Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott provides first official update on injury, rehab as Cowboys build for 2025 – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com Dallas’ quarterback is ready to get back to work for 2025. A trying 2024 campaign became that much more so when Dak Prescott went down in early November with what turned out to be a season-ending injury. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback tore his hamstring off of the bone in his attempt to take down the Falcons in Atlanta, and he’s been on the mend ever since. A lot has happened since then, including the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy parting ways and Brian Schottenheimer ushering in his era with an impressive staff surrounding him — he and Prescott looking forward to a revamped offense, and overall team, in Dallas. But first, Prescott has to return to the field and, speaking from the Children’s Cancer Fund event in Dallas in mid-February, he gave his first public update on his status. “What’s it been — 12 weeks or so after surgery now? I’m really looking to amp it up and gather all my confidence,” said the All-Pro quarterback. “We’ll be fine.” It goes without saying this is good news for all involved. It’s a 180-degree turn from the ominous tone that immediately followed the injury. “Didn’t think much of it, to be honest with you,” said Prescott at the time. “And then on the next play — throwing the stop route — pulled something. It was something I’d never felt.” Now preparing to turn up his rehabilitation with the hopes of doing some sort of work when the Cowboys’ offseason program gets underway, neither he nor the team will risk rushing the progress; but it’s also understood the sooner the better for an offense and an offensive playbook that will undergo a complete rebuild in 2025. NFL executive says Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer is ‘underrated’ – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated Some people around the league feel Schottenheimer should get more respect. An unnamed NFL executive recently told Jeff Howe of The Athletic that Schottenheimer is an “underrated” coach and praised the vision he has for his team. “He has the ability to be a better head coach than coordinator,” the executive said via Howe. “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.” We’ll have to wait to see if Schottenheimer is indeed an underrated coach but it’s hard to argue he doesn’t have a vision. Schottenheimer was impressive during his introductory presser and shared his philosophies with conviction. He’s also put together a strong collection of assistants, where his plan to improve the ground game has been the focal point. Now he needs to attack the roster with the same aggressiveness as he aims to prove his anonymous supporter right. Chargers floated as trade destination for Cowboys’ projected $175 million superstar – Jackson Roberts, SportingNews.com It’s the offseason, so outlandish hypotheticals regarding Dallas are being discussed. The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons aren’t publicly acknowledging the possibility of a blockbuster trade, but it’s not entirely off the table. It’s going to cost the Cowboys an arm and a leg to keep Parsons, which will be tough to fit in the payroll after extending Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb for nearly $400 million combined. ESPN’s Ben Solak projected a five-year, $175 million deal for the star edge-rusher in January. The Cowboys are likely to offer something in that ballpark, but there’s no telling for sure if the two sides can come to an agreement. So even if Parsons is much more likely to stay than he is to go, it’s certainly worth considering which teams might have the best shot to land him if the winds change course. One NFL writer recently speculated that he could be headed out west. On Tuesday, Last Word on Sports’ Anthony Palacios named the Los Angeles Chargers as a “possible trade destination” for Parsons in the event he gets moved this offseason. “Khalil Mack doesn’t look like he’ll be coming back and Joey Bosa is a cut candidate. Meanwhile, they have to find a contract that suits Poona Ford after the one season he had last year with the Chargers,” Palacios wrote. But that’s about where the positivity ends. Even if the future of their payroll looks bleak, Cowboys fans will be furious if owner/general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t move mountains to ensure Parsons stays in Dallas. Cowboys roundtable: Coaching staff, Darren Woodson, and draft options in the trenches – BloggingTheBoys.com Some BTB writers share their thoughts on Darren Woodson’s Hall of Fame snubbing. Will Darren Woodson ever get entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and what do you make of his denial yet again? Legendary safety and three time Super Bowl winner, Darren Woodson, was again snubbed from entering the Hall of Fame. Frustration among Cowboys fans and media personnel quickly hit to social media to vent their anger. The fact that Woodson is still somehow out of Canton is one of the biggest mysteries in football right now. Howman: I mean, he has to at some point, right? I really don’t understand the hold up to this point. Those 90’s Cowboys teams have so many Hall of Famers already, and rightfully so, but you can’t tell the story of that dynasty without Woodson. So how has he been snubbed this many times? Brian: I honestly don’t know why Darren Woodson hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame yet, but I do know it will happen eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. After all, his credentials speak for themselves and matchup with anyone else who already has a bust in Canton. Tom: It makes no sense to me. It’s the problem with subjective awards. Who knows what the voters are thinking. Jess: Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champ and three-time First-team All-Pro.
