Uncommon Knowledge
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The Dallas Cowboys were one of the most quiet teams during the free agency, much to the chagrin of fans. Cap room could be a big issue as to why owner Jerry Jones did not make any significant moves to improve the team’s roster. However, it appears the team is not done searching for potential playmakers, as the team has brought in multiple free agents for workouts.
Read more: Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Reportedly ‘Fed Up’ With Jerry Jones
According to the team’s website, the Cowboys brought in four former UFL (United Football League) players for a workout at The Star on Tuesday.
Defensive end Jonathan Garvin, defensive end Wyatt Ray, defensive end Derick Roberson, and running back/fullback John Lovett all arrived to showcase their skillset to coaches ahead of training camp.
Garvin was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and played three seasons with the team, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was cut by the team in 2023, leading to his signing with the Birmingham Stallions. In his first season in the UFL, he recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Ray was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019 but would be waived during rookie training camp. He spent time with the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos before landing with the San Antonio Brahmas in 2024. During his first season with the team, he logged 24 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
Roberson was signed by the Titans in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, spending three seasons with the team. During his three-year stint, he secured 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He would be drafted in the XFL Supplemental Draft to the Houston Roughnecks in 2023 but was eventually released in Dec. 2023. He would land with the DC Defenders in 2024, finishing the season with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Lovett was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent but was cut during rookie training camp. He would eventually land with the UFL San Antonio Brahmas, where he ran for 423 yards (fifth in the league) and scored five touchdowns (second in the league).
Though the Cowboys already have Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, it wouldn’t be terrible to add some depth players at the pass rush position. The team also brought back running back Ezekiel Elliott, but there is no true fullback on the current roster, making Lovett a good option should he make the 53-man roster.
The Cowboys are doing their due diligence, as are the rest of the 31 teams in the NFL. The UFL had its first inaugural season, leading many former NFL players to suit up in hopes of returning to the NFL.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
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