Report: Cowboys to interview Kellen Moore virtually on Friday Todd Brock Kellen Moore is coming back to Dallas, at least virtually… for a job interview. The Cowboys’ former backup quarterback, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator is officially on the list of candidates for the team’s head coach opening. Moore has been casually linked to the opportunity all week long, but the Cowboys now have made an official request to explore a future with the 36-year-old, per NFL Network insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Moore is currently the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia and is prepping the Eagles to face the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFC postseason on Sunday. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys and Moore will speak virtually on Friday, and that the interview will last no longer than three hours, per league rules. But Moore’s long history with the Cowboys organization and familiarity with quarterback Dak Prescott ensure they’ll be able to dispense with the awkward getting-to-know-you part of their conversation. “I mean, obviously I spent a lot of time there. Eight years there and so, obviously have plenty of relationships [in] that place,” Moore told reporters Tuesday, per the Dallas Morning News. Moore’s comments came just one day after the Cowboys announced they would not be re-signing Mike McCarthy after a five-year stint with the club. Moore had already been on staff as the OC for a year when McCarthy came to Dallas. The two worked together in an arranged marriage of sorts for three more seasons, until McCarthy insisted on calling his own offensive plays. Moore took the Chargers’ OC job in 2023 and then landed in the same role for the Eagles for 2024. “I love it here,” Moore went on to say of Philadelphia. “I’ve had so much fun here. It’s been a really fun process and we’re in a really special situation right now, getting the chance to play this Sunday. Have a chance to make a run at this thing and that’s really all you worry about. Everything else is what it is and we’ll see where it takes you.” It could take him right back to Dallas, where it was once thought he was being groomed by Jones specifically for the head coach’s office. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] The Cowboys offense mostly soared under Moore. In 2019, his first year in the OC role, the team finished first leaguewide in yards per play and yards per game. In 2021, upon Prescott’s return from a gruesome ankle injury, the offense was tops in the NFL in both points per game and yards per game. In 2022, they were the best red-zone offense in football. This season under Moore, the Eagles offense ranks in the top ten in points per game, yards per game, third-down conversion rate, and fourth-down conversion rate. Moore has already been tabbed to talk with the Saints and Jaguars about their current head coach openings. Those interviews will also happen virtually and prior to Philadelphia’s game on Sunday.

1.29 (29th overall) – DT T’Vondre Sweat (2.38 to Tennessee Titans) or WR Ladd McConkey (2.34 to Los Angeles Chargers) Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat (93) stiff arms Cincinnati Bengals guard Alex Cappa (65) after stripping the ball from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. Actual Pick: Tyler Guyton It would’ve taken an act of God for the Cowboys to admit Mazi Smith was a bad choice after just one season, but Sweat would’ve been an excellent pick to clog the middle lanes. If they were hesitant to double-dip at DT back-to-back years, McConkey is far more than a consolation prize. Pairing him with CeeDee Lamb transforms the 2024 offense immediately. 2.24 (56th overall) – OT Roger Rosengarten (2.62 to Baltimore Ravens) Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Actual Pick: DE Marshawn Kneeland Rosengarten is a likely a right tackle only in the pros, but seeing how Guyton was regularly benched, does it matter? The Washington product was a stone wall in pass pro on the right side, which would’ve been a huge improvement over Terence Steele. It’s not a perfect replacement, considering Steele’s money, but from a talent standpoint this would’ve been a great pick. 3.9 (73rd overall) – Cooper Beebe Nov 28, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys center Cooper Beebe (56) signals at the line against the New York Giants during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images Actual Pick: Beebe Beebe was only beaten out at center by two players who were drafted higher than he was; Graham Barton was gone at 1.26 and Jackson Powers-Johnson was gone at 2.51; both before Dallas’ picks in those respective rounds. 