys will look to add late in the draft or post-draft? Here are ten names to keep an eye during practices this week and in the game. CB, Mello Dotson Kansas Mello Dotson could be an excellent fit for Dallas due to his versatile skill set and the fact that cornerback is a sneaky need right now for this defense. His ability to excel in both man and zone coverage makes him adaptable to various defensive schemes. His ball-hawking skills, evidenced by his interceptions, proves he could be a playmaker in the Cowboys’ secondary, providing the team with added turnover potential. His performance, including nine interceptions the last two seasons , suggests he could step in and contribute immediately, enhancing the Cowboys’ defense with his playmaking ability and adding some much needed depth. DT, Kenneth Grant Michigan Talking about defensive linemen from Michigan is like cussing around Dallas. But always scout the player, not the logo. Grant is a mid-first-round prospect and has some traits that top fellow Michigan standout, Mason Graham, who is ranked as a top-10 prospect. Grant possesses a significant physical presence that makes him hard to move off the line. His sheer mass aids in halting single blocks and managing double-teams which showcases his potential as an elite run-stopper. Despite his size, Grant demonstrates impressive athleticism for his position, including lateral agility and twitch off the snap. This combination of size and agility allows him to be disruptive on both run and pass plays. His ability to eat up space and two-gap in the middle of the line is notable. Grant is a seriously compelling prospect for Dallas who are looking to bolster the defensive line, particularly against the run after last seasons issues and the potential loss of guys like Osa Odighizuwa and Chauncey Golston. His added potential to grow as a pass rusher only adds to the intrigue. RB, Raheim Sanders South Carolina Running back is a big need for Dallas, especially given Brian Schottenheimer’s style of offense. The good news is that this is one of the most talented and deepest running back classes we’ve seen in a very long time. Being so deep means drafting a running back early in the first round may not be necessary. By the fourth round, players like Raheim Sanders enter into their own in value and would fit great in Dallas. Sanders is known for his imposing size at 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, which he uses effectively to power through defenses. His build is likened to a “larger than life” presence on the field. His size is combined with good speed, with a projected 40-yard dash time of around 4.47 seconds. He exhibits elite burst and acceleration once the ball is in his hands, complemented by good vision to find lateral holes after breaking the line of scrimmage. Sanders represents a high-upside running back with the only questions around his draft value being due to his durability. He has some medical red flags and the medicals will determine a lot in terms of his stock. RB, Tahj Brooks Texas Tech Red Raiders running back Tahj Brooks is an insanely productive back with a promising future in the NFL. Brooks went back to Texas Tech looking to break the school’s career rushing record. His 2024 season had him leading the Big 12 in rushing with 1,505 yards on 286 carries, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and scoring 17 touchdowns. That’s balling. Currently, Brooks is seen as a mid Day 3 pick, but his draft stock hinges on his performance at the Shrine bowl and Pro Days. This is because as he stands right now, Brooks projects best as a rotational back or in a committee where his physical running style can be utilized effectively. He’s a hard-nosed runner and for a team like Dallas looking for a dependable, physical back, he would fit right in. His journey from here will depend on how he addresses his weaknesses, especially in pass-catching and protection roles. If he can showcase an improvement in these areas, he could climb draft boards. WR, Ricky White UNLV This isn’t a particularly deep wide receiver group this year. It has talent at the top but lacks the depth we’ve all been accustomed to in past years. The Cowboys need a WR2 and if the coaches believe Jalen Tolbert isn’t capable of that role then this team needs to draft one. White has demonstrated his capability to stretch the field, which could enhance the Cowboys’ offense, especially if they seek a deep threat. His versatility in playing both outside and in the slot is a valuable asset. A positive performance in the Shrine Bowl could make him an appealing mid-to-late round selection for Dallas,
Schottenheimer’s success with Cowboys hinges on one thing he can’t control