Cowboys Headlines: Dak updates hamstring rehab, Micah trade talk continues, Witten sets record straight on coaching interest
Dak Prescott provides first official update on injury, rehab as Cowboys build for 2025 :: The Mothership Link Performing his annual co-hosting duties at the Children’s Cancer Fund event in Dallas this week, Prescott was moving well without any crutches or braces. “What’s it been — 12 weeks or so after surgery now? I’m really looking to amp it up and gather all my confidence,” said the All-Pro quarterback. “We’ll be fine.” Dak Prescott says Cowboys ‘very close’ to winning Super Bowl :: ESPN Link Prescott also raised a few eyebrows when he gave his prognosis for the 2025 team, saying, “It’s our turn, and it’s on us” to go win a trophy. Naysayers will point out it’s been 29 seasons, the entire coaching staff has turned over within the last month, and Prescott and several other high-profile Cowboys will be coming off injuries, so they may not actually be “very close,” as Prescott professed. But as the face of the franchise and leader of the team, what else is he supposed to say? Dallas ‘needs’ to trade Micah Parsons due to ‘culture,’ claims Cowboys ex :: Athlon Sports Link Former defensive lineman Chris Canty thinks the team should “show the rest of the locker room that our culture matters” by shipping Parsons out of town. Canty cited examples like Parsons’s podcast and his often outspoken comments as examples of behavior that doesn’t exactly “empower” and “uplift” the other guys in the building. Micah Parsons appeals to Myles Garrett with ‘Avengers’ plea to join Cowboys, bring down Eagles :: Micah Parsons Should Cowboys release 2 starters just to keep this FA on a $100 million deal? :: Cowboys Wire Link Osa Odighizuwa had his best season yet and could shine even brighter in Matt Eberflus’s front-four-heavy defensive scheme, but he’s about to be courted by other teams. The Cowboys could keep him, but at a possible $100 million-plus price tag, it would mean cutting someone else. And maybe more than one someone; Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are coming off a forgettable season in which both veterans struggled. Cutting them would result in some dead money but would provide enough cap room to lock down Odighizuwa. Troy Aikman speaks on 30-year drought for Cowboys, offers optimism for Brian Schottenheimer hire :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Link Aikman says he thought the Cowboys would return to the title game soon after their last win in Super Bowl XXX. Instead, “here we are almost three decades later and no one has been back.” Of Schottenheimer, the man who’ll try to finally lead them there, the Hall of Famer says, “He’s been coaching a long time. He’s got to be as prepared as anyone who has not yet been a head coach can be. I’m hopeful that he does a great job.” Cowboys must improve talent at this position to compete with Eagles :: Cowboys Wire Link After watching the Eagles’ pass-catching duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the Super Bowl, it’s clear the Cowboys need a ton more production from their WR2. Brandin Cooks was hurt for much of the season and is set to hit free agency. Jalen Tolbert has improved, but he isn’t a legitimate weapon yet. Jalen Brooks? Ryan Flournoy? Jonathan Mingo? All developmental projects at this point; signing another mediocre journeyman or drafting another late-round prospect would be just more of the same. It’s time for a major investment at the position. NFL insiders rank best head coach hires: Why Vrabel tops list; Schottenheimer ‘underrated’? :: The Athletic Link Of the seven new head coaches in the NFL, a group of league personnel execs and coaches ranked Brian Schottenheimer dead last. Yet one respondent called him “underrated” and explained, “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.” Jason Witten was not contacted about joining Cowboys 2025 staff, but wants to one day coach in the NFL :: The Mothership Link “I did not talk to Jerry about it,” the former tight end confirmed about the widespread rumor that he was in the running for a job on the Cowboys’ coaching staff. “Of course, that’s a long term goal of mine one day, to get back there when the right opportunity comes,” Witten said. For now, he’ll stay at Liberty Christian and go for a three-peat at the state level. Judge pushes trial date in sexual assault lawsuit against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones :: Dallas Morning News Link The lawsuit brought against Jones by a woman who alleges the Cowboys owner “kissed her on the mouth and forcibly grabbed her without her consent” at AT&T Stadium in 2018 has been rescheduled. Instead of starting March 3 as it was supposed to (after being moved once), the trial will now likely be re-slated once again for later in the year. Jones calls the woman’s story “categorically false.” NFL sued for not allowing teams on Bluesky :: Awful Announcing Link A group of fans has filed an antitrust lawsuit against the league over their decision to prohibit the Cowboys and other teams from having official accounts on the emerging social media platform Bluesky. The lawsuit states that some fans “do not want to have to follow their teams on Elon Musk’s X platform. As consumers, they should be free to decide that they do not want to do business with a particular outlet or brand.” It’s thought by some industry watchers that the NFL would want to be compensated for helping legitimize the app as a viable alternative to X. New Guardian Cap design should improve aesthetics, while studies continue to study concussion reduction :: Uni Watch Link While a few players around the league wore the protective cap during games in 2024, many more did not, based solely on how they looked. Guardian Cap will
