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Cowboys’ roster winners and losers from surprisingly defense heavy draft

Published

10 months ago

April 27, 2025

Cowboys’ roster winners and losers from surprisingly defense heavy draft

The 2025 NFL Draft has concluded, with the Dallas Cowboys making nine picks. Originally scheduled for ten, the Cowboys went into day three with the bulk of their picks still remaining, and did some wheeling and dealing to move up in the fifth round and target even more defensive help with Florida linebacker Shemar James. Day three was also the point the Cowboys waited until to address running back, which came as a surprise, but they double-dipped with Texas’ Jaydon Blue at 149th overall and Clemson’s Phil Mafah at 239th in the seventh.

The single biggest surprise from this Cowboys draft is that they left wide receiver completely untouched. Some runs on the position ahead of their picks in each round may have forced their hand here, but Dallas did a terrific job sticking to their board and finding high-value players, mainly by trusting first-year DC Matt Eberflus to bulk up his side of the ball. Both of the Cowboys day two picks went to defense, as well as three of their six on day three with another double-dip at defensive tackle in the seventh. Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote became something of last-ditch picks to address an underrated position of need, at very least from a depth and bodies standpoint, giving the Cowboys more size on the defensive interior.

One of the great initial things to seemingly come out of this draft is also the way the Cowboys created competition. The Cowboys newest rookies will push existing depth players to the roster bubble, especially those that were brought in under previous coaches, almost none of which are still here. The Cowboys also have some clear winners from the existing roster who seemingly got a vote of confidence based on the team’s drafting.

Let’s take an early look at who some of these Cowboys’ roster winners and losers are following the draft.

Winners: WRs Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy and Jonathan Mingo

The Cowboys positioning in each round did not fall favorably for them to target a receiver with any of their four picks in the top 150. Tet McMillan was gone before their first round choice, Matthew Golden went later in the first, and Luther Burden was drafted before they pivoted to defense in the second round for Donovan Ezeiruaku. There was a total of 20 wide receivers drafted after the Cowboys third-round selection, but by this point the team must have felt none could play right away and make the impact they need. By doing so, the Cowboys put a lot of faith into an existing receiver group that lost Brandin Cooks this offseason. Obviously they could still add a vet WR through free agency or a trade.

The biggest names to keep in mind here are Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and Jonathan Mingo, because they have all been on the roster for part of the time the Cowboys offensive play caller in Schottenheimer has been on staff.

Tolbert has yet to show much over his three years with the team that inspires confidence he can be much more than a third receiver alongside an established primary and secondary option. The Cowboys have their primary target in CeeDee Lamb, and even drafting a receiver 12th overall wouldn’t have changed this, but having to put Tolbert in the current conversation for WR2 is not the best of circumstances. Still, Tolbert emerges from this draft as a winner, at least because he will have a clear path to see the field and find a new role in Schottenheimer’s offense. This is a player that got better with the most consistent reps of his career a year ago, and still fills an obvious need for speed at the skill positions for Dallas.

From the somewhat limited nuggets of information we have about how Schottenheimer wants to scheme the Cowboys offense moving forward, using consistent formations that look the same but present a wide array of concepts to the defense is a priority. This would align the Cowboys closer to teams in the way they help their quarterbacks with these looks. A staple of playing offense in this way is the ability to dictate the matchups receivers, backs, and tight ends get in coverage. If the Cowboys can hone in on this for Tolbert and get his vertical speed working against linebackers and safeties more consistently, it could be the key to seeing the former third-round pick make another leap.

As for both Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy, the Cowboys may not find a lot of dynamic speed and explosive play ability from either, but these are big targets that present wide catch radiuses for Dak Prescott. Both receivers have their best potential in the red zone, where Dallas was 31st in the league only ahead of the New York Giants in scoring touchdowns last season. If using Prescott’s mobility is going to be another focus for the redesigned offense, moving him out of the pocket to layer throws to the likes of Brooks, Flournoy, and even last year’s trade acquisition Mingo, can become bread and butter plays. This is an offense that will have to work hard to create run-after-the-catch situations for their receivers, but has some of the potential to do so on the depth chart.

The Cowboys also ended the draft without making any of the “substantiated” trades Jerry Jones hinted at coming into it, and wide receiver is a position they’ve shown a propensity to target in trades before. Not just with Mingo a year ago, but obviously Amari Cooper in 2018 when things were looking bleak at receiver prior to that trade. Fans may think things are equally bleak on the current depth chart at WR, but at minimum this team has young talent still on the rise in multiple receivers for the first time in a long time, all of which became winners after the draft without a single new rookie to compete with.