3.24 (87th overall) RB Bucky Irving (125th to the Tampa Bay Bucs) or WR Jalen McMillan (94th to Tampa Bay Bucs) Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) makes a touchdown catch during the third quarter of a NFC wild card playoff against the Washington Commanders at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Actual Pick: LB Marist Liafau Don’t get me wrong, Liufau flashed here and there, but he wasn’t stellar and could’ve been replaced by any number of rookie linebackers (which we did, later in this re-draft). As the original member of the Rico Dowdle fan club, they should’ve handed the position to him sooner. But Dowdle AND Irving in the backfield with Lamb and McConkey on the wings? Stop it. Anti-RB? No problem. Taking Sweat instead of McConkey? Cool. Adding McMillan to Lamb would’ve been great, and adding McMillan to Lamb AND McConkey would’ve been an insane passing offense for the next four years. 5.39 (174th overall) – CB Caelen Carson Actual Pick: Carson The majority of the players on the All-Rookie team were taken in the early rounds, so it’s not a problem sticking with Carson here, who showed a ton of promise as a boundary cornerback. 6.40 (216th overall) – C Beaux Limmer (217th to Los Angeles Rams) Nov 17, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Rams center Beaux Limmer (50) waits to snap the ball during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Actual Pick: WR Ryan Flournoy I like Flournoy as a development prospect, but in this iteration where the Cowboys selected at least Jalen McMillan and maybe doubled up with McConkey and McMillan, depth along the OL would’ve been better. Limmer is the only player who wasn’t mentioned by ESPN we’re going to roll with. He could have sat behind Beebe in 2024 and then Beebe could move to RG in 2025 with Limmer taking over the center position. 7.13 (233rd overall) LB Omar Speights (UDFA of Los Angeles Rams) Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Omar Speights (48) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Actual Pick – OT Nate Thomas Speights was the Honorable Mention LB on the All-Rookie team. This fixes losing out on the LB in the third with the redraft, still addressing the position with a player who had a better season than that of Dallas’ pick. 3 Redraft Options NEW ORLEANS – JULY 25: Dallas Desperados Head Coach Will McClay and winner of the Lineman of the Year Award, Colston Weatherington of the Dallas Desperados pose with trophy at the ADT ArenaBall Awards Gala at the Louisiana SuperDome during ArenaBowl XXII weekend on July 25, 2008 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) Option 1: WR Ladd McConkey, OT Roger Rosengarten, iOL Cooper Beebe, RB Bucky Irving, CB Caelen Carson, C Beux Limmer, LB Omar Speights, DT Justin Rogers Option 2: DT T’Vondre Sweat, OT Roger Rosengarten, iOL Cooper Beebe, WR Jalen McMillan, CB Caelen Carson, C Beux Limmer, LB Omar Speights, DT Justin Rogers Option 3: WR Ladd McConkey, OT Roger Rosengarten, iOL Cooper Beebe, WR Jalen McMillan, CB Caelen Carson, C Beux Limmer, LB Omar Speights, DT Justin Rogers

Is Robert Saleh a good coach Cowboys fans can be excited about? reidhanson The Dallas Cowboys can’t begin a new chapter in their franchise’s story until they know what it’s titled. Figuring out who will be the next head coach of the Cowboys is Priority No. 1. Earlier in the week Dallas announced they’d be moving on from Mike McCarthy, who throughout his five-year tenure kept the Cowboys in contention, but couldn’t get the team over the proverbial hump. Jerry Jones isn’t just looking for a coach to keep the Cowboys in contention, but one to guide them through the playoffs. Whoever takes over for McCarthy will likely be at the helm through the final years of Dak Prescott’s career, so getting it right is paramount. After initially getting linked to a couple high profile names, the Cowboys have now been linked to former New York Jets coach, Robert Saleh. Saleh, a defensive guru through and through, is considered one of the best defensive minds in the NFL. From 2018 through 2020 Saleh’s San Francisco defenses ranked seventh in the NFL in EPA/play allowed. As defensive coordinator of the 49ers he built a reputation for deep defensive line rotations and traditional Cover-3 looks. He turned his success on the West Coast into a head coaching job on the East Coast when he went to the Jets in 2021. His first year in New York was predictably poor, with Saleh going 4-13 and ranking dead last in defensive EPA allowed. One year later he propelled his defense up to No. 6 (EPA/play) and in 2023 he finished ranked an impressive No. 3. His turnaround was nothing short of astounding and it cemented his standing in the NFL as a top defensive mind. Saleh’s career .375 win percentage in New York suggests he’s not as good of a head coach as he is a defensive coordinator. His exact value as a head coach is difficult to determine given the odd circumstances that surrounded him in New York. Aaron Rodgers came onto the scene with considerably more pull than a quarterback traditionally carries. Many speculate Rodgers was the reason Nathaniel Hackett was hired as offensive coordinator and why so many other former teammates of Rodgers were added as well. At the time of