Schottenheimer’s success with Cowboys hinges on one thing he can’t control Ben Grimaldi Brian Schottenheimer is now the 10th head coach in Dallas Cowboys history, and he’ll try to help end a Super Bowl drought that will reach three decades during the 2025 season. The opening press conference dog and pony show is over, and now the real work begins. The first-time coach can’t do it alone, and his success hinges just as much on the front office as it does him. Therein lies the biggest challenge for Schottenheimer, to find a way to lead the team if upper management doesn’t change their philosophy. It’s no surprise that Schottenheimer looked the part during his initial media session, but sadly Jerry and Stephen Jones played their roles as well. If Schottenheimer is the hero in production, the Joneses remain the villains. If the Cowboys want better results with their new coach, they’ll have to alter their ways and provide a better supporting cast. Frankly put, the front office will need to be more aggressive in acquiring talent. Free agency must be used for more than just the plugging of holes, as Stephen Jones put it during the opening presser. The stopgap option of waiting through the first few waves on the open market before signing cheaper players isn’t a way to break their championship drought. The last 12 years of free agency should have told organization this lesson. The Cowboys don’t need to sign the best and most expensive players in free agency, but they do have to add quality talent. The team can still sign players that help at positions of need, they just have to do it with better options. Team executive vice president Stephen Jones acknowledged they might need to alter their free agency approach during Schottenheimer’s press conference. Jones mentioned how the Cowboys will look at how they use free agency and how it helped the better teams in the league this season, but that guarantees nothing. Much like his dad’s facetious “all-in” comments from last offseason, Cowboys fans will believe it when they see it. Stephen Jones is notoriously cheap when it comes to adding outside players; the organization has signed just one player over $6 million annually since the 2012 offseason, and that was a one-year rental for defensive lineman Greg Hardy in 2015. Other than Hardy, the threshold has rarely been hit and no big-money free agent has been signed by Dallas. Instead, the Cowboys like to re-sign their own free agents and extend their best players before crying poverty. The Joneses (mainly Stephen) will talk about the salary cap and how the pie divides trying to make excuses as to why they don’t use free agency, it’s how the team conducted business last offseason. The Cowboys signed quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to massive extensions but slept through free agency. The team made one outside move, signing linebacker Eric Kendricks, and that was it before the compensatory pick window closed. That cannot be the case again this offseason, even with a high number of their own free agents to re-sign and the priority on extending edge rusher Micah Parsons, the Cowboys have to find quality players from outside the organization. They cannot be last in free agency spending again and expect to turn their fortunes around for 2025. Currently they don’t have a ton of salary cap space, but that can easily be managed by getting Parsons’ deal done quickly and restructuring some contracts, with Prescott and Lamb’s deals leading the way. The Cowboys can create all the cap room they need to be in on good players in the open market. Dallas can also be aggressive in the trade market. It was a successful route in 2023 when they dealt for cornerback Stephon Gilmore and WR Brandin Cooks. Any progressive approach to adding talent will be necessary to give their new coach a chance at being more successful than his predecessors. The Cowboys hired Schottenheimer to get them where their previous six coaches couldn’t, and part of those failures are because of how the front office operates. They can’t continue to do the same thing this time around, hoping it works. If the decision makers don’t give Schottenheimer more to work with, he’ll suffer the same fate as the previous six. This problem isn’t new, the previous two coaches have felt the sting of the organizations unwillingness to be proactive in acquiring talent. The lack of utilizing free agency has been something that’s held the Cowboys back for the past 12 years, and it threatens the team’s future again. Schottenheimer might only have one shot as a head coach, so he’s at the mercy of the Joneses and how they operate the franchise. It’s what he signed up for, and he’s been around the organization long enough to understand the way it works. There’s smiles and laughter now, but no one’s going to care if Schottenheimer can’t deliver on his bold prediction that the Cowboys are “gonna win championships.” The coach can only work with the talent he’s given, and hopefully, Dallas’ front office provides Schottenheimer with the players they need to get over the hump. Solving this Super Bowl drought is as much on the front office, as it is their new head coach.