Losers: OL Nathan Thomas, T.J. Bass, and Brock Hoffman

When the Cowboys started off their draft with Alabama’s Tyler Booker, one of the benefits was reshuffling the depth chart along the offensive line to put depth players into backup roles and not over-slotted as potential starters. This equation changed a little bit when the Cowboys took yet another versatile offensive lineman in Ajani Cornelius in the fifth round.

Cornelius was a tackle at Oregon, but is expected to move to guard in the NFL. The Cowboys know better than most teams how to get the most out of linemen transitioning from one position to another in the pros, and do so while still valuing them as an option at all of their capable positions. This is why adding both Booker and Cornelius is not the best news for the likes of Nathan Thomas, T.J. Bass, and Brock Hoffman.

Thomas was a seventh-round pick last year, another collegiate tackle that also projects as a big guard at the pro level. The fact the Cowboys are already putting second-year draft picks on the roster bubble shows how serious they were about recommitting to the offensive line. Thomas could have been a longshot to compete for the right guard rotation before the team drafted Booker, and a backup guard option with swing potential before Cornerlius was picked. Now, Thomas will have to compete with a player coming out of a bigger school with higher draft pedigree.

The player who likely fell out of starting job consideration entirely is Brock Hoffman. This is a player that went from having something of an inside track to the right guard job, to at least being the primary backup at two positions with the ability to play center behind Cooper Beebe, and now by the end of the draft will find himself in a fight with the team’s latest fifth-round pick as well as Robert Jones and Saahdiq Charles to remain a primary backup guard. T.J. Bass also finds himself in a battle to be a backup along the interior line.

The Cowboys have not backed down for even a second under Schottenheimer when it comes to their desire to field one of the best offensive lines in the league again, and may have found the pieces to do so in this draft.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

Winners: TEs Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker

The Cowboys proved throughout the draft they were not afraid to address positions that weren’t necessarily considered top needs, but passed on a dark horse way to still upgrade their skill offensively with their very first pick. Penn State tight end and Swiss army knife Tyler Warren was surprisingly still on the board, after the Bears made Colston Loveland the first TE off the board at 10th overall. With Jake Ferguson going into a contract year after having a down year in 2024, the consideration among fans was strong for Warren. Dallas made it clear they are content to go into another season with Ferguson hopefully staying healthy throughout and catching more passes from Dak Prescott, not any of their backup QBs.

When Dallas was down to their backups last season, and Ferguson was unavailable, they actually saw some flashes from second-year player Luke Schoonmaker as well. Schoonmaker has shown flashes of being a reliable check-down option on the types of bootleg or moving pocket throws that could also help the Cowboys receiving corps greatly, as well as a middle of field seam option. The Cowboys also have blocking tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford with room to grow more as a pass catcher. This trio was enough for the Cowboys to pass on Tyler Warren, and LSU TE Mason Taylor went two picks before their second-round choice. This all but shut the door on the Cowboys upgrading significantly at tight end in this draft, leaving the arrow pointing up for both Ferguson and Schoonmaker.

Loser: LB Damone Clark

The Cowboys overhauling their linebacking room prior to the draft via the trade market was bad enough news for Damone Clark, coming off a season where he played a very limited role in Mike Zimmer’s defense. Dallas did not stop at trading for Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn though, they also traded up in the fifth-round to draft Florida LB Shemar James. Matt Eberflus’ influence was felt throughout this draft, and when it comes to being the former LB coach for the Cowboys, he has certainly had his way in rebuilding the position group in his image.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 23 Charlotte at Florida

Clark will be one of the few linebackers to play for all three of the recent DCs for the Cowboys in Dan Quinn, Zimmer, and Eberflus, but now more than ever the depth chart is stacked against him with young talent and specific scheme fits. The Cowboys still need additional bodies at the position until DeMarvion Overshown is ready to play this season, which may not happen at all, but Clark will have to outperform one of Sanborn, Murray, James, or Marist Liufau to really find a consistent role on defense.

Winner: DE Micah Parsons

The Cowboys have so many new faces and moving pieces to their defense coming out of this draft, it is almost possible to forget that Micah Parsons is still the star the rest of this entire unit revolves around. Parsons never stopped playing hard for a team out of contention last season, and has been rewarded this offseason with a completely retooled defensive front that should help him thrive in all of the ways he knows how to.

The Cowboys took another pass rusher in the second round with Donovan Ezeiruaku. They’ve added athletic rushers Payton Turner and former Cowboy Dante Fowler Jr. to the group this offseason as well. Sam Williams is set to return after missing all of last season with an ACL and MCL tear. The ability for all of these players to interchange and rush from different positions could be a nightmare for opposing offenses to deal with at the line of scrimmage.

