Photo by Ric Tapia/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 David Howman and Brian Martin. Who is your “pet cat” in this year’s draft that you look forward to watching at this year’s scouting combine? This year’s NFL scouting combine is only a few days away. Held in Indianapolis annually, this combine will host a total of 329 prospects, which will take place from February 24 through March 3. Keep an eye on regular updates on BTB for Cowboys interest in prospects and interviews, as well as any rumors we pick along the way. Here’s the timetable for this year’s combine: Brian: TCU WR Savion Williams is who I’m looking forward to watching. He’s expected to run in the 4.4 range in the 40 at 6’3”, 225-pounds and should also test extremely well in all of the other events. I like the RB/WR Deebo Samuel-like skill set he could bring to the Cowboys offense. He has some focus drop issues and needs to become a better route runner, but his athleticism/versatility make him one of the most unique weapons in the 2025 draft class. Howman: Darius Alexander, the defensive tackle from Toledo. I’ve been on him for several months now, but Alexander’s strong showing at the Senior Bowl boosted his stock in a big way. I think he can fit at either defensive tackle spot in Matt Eberflus’ defense, making him a very valuable prospect. A bonus honorable mention: Arizona State slot defender Shamari Simmons. Keep an eye on him. What prospect are you high on that everyone else seems to be overlooking, and why? There are a number of under the radar players in this year’s draft class. Keep an eye on players like cornerback Azareye’h Thomas from Florida State, defensive tackle David Walker from Central Arkansas and wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks from Louisville, they are hugely overlooked and fit the Cowboys. Let us know in the comments if there any prospects you feel is getting overlooked and we will highlight them in our scouting series here on BTB. Brian: Kansas State CB Jacob Parrish is someone I’m probably higher on anyone else. He has all the intangibles you look for in both coverage and run support, but at 5’10”, 196-pounds he doesn’t have the ideal size a lot of teams prefer playing on the outside. Fortunately that’s not a problem in Matt Eberflus’ scheme. And, with the Kansas State connection with Cowboys new OL coach Conor Riley, he could be someone on Dallas’ radar to add more depth at CB. Howman: Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon, for sure. Gordon entered this past year as a Heisman contender, but a miserable season for the Cowboys that ended with both coordinators getting fired has sunk his stock. That’s hardly Gordon’s fault, though, as he has the same talent and ability in my opinion as Ashton Jeanty. Yet Gordon isn’t even a top 10 back in this class according to Mel Kiper, while Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 193rd best player and 22nd best running back. Which draft option do you prefer- 1st Round: WR Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona)2nd Round: OT Cameron Williams (Texas)3rd Round: RB Cameron Skattebo (ASU) OR 1st Round: CB Will Johnson (Michigan)2nd Round: DE J.T. Tuimoloau (Ohio State)3rd Round: Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee) Brian: Give me the second option of CB Will Johnson, EDGE JT Tuimoloau, and DT Omarr Norman-Lott and it’s not even close. These three players would be significant upgrades from Day 1 as rookies if added to the Cowboys roster and they all play the “high money” positions that would cost an arm to fill via free agency. This group would immediately transform Dallas’ defense back into a Top 5 unit in the league in my opinion. Howman: This Arizona State alum is admittedly biased but give me the first one. Cam Skattebo is a stud and a perfect fit for what Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams want in this offense. Tetairoa McMillan is also a really fun prospect who would give the passing game a whole new dimension alongside CeeDee Lamb. And Cameron Williams would be an upgrade over Terence Steele or, possibly, a successor to Zack Martin inside. I’ll take three impact starters on offense any day of the week.

Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images The Cowboys need to consider looking at all sorts of options right now. The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of questions to answer in terms of their roster this offseason. One of them will be how to shore up the linebacker position. Second-year sensation DeMarvion Overshown took the league by storm in 2024 after missing his entire rookie campaign with a torn ACL. Unfortunately, he suffered another ACL tear, which puts his 2025 season up in the air as far as when he’ll be back. Veteran Eric Kendricks showed he still had plenty in the tank, but he’ll be a free agent next month. Marist Liufau had some rookie growing pains but eventually showed his potential as the season went along. However, he’s the only sure thing you can say when it comes to the Cowboys linebacker room next year, seeing as he’s taken a lot of time away from Damone Clark. It would behoove the Cowboys to look at a veteran option before taking one in the NFL draft. Dre Greenlaw of the San Francisco 49ers is a good target. Greenlaw started the 2024 season on the reserve/PUP list due to suffering a torn Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was activated in December. However, he left early in his return against the Los Angeles Rams due to knee discomfort and also left after playing just four snaps versus the Miami Dolphins with a calf strain. So, there’s certainly cause to pause with his recent injury history. When it comes to the Cowboys and how they operate, though, it fits perfectly. Dallas is known for signing veterans to cheap, short-term deals in free agency, which is usually a one-year agreement in most cases. Being that Greenlaw has been hurt more often than not as of late, that drives his value down. This makes him a prime candidate for a one-year prove-it type of deal. Per Spotrac, Greenlaw has a market value of $6.7 million, which fits like a hand in a glove for the Cowboys. Now that we’ve got the injury history and money stuff out of the way, let’s talk about play on the field. When healthy, Greenlaw is a stud at the linebacker position. He plays downhill with speed and aggression. He shoots gaps very well against the run, is a sure tackler, and he can cover running backs out of the backfield as well as tight ends. Getting Greenlaw in the building to play with a promising young talent like Liufau as well as Overshown, who plans to play at some point in the 2025, would give the Cowboys something to be positive about at the linebacker spot, and if they could find a way to bring the aforementioned Kendricks back as well, they’d certainly be in good shape at linebacker.

