Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly more likely to draft a difference-maker like Ashton Jeanty to upgrade the running back position than they are to sign or trade for one this offseason.

According to The Athletic's Jon Machota, "They’re unlikely to make a big move to get a standout back like Philadelphia did with Saquon Barkley. Drafting Jeanty is the next best option."

However the Cowboys choose to address running back—and they almost assuredly will, with Machota reporting that "new head coach Brian Schottenheimer is expected to put more of an emphasis on the run game"—it's a major need. The Cowboys ranked just 27th in rushing yards (100.3 YPG) last season, making them far more one-dimensional than they've been in recent years.

Part of that comes down to last offseason, when Jerry Jones and the front office chose to ignore the chance to sign Derrick Henry, instead going with the mediocre one-two punch of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. Dowdle was fine (1,079 rushing yards, two touchdowns) but Elliott was completely washed.

Generally speaking, using valuable first-round assets on a running back rather than more vital positions (quarterback, offensive and defensive lines, cornerback) isn't always the best team-building strategy. But Jeanty is a dynamic talent and happens to fill one of the team's biggest needs. It wouldn't come as a surprise if the Cowboys went that route.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who should be in line for a lucrative second contract, is quite pleased after hearing news of the NFL's salary cap increase for the 2025 season.

The Cowboys have picked up the fifth-year option on Parsons' rookie deal, so he's set to make just over $24 million in 2025.

Parsons has already had extension talks with owner Jerry Jones, but he told team writer Patrik Walker that there hasn't been any progress yet.

"Oh, it's good, you know? It was good," Parsons said. "I really have a lot of respect for Jerry. We have great conversations all the time. There's definitely a plan in place, but we'll just see how everything plays out. There's been no progress yet, but I'm pretty confident that something will happen, so we'll see."

The highest-paid non-quarterback in football is San Francisco 49ers edge-rusher Nick Bosa at five years and $170 million with $88 million guaranteed, per Over the Cap.

Parsons and his representation at Athletes First will likely be looking to set the market with a new extension and top that deal.

The ex-Penn State star has been fantastic in four years, making four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams while amassing 52.5 sacks, 112 quarterback hits and 256 tackles. He's certainly worthy of a massive contract.

Although there hasn't been much headway on talks yet, that should change down the road as Dallas looks to keep its defensive cornerstone.

Micah Parsons is pushing the Dallas Cowboys to be active in free agency.

“I don’t want to sit back and watch other [teams] build and build and us stay the same," Parsons said, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Definitely some call to action. I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact. I want to see us bring back our own players, that’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”

The Cowboys took a cautious approach to the 2024 offseason, relying on contributors from the draft rather than free agency. They spent just $20.47 million on free agents in 2024, the lowest in the NFL (h/t CBS Sports' Garrett Podell).

It may be difficult for Dallas to make larger splashes once again. The team currently ranks 26th in the NFL in cap space this offseason, via Over the Cap.

The Cowboys could gain some cap flexibility by extending Parsons, who is set to enter the final season of his rookie contract after the team picked up his fifth-year option in April 2024.

Dallas would receive roughly $18 million in cap space to spend on free agents during the spring by handing the four-time Pro Bowler an extension, per Patrik Walker of the team's official website.

While Parsons played in a career-low 13 games in 2024 due to an ankle injury, he still showed why he's considered one of the top pass-rushers in the league. The 25-year-old racked up 43 tackles, 46 pressures, 23 quarterback hits, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles.

As the Cowboys look to bounce back from a disappointing 7-10 record, Parsons has made it clear that he wants them to focus on making external upgrades to the roster and retaining some of their own impending free agents.

Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is still a believer in quarterback Dak Prescott.

The same cannot be said about his confidence level in new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

During an interview with TMZ Sports, Irvin said the suggestion the Cowboys should move on from Prescott is "dumb s--t." He added, "that's talk of haters that want to keep some spinning mess going when you have all these teams out there fighting for a very important position."

While injuries limited Prescott to just eight games last season, he led the league with 36 passing touchdowns in 2023. He has also thrown for more than 4,400 yards in each of the last three seasons in which he played more than 12 games.

Prescott's ability to bounce back and remain healthy in 2025 will go a long way toward determining how successful Schottenheimer is, but Irvin didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement for the new coach.

"There are great odds against Brian Schottenheimer turning around the Cowboys in a great way," he said.

"You start thinking maybe God is doing something our meager minds can't really consume. … If he takes a great and then produces something great, you'll say the man did it. But when he takes a Brian Schottenheimer, the least likely of them all, and then he gives him that position, and he does something great, you yourself will say it must've been God. Because we damn well know it wasn't Brian Schottenheimer."

Schottenheimer has never been a head coach in the NFL, although he is the son of longtime coach Marty Schottenheimer and was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator the past two seasons.

It was anything but a splashy hire, but he at least brings continuity with Prescott and the rest of the offense as he looks to lead the Cowboys back to the playoffs following a disappointing 7-10 effort in 2024 brought the end of the Mike McCarthy era.