The Cowboys must do everything they can with the rest of the offseason to embrace their pass rush stable being one of the brightest spots on the whole roster, and find ways to maximize their ability to impact the game. Being a great ball control team offensively would go a long way here, and Dallas certainly has their work cut out figuring out what combination of Miles Sanders, Javontae Williams, Deuce Vaughn, Jaydon Blue, and Phil Mafah out of the backfield can help them achieve this.

The Cowboys are in great position to get another all-world season out of Micah Parsons. While this may have been true before the draft, considering we are talking about Micah Parsons here, the way they continued to focus on the front seven and helped Parsons even more was somewhat unexpected – but absolutely welcome.

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Daisy’s Memorial Dog Strick Library| The Post

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Daisy’s Memorial Dog Strick Library| The Post

A tribute to a family dog is now helping other animals. Daisy’s Memorial Dog Stick Library encourages dogs to take and leave sticks on their walks near White Rock Lake. Kimberly Haley-Coleman stopped by The Post to talk about the tribute.

Posted March 2, 2026 4:21pm CST

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Wilonsky: A mom deported, 4 kids left behind and an 80-year-old Dallas Girl Scout troop leader’s good deeds

Published

16 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Wilonsky: A mom deported, 4 kids left behind and an 80-year-old Dallas Girl Scout troop leader’s good deeds

Early the morning of Feb. 9, Ana, a 45-year-old mother of four, woke up in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center outside Abilene. Bluebonnet, it’s called, so named for the toxic state flower. She was hustled from bunk to bus for a ride to Del Rio. By noon, she was standing in the middle of the International Bridge that connects Del Rio with Ciudad Acuña across the Mexican border.

Ana was told only: You’re free to go – back to Monterrey, which she left in 2006 and where her parents still lived. She did not know how she was going to get there. Or when she would see her girls again.

Only five weeks earlier, Ana had a job at an ice cream shop at Lombardy Lane and Brockbank Drive in northwest Dallas, where she’d worked for six years. A single mother, she alone cared for her daughters, two of whom are in elementary school – fifth and sixth grades – and struggle with dyslexia. Her 12-year-old, diagnosed with severe depression, had twice tried to harm herself just last year. Her eldest, a 17-year-old senior at Thomas Jefferson High School, is set to begin college in the fall.

Ana crossed the Rio Grande on an inflatable raft near Laredo 20 years ago for a life she couldn’t find in Mexico. She met a man in Lewisville with whom she had four children. He abused her, she said, so she left again, to start over in northwest Dallas.

Immigration officials gave her a preliminary court hearing: Aug. 24, 2027. Ana, who has no criminal record, went to the ICE offices on Stemmons Freeway around New Year’s Eve for her annual check-in.

A plethora of messages were created on handmade signs for attendees to hold during an ICE... — A plethora of messages were created on handmade signs for attendees to hold during an ICE vigil held outside the Dallas ICE field office, located at 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, on July 27, 2025.
Steve Hamm / Special Contributor
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And every time she returned home to her girls. Until Dec. 30, 2025, when she was detained by officers, then shuffled around the state – Dallas to Alvarado to Abilene – before being sent back to Mexico, leaving behind daughters, all born in Dallas, to whom she did not get to say goodbye.

“I was so scared,” said Ana, who, with her eldest, agreed to talk to me if I did not use her full name or her children’s names.

“And I was in shock,” she said. “The whole morning I was just praying thinking about what to do next. I thought I would see my lawyer or talk to someone about what was going on, but the way they took us, no one explained anything to us. I know I did something wrong when I came over without my paperwork, as I should have. But I wasn’t stealing or hurting someone; I was working for my family, providing.”

Ana spoke by phone from Monterrey, where, last week, she buried her father, whose heart failed him days after she was left on that bridge. She began to cry.

“The fact that they just took apart my family, it’s breaking my heart,” Ana said, trying to catch her breath. “There are a lot of people who are doing bad things. We’re just trying to provide for our kids. Why us?”

But she knows why. Everyone does. Because there have been so many stories like this in recent months it’s impossible to keep track.

Ana was transferred to and deported from the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson on Feb.... — Ana was transferred to and deported from the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson on Feb. 9. 2026.
Eli Hartman / AP

Just last week, María de Jesus Estrada Juarez of California, who came to the U.S. when she was 15 and was a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient, was arrested during her regular check-in and sent back to Mexico. In Alaska, a mother and her three children were sent to Tijuana within 36 hours of being detained by ICE. NBC News also recounted the story of an 11-year-old girl, a U.S. citizen, whose brain-tumor treatment was interrupted when her parents were deported to Mexico.