Saleh’s dismissal, it was the offense that was floundering, not the defense that Saleh had clear control of. It’s possible Saleh’s hands were tied on offense throughout most of his time in New York, impacting his ability to truly act as a head coach. If the Cowboys are interviewing Salah to be a potential defensive coordinator, then it’s hard to be upset. Salah has experience in both odd and even man fronts and he’s flipped from heavy single-high safety looks to more split safety looks. He’s done a little bit of everything defensively and found success every step of the way. But if the Cowboys are seriously looking at him as a head coach, that’s a little more curious. A .375 win percentage typically doesn’t result in a second chance right out of the gate. There are the above extraneous circumstances to consider, but a defensive-minded candidate with loads of question marks would be out of character for the Cowboys to target at head coach. Saleh is a proven NFL coach with real skins on the wall, so he appears to be a much more legitimate option than previous names linked to Dallas. There’s a good chance Jones is looking at Saleh more as a defensive coordinator option than a head coach. If that’s the case, Saleh is one of the best coordinators on the market and the Cowboys should be praised for interest. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Pair of former Cowboys selected for College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Todd Brock The College Football Hall of Fame has revealed its Class of 2025, and two former Cowboys are set to be enshrined among the game’s elite. Linebacker Darrin Smith and defensive back Dennis Thurman will be inducted later this year at an event in Las Vegas alongside fellow selections that include Michael Vick, Michael Strahan, Nick Saban, and Urban Meyer. Both were among the most dominant Cowboys defenders of their respective eras, but both left an indelible impression on the college gridiron before ever donning the star. A Miami native who stayed at home to play his college ball for the Hurricanes. Smith helped anchor the defense of two national title teams, the first coming as a redshirt freshman under head coach Jimmy Johnson. He went on to finish his career as the fourth-leading tackler in program history. Smith was a second-round draft pick of Johnson’s Cowboys in 1993 and stayed for four seasons, winning two Super Bowl rings in the process. He went on to stints with the Eagles, Seahawks, and Saints before his 12-year NFL career ended after the 2004 season. He is believed to be the only player ever to have won two college championships and two Super Bowls. Jan 30, 1994; Atlanta, GA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Buffalo Bills Running Back #34 THURMAN THOMAS is stopped by Dallas Cowboys Linebacker #59 DARRIN SMITH during Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome. The Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Photo By USA TODAY Sports © Copyright 1994 USA TODAY Sports Thurman played collegiately at Southern California and was part of the Trojans’ national championship squad of 1974 under head coach John Robinson. A prolific award-winner, Thurman was a four-time bowl winner while at USC. Thurman was selected by the Cowboys in the 11th round of the 1978 draft. Originally thought to be too small to play professionally, Thurman went on to eight years in Dallas (and one final season for the Cardinals) and never missed a single game. He logged 35 interceptions over his Cowboys career and was the namesake member of “Thurman’s Thieves,” the nickname given to the opportunistic Dallas secondary of 1985. Jan 16, 1983; Irving, TX, USA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys defensive back Dennis Thurman (32) scores a touchdown after an interception against the Green Bay Packers during the 1982 NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Texas Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY NETWORK When DaRon Bland set the pick-six record in 2023 with his fifth, Thurman was one of two men- along with Dexter Coakley- who had held the previous franchise career mark of four. But Thurman’s shining moment, arguably, came when he recovered an onside kick as a rookie in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XIII, helping the Cowboys put up two touchdowns in the final 2:27 of play in a furious rally against the Steelers that ultimately fell short. After his pro career ended, Thurman went into coaching and spent time at both the NFL and college levels. He recently coached under Deion Sanders at both Jackson State and Colorado. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Only 0.02% of college football players and coaches end up being enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, which is located in downtown Atlanta. Among the notables with Cowboys connections who were on the Hall of Fame ballot but did not make it this time around were Flozell Adams, Kellen Moore, and Terence Newman.