Cowboys Reacts Survey: Time for an initial verdict on the Brian Schottenheimer hire
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images What would you grade the Brian Schottenheimer hire? It certainly didn’t go as was initially thought. The Dallas Cowboys entered the offseason with their mind set on bringing back Mike McCarthy for another go as head coach. While that may not have been the most popular move, it wasn’t a crazy notion. Then the crazy started to happen. Somewhere along the way in the negotiations between McCarthy and Jerry jones, things went sideways. The majority opinion was that the length of the contract was a big issue, but ideas around control, the make up of the coaching staff and other issues might have played a role. Once the McCarthy break up happened, things got a little weird. Deion Sanders, Jason Witten and other candidates were floated, some with proper qualifications, and others that just made no sense. It was a confusing time until the Cowboys finally settled on offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. The Cowboys are selling it as both continuity for the offense and Dak Prescott, but a change of culture at the Star. They also are hyping Schottenheimer’s experience as an NFL coach, along with his offense evolving with the modern NFL landscape. Schottenheimer laid out his vision, and even got into some specifics on offense, during his introductory press conference. So now that the deed is done, we need you to grade the hire. Forget about the process that got us here, but what is your grade of Schottenheimer as the new Cowboys head coach and what he can bring over the next few years. Vote in the poll and hit the comments. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dallas Cowboys fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Please take our survey
Report: Will McClay signs an extension to stay with the Cowboys
Will McClay has reportedly signed a multi-year extension with the Dallas Cowboys. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys brass, led by Stephen Jones and Will McClay, traveled to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, to evaluate future players for their roster. Whatever that future holds, Jones also ensured McClay would be a part of it for a long time. According to Todd Archer of ESPN, McClay and the Cowboys have agreed to a new contract to keep him with the team for a long time. The Cowboys have signed VP of player personnel Will McClay to a multi-year extension, according to sources. He has overseen Cowboys’ scouting since 2014, found 15 Pro Bowlers, 6 All Pros through the draft. A key retention as club moves forward with new coach Brian Schottenheimer. — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 29, 2025 McClay’s contract was set to expire after the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, so there was uncertainty about how much longer their VP of Player Personnel would be sticking around. McClay has had his fingerprints on many of the Cowboys’ success since his elevated role. McClay spoke about the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer and how he was involved in the interview and decision-making process that led the Jones family to choose Schottenheimer as the team’s 10th head coach. Reading between the lines, having him involved with that process signaled that an extension could be on the horizon and was a positive step forward. The front office usually waits until midnight on an expiring contract to get things done because, in Dallas, “deadlines make deals.” Luckily for the franchise’s future, this deadline didn’t need to strike to happen ahead of time. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come for other extensions and action in free agency for the Jones’
Cowboys extend contract of most important front office member of last decade
Cowboys extend contract of most important front office member of last decade Todd Brock The man that most believe to be the most critically important contributor to any success the Cowboys organization has on the field is staying put, despite a vast sea of current offseason changes all around him. Will McClay, the team’s vice president of player personnel, has signed a multiyear extension to remain with the Cowboys, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The 58-year-old has been with the Cowboys since 2002, first as a pro scout, and he’s served in his current role since 2017. He signed his most recent contract in 2022, but that deal expired earlier in January along with the deals of the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff. McClay has been considered a potential general manager candidate for other clubs in the past. The Commanders, Panthers, and Chargers all requested permission from the Cowboys to interview him for their open GM positions just last year before McClay announced he “didn’t want to waste anybody’s time” and wouldn’t be fielding offers to leave Dallas. The Tennessee native’s son was also entering his senior year of high school, and McClay made it clear that helped influence his decision to stay in Dallas for the final year of his contract. With his son now set to graduate in the spring, the Cowboys staff undergoing massive turnover, and the Jerry/Stephen Jones power structure in Dallas firmly locked in place, some wondered if the writing was on the wall for McClay to finally take an official GM job somewhere else. But McClay has been evaluating college prospects this week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, perhaps a sign that coming to terms on a new contract was simply a formality for both sides. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Before leaving for Mobile, however, McClay was included in the front office’s head coaching search and helped the Cowboys finally land on hiring Brian Schottenheimer. “I think the greatest part is being aligned from the top down,” McClay said of giving the longtime offensive coordinator his first head coaching job. “That’s one of the commitments we all made sitting in there about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it. He’s got a plan, he’s got a vision. We’re going to support that. We’re going to add good players. I have a great feeling about what Schotty and what he’s looking for.” McClay certainly has a proven track record of identifying talented players for the Cowboys. He has found 15 Pro Bowlers and six All-Pros through the draft since taking over the club’s scouting efforts in 2014.