Cowboys roundtable: Coaching staff, Darren Woodson, and draft options in the trenches
Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Tom Ryle, David Howman, Brian Martin, Sean Martin, and Jess Haynie. What do you think of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching hires so far? There was a lot of apprehension when it came to Jerry Jones hiring Brian Schottenheimer and fans were very vocal on the fact. But what Schottenheimer has put together for his staff is really quite interesting. Matt Erberflus joins the ranks as the teams defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen replaces John Fassel as special teams coordinator, and just recently the team found their new offensive coordinator in Klayton Adams. The other positional coaches have all been positive and so far have raised the bar and put some optimism in Cowboys fans. On offense, the hires really emphasize a shift to be run-heavy next season, on defense we should expect less stunts and blitzes and more of a shift to becoming a methodical, Tampa-2 defense looking to force mistakes in a bend-don’t-break scheme. Howman: I think he’s hit home run after home run. Matt Eberflus is probably the least exciting hire to me, only because his scheme is a bit too passive compared to Mike Zimmer or even Dan Quinn, but his track record is strong. I’ve loved every single offensive coaching hire, especially Klayton Adams and Conor Riley. Schottenheimer has done the opposite of what most coaches do, which is hire a bunch of his buddies, and instead looked for coaches that bring creativity and outside-the-box thinking. I love it. Brian: On paper I really like the way Brian Schottenheimer has filled out his coaching staff. He has a good mix of veteran NFL coaching experience as well as some highly-regarded coaches from the collegiate ranks. I think it’s going to be really interesting to see how this coaching staff gels together and what kind of changes they make. Tom: Sorry if I’m too predictable, but what has me excited is not seeing any Jerry fingerprints on these hires. It really feels like Schotty is calling the shots – so far. But this is a much better start than I expected. Jess: I agree with my colleagues here. It’s nice to see less nepotism and more creativity in the hires. The assumed run-game focus could be great for Dak Prescott, but will mean making sure the offensive line has what it needs to function consistently. The onus moves to the front office to to give these coaches what they need to succeed. Sean: The hires so far all point to a sense of cohesion in what they’ve talked about wanting to achieve. Already this is a step in the right direction compared to not backing up any of their talk – as incoherent as it was anyway – from last offseason’s disaster. The hires can be as good or bad as anyone thinks though, they give no indication at all to the job Schottenheimer will do at the head of it all, and without that I don’t see many fans buying back in fully anytime soon, even after the slight optimism generated by these hires so far. Will Darren Woodson ever get entered into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and what do you make of his denial yet again? Legendary safety and three time Super Bowl winner, Darren Woodson, was again snubbed from entering the Hall of Fame. Frustration among Cowboys fans and media personnel quickly hit to social media to vent their anger. The fact that Woodson is still somehow out of Canton is one of the biggest mysteries in football right now. Howman: I mean, he has to at some point, right? I really don’t understand the hold up to this point. Those 90’s Cowboys teams have so many Hall of Famers already, and rightfully so, but you can’t tell the story of that dynasty without Woodson. So how has he been snubbed this many times? Brian: I honestly don’t know why Darren Woodson hasn’t been voted into the Hall of Fame yet, but I do know it will happen eventually. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later. After all, his credentials speak for themselves and matchup with anyone else who already has a bust in Canton. Tom: It makes no sense to me. It’s the problem with subjective awards. Who knows what the voters are thinking. Jess: Woody was a three-time Super Bowl Champ and three-time First-team All-Pro. Eric Allen, who’s in the 2025 class, has no rings and only made First-team once. Not saying Allen didn’t deserve to make it, but it’s unfathomable that they’d also deny Woodson. My hope is that they already intend to put Woody in the 2026 class along with Jason Witten as a first-ballot guy, to make it a big Cowboys weekend. Sean: To be honest, most of Woodson’s career with the Cowboys was before my time getting into the team, so I’ve always been fascinated by this conversation when it comes to how adamant fans are about him getting into Canton. I will defer to Jess here, who makes a great point about pairing him with Jason Witten and creating a Cowboys weekend. Sign me up for that. Which is more important to address in this year’s draft, offensive line or defensive line? Both the offensive and defensive line is a huge need for Dallas, thankfully this year’s crop of both defensive tackles and offensive linemen is deep and has plenty of options s available to the new coaching staff. What they decide on prioritizing will begin to unveil itself as they interview players at the combine and who they bring in on private visits which will be reported here on Blogging The Boys. Howman: I’m of the opinion you should draft at least one guy