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images It has been a decade since Byron Jones stunned the world at the NFL Combine. The 2025 NFL Combine will happen this week and with it will come all sorts of juicy nuggets and pieces of information relative to the Dallas Cowboys. In case you are curious, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer is scheduled to speak to the media on Thursday so that is when we will really find out a lot about how the 2025 team is going to look. At some point Jerry Jones will also hold court from his bus as he usually does and we will likely hear his thoughts on important things relative to how the club is going to approach free agency as well as where they stand with Micah Parsons and a long-time contract extension. Before we look all the way forward though we figured we could look back at something that now happened a decade ago, unbelievably. Byron Jones stunned the world at the NFL combine a decade ago It has been 10 whole years since the 2015 NFL Combine, an important few days for the Cowboys to say the least. At the time the wound from Dez Bryant catching it was still fresh and raw and the Cowboys were looking for ways to get back to that fateful spot at Lambeau Field, metaphorically speaking. The first place to look for help was in Indianapolis and it was not hard to notice a cornerback out of UConn by the name of Byron Jones. Everyone saw him. Maybe you don’t even know what happened. You see, Jones was obviously an incredible athlete at Connecticut, but he elevated his stock to an entirely different level across the league when he set a world record in the broad jump during drills. He leapt 12’ 3” and stuck the landing. Going viral was sort of a new thing around then and Jones certainly did. Just thinking about that time Byron Jones broke the broad jump world record at the 2015 NFL Combine : @NFL pic.twitter.com/d9QBANISHI — NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) August 1, 2023 Needless to say his stock took off and he soon found himself tabbed as a first-round prospect. The Cowboys held the 27th overall pick in that draft and took him as the fourth cornerback off of the board. Trae Waynes (Minnesota Vikings), Kevin Johnson (Houston Texans) and Marcus Peters (Kansas City Chiefs) were the ones to go ahead of him. Jones ultimately played out his rookie contract with the Cowboys and signed with the Miami Dolphins in free agency ahead of the 2020 season. He played two seasons for them before missing all of the 2022 season due to injury and would later go on to become an advocate for players making sure that their health and wellness was taken care of during their playing days. Much has changed in 8 years. Today I can’t run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications. https://t.co/g5TTHDQGSY — Byron Jones (@TheByronJones) February 25, 2023 It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023. — Byron Jones (@TheByronJones) February 25, 2023 The seriousness from Jones in his words offered two years ago is important to remember relative to the NFL. So much of what is seen is all about the fame and attention associated with the league, but as Jones himself noted there are potential consequences associated with playing a contact sport for a living. Jones’ jump at the NFL combine a decade ago is something that nobody will ever forget. Hopefully they also remember the words he offered about the career he lived.