The Texas Civil Rights Project has been trying to reunite the parents with their 11-year-old girl so she can get the care she needs. I asked the Austin-based organization if they kept track of the number of parents without criminal records deported to Mexico while their children are left behind. A spokesperson said they do not maintain a database tracking such cases, but that “it happens very often under this administration.”

Which is more or less what other immigration advocacy and legal nonprofits told me: We don’t track that data. But it’s, you know, a lot. ICE didn’t respond to emails asking for that information, either.

But just because we’re inundated with these stories doesn’t mean we should turn a deaf ear to them, especially when they involve our neighbors. This feels especially personal, as Ana’s eldest will graduate from my alma mater – if she can survive the next few months of waking her sisters each morning, getting them to school, working late hours at her fast-food job, dealing with grown-up responsibilities suddenly thrust upon her and trying, somehow, to fit in homework.

“It wasn’t really a choice for me,” the 17-year-old told me. “If I don’t do it, who will? The hardest part is getting up every morning, because there’s no break for the rest of the day – it’s the same thing every day, the same loop. And if there is, I have to do laundry or get these girls to their Girl Scouts things.”

Lynn Wilbur has been a Girl Scouts troop leader since 1983. For the last decade, she's been... — Lynn Wilbur has been a Girl Scouts troop leader since 1983. For the last decade, she’s been part of an outreach group within the Scouts that helps girls who otherwise couldn’t afford to be part of the organization.
Courtesy Lynn Wilbur

I never would have known of Ana’s story, and that of the children left behind, had I not been forwarded a newsletter from Now>Forward, the nonprofit once known as North Dallas Shared Ministries. In the newsletter was a brief telling of the tale, along with a plea for assistance, as the girls need food, rent, uniforms.

I was told to call Lynn Wilbur, a Girl Scout troop leader since 1983, when her own daughter turned 5, and, for the last decade, leader of an outreach program that provides financial assistance for girls who want to be Girl Scouts but can’t afford dues, uniforms, supplies, field trips. “Anything that has to be paid for,” Wilbur said.

There are some 60 girls in the program, most spread across Dallas ISD elementary schools, including Ana’s three youngest daughters. Where once the program was funded by a foundation, though, the troop is having to depend on private donations – begging and scrounging, Wilbur said.

“Now, we’re just trying to help the girls pick up the pieces, along with their lives,” the 80-year-old said. When I called, she was with Ana’s daughters.

Most of the girls in Wilbur’s troop are from Spanish-speaking homes. This is the first time one of their parents has been deported. But, she fears, it will not be the last. One mother recently asked Wilbur if she would take her daughter if she, too, is deported.

“The amount of fear is unbelievable,” Wilbur said. “My house is one place they let them come because they know they’d have to kill me before I let them in the door. This has got to stop. Unless good people step up and let their voices be heard nothing is going to change. That’s why I am talking to you. We can’t let this keep happening, especially to children.”

Wilbur taught Ana’s eldest how to pay bills, how to buy a car when her mother’s recently broke down, how to deal with insurance, how to be a grown-up at 17. The TJ student was never a Girl Scout. But Wilbur, the living embodiment of a slogan that demands a Girl Scout do a good deed daily, has surely taught her how to be prepared.

“Miss Lynn has always made us feel like we’re important, that we’re loved,” Ana said. Another small sob. “That we’re human.”

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NFL insiders share Cowboys rumors from the combine

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

NFL insiders share Cowboys rumors from the combine

The Dallas Cowboys had an eventful NFL combine. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones were working the media circuit, fans got to learn more about Christian Parker through a few interviews, and there was drama surrounding the reports of Brandon Aubrey’s contract negotiations.

A lot of knowledge is shared throughout the week, both on camera and behind closed doors, as the NFL landscape is set to shift as free agency approaches in just a few weeks. Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, NFL Insiders for ESPN, emptied their notebooks on what they learned throughout the week.

Here are a few nuggets and takeaways that matter for the Cowboys.

1. How Dallas attacks the start of free agency

Jerry Jones held court on his bus during combine week and talked to media members about how the team will be active in free agency. The majority of their moves could come on the defensive side of the ball as Dallas gets their new defensive coordinator the pieces he needs to run his defense.

Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Cowboys was the first to report the Cowboys’ potential interest in Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean. Fowler doubles down on that idea.

