Dallas City News

NFL Draft primer: Cowboys’ offense could look a little different around Dak Prescott – Jason Owens, Yahoo! Sports

There are a lot of needs on offense for the Dallas Cowboys and that side of the ball should look a bit different after the draft.

The Cowboys are in desperate need of a running back after the departure of Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans. The move left third-year back Rico Dowdle (385 career rushing yards) as the top option on Dallas’ depth chart. But that’s not a first-round problem. Offensive line is.

Longtime left tackle Tyron Smith is gone to the New York Jets to protect Aaron Rodgers, leaving Dallas with a high-profile need. The Cowboys also saw center Tyler Biadasz sign with the rival Washington Commanders.

Dallas is also in need of a legitimate No. 2 or No. 3 receiver to play next to CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. And Micah Parsons could use help to balance the pass rush. Dallas did little to address any of these needs in free agency, making one wonder exactly what team owner Jerry Jones meant when he said the Cowboys were going “all-in” this offseason. Pressure is on in the draft.

Best first-round fits

Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State

Graham Barton, OL, Duke

Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma

Best Day 2 fits

Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia

Sedrick Van Pran, C, Georgia

Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama

Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington

Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas

Jaylen Wright, RB, Tennessee

Chris Braswell, EDGE, Alabama

Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State

CeeDee Lamb & Micah Parsons’ Contracts ‘Easy Checks to Write’ For Dallas Cowboys? – Adam Schultz, Sports Illustrated

Extending star players like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons should be an easy thing to do, but contract negotiations are never as easy as it seems.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah thinks that the Cowboys sorting out the futures of Lamb and Parsons should be an easy thing to do.

“When you think about guys like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, they’ve kind of done everything they need to do [to get a new contract],” Jeremiah said on NFL Total Access. “Like those should be easy checks to write, but this seems to be the way they’re going, which is hey we’re going to hold off on all business and let’s go see what this team looks like this year with a bunch of very hungry players.”

For most, getting Lamb and Parsons to sign long-term deals seems “easy,” but nothing about how the Cowboys are conducting their business points to be easy with negotiations.

With Jerry Jones’ comments regarding Lamb and that the franchise has to figure out if paying Lamb $30m APY is advantageous or whether having five players on $6m APY is, that kind of thought process isn’t what fans want to hear from a team’s owner about perhaps their best offensive player.

But here we are with no one really sure about what the Cowboys’ true plans are, although the “blow it up” thought from our own Mike Fisher seems to be coming closer to fruition with each passing day.

Next Man Up: Defining a role for Juanyeh Thomas – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

What can the Cowboys expect from third-year safety Juanyeh Thomas this upcoming season?

The Past: The Cowboys have had plenty of success over the years in finding talent in the undrafted free agent market. Thomas is another example of that and he was able to make the team, despite the fact the Cowboys have been rather deep at the safety position. In his two years on the squad, Thomas has had to fight for playing time with the likes of starters Malik Hooker, Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson, along with Israel Mukuamu and Markquese Bell. Still, Thomas has carved a role, both on defense and special teams. He made the first key play of the 2023 season when he blocked a field goal attempt against the Giants in Week 1 and the ball was returned for a touchdown by Noah Igbinoghene. Throughout the year, Thomas played more and more on defense and special teams.

The Present: The safety position still has plenty of experience despite the expected loss of Kearse, who is a free agent and remains unsigned. It’s unlikely he would return to the Cowboys for next year. That opens up another spot for a physical safety who can play closer to the line of scrimmage. Also, Thomas is a unique player because he has a strong-safety skills but also with a history of returning kicks as well. That kind of combo of tacking ability and speed usually make for a good special teams players. And with the new rules on the kickoffs now in place, players such as Thomas will likely be counted on to contribute both in the kickoff return and coverage teams.

The Future: This is the final year on Thomas’ contract as he would be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. While he to compete with other experienced safeties on the roster, Thomas should get enough reps in the preseason games to showcase his ability, whether it’s for a new contract with the Cowboys or other squads. But this will be a big season for him, and considering he has continued to show development in each of his first two seasons, this could be a breakout season for Thomas, who could force the Cowboys to keep him on the field with his playmaking ability.

High Low: Aubrey deletes Cowboys need in NFL Draft – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

There is at least one area that the Cowboys don’t need to worry about on draft day: the kicking room.

Brandon Aubrey: It took a long time and several different players, and sometimes a bit of recycling (hi, Brett Maher) for the Cowboys to finally find the worthy successor to the legendary Dan Bailey; and they were able to strike gold again without using a draft pick to fix the position. Instead, they took a trip to Birmingham to sign Aubrey, also a former lifelong soccer player, away from the XFL’s Stallions in a move that ultimately pushed Tristan Vizcaino back onto the streets of free agency.

Aubrey was a menace in his “rookie” season, setting records and putting both his accuracy and powder-keg right foot on display whenever called upon, and earning both a First-Team All-Pro honor and Pro Bowl nod in the process.

Bryan Anger: Speaking of being a menace, Anger falls right into that category as well. Arguably the best punter in the entire NFL, he is the king of the coffin corner kick and routinely helps flip field position for the Cowboys. The former two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl leg is surgical with his kicks, and though he’s only under contract through 2024, at the moment, that could and should change at a moment’s notice.

Trent Sieg: Not unlike the search for Bailey’s successor was the search for someone to replace another legendary Cowboys’ specialist, namely L.P. Ladouceur, but there’s been far less turnover at long snapper than at place kicker. Sieg re-signed this offseason to remain with the Cowboys after a great 2023 season in which his name wasn’t called a single time on a broadcast, and that means he’s doing his job.