Report: Cowboys expected to interview former Jets head coach Todd Brock After 48 hours of rumors and suggestions and wish lists of head coaching candidates and even tales of casual phone chats about the job, the Dallas Cowboys may be ready to sit down and have a formal interview with someone. But it’s not one of the usual suspects that most within Cowboys Nation have been talking about. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Cowboys “have interest in and are expected to interview” Robert Saleh to be the team’s tenth head coach. The insider cited a source in a social media post Wednesday morning. Saleh, 45, is best known as the former head coach of the New York Jets, where his teams posted a 20-36 record over three-plus seasons starting in 2021. He was fired just five games into the 2024 season after a 2-3 start. He finished out the year in a consultancy role for Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Saleh began his NFL career as an intern with the Texans in 2005, eventually rising up the ranks to become the team’s assistant linebackers coach in 2009 and 2010. Pete Carroll hired him away to Seattle in 2011; he spent three seasons with the Seahawks as a defensive quality control coach, winning a Super Bowl ring with the Legion of Boom. That led to a move to Jacksonville, where he served as linebackers coach for three seasons. Four years in San Francisco as the defensive coordinator followed, with the 49ers making it to Super Bowl LIV during his tenure. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] With experience under both Kyle Shanahan and the aforementioned Carroll, Saleh comes with a quality NFL pedigree. He’s served on staffs alongside the likes of Bobby Slowik, Mike McDaniel, DeMeco Ryans, Dave Canales, Darrell Bevell, Kris Richard, Gus Bradley, and Dan Quinn. He’s earned a reputation as a defensive-minded coach who can be fiery on the sideline but measured and thoughtful at the podium. Saleh has interviewed already with the Raiders and is considered perhaps the frontrunner for a second stint as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. He’s also been identified as “a legitimate candidate” to return to Jacksonville for the Jaguars’ head coaching vacancy. Now it appears he may get the opportunity to see if he’s a good fit in Dallas.

2025 Free Agency: ESPN predicts Cardinals to pursue Cowboys $105 million DT solution K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys got a late start to an important offseason task. Sound familiar? This time, Dallas waited a week to admit to themselves there was no future with Mike McCarthy as head coach, letting their leader of the last five seasons go on Monday. McCarthy’s contract expired last week, but instead of moving on, Dallas blocked him from interviewing with the Chicago Bears for their opening, and didn’t pursue any of the coordinators from the No. 1 seeds when they had a window. Waiting too long to get moving is a symptom for this club, often waiting weeks to get into free agency while the rest of the league reshuffles their rosters. That could very well be the case again in 2025, and if so, Dallas could lose out on not just external free agents, but in-house ones as well. The Cowboys have a lengthy list of players who are out of contract, like McCarthy, who could be pursued by other organizations. Chief amongst those will be defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. The 2021 third-round pick doesn’t have a high number of career sacks, but he’s been a career disruptor and teams will more than likely be in pursuit of someone with his skillset. Odighizuwa set his career high in sacks, with 4.5, in 2024. His strength has always been in disruption, consistently ranking among the best defensive tackles in advanced analytics. And that will likely make him a top target for at least a handful of teams. ESPN thinks one of those will be the Arizona Cardinals, as they predicted Odighizuwa as a major free agent addition in the desert. Big prediction for the offseason: In the third year of the Jonathan Gannon-Monti Ossenfort era, a playoff berth is desperately needed, so the Cardinals will start getting aggressive with their cap space. They will add both Josh Sweat, an old friend of Gannon’s from his Eagles days, and Osa Odighizuwa to a defensive line sorely in need of immediate contributors. — Solak Odighizuwa ranked No. 30 on Pro Football Focus’ list of top pending free agents. As part of their exercise, PFF finds a previous free agent to compare to. Odighizuwa’s comp is Nnamdi Madubuike, who signed with Baltimore last offseason on a four year, $98 million contract. Per PFF, Madubuike signed for 9.6% of the 2024 cap. With NFL teams preparing for a 2025 salary cap between $265 million and $275 million, that percentage would put Odighizuwa’s APY at $26.4 million. A four-year deal would total $105.6 million on the open market. Losing Odighizuwa to a contract of this size would put Dallas in line for a third-round compensatory pick in 2026 if they came out on the plus side of the ledger in free agents lost vs signed.