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images The Cowboys appear set to move on from Trey Lance. It looks like Trey Lance’s time with the Dallas Cowboys is ending. Stephen Jones spoke before the NFL combine, and he mentioned that given the state of where things stand with Dak Prescott being the center of the team’s future, Lance may explore options outside of Dallas. “We took a shot a Trey and wanted to do that,” Jones told The Dallas Morning News at the scouting combine. “We think the world of Trey. “But us having Dak signed up for the long-term, I think he’s probably going to be looking for something different.” If Dallas did not reach a contract extension with Prescott before Week 1 last year, all three quarterbacks would be free agents this offseason. With their franchise player under contract, Lance and Cooper Rush are the group’s two unrestricted free agents. Dallas traded a fourth-round pick for the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback before the 2023 season, and he spent the entire season inactive, learning Mike McCarthy’s playbook. At the time it seemed like Lance could be a fallback plan if negotiations with Prescott went south before the 2024 season. When Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury this past season, McCarthy felt Rush gave the team a better opportunity to win games. That told fans all they needed to know about Lance and his development; they never felt comfortable enough to win with him. After a stretch of preseason games and one start in the season-finale, Lance will leave Dallas with a stat line of 25 of 41 passing for 266 yards and one interception. As for Rush, it remains to be seen what his market will be like and if the Cowboys, who have always valued the backup quarterback position, move to retain the free agent who went 4-4 last season as a starter. Jones said the team will wait and see how much it will cost to bring him back. Regardless of whether there is a potential veteran quarterback to back up Prescott in 2025, Jones emphasized that one of the team’s goals is to exit the NFL draft with a rookie quarterback to develop. “You know, I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft,” Jones said. “I don’t know where that’s going to be. “That’s why we gave a [fourth-round pick] for Trey. It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think.” The last time Dallas selected a rookie quarterback was in 2020, during Mike McCarthy’s first season with the Cowboys, when they picked Ben DiNucci in the seventh round. Jones did not specify what round they might consider taking a rookie passer, but for now, the most likely option would be in the fifth round, where the team has three draft picks. The team has too many holes to fill to warrant selecting a rookie quarterback in the first three rounds, but if they feel strong enough about a player, they could shock the fanbase and do something like that if head coach Brian Schottenheimer wants to get his guy. The Lance experiment failed to provide any real value for Dallas, especially considering they could have selected several quality players last season in the area where they would have picked in the fourth round with their original draft pick.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports We should hopefully hear from the Cowboys about a number of things this week. It feels like the Dallas Cowboys last played a game over a year ago when it reality it has only been about six weeks. The NFL at large only just wrapped up the season as the Super Bowl definitely feels like five minutes ago at this point in time. Whatever the case, the action is back as the NFL Combine kicks off this week. Much about it has changed over the years as it has become a massive event where the drills even take place in primetime. While there is certainly a lot to glean and gather from the combine as far as its participants are concerned, it is also an important opportunity relative to NFL rosters as they currently stand. Head coaches and general managers will speak and offer their first round of public comments in quite some time. Brian Schottenheimer last spoke publicly at his introductory press conference where the Cowboys announced him as their head coach. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones were there as well obviously, and this week should offer a chance for maybe all of them to speak. Schottenheimer is scheduled to speak to the media on Thursday when Jerry Jones’ holding of court inside of his bus could happen at any point. It is when Jerry speaks that we will likely get an update of sorts on the big-time things, including one of the biggest contract extensions that the team has to take care of. This week will hopefully offer an outlook on Parsons’ extension with the Cowboys It was reported as last weekend began that the Cowboys have not begun to have contractual discussions with Micah Parsons as far as his would-be extension is concerned. This runs counter to the suggestions of just about everybody as the world at large seems to agree that getting this thing done as soon as possible is the best way to go about it. Consider what last year’s comments by Jerry from the NFL Combine gave us. To be fair to the context, the infamous “all in” line was fresh and the headline grabber from every outlet, but Jerry Jones did his best to throw cold water on the fire that he started himself. It was noted last year by Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News (at the time) that the Cowboys had fewer meetings scheduled with NFL agents than they had in years past. Looking back at the offseason that followed, that tracked with their behavior that would follow. Here at combine, the Cowboys have fewer scheduled meetings with agents than in years past. There is no hint they’re on precipice of a high-priced, free-agency flurry that would resemble what most associate with the “all-in” buzzword. Seemed case from start.https://t.co/0bv3lJpqsf — Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) February 29, 2024 As far as what else Jerry said, it was a bunch of nothing as far as actions that would shortly follow. Jerry Jones said the Cowboys will begin work in near future on a Dak Prescott contract. “What we do there or don’t do, I couldn’t say at this time,” Jones said, “but the main thing is he’s going to be our quarterback.” — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 2, 2024 Without an extension before the start of 2025 league year, Prescott will hit the open market because the Cowboys can’t use the franchise tag. Does Jones fear the possibility of losing his QB? pic.twitter.com/RgRDyicZL7 — Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 2, 2024 Consider the dates on those tweets. That was on March 1st of last year when the situation involving Dak Prescott was very well-known in terms of what the team needed to do and was up against. They decided to drag their feet and signed him over six months later, on the very day that the season began. This is important to remember ahead of this week when comments will come out relative to Micah Parsons and his contract extension. Like Prescott was last year, Parsons is currently set to play out the final year of his current contract with the Cowboys (although for Parsons it is the fifth-year option on his rookie deal). The variables are known. The market is on the verge of changing with players like Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson involved as well. All signs point to doing this as soon as possible if logic is the engine driving the machine. We will see if the words this week line up with that disposition.