How Dallas can do right by Dak Prescott and Brian Schottenheimer
At the behest of many surrounding the Dallas Cowboys, the team hired their offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, as their next head coach. Dallas didn’t cast a wide net with their search, and although they were linked to some high-profile names like Deion Sanders, but those talks weren’t as serious as the ones they had with Schottenheimer, who ultimately got the job. In the press conference introducing him as head coach, the Cowboys also clarified why they felt Schottenheimer was the right person for the job, prizing some continuity in working with Dak Prescott. The relationship with Prescott is at the core of the decision. In the last few days, multiple reports have stated how good of a relationship Prescott has with his new coach, and some could interpret the hire as a pacification of Prescott, who looks to return from a season-ending hamstring injury last season. When you examine the hire further, the Cowboys are comfortable with tasking Schottenheimer as the leader of their team and extracting the best from Prescott, which is good. Yet, regardless of whatever words the front office uses to sell the hire as some groundbreaking decision, all of this feels feels like dejá vu. On the other hand, suppose the Cowboys front office has seen enough from Schottenheimer to authentically believe he is the caliber of all the other coaches they passed on to hire him. Let’s assume the 2023 All-Pro version of Prescott is something Jerry and Stephen Jones believe Schottenheimer can coax out of Prescott more consistently. If so, then there’s hope for this hire. However, unless the Joneses do things differently to support their quarterback and first-time head coach, this will blow up in their face. Here’s what needs to change to ensure Prescott and Schottenheimer succeed going into next season. For starters, Dallas needs to take free agency seriously. This has been a hot-button issue for what feels like the last ten years, and annually, we remember that the last free agent the team spent a sizable contract on was Brandon Carr in 2012. You cannot expect to compete with the elites in the NFL without supplying your team with the best available talent on the market. In the press conference, Stephen Jones was asked if he had noticed the approach of the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency and how they parlayed that into a Super Bowl appearance. He did acknowledge it but also backslid the Kansas City Chiefs into the conversation to compliment them on how they built through the draft, as if to liken his team to a team on the verge of a three-peat and defend his way of doing business. That’s not acceptable. Dallas has to provide Schottenheimer with more so that he can find early success instead of throwing spare parts at a restoration project the Cowboys’ stingy ways have created. The aversion to paying top-dollar to address holes on the roster has to change in hopes of a quick turnaround. The Cowboys also need to let Schottenheimer have the keys to the castle and let him do it his way. For the team to take on his personality, principles, and ideas, he needs to be allowed to adapt his philosophies. Schottenheimer stated that the system has to fit his players and what they do well. With that said, there shouldn’t be any interference from the front office in how he wants to tailor his offense around the talent he has to work with. Schottenheimer stated that he wanted to incorporate more pre-snap motion into the offense, something that the Cowboys did early last season and then just stopped doing as the year went on, whether it be from personnel changes or external interference. Here’s how bad it got last year: Four games into the season, we have seen enormous regression from the Dallas Cowboys offense in terms of motion usage We are about to compare four games from one season against 17 (talking regular seasons here) of another. The data sets are very different in terms of size. But the fact of the matter is that this year’s Dallas Cowboys have only played in four games, and that is all we use. While four games is not 17, it is enough to draw some legitimate opinions. Looking back before we do sideways for a second, here is where the Dallas Cowboys ranked across the rest of the league last season in terms of motion usage by quarter (shout out to Tom Downey who inspired this whole exercise with his tweet on Thursday). Dallas Cowboys Motion Usage By Quarter, 2023 Q1: 7th Q2: 18th Q3: 15th Q4: 14th This kind of lines up with what we remember from last year’s team. They did a great job of getting involved on offense early, built up leads and then coasted a little bit (not all of the time) while the defense went to work across the second half of games. Before we get to this year, let’s break this down by average amount of motion plays per quarter. Keep in mind that games vary significantly and that sometimes you don’t touch the ball a ton in a certain quarter. Consider that Dallas held the ball for under 25 minutes total last week against the New York Giants as an example of how volatile this can be. Nevertheless, here are those averages. Average Dallas Cowboys Motion Plays Per Quarter, 2023 Q1: 10.6 Q2: 9.1 Q3: 8.3 Q4: 8.8 The decimals make it weird so round up or down, however you’d like and depending on what kind of mood you are in. The overall point of this discussion and exercise is not to look at the variance by quarter across last season but rather against what the team is doing through four games this year. Letting Schottenheimer run his offense unimpeded would be the best thing for him. Moreover, at that point, Dallas must also permit Schottenheimer to make his mistakes early on. As a first-time head coach, there