‘A complete reset’: Micah Parsons on McCarthy’s exit, what’s next for Cowboys defense Todd Brock No one knows exactly what’s going to happen next in Dallas as the Cowboys embark on the search for the 10th head coach in their history (and the ninth to be hired by Jerry Jones over the past 36 years). But the team’s top defensive talent is under no illusions, fully expecting the most dramatic change he’s experienced since being drafted by the club in 2021. “It’s going to be a complete reset,” Micah Parsons said on his Bleacher Report podcast, The Edge with Micah Parsons. “It’s going to be a very interesting and challenging offseason. But… I already know I trust my owner, I trust our GM, I trust Will McClay that we’re going to make the right decisions.” The third-year edge rusher was one of several high-profile Cowboys players who just a month ago voiced his support for McCarthy to return as head coach for at least a sixth season in Dallas, explaining that a preponderance of injuries severely limited what any coaching staff would have been able to realistically do. Parsons called the news of McCarthy’s departure “devastating.” “Obviously very sad because [of] the relationships we have with Coach McCarthy and everything that he’s done for our program,” said Parsons, citing three consecutive 12-win seasons and three straight playoff berths under McCarthy prior to the disappointing 2024 campaign. “Losing a great coach like Mike hurts.” Some of that pain could also be anxiety over what comes next for the Cowboys, and the defense in particular. Parsons and his teammates already had to adjust to a completely new defensive scheme under coordinator Mike Zimmer, who joined the staff last February. Now, even though Zimmer is still weighing his options, Parsons is preparing to start from scratch again. Only this time it will be without McCarthy, who made Parsons a first-round draft pick in 2021, or Dan Quinn, the coordinator/father-figure who transitioned Parsons from a linebacker to a four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher and one of just six NFL players to record 50 or more sacks in his first four seasons. Currently up for a contract extension this offseason, Parsons is widely expected to earn a massive payday from the Cowboys, maybe even the highest contract ever for a defensive player. But the 25-year-old has been around long enough to know there are no guarantees for anyone when a new staff moves into headquarters. “Seeing how those guys envision players and who they want to bring in, who they want to keep, who they want to build around,” Parsons mused, “there are certain players that our staff liked that [the new staff] wouldn’t want to bring back and they might not bring back. It’s going to be challenging. These guys might have a different idea [of] how they want to build a defense. “There’s no security in this league.” [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Parsons saw several of his teammates and assistant coaches follow Quinn to Washington this past season, and he says he won’t be shocked if others now end up wherever McCarthy eventually lands. The yearly roster churn could leave Parsons as one of the Cowboys defense’s elder statesmen, even though he’s heading into just his fifth year. Parsons feels he’s ready for that added responsibility. “As one of the leaders of this team,” he went on to say per The Athletic‘s Jon Machota, “I’m gonna be looking forward to accepting all the challenges and embrace whatever comes to help lead my team to a championship. We gotta move on. We can’t think about the past. “There are no setbacks. Some of the greatest players learn to adjust. … At the end of the day, coaches can only do so much. Us as players, we got to build a winning culture. I said were gonna hold the [Super Bowl] trophy because I believe in our guys.” That the next Cowboys head coach and whoever serves as defensive coordinator for a title run in 2025 wouldn’t keep Parsons installed as the unquestioned centerpiece of the defense is extraordinarily difficult to imagine. But never say never. “When you’re in a program, those coaches draft you and they have an idea of where they want you to fit and how they want you to play,” Parsons said. “And when they’re all out, it’s kind of like you’re S.O.L.” Likely not in this case. Parsons figures to remain a key piece for the Cowboys in 2025, no matter who ends up being in charge of putting the puzzle together. But that doesn’t make the uncertainty of the coming days, weeks, and months any easier to stomach.