2025 NFL Draft: Former Oregon players who could join Junior Adams in Dallas
Photo by CFP/Getty Images Several former Oregon Ducks could interest the Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft. Sometimes figuring out who the Dallas Cowboys could target in the offseason to upgrade their roster is as simple as connecting the dots. With the coaching staff filling out under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, that’s exactly what we’re going to attempt to do today. Junior Adams was recently hired to be the new Dallas Cowboys wide receiver coach, the same position he held recently with the Oregon Ducks. He is highly-regarded for the work he has done developing WRs during his time in Oregon and will hopefully do the same now with the Cowboys. Considering how talented Oregon was last year, and connecting the dots, we can only assume Junior Adams’ familiarity with several former Oregon players could lead the Cowboys to become interested in some of them in the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, there almost a dozen with draftable grades according to the consensus big board who could be of interest to them. Consensus big board ranking for Oregon’s 2025 draft class OT Josh Conley Jr. (30) DT Derrick Harmon (32) QB Dillon Gabriel (84) WR Tez Johnson (86) EDGE/DL Jordan Burch (89) TE Terrance Ferguson (123) OT Ajani Cornelius (129) LB Jeffrey Bassa (135) DT Jamaree Caldwell (191) RB Jordan James (194) CB Jamar Muhammad (205) As you can see, there are a number former Oregon Ducks who could be of interest to the Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft now that Junior Adams has joined Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching staff. While Adam’s probably only worked directly with Tez Johnson as his position coach, he should know the rest of these prospects fairly well as well. A case could be made for just about any one of these prospects for Dallas. Of this group Josh Conley and Derek Harmon are first-round prospects who could be immediate impact players. Tez Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, and Jeffrey Bassa could potentially challenge for starting jobs and nearly everyone else could provide much-needed depth at positions of need. All in all, the Oregon Ducks 2025 draft class could be one the Cowboys keep a close eye on when the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway due to Adams’ familiarity with this group of players. Having that kind of inside knowledge could prove to be invaluable on draft day for the decision-making process in the war room.
Understanding what the Cowboys can learn from the Eagles risky, yet crafty, front office moves
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images The Cowboys have a lot to learn about roster construction from the Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions. Those are seven words that are never fun to type, but it’s the reality we live in. A team that not too long ago had zero Super Bowl wins, now has two. Oh, bother. What makes the Eagles’ success even more painful is that many people feel their GM Howie Roseman operates exactly opposite to that of Cowboys GM Jerry Jones. The Eagles spend money left and right and the Cowboys do not. The Eagles go after a hot free agent while the Cowboys find a veteran willing to sign for the league minimum. When the Eagles want to re-sign one of their own, they sign them to an extension right away while Dallas waits until an hour before kickoff of the new season. Opposites. It’s rather evident the Eagles are doing a lot of things right. Over the last eight seasons, they’ve only missed the playoffs once, and that was the dreadful 2020 season when they learned that Carson Wentz wasn’t the guy and turned to Jalen Hurts, who at the time was just a rookie. Outside of one transitional season, they’ve been in the mix for the better part of a decade. That’s really good. The Eagles deserve a lot of credit for what they’re doing, but it’s important to understand how they’re doing it. Some of it’s good. Some of it is quite risky. Most people couldn’t care less because when they’re bringing home the hardware, who cares how they get there? Regardless of whether that’s your position, having a strong sense of what they’re doing is important for learning. Some things can be taken from it that are helpful. Other things, maybe not. Let’s lay everything on the table to see what’s going on. They are borrowing This has been a topic that has been discussed quite a bit this year. We all are aware that the Eagles are spending a lot of money. Our own One Cool Customer did a great job breaking down how they are going about it, and it’s important to understand what they are doing. They are relentless spenders – Whatever they need, they go out and get. If there’s an area of the roster where they are deficient, they’ll address it. Whether it’s re-signing their own players or spending money in free agency, they will keep everyone they want to keep. Money is no option. They are pushing money out – The Eagles are given the same budget as everyone else and they’re not pulling off some financial sorcery to sign all of these players. What they’re doing is simple. They’re restructuring money. It’s a common thing in the NFL and everyone does it, but the Eagles have taken it to a whole new level. They have structured so many contracts where the money they’re spending has been pushed off into void years of their contract. It’s the basic “kick the can” principle, only the Eagles are kicking at unprecedented levels. Philadelphia has a cash commitment of $1.1 billion through the 2028 season. The league average is $682 million. We can sit in awe of the Eagle’s approach all we want, but we must also acknowledge that they are making a conscious decision to use an enormous amount of future resources to be great right now. They are investing Spending doesn’t automatically equal winning. Just ask the Cleveland Browns. Philly and Cleveland are the only two teams who have a ginormous amount of their cap hits deferred into void years. Even the Browns overinvesting pales in comparison to the Eagles, but these two teams are far from the pack as no other team in the NFL is over $112 million. But no one is praising the Browns for their roster-building prowess, and that’s because the Browns aren’t winning. It’s not the approach people are enamored by, but rather the results. The Eagles have gotten better results, not just from their inflated spending, but also from how they have invested the money. Free agency – The Eagles made a fantastic signing in Saquon Barkley. Everything lined up perfectly for that situation. Barkley was healthy, the Eagles’ offensive line was fantastic, and Kellen Moore/Jeff Stoutland maximized his talent. That was a home run pick. While the Eagles forked out some cash for that, they also landed an amazing low-cost find of linebacker Zack Baun who had an All-Pro season. Oddly enough, the Eagle’s most expensive free agent signing last offseason was edge rusher Bryce Huff. The Eagles gave him a three-year, $51 million deal, but he’s been a player of no consequence. Nobody is talking about him being a free agent blunder because again, the team is winning. Philadelphia is throwing a bunch of money out there and hoping some of it sticks, and fortunately for them, some of it is. Drafting – This is one of the biggest needle movers. A team that was once drafting first-rounders like Nelson Agholar, Jaelen Reagor, and Andre Dillard is now hitting Day 1 home runs. They’ve built an incredible offensive line presence with the help of two second-round gems in recent drafts, Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson. They doubled up at nose tackle in back-to-back drafts with Jordan Davis and game-wrecker Jalen Carter. And they just had a second-round rookie Cooper DeJean take a Patrick Mahomes interception to the house for a pick-six in the Super Bowl. It pains us to say this, but the Eagles are drafting a lot better these days. Trades – The Eagles are wheelers and dealers. In the last three seasons, they have made moves to acquire A.J. Brown, D’Andre Swift, and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Those guys have been key players for them. Now, they also have made plenty of deals that haven’t amounted to much. Players like Kevin Byard, Kenny Pickett, Jahan Dotson, and Robert Quinn didn’t live up to the high praise
Dak Prescott thinks Cowboys are ‘very close’ to Super Bowl champion Eagles
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Dak Prescott has confidence in the Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys had a rough 2024 campaign. It was an injury-plagued season, and it happened to their top stars like quarterback Dak Prescott, cornerback Trevon Diggs, and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, who all had to be shut down for the year. Micah Parsons also missed significant time. It resulted in a 7-10 record and the 12th pick in the NFL draft coming up in April. Things were a lot different for their biggest rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. With the acquisition of running back Saqoun Barkley leading the way to a historic 2,000-yard season, the Eagles ran through the NFL with a 14-3 record that included a sweep of the Cowboys and an NFC East crown. On top of that, the Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs to win their second Super Bowl title in the last eight seasons. The Eagles have also made three Super Bowl appearances over that span. Going back to the aforementioned Prescott, he made some waves on Tuesday. When he was asked where the Cowboys stand in terms of competing with the Eagles, Prescott said that the gap isn’t big at all. Dak Prescott said he believes the Cowboys are “very close” when asked about how they stack up against the Philadelphia Eagles pic.twitter.com/dzZE8qLZdX — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 11, 2025 There is some good reason for Prescott’s feelings. During the first nine years of his career, he’s had tremendous success when facing the Eagles. As a starter, Prescott has a record of 9-4 against Philadelphia. There’s something to be said about that because it shows that the Cowboys can compete with the Eagles when it comes to the NFC East. However, when switching gears to the postseason, that’s where the Eagles separate from the Cowboys. Over the last three years, the Eagles have made the playoffs each time. During that span, they have racked up six playoff wins with two trips to the Super Bowl, and they have won a world championship. On the other hand, the Cowboys, while making two playoff appearances over that timeframe, have only produced a playoff record of 1-2, meaning they haven’t even sniffed a conference title game. So, in the grand scheme of things, the Eagles compete on a championship level while the Cowboys are pretty much a one-and-done franchise as far as the postseason goes. It’s nice that Prescott has the confidence that he has in regards to the Eagles, but the Cowboys have a long way to go to be on their level in terms of competing for the ultimate goal. That might change under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but until it’s seen, the Cowboys are chasing the Eagles, and they have quite a bit of work to do to catch up.