Cowboys news: Mike McCarthy misses out in 2025; Dallas adds to staff
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The latest Dallas Cowboys news. Source: Mike McCarthy not planning to coach in NFL this year – ESPN You can phrase it however you want, but no interest from any NFL team means Mike McCarthy will have to wait a year before trying to get back into coaching. Mike McCarthy, the former Dallas Cowboys coach who was in the running for the New Orleans Saints job, is no longer planning to coach this year, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as the favorite for the position, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday night. McCarthy will focus on the 2026 hiring cycle instead, a source said. He had been scheduled to interview with the Saints this week. Moore, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka all have already had second interviews with the team. McCarthy had a 49-35 record in his five seasons as coach of Dallas. His contract expired after the season, and the sides mutually agreed to head in different directions. He had interviewed for the Chicago Bears head-coaching job before they hired Ben Johnson last week. The Saints are the last NFL team with a current head-coach opening. Nick Sorensen named special teams coordinator – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com Brian Schottenheimer is filling out his staff. One day after being named head coach, Brian Schottenheimer can turn his attention to the coaching staff. Getting his coordinators in place is a top priority as he has now hired two of them on Tuesday. Nick Sorensen has officially been named special teams coordinator, a position he held in Jacksonville in 2021. Earlier in the day, Schottenheimer hired Matt Eberflus as the defensive coordinator. Most recently, Sorensen spent the last three seasons with the 49ers, including last year as the defensive coordinator. Sorensen, a 10-year veteran as a player from 2001-10, has plenty of playing experience on special teams. As a coach, he was an assistant on the Seahawks’ staff in 2013-16. Sorensen has been on staff with Schottenheimer before, both serving on the Jaguars staff in 2021. Who is Nick Sorensen? 5 things to know about Cowboys’ special teams coordinator – Staff DMN A little more on new special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen Sorensen and Schottenheimer have teamed up in the past. The coaches previously worked together in Seattle and Jacksonville. Sorensen was the Seahawks’ secondary coach from 2017-20, while Schottenheimer served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2018-20. Sorensen and Schottenheimer also worked together on Urban Meyer’s Jaguars staff in 2021. Sorensen was the team’s special teams coordinator, while Schottenheimer was the passing game coordinator. […] Before entering the coaching ranks, Sorensen played in the NFL for 10 years. The Virginia Tech product was a defensive back, but he made his biggest impact on special teams. Sorensen played for three teams throughout his professional career, appearing in 131 games. After spending two years in St. Louis, he enjoyed a four-year stint with the Jaguars. He was a special teams captain in Jacksonville before moving on to the Cleveland Browns. […] Sorensen was on Pete Carroll’s staff when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. He was an assistant special teams coach during the team’s championship run, holding that position from 2013-15. The Seahawks dominated their Super Bowl matchup against Denver from start to finish, being boosted by an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown from Percy Harvin. 2025 Super Bowl: Cowboys looking at Eagles’ and Chiefs’ roster-building methods as they evaluate approach – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports Is this the year Jerry Jones changes his methods? For the second time in three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting on the couch while the Philadelphia Eagles, one of their NFC East division rivals, prepare to play in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. The last time this happened in the 2022 season, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones mistakenly labeled the Eagles’ approach to free agency and roster building as ”putting it all out there and paying for it later.” The Eagles have used their approach of being aggressive in both free agency and re-signing their own, top drafted players to early extensions to win NFC titles in both 2022 and 2024. Now, Jerry Jones and his son, Cowboys COO and EVP Stephen Jones, admitted they’re at least open to evaluating their approach and potentially making changes when they spoke at new head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s introductory press conference Monday. Dallas went 7-10 in 2024 — following three consecutive 12-5 seasons from 2021 to 2023 — after spending an NFL-low $20.47 million in free agency, per OverTheCap.com, since the last Super Bowl was played. It almost exclusively relied on its own draft picks to provide immediate impacts, including rookies, and that didn’t work out. That was Jerry Jones’ ”get it done with less” approach. “We’re obviously evaluating where it didn’t go right in terms of this drought that people say we’re in in terms of a championship game or a Super Bowl. We just have to continue to make this roster better,” Stephen Jones said Monday. “Certainly we’ll do a real deep dive on putting some personnel together whether it be through the draft, free agency. I know typically that’s not been the way we’ve done this team, but we’ll certainly look at it. … We’re going to take a long hard look at how we’ve looked at free agency. And if we need to change some things there, we will.”
