SAN ANTONIO – What does it take to win a Super Bowl?
It takes a lot of really good players, a coaching staff that can bring out the best in those players and an organization willing to pay for bringing in good players and good coaches.
The Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans have one thing in common this century: neither franchise has won or been on the doorstep of playing in a Super Bowl.
Despite the lack of on-field success, how do players rate their experiences playing for the Cowboys and Texans? Surprisingly, pretty well.
Report cards? What is this, grade school?
The National Football League Players Association released its second-ever team report cards for the 2023 season on Wednesday. According to NFLPA president and Cleveland Browns center J.C. Tretter, the report cards serve as a kind of “‘Free Agency Guide’ that would illuminate what the daily experience is for players and their families at each team.”
Response for last year’s report cards was modest. Tretter said more than 1,300 players, or approximately 60% of the league, participated in the survey. The team surveys seemingly made a positive impact league-wide because 1,706 active players, or 77% of the league, filled out responses this year.
The players evaluated their own organization by several key factors: its treatment of players’ families, food/cafeteria quality, nutritionist/dietician quality, locker room conditions, training room conditions, weight room conditions, training staff capabilities, quality of the team’s strength coaches, travel accommodations, quality of each head coach and quality of each owner.
Each player assigned a letter grade ranging from an A+ grade, indicating the very best a team has to offer, to an F- grade, indicating the very worst a team has to offer.
How did the Dallas Cowboys do?
Owner Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys may seem like they only care about keeping a moderately good football team in the headlines, but this year’s survey indicates that, for the most part, Cowboy players like playing for the Cowboys.
Dallas checked in at No. 12 overall out of 32 in the survey. Players highlighted the team’s facilities (locker room: A; weight room: A) and head coach Mike McCarthy (grade A) as a person players enjoy playing for. They also indicated how well the organization treats players’ families (grade A-), the quality of its strength coaches (grade B+) and how food and dieting best suits each player (food/cafeteria quality: B, nutritionist/dietician: B).
Cowboys weren’t exactly enthusiastic about everything the team provided. Two areas in need of serious improvement are the organization’s training room (grade C-) and training staff, whose D+ grade is tough to stomach. According to the survey, only 62% of Cowboy respondents felt they received enough one-on-one treatment from the training staff.
Traveling on the road appears to be another headache for Cowboy players. Only 72% of players felt they had “a comfortable amount of personal space during flights,” the survey said. Additionally, the Cowboys are one of seven NFL teams that require some players to have roommates the night before a game.
Dallas lost all five of its regular season games on the road in 2023. Maybe there’s a connection here.
How did the Houston Texans do?
The start of the 2020s did anything but roar for the Houston Texans, who rolled off an impressively futile run of four different head coaches in the first three seasons of the decade.
However, it looks like the franchise may be turning a corner. The Texans hired DeMeco Ryans to be its head coach, drafted a quarterback in C.J. Stroud who might be on the verge of superstardom and qualified for the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs this past season.
Based on the survey, the Texans came in at No. 7 overall out of 32 teams. Players offered rave reviews of the team’s cafeteria food (grade A-) and dietary advice (grade A-). The survey said that the Texans are the only team in the NFL that “had every player feel they received an individualized plan from their dietician.”
The aforementioned Ryans, a former Houston Texan player, showed himself to be a cerebral coach players wouldn’t mind going into the trenches for (grade A-).
The training room and training staff were also a source of pride for players. Over 90% of players felt the team had enough full-time trainers, enough full-time physical therapists, enough hot tub space, enough cold tub space and received enough one-on-one treatment. One area for improvement: Players would like to see the team add a sauna and/or steam room, which according to the survey, are both “standard at nearly every other facility in the League.”
Texans players who responded to the survey did not grade any category listed as anything worse than a B-.
What the survey can do
There has been some positive organizational change caused by the NFLPA releasing its report card information to players and the public. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ overall grade was ranked 28th out of 32 last year, in part, due to players reporting a rat infestation at EverBank Stadium, the team’s home stadium. This year, the Jaguars’ grade jumped to fifth overall after the team upgraded its facilities over the last calendar year.
On the other hand, great on-field success isn’t always the best indicator of a well-run organization. Players ranked the Kansas City Chiefs, who earlier this month won their third Super Bowl title in the last five years, 31st overall out of 32. According to the survey, head coach Andy Reid was voted as the lone positive while players lamented the team’s lack of “quality care” and “out-of-date facilities.”
If the survey is teaching a lesson, the lesson is: What you see might not be what you get.
A full list of letter grades and rankings for each NFL team can be found here.
Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
LANDOVER, Md. — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has made it known that he’ll voice his opinion when it comes to the team’s roster construction next season. He already has some thoughts.
“Find a way to keep a guy like [wide receiver] George [Pickens],” Prescott said after Thursday’s 30-23 road win over the Washington Commanders. “Find a way to keep a guy like [running back] Javonte [Williams].”