Cowboys odds for next Super Bowl may be a surprise to Jerry Jones
Photo by Nitschmann/ullstein bild via Getty Images Vegas thinks it’s going to be all uphill for the Cowboys in 2025 The worst teams in the NFC, according to 2026 Super Bowl odds released by the oddsmakers at BetMGM, are, in order: New York Giants (Soo much “yes” to this) New Orleans Saints (No kidding) Carolina Panthers (Yeah, for sure) Dallas Cow … WHAAAT? A mere five days ago, the owner assured me the Cowboys are in “win now” mode, but the oddsmakers seem to see next season as more of a rebuild season than anything else. Eagles are the early favorite to win it all in 2026 Will they go back-to-back? pic.twitter.com/IG8ih3BD91 — BetMGM (@BetMGM) February 10, 2025 There are lots of things that can change between now and the end of the 2025 season, but these odds are a strong indicator that the betting public believes the window for the Cowboys to be a Super Bowl contender is firmly closed, and may be for the foreseeable future. The Cowboys have 22 unrestricted free agents heading into 2025, Stephen Jones regularly goes into a fetal position at the start of free agency and plays “How Soon Is Now” by The Smiths for days on end, their draft record over the last few years is spotty at best, and they continue to “act like a franchise that doesn’t know how to manage the cap.” Where’s the help for this team going to come from? A first-year head coach and some players coming back from injury and staying healthy? That’s it? No wonder the oddsmakers are kicking the Cowboys into the NFL’s trash bin of non-playoff contenders. Of course, the Cowboys could prove all their doubters wrong too. They could add key pieces in free agency, they could draft immediate impact players, they could pry open the salary cap purse strings Stephen is clutching so tightly. They could even pay a running backs coach more than he is making as a college coach – no, sorry, my bad, that’s pushing it too far. Normally, this is the time of year where you put last season in the rearview mirror and where every single one of the 32 NFL teams gets excited about what they’re doing, and every single fan base starts believing that if things work out just the right way, their team will make the playoffs. This is the time of year where hope springs eternal and everybody feels optimistic about the new season, except that’s very hard as a Cowboys fan right now. But then again, last year may not matter as much as we think. Recency bias is the tendency to think that trends and patterns we observe in the recent past will continue in the future. Because it’s easier, our minds are hardwired to use our recent experience as the baseline for what will happen in the future. In many situations, this bias works just fine, especially if you’re making short-term predictions. Even for highly changeable events like the weather (“It was cold today, it’s probably going to be cold tomorrow again”) or the stock market, making short-term predictions according to events in the recent past works fine much of the time. Predicting the long-term future based on what has recently occurred is no more accurate than flipping a coin. We know that in the NFL, an average of about six to seven new teams make it to the playoffs every year. That means only half of each year’s NFL playoff participants make it back to the playoffs the following year. Yet every offseason or pre-season team ranking has last year’s top teams still sitting at the top. Why? Recency bias. Take the BetMGM list. Of the 14 teams with the best odds, 12 are last season’s playoff teams. The only two new teams in the Top 14: the Bengals and 49ers. The two dropouts: Denver and Pittsburgh. But in this case, it’s not the oddmakers with the recency bias, it’s the betting public. The oddsmakers are simply trying to provide odds where the action from the betting public will remain even on both sides of the bet. Yes, there are some constants between the 2024 Cowboys and the 2025 Cowboys. But there are and will be some significant changes, whether we like them or not. Anything can happen in the NFL. Every new NFL season is always also a new chance for teams that fell short of the playoffs the season before. The NFL is intrinsically designed to be a parity-driven league; the draft, revenue sharing, the salary cap, compensatory draft picks, even the schedule; everything about the NFL is designed so that every team from every market has a legitimate opportunity to compete year-in and year-out. Even the 2025 Cowboys, at least on paper. There’s a chance, however remote you feel it is, the Cowboys could end up in the playoffs this year, just as there’s a chance that they could end up behind the Giants in the division. If they do, it has nothing to do with last year’s team, and everything to do with this year’s team. What happened in 2024 stays in 2024. It has no bearing on what has yet to happen in 2025. In the NFL, last year doesn’t matter. Otherwise the Chiefs would be celebrating a threepeat right now.
Cowboys news: Dak Prescott gives an update on his injury and more
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Your Wednesday morning news around the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys’ Dak Prescott ready to ‘amp it up’ as injury recovery moves in positive direction – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News It sounds like the Dallas Cowboys quarterback is progressing well in his rehab. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said his recovery from a torn hamstring is moving in a positive direction. “Good, my health is good,” Prescott said Tuesday at a news conference promoting the Children’s Cancer Fund’s fashion show where he’s a co-chair with Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. “Doing a lot more, getting there 12 weeks or so out of surgery now, so I’m really looking to amp it up here recently. I got all my confidence and we’ll be fine.” Prescott played in just eight games in the 2024 season before suffering a torn hamstring Nov. 3 against Atlanta.Prescott completed 64.78% of his passes for 1,978 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He had a career-low 86.0 quarterback rating. Prescott noted he’s excited to have new coach Brian Schottenheimer take over and bring an old-school approach to things, particularly when it comes to running the ball. Schottenheimer wants to use more play-action passing, something Prescott believes will help the offense. “He’s not going to take anything about this game lightly,” Prescott said. “He enjoys the work in it, old-fashioned, looking forwards to the grind and to some of the things we’re going to do.” Dak Prescott says Cowboys ‘very close’ to winning Super Bowl – Todd Archer, ESPN.com Dak Prescott remains optimistic about the team’s chance to compete with Philadelphia. “I feel like we’ve competed with the Eagles and beat them for the most part when we’ve played them,” Prescott said Tuesday after announcing the models for this year’s Children’s Cancer Fund gala that will be held April 11. “I don’t want to say, ‘Check the record,’ when the other guy is holding the trophy, right? So credit to them. They’ve earned it, and they deserve it by all means. But, yeah, [we’re] very close.” When asked how far the Cowboys are from doing what their NFC East rivals have done, Prescott also mentioned the Washington Commanders, who lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. “Especially even watching the NFC championship and those two teams — teams that we battle against each and every year a couple of times. As I said, [I] feel confident that we’ve gotten the better part each and every time. But just seeing such a dominating fashion [in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs], credit to them. It’s our turn and it’s on us.” The Cowboys have not played in a Super Bowl — or been to a conference title game — in 29 seasons. They are coming off a 7-10 finish, as Prescott played just eight games before having his season end because of a partial avulsion of his right hamstring. In 2025, Prescott will play for his third different head coach — Brian Schottenheimer — in 10 seasons. Jason Garrett was his coach from 2016 to 2019, followed by Mike McCarthy from 2020 to 2024. Cowboys legend Dez Bryant criticizes franchise: ‘They need to get out of their comfort zone’ – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Dez Bryant isn’t the only former player to recently speak out about the Cowboys inability to reach the Super Bowl. Speaking on Media Row for Super Bowl LIX last week, he continued to question the organization following the hire of Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, a move he described as safe and comfortable. He said he would’ve gone with another hire, such as former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders or Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. “I would’ve gone Ben Johnson, I like him,” Bryant said. “I would’ve even gone Prime (Deion Sanders). But with Jerry [Jones], there’s no way they would’ve gone after somebody like Prime, too big of a personality. But Ben Johnson, if anything. Kliff, I would’ve given him anything he wanted.” “It feels like everybody is in a comfort zone, and that’s not what we need. We got the biggest franchise in sports, and we’re acting like we’re this poverty franchise for whatever reason.” While Jones insisted on the red carpet last Thursday night that the Cowboys are “not building for the future” and are trying to win in the now, Bryant thinks they are in the midst of turning their roster over. “I think they’re rebuilding, and it sucks,” he said. “It sucks for guys like Micah, CeeDee. That’s just my opinion…I don’t like the energy, I don’t like what’s going on in the Cowboys organization. We want to win. I’m speaking on behalf of the fans, what’s going on?” Dallas Cowboys 7-round mock draft: Cowboys add playmakers to the offense – Josh Liskiewitz, PFF.com With the 2024 season officially over, it’s time to turn towards the NFL draft. Round 1, Pick 12: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri Over the past two seasons at Missouri, Burden established himself as one of the most explosive playmakers in the country. He racked up 1,186 yards after the catch, recorded 50 explosive plays (15-plus yards) and hauled in 19 of his 35 contested targets. Round 2, Pick 46: RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State One of the true breakout stars of the 2024 college season, Skattebo possesses a level of power and toughness that Dallas’ backfield currently lacks. Last season, he was a nightmare to tackle, breaking 104 tackles and gaining 1,214 of his 1,716 rushing yards after initial contact. Round 3, Pick 76: Edge Quandarrius Robinson, Alabama Robinson was highly productive in his nine games of action in 2024, generating 20 total pressures on just 109 pass-rush snaps while posting an impressive 23.8% win rate. Round 5, Pick 150: RB Jo’quavioius Marks, USC The lightning to Skattebo’s thunder, Marks would add a dynamic receiving element to the Cowboys’ backfield. In 2024, he recorded an eye-popping 423 yards after the
Should Cowboys release 2 starters just to keep this FA on a $100 million deal?
Should Cowboys release 2 starters just to keep this FA on a $100 million deal? reidhanson Assume for a second the Dallas Cowboys are indeed limited by the amount of financial pie there is to go around, that Stephen Jones’ annual decree stating the salary cap is a zero-sum game are true, and the accounting methods used by 31 other teams are just a mirage and not feasible workarounds. For every dollar given to Player A, that’s one less dollar available for Player B. Let’s play “would you rather.” The Cowboys have a tough decision to make regarding one of their upcoming free agents. Osa Odighizuwa is coming off a career season where he created a whopping 60 pressures from the interior, top five in his position group. He was also credited with 4.5 sacks (Pro Football Focus tracked seven sacks) with the majority coming in the second half of the season. This dispels the criticism ] Odighizuwa can’t hold up through a full season, and makes the fifth-year defensive tackle the top interior pressure player on the market. The Super Bowl-winning Eagles just showed the effectiveness of a great defensive interior. They dominated the Chiefs in the trenches and did so without blitzing. It’s a defensive strategy the Cowboys are expected to employ under Matt Eberflus in 2025. Without the use of blitzing, the Dallas front four will have to generate consistent pressure by themselves. High-end playmakers up front are a must under this scheme, making Odighizuwa an important player to retain. Re-signing Odighizuwa will be a very tough task since the Cowboys still have to work out a deal for Micah Parsons. But if the Cowboys can free up extra spending cash to re-sign both players simply by cutting a couple middle-tier players, shouldn’t they consider it? What if the franchise released their two underachieving starting safeties and moved that cash to Odighizuwa’s pocket? Would such a tit-for-tat be worth it? Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are both coming off forgettable seasons for Dallas. Wilson finished off the season strong but only after playing extremely poorly early on. His feast or famine playing style was susceptible to the big play, and all too often the veteran looked like a weak link rather than high-priced team leader. Hooker similarly struggled in 2024. The Cowboys free safety played a more diverse role in Mike Zimmer’s defense last season and things didn’t go all that well. Of PFF’s 99 graded safeties last season, Wilson finished 61st while Hooker came in at 44th. These were disappointing rankings considering the two safeties counted a combined $11,385,294 against the cap. In 2025 those cap numbers balloon to $16,400,000, not far below the annual amount Odighizuwa is expected to command in a free agency deal some have forecasted as high as $105 million total. Cutting the two safeties will unavoidably result in dead money, therefore will not serve as a clean cash swap between the safety duo and Dallas’ top interior player, but it will provide the cap relief needed to justify the re-signing. If Odighizuwa is not retained, it would leave the Cowboys’ weakest position even weaker going into 2025. With no starting quality DTs on the roster, Dallas would have to break the bank for a high-end free agent and use an early round draft pick just to feasibly compete next year. It stands to reason if both Hooker and Wilson are let go it would similarly leave a hole in the secondary. Yet depth players like Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell have flashed in the past and could realistically be up to the challenge. It would be a much bigger longshot to expect Mazi Smith and Justin Rodgers to competently handle starting roles at DT. It’s something to think about as the Cowboys look for ways to manage needs and simultaneously stay under budget. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Follow all of your favorite Texas teams at Cowboys Wire, Longhorns Wire, Texans Wire, Rockets Wire and Aggies Wire!
Cowboys must improve talent at this position to compete with Eagles
Cowboys must improve talent at this position to compete with Eagles reidhanson The Philadelphia Eagles just won the Super Bowl. As disgusting as those words all strung together may sound for Dallas Cowboys fans, it’s important to give credit where credit is due as the Eagles’ front office certainly deserves for the all-star roster they put together this year. One area in particular where Philadelphia thrived was at receiver. They not only have one top-flight option in A.J. Brown but they a second elite WR in DeVonta Smith. They relied on the pair heavily in 2024 proving a team can never have too many playmakers on an offense. As an exercise in self-reflection the Cowboys could learn something from their division rivals. The Cowboys have their version of Brown in CeeDee Lamb, but no one even remotely resembling Smith. Jalen Tolbert, the closest thing Dallas has to a WR2, is nowhere close to Smith as a WR. Now the good news is Tolbert has improved every season he’s been in the NFL. The bad news is he hasn’t been good enough for the Cowboys to confidently hand him the WR2 role in 2025. With last season’s No. 2 Brandin Cooks set to hit free agency this March, it puts the Cowboys in a bit of a predicament this offseason. Aside from Lamb, Dallas is left with nothing but projections in the WR ranks. Jalen Brooks, Jonathan Mingo and Ryan Flournoy are all developmental projects for the Cowboys. All of them have the ceiling to rise to WR2 someday, but none of them have remotely shown enough to be projected as that at this point. It’s clear the Cowboys have to do something to address the position this offseason but with so many other roster needs finding the resources to adequately do so isn’t going to be easy. 2024 highlighted the need quite vividly. Hit by early injuries, Cooks only played in 10 games in 2025, catching 26 balls for 259 yards. Injuries were partially to blame but even when healthy his contributions were paltry. The season before was better, but even then, the Cowboys WR2 posted just 54 receptions for 657 yards. The reality is the Cowboys haven’t had a solid receiving corps since they traded Amari Cooper to the Browns for a bag of nickels (actually a fifth-round draft pick) back in 2022. They banked on Michael Gallup to bounce back from injury that season and prayed Tolbert would develop quickly but neither solution worked out for them. Gallup is out of the league entirely and Tolbert hasn’t been consistent enough to rise anywhere above WR3. What the Cowboys can’t do is bring in another type of WR they already have. Adding an undeveloped WR in free agency or drafting a midround prospect would be too redundant to be helpful. The Cowboys already have plenty of projects, what they need is a plug-and-play solution . Whether that’s a player picked early in the 2025 NFL draft or a proven veteran free agent is unknown but it’s fairly clear at least one of those avenues have to be explored. Even with Brian Schottenheimer’s commitment to the running game, the offense needs a secondary option alongside Lamb to keep defenses honest. It’s no mystery the teams who found the most success this season were the teams than ran two, three, even four players deep in the playmaker department. They were the offenses defenses couldn’t shut down because they were the offenses that had a pick-your-poison design to their offense. WR is a major need for the Cowboys this season, not just because of the enormous hole that has to get filled but because there’s no inexpensive shortcut to achieve that goal. Some sort of major investment must be made. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]