2025 Free Agency: Cowboys could give Schottenheimer $67 million in cap space with no regrets
2025 Free Agency: Cowboys could give Schottenheimer $67 million in cap space with no regrets K.D. Drummond Now that the Dallas Cowboys have settled on a new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, the attention has turned to filling out his coaching staff. But after that is completed, the process of finding veteran solutions to their roster deficiencies becomes front and center. The 2025 NFL salary cap hasn’t been announced yet, that will come in the first week of March. But the league has alerted its 32 teams the cap should come in between $270 million and $275 million. Working with the median of that range ($272.5 million), Dallas enters the offseason slightly over the cap, but with ways to get way under. According to the NFLPA, Dallas is carrying over $18.5 million of unused 2024 cap space that rolls over into 2025, and it’s needed because the Cowboys have $296 million in contract commitments, according to Over The Cap. Here’s a look at how the Cowboys can create the necessary cap space to re-sign their players, and what they likely won’t do in order to create room and sign some external free agents. 2025 Restructures that will create more space CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) Dak Prescott’s deal calls for a 2025 base salary of $47.75 million. He’ll get that cash, but there’s an obvious reason why his four-year extension included another four void years that run through 2032. The Cowboys are going to pull the restructure lever and kick the majority of his base salary down the road in five-year installments. To keep the accounting neat, we’ll assume they drop his base salary down to $2.75 million for 2025, and turn $45 million into a restructure bonus. That’s allocated across each year, from 2025 through 2029, at $9 million per. Now his 2025 cap hit plummets from $89.9 million to $53.9 million, shaving $36 million in space. CeeDee Lamb’s deal is similar. Pare his $26.85 million base salary down to $1.85 million and spread that $25 million across five years, shaving $20 million off the 2025 cap. Together that’s another $56 million in space. Micah Parsons Fans concerned that the club still needs to sign Micah Parsons to a record-setting extension shouldn’t be. He’s going to get his money, and it’s actually going to help the 2025 cap situation. That’s because Parsons is already on the books for his fifth-year option salary at $21 million, when his extension hits, his 2025 cap hit will likely drop to $10 million or below, freeing up another $11 million worth of cap space for a total of $67 million. Questionable moves Those are the easy ones. Dallas doesn’t have to restructure Prescott’s or Lamb’s deal all at once. Those can be done as necessary to clear space to make acquisitions, piece by piece. Parsons’ extension won’t be rushed, as witnessed by the drawn-out process for the two deals from last summer. And, Dallas could create more room if the want, but these are more questionable. Moving cap hit from the current year to future years makes sense; $20 million takes up a higher percentage of cap space in 2025 than it would in future seasons with higher caps. It’s a bang-for-the-buck thing. But that only works when the player is likely to see those future years. Players who are on the decline, or with serious injuries aren’t wise restructures. In that vein, there’s another __ million of space Dallas could reap. Right tackle Terence Steele struggled for much of 2024, though he improvd down the stretch. But if Dallas doesn’t see him as their long-term right tackle, then it wouldn’t be wise to restructure him, though it could shave $9 million off the cap. Trevon Diggs suffered a significant knee injury towards the end of the season, and has missed the majority of the last two seasons after signing a huge deal in 2023. Restructuring him could add $6 million of space. That’s another $15 million, without even adding void years to either deal, for a total of $82 million. There’s also the potential that some players are released, which could reap even more savings, but those wouldn’t have to be motivated by the need to add space, rather not seeing those players as worth the expense. Follow all of your favorite Texas teams at Cowboys Wire, Longhorns Wire, Texans Wire, Rockets Wire and Aggies Wire!
Former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy to focus on 2026 cycle, will not coach this season
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Mike McCarthy is sitting out the 2025 season. The Dallas Cowboys introduced Brian Schottenheimer as their new head coach in a press conference on Monday and his predecessor was brought up a few times. Mike McCarthy left the Cowboys on some, um, interesting terms, and since he has he has been on the look for a new gig. It was reported on Tuesday night that he will have to wait until at least 2026. Mike McCarthy is apparently taking the 2025 season off, according to NFL Network. Former #Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has decided to focus on the 2026 hiring cycle and will not coach in the NFL this season, sources tell me and @RapSheet. McCarthy, who has made the playoffs 12 times in 18 seasons, is expected to be a strong candidate a year from now. pic.twitter.com/Vr8mMijIkq — Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 29, 2025 McCarthy interviewed for the Chicago Bears job that ultimately went to Ben Johnson. He also was in discussions with the New Orleans Saints, who have also interviewed former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and they were the last team left needing a coach after Dallas hired Schottenheimer. It appears either McCarthy felt the Saints job wasn’t going to be his or wasn’t worth his time. You will recall that McCarthy sat out the 2019 season after his previous team in the Green Bay Packers fired him before the 2018 campaign was over. That led to his famous project where he put together a plan for what he would do differently with a new team that ultimately became the Cowboys in 2020.