Dak Prescott believes the Dallas Cowboys are "very close" to being on the same level as the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

"I feel like we compete with the Eagles. We beat them, for the most part, when we played them," Prescott said Tuesday (h/t The Athletic's Jon Machota.) "I don't want to say, 'Check the record,' when the other guy's holding a trophy right now. So credit to them, they've earned it, and they deserve it, by all means.

"But yeah, very close. Even watch the NFC game, the NFC Championship. Those two teams, that we battle against each and every year, a couple of times. As I said, feel confident we've gotten the better part, each and every time. To see them in a such a dominating fashion, credit to them. It's our turn, and it's on us."

The Cowboys face a steep climb back up NFC East standings after the division rival Eagles and Washington Commanders both made it to the conference championship game in January.

Prescott last played in Week 8 of the 2024 campaign before undergoing season-ending hamstring surgery in November.

The Cowboys quarterback, who will be playing next season in the first year of his $240 million contract, indicated in December he plans to rejoin the team for April workouts.

When exactly Prescott will be returning isn't the only question the Cowboys need to answer this offseason.

After parting ways with Mike McCarthy this offseason, the Cowboys will head into the 2025 campaign under a first-time head coach in former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.

The team also has yet to lock down a backup quarterback for Prescott with Cooper Rush, who started eight games in Prescott's absence last season, hitting free agency this spring.

Other free agency questions surround running back Rico Dowdle, cornerback Jourdan Lewis and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Veteran guard Zack Martin could consider retirement. And star linebacker Micah Parsons is in need of an extension.

Both the Eagles, who are bringing back Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley next season, and the Commanders, who will get a chance to build a stronger offensive line around Jayden Daniels this spring, will expect to contend again next season.

The Cowboys were missing Prescott when the team went 1-3 against the Commanders and Eagles in 2024. Even with him back for the 2025 season, however, Dallas will need to answer some pressing questions this offseason in order to guarantee a shot at a better division record next fall.

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly in the process of hiring former Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey to be a part of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer's staff, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

According to that report, discussions are "not done yet and the role is being finalized" but the expectation is that Dorsey will be heading to Dallas.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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CeeDee Lamb isn't concerned about recent trade rumors surrounding star edge Micah Parsons.

On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver replied to a post about Parsons potentially being traded this offseason.

"Y'all aren't tired of this? Every offseason, top of the charts... Let's just win ball games and that's with 11! SMH," Lamb wrote in the post.

The post from Lamb comes after a report from NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport regarding Dallas' "internal discussions" about either trading or paying Parsons this offseason.

"While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king's ransom," Pelissero and Rapoport wrote on Sunday.

Despite the Cowboys' struggles in 2024, Parsons had another outstanding year, racking up 43 tackles, 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss while playing just 13 games. Parsons is under contract for one more season and will receive $24 million guaranteed on a fifth-year option, but he's set to hit free agency after the 2025 season.

Parsons, who has been one of the best pass rushers in the league since he was drafted in 2021, will undoubtedly get a massive contract either from the Cowboys or another team. Spotrac projects Parsons to earn $30 million per year, though it wouldn't be surprising to see him pass Nick Bosa, who earns $34 million a year, to become the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.

If the Cowboys let Parsons get another productive year under his belt before paying him, his price will only go up.

Trading Parsons rather than extending him this offseason would likely be the cheaper option and could net a hefty haul, but the Cowboys' defense would take a significant hit without the four-time Pro Bowler no matter who they get in return for him.

Dallas parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after a 7-10 finish this season. The Cowboys will enter a new era with Brian Schottenheimer leading the way, and Lamb is ready to "just win ball games" with Parsons still on the team.

The Dallas Cowboys are weighing their options with Micah Parsons as the star edge-rusher enters the final year of his rookie contract, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

"While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king's ransom," the NFL insiders said.

Parsons will receive $24 million guaranteed in 2025 thanks to the fifth-year option in his rookie deal. Extending him beyond that will cost a significant sum and perhaps reset the market for edge-rushers.

Spotrac projects the four-time Pro Bowler to be worth $30 million annually. It wouldn't be a big leap for him to match or surpass the $34 million salary Nick Bosa gets from the San Francisco 49ers.

That the Cowboys are even throwing around the idea of trading Parsons is a reflection of how badly they've mismanaged their roster over the last few years. Take it from team owner Jerry Jones himself.

Extensions for quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, cornerback Trevon Diggs and offensive tackle Terence Steele put a serious strain on Dallas' long-term payroll.

Prescott has a particularly cumbersome contract. He has an $89.9 million salary cap hit for 2025. Restructuring his deal will provide some short-term relief but merely push that money down the road.

If the Cowboys were to give Parsons $30 million or more moving forward, they'd risk making their roster even more top-heavy.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told Rapoport in December that "I can't imagine there's a scenario where he's not wearing a star on his helmet" when referencing the defensive standout.

At the same time, Jones acknowledged the front office will reassess things and ask whether paying the market rate for star players is the most sensible path moving forward.

Trading Parsons would not only spare Dallas from having another huge contract on its books, but it would also yield draft compensation that becomes more cost-controlled talent to help balance out the squad.

As unpopular as the move would be, it would undoubtedly be a pragmatic course of action.