The Cowboys are crafting a detailed free agency plan to bolster their defense. The new scheme under coordinator Christian Parker needs replenishment. Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean is someone to watch as a green-dot player in the middle of the defense.

Dean has been with the Eagles for four seasons after being drafted in 2022. When healthy, Dean has shown flashes of the player people viewed as the one he could become coming out of Georgia in college. The biggest concern with handing him a big contract is his health.

Out of 68 possible games, Dean was on the field for just 47 of them. He’s battled injuries throughout his young career, so if he’s expected to be the one leading Dallas’ defense, Dean has to be on the field more than he’s shown to this point.

2. The Cowboys will look to add a pass rusher

The Cowboys’ leader in sacks from last year is Jadeveon Clowney, who is set to hit the open market. Two other edge rushers for Dallas are free agents in Sam Williams and Dante Fowler Jr. Both could return to the Cowboys, but the front office might look to not only upgrade the position but also go after one of the top free agents if the price is right.

Fowler: The Cowboys will monitor the top of the pass-rush free agent options, too. They aren’t guaranteed to spend big, but I believe they will get a pass rusher at some point.

Later in the notebook, Fowler says, “Trey Hendrickson (Bengals) and Odafe Oweh (Chargers) will probably not be franchise-tagged.” That means two more premier edge rushers could be on the market. A few beat reporters have mentioned Hendrickson’s name as a possibility this offseason, but will he command too much money that Dallas is unwilling to spend? Probably.

What about Jalen Phillips? Can the Cowboys pull two former Eagles in free agency away from their rivals because of their connection to Parker? The keyword Fowler adds when it comes to Dallas’ interest in the best available pass rushers is “monitor.” If the numbers get outrageous, then they might go in a different direction. A name that could make a lot of sense for the Cowboys is Kwity Paye of the Indianapolis Colts.

He’s totaled 30.5 sacks over his five seasons in the NFL and could play a similar role in Parker’s defense to what Brandon Graham had in Philadelphia with inside-out versatility.

3. Dallas may want to add a few pieces in the secondary

One of Jerry Jones’ biggest regrets in recent history seems to be not re-signing Jourdan Lewis last offseason. Dallas would have been much better off with Lewis, given his skill set, familiarity with the defense, and leadership off the field. His presence was missed in more ways than one. It sounds like Jerry isn’t willing to make the same mistake twice.

Fowler: They [Dallas] will also comb the free agent safety class (Arizona’s Jalen Thompson makes sense), and they need a nickel corner. Dallas has felt the void since Jourdan Lewis left.

Christian Parker talked about how important the nickel position is for his defense at his introductory press conference. There are a few free agent corners out there who should be an upgrade from what Dallas had last year, but the route that makes the most sense is drafting a cornerback in the first round.

Donovan Wilson and Juanyeh Thomas are free agents, leaving Malik Hooker and Markquese Bell as the two players under contract on the team with starting experience at safety. Bell is someone who could play a more significant role in Parker’s defense given his position versatility. Where does that leave Hooker? Dallas could save almost $7 million if they cut him before June 1, but how does Parker feel about him fitting into his scheme?

How Dallas approaches the safety position at the start of free agency will tell us a lot.

4. Brandon Aubrey could have a contract sooner rather than later

You know the negotiations with Aubrey go sideways when he, his wife, and Todd France (Aubrey’s agent) go to Instagram and call the reports around it all “fake.” The Cowboys have remained optimistic in getting a deal done with Aubrey to make him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker. The holdup is just how much Dallas is willing to go and raise that number.

The Cowboys made an offer to Aubrey last year to be the highest paid at his position. The number has never been $7.5 million per year. Aubrey and his camp reportedly asked for $10 million per year, which would blow past the current mark with Harrison Butker ($6.4 million annually), but that has also been a disputed figure.

If it comes down to it, the front office is prepared to apply a second-round tender on their kicker, bringing his salary for 2026 between $5.5-5.8 million. It seemed as though negotiations had stalled after things got out of hand, but a resolution may be coming soon.

Graziano: Sabre rattling aside, I expect the Cowboys to reach a deal with Brandon Aubrey at some point in the first week or two of March that makes him the highest-paid kicker in the league. If they don’t get a deal done by the restricted free agent tender deadline, Dallas plans to put a second-round tender on Aubrey. That means he’d make $5.767 million this season if the two sides don’t reach a deal and the Cowboys would get a second-round pick if another team made Aubrey a contract offer they didn’t want to match.

Getting a deal done within the next 10 days before the second-round tender would be ideal for both parties. The front office would lock up the league’s best kicker long-term, and Aubrey will be making more than the price that comes with the tag.

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