Here’s what changes Cowboys fans can expect from Schottenheimer’s offense
Here’s what changes Cowboys fans can expect from Schottenheimer’s offense reidhanson When the Dallas Cowboys announced the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as their next head coach, fans scrambled for answers. The long-time assistant coach didn’t have a head coaching history to reference, and his years as an offensive assistant were mixed in both style and substance. Even his time in Dallas was shrouded in mystery because despite holding the role of offensive coordinator, it wasn’t Schottenheimer calling the plays but rather head coach Mike McCarthy. The Schottenheimer name is synonymous with ground-and-pound football. It was the legacy of Schottenheimer’s father, and the defining trait at more than a few of the younger Schottenheimer’s coaching stops. But to simply call Schottenheimer a “run-first” offensive mind is being a little disingenuous. He’s really much more than that. The Cowboys new head coach opened up about his offense on Monday at the introductory press conference. He dropped some worthwhile nuggets that should be pleasing to most inquiring minds. “He and I see the game of football, offensively, very similar,” Schottenheimer said of Dak Prescott. “We’ll have tons of communication moving forward on some thoughts of things we want to do, whether that’s tempo or some of the different things we’re trying to do with our play action passing game, the run game, things like that.” To anyone nostalgic for the days of Norv Turner’s play-action rich offense, this should be music to the ears. McCarthy was generally averse to play-action passing, with both Prescott and Cooper Rush ranking near the bottom of the league in its usage. When Schottenheimer was offensive coordinator for Seattle, he had one of the deadliest play-action offenses in the league. Based off a strong ground game, Russell Wilson cooked up big plays when utilizing play action. It’s that same thing Schottenheimer hopes to do with Prescott in Dallas. To make it all work he’s going to want a stronger running game. The Cowboys ranked 26th in the NFL last season in EPA/rush so it’s safe to say significant attention will be paid to improving the running game for 2025. “I’m a big believer in cut splits,” Schottenheimer explained. “I’m a big believer in shifts and motions to distort things. We’re going to do a great job of marrying our runs and our passes and make those look the same. I’m proud to say that two different times in my career as a coordinator we led the league in rushing.” This could come off as a major red flag to some, and rightfully so. An outdated offense centered on the running game is an analytically minded person’s worst nightmare. Even with a recent resurgence of the ground game in 2024, the NFL is a passing league. Only three teams posted a higher EPA/play on the ground than through the air and those offenses all finished in the bottom 10 overall last season. But again, referencing Schottenheimer’s days with the Seahawks provides some clarity on his run-pass splits. Schottenheimer ran the Seattle offense from 2018 through 2020. During that time his pass rate over expected was -2%. It leaned towards the running game but not overwhelmingly. Year to year, Schottenheimer moved in the passing game’s direction, going from -11% to -2% and finally landing on +6% in 2020. To those happy at the love Schottenheimer paid to play action, they’re probably even happier hearing the new coach discuss shifts and motion as staples of his ideal offense. While he didn’t clarify whether the motion was pre-snap or at the snap, he gave the impression it was the more impactful latter category. Those comments, combined with his mention of cut splits spark visions of the 49ers offense under Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan is notorious for deploying versatile personnel groups in tight formations. He uses motion at the snap regularly and designs passing plays to look almost identical to running plays in both personnel and formation. He’s a big believer in the running game but he designs it to be productive and efficient. It all sets the stage for big chunk plays downfield and in today’s NFL, it’s all about those explosive chunk plays. It’s safe to say the Cowboys will not be passing the ball at the same rate they were under McCarthy, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The new coach sounds as if he’s embracing the tricks of the trade that have made the Shanahan coaching tree so expansive. He’s not going to run the ball for the sake of it, but rather run the ball more efficiently and use it to set up a more efficient and more explosive passing game. Whether any of this comes to be is anyone’s guess but based on his recent history and what he said in the press conference, the Cowboys are going to have an efficient and deceptive offense in 2025. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