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Notable headlines surrounding America’s team. Cowboys taking huge risk with rumored Tyler Guyton plan after poor rookie year – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat Dallas isn’t giving up yet. According to Cowboys writer Patrik Walker, Guyton will remain at left tackle next season working under new offensive line coach Conor Riley, who was hired from Kansas State. Well since you brought it up… Conor Riley has already been in contact with Tyler Guyton, who will remain at left tackle for the #Cowboys — Riley champing at the bit to get his hands on the former 1st-round pick. ⬇️ https://t.co/Qrwm6YU89g pic.twitter.com/yBH8SHXy2h — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) February 18, 2025 While Guyton showed flashes of a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle as a rookie, he really struggled with pre-snap penalties. Even though Guyton ranked 26th in snaps played at left tackle, he committed the second-most penalties at the position (18), per PFF (subscription required). Guyton’s penalties derailed a number of promising drives and Mike McCarthy responded by essentially benching the rookie, though not entirely. He only started 11 of the 15 games he played, but would check into those games after the first couple of possessions. It was a weird process that Cowboys fans could not wrap their mind around. Regardless, it is clear that Conor Riley thinks he can clean up Guyton’s game. Riley spoke to the Dallas media on Tuesday for the first time since he was hired as offensive line coach and had a lot of nice things to say about the 23-year-old tackle. Is trading CeeDee Lamb financially possible for Cowboys? Recent WR swap history – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire One potential option for Dallas. The first trade to look at already involves the Cowboys, who acquired Amari Cooper from the Raiders in a straight swap for Dallas’ 2019 first-round pick. As this was an in-season trade, there was no confirmed pick, but it ended up being the No. 19 overall selection. Cooper had a strong start to his career, but his numbers do not compare to Lamb’s production. During that offseason, the New York Giants traded star WR Odell Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. There were three starters thrown in as well, but the total compensation (No. 17 + No. 95) basically worked out to the No. 13 pick in the draft based on trade value chart points. Beckham, based on playing just 16 games over the prior two seasons, was no longer considered at the level Lamb currently exists. The following year saw the infamous Vikings-Bills trade that sent Stefon Diggs to New York State and saw Minnesota land Justin Jefferson. The actual trade was for four picks, which equated to be around the No. 19 pick in total value. At the time of the trade, Diggs had never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. Another exchange for a player slightly under Lamb’s level. 2022 saw a ton of WR movement. Tyreek Hill was sent from Kansas City to Miami for picks No. 29, 50 and 121, along with fourth and sixth rounders in the next year’s haul. All together, the compensation was worth around No. 12 in the first round. Hill is a great comparison to Lamb, as he was six-for-six in Pro Bowl appearances and three-time First-Team All-Pro. He’s the ceiling. Davante Adams was traded that year as well, for the No. 22 and No. 53 picks, which equate to the the value of No. 13 overall. Why are the Cowboys delaying a Micah Parsons extension?- Mark Heaney, Inside The Star A tale as old as time. The Big Problem: Front Office Failures There is an easy answer here, and it revolves around the Dallas front office. As NFL minds, not as businessmen, Jerry and Stephen Jones are simply ineffective. The pair have hurt the on-field product with off-field mistakes, specifically when it comes to contracts and trades. They complained that a lack of money held them back in free agency last year, when they chose not to create more cap space. Signing Prescott and Lamb before the start of the offseason in 2024 would have given Dallas a ton of cap space by pushing the big cap hit years down the road. Instead, they stalled, got stuck in a bad cap situation, and could only muster enough money to sign Ezekiel Elliott and Eric Kendricks. This is precisely what is unfolding again in 2025 with Micah Parsons. Whether or not you think Parsons should be extended or traded, a good, aggressive front office would have done it by now. Delaying the inevitable decision helps nobody, and certainly not the Cowboys. One free agent the Cowboys should consider to bolster secondary- Ali Jawad, Sports Illustrated Last season proved that Dallas needs to address the secondary this offseason. The Dallas Cowboys have an opportunity ahead. Not only will they evaluate and meet with top draft prospects at the Combine, but they’ll also have the chance to upgrade their roster through veteran free-agent acquisitions—decisions that could significantly influence their draft strategy. One name to watch in the open market is Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland. Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. fumbles the football after a tackle from Miami Dolphins safety Jevon Holland during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Holland’s future in Miami is uncertain. NFL.com reporter Cameron Wolfe reported earlier this week, that the Dolphins won’t use the franchise tag on the star safety, meaning he’ll likely be searching for a new home in 2025 unless a long-term deal is reached. The former 2021 second-round pick also believes the Dolphins are ready to move on from him. “Transparently, seeing the Dolphins post things like the Valentine’s Day stuff or like any kind of edit and things like that,” Holland said on his podcast, “Breakin’ House Rules.” “You can see guys that may not be here next year or maybe somewhere else are just not in it. I’m following them on Instagram,