Dallas, TX
Construction underway on Harold Simmons Park’s first attraction
If you’ve driven along Commerce Street just west of downtown Dallas, you’ve likely noticed construction activity across the Trinity River.
The work marks the beginning of Harold Simmons Park — a $350 million project aimed at transforming the Trinity River corridor into a major recreational destination in North Texas.
The park’s first major feature, known as the “Play Cove,” is already taking shape, though much of it is being built overseas.
Tony Moore, CEO of the Trinity Park Conservancy, said the Play Cove will include six massive, two-story towers connected by suspension bridges, creating an immersive play space for visitors. While the site in Dallas is still in early stages, those towers are currently under construction in Germany, where designers were selected for their engineering expertise and craftsmanship.
“They’re about two stories high, connected by bridges, so you can walk from tower to tower,” Moore said. “We wanted the very best.”
Once completed, the towers will be shipped to Dallas and installed as the centerpiece of the park’s first phase.
The broader vision for Harold Simmons Park also includes a significant investment in green space. Nearly 2,000 mature trees will be added to the site, with many already selected and waiting in nurseries until construction progresses. Existing trees will also be preserved and protected.
Project leaders said the goal is to open part of the park as soon as possible, giving residents access while construction continues on future phases.
After years of planning, Moore said seeing work finally begin is a milestone moment for Dallas.
“This has been a long time coming,” he said. “Dallas has been waiting for this.”
If construction stays on schedule, the first phase, including the Play Cove, is expected to open by the end of 2028.
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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