2024 Playoffs: Wild-card weekend proves Cowboys’ offseason approach isn’t going to work Ben Grimaldi The Dallas Cowboys missed out on the playoffs in 2024, a season that was all but lost from moment last offseason began. However, if the organization is smart, they should be watching the postseason results and learning how they can get back into the race next year. There are always lessons in failure, but if there’s one thing the opening weekend of playoff results prove it’s that the Cowboys’ recent approach won’t work. Being aggressive in talent acquisition is part of building a team, and the Cowboys bypassing that part of the process isn’t a winning strategy. Most of the teams who won their wild card games on Saturday and Sunday were aggressive in adding pieces to be better than they were the previous season, while the Cowboys used an alternate strategy. Jerry and Stephen Jones are no strangers to sitting out the first and second waves of free agency, but they have managed to find some players to plug holes and keep the team competitive later in the open market. That philosophy was altered slightly last offseason, where the organization decided to almost forgo free agency entirely. It didn’t work and the Cowboys fell flat on their faces, just as many people predicted. If the results from their own team during the 2024 campaign weren’t enough to convince the Joneses how broken their approach to talent acquisition is, perhaps the early stages of the postseason can shed a light for them. Most of the winning teams got significant contributions from their offseason acquisitions, starting with the Houston Texans in the early kickoff last Saturday. The Texans traded a seventh-round pick for running back Joe Mixon, who had a second straight 1,000-yard season. In the win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Mixon led the way for the offense with 106 yards and a touchdown. In the Baltimore Ravens’ win, Derrick Henry paved the way with a monster effort. The veteran RB rushed for 186 yards and two scores as the Ravens ran away with the victory. Henry was a free agent this offseason and had interest in the Cowboys, who didn’t reciprocate those feelings. Instead of signing with the Cowboys, Henry was added by the Ravens, who signed him to a modest two-year deal. Not only did Henry have a ridiculous regular season, where he ran for 1,921 yards, but he had a stellar first playoff game with the Ravens. Not to be outdone, RB Saquon Barkley proved why he was a smart addition with the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley topped 2,000 yards rushing in the regular season and backed that up with a 119-yard effort in the win over the Green Bay Packers. While the Eagles couldn’t move the ball through the air, Barkley provided most of the leg work in rushing for almost five yards a carry. Like Henry, Barkley’s cost wasn’t prohibitive for the Cowboys, who never chose to look into one of the best RBs on the market. It’s not always the player, but the fit with the team in free agency that makes sense, and the Ravens and Eagles matched perfectly with their additions. The Eagles also got a big game from another free agent pickup, linebacker Zack Baun, who had an interception in the win. Even in a loss, the Packers were led by their top free agent pickup on offense, RB Josh Jacobs. After a dominant season where he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns, Jacobs provided the offense for Packers, scoring their only touchdown and totaling 121 yards. The Washington Commanders snuck out a win by getting a helping hand from their offseason pickups as well. Former Cowboys defensive end Dorance Armstrong had a sack, and knifed through the backfield on the biggest third down stop of the season late in the fourth quarter to help the Commanders win the game. It was a defensive effort by the Commanders that saw the top four players in tackles in the game come from guys who were signed in free agency, including linebacker Bobby Wagner, whom the Cowboys had no interest in a few years ago, fellow LB Frankie Luvu, and safety Jeremy Chinn, added from the Carolina Panthers in March. Of course, the Commanders were also aided by coach Dan Quinn, whom the Cowboys let leave the building to keep Mike McCarthy. Now Quinn’s team is headed to the divisional round of the playoffs, while McCarthy’s contract has run out in Dallas. Everywhere one looked on wild card weekend, teams who were aggressive in adding talent saw those players come through. The Texans, Ravens, Eagles, and Commanders saw their acquisitions pay off in the regular season and continued to help their respective teams win games in the playoffs. Free agency doesn’t have to be who spends the most, or who signs the best player on the open market, but finding free agents who meet needs can do wonders. This means good players who can be found relatively early on the open market, not the dime-store pickups three weeks after free agency opens like the Cowboys tend to pursue. The teams that won didn’t add players who cost them a fortune, but they were aggressive in finding the right fits. Utilizing free agency to find good players is something Jones’ organization hasn’t done in a long time. This past weekend was another lesson for the Cowboys in how to use free agency, but it’s unlikely they were paying enough attention to notice. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.