Those checklist items have been on the offseason agenda for the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones for quite some time. The value of Pickens and Williams has been discussed a lot over the course of this season. Their place on next year’s roster may not be set — and as we saw this past season, no one’s officially in the Cowboys’ future until a contract says so — but it’s now an expectation.
A new name might’ve joined that tier on Christmas Day.
Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, in the words of head coach Brian Schottenheimer, was dominant in the win over the Commanders. Clowney finished with 1.5 sacks, marking the second time he’s had more than one sack in the last four games. Clowney now is tied with James Houston for the team-lead in sacks this season with 5.5.
“You look up and you saw 42 harassing the quarterback,” Schottenheimer said of Clowney. “You see 42 chasing down [plays].
“I just love the way the guy plays.”
It might be because Clowney, at 32 and in his 12th NFL season, is loving playing — even when there could be a reason not to.
Thursday’s game between the Cowboys and Commanders looked a lot better before the season. The Commanders were in the NFC Championship last season. The Cowboys had aspirations of a turnaround in Schottenheimer’s first season. Both teams were eliminated from playoff contention well before they kicked off at Northwest Stadium.
After Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Clowney was asked how he stays motivated with no path to the postseason. The question baffled Clowney.
“What you mean motivated? They’re paying me,” said Clowney, who signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal in September. “That’s enough motivation for me. I like money.”
On Thursday, he put his money where his mouth was. Twelve years ago, when Clowney became the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, he was known for his immense physical talent. Today, his best attribute has been his effort. There’s an evident never-quit mentality to his playing style. That’s what helped him finish with 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.
Clowney’s motor this season isn’t only financially driven, however.
Schottenheimer referenced something he heard Clowney tell the younger players earlier this week as they prepared to play without any playoff hope. Clowney’s message, according to Schottenheimer, was about perspective: being appreciative of how blessed they are to play in the NFL, even if it’s a game that can’t get them toward the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. Clowney told them to never take it for granted.
That stuck out to Schottenheimer, who’s known Clowney since their time together with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.
“When he was a younger player — he can speak to this — not that he took it for granted, but he appreciates [the game] so much more now,” Schottenheimer said.
Clowney spoke to that appreciation, too.
“A lot,” Clowney said when he was asked how much fun he’s having this season. “It’s football, man. Not everybody can do it. It’s a blessing for me to still be playing 12 years. I thank God every day for that. I have a lot of fun doing it. If I could have fun doing something else I probably would, but I have so much fun doing this I look forward to Sundays, and big games, and the spotlight, and the cameras and all that … I think it brings the best out of me.”
That’s as evident as it is contagious. Prescott said he could feel Clowney’s love for the game. Prescott said he’s seen it since the Cowboys signed Clowney on Sept. 14. He believes they’re better off with Clowney on their team moving forward.
“We’re fortunate to have him,” Prescott said. “He’s one of those guys that we’ve got to figure out a way to keep.”
Good news for the Cowboys: Clowney said he’d be interested in returning to play for Dallas if they were willing to bring him back.
“I’ve got a lot left in the tank,” Clowney said. “I’m not going to go sit on my couch. I’m going to stay ready.”
Clowney even said that he’s hoping to go to training camp, which is something he didn’t do this past year. There was excitement in his voice as he talked about shaking off rust before the season, rather than ramping up like he did this year. As the season has gone on, he’s shown why he might be deserving of that chance.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
The 2025 season has been filled with plenty of ups and downs for the Dallas Cowboys. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a year, but Dallas will ultimately miss the playoffs for the second-straight season.
While the two games left in the regular season don’t mean anything in terms of standings, there are plenty of players on Dallas’ current roster who could be playing their final two games as a Cowboy. With that thought in mind, today we take a look at two impact players who could be suiting up as Cowboys for the final two times in the coming weeks.
Getty Images
There is no denying that Cowboys’ running back Javonte Williams has had an outstanding 2025 campaign. After a breakout rookie year in 2021, Williams suffered major injuries, including a torn ACL in 2022, and many believed he would never reach his top form again.
Dallas took a chance on the 25-year-old running back, signing him to a one-year deal in hopes that he still had some juice left in the tank. The move turned out to be one of Dallas’ best of the offseason, as Williams has put together a career year in his fifth season in the league.
On the year, Williams is fourth in the NFL in first downs rushing, sixth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,147), tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns (10) to go with a career-high 56.1% Rushing Success Rate. Williams has slowed down considerably in the second half of the season, averaging just 4.2 Y/A over his last four games. Still, those shortcomings are more a product of the recent struggles of Dallas’s offensive line, which has been a very inconsistent unit over the past four to five weeks.
Williams has been a diamond in the rough find for Dallas’ front office, but his outstanding 2025 campaign could price him out of a return to the Cowboys. While the 2026 free agent running back market does include some capable players (Travis Etienne, Kenneth Walker), Williams will still be a hot commodity for running back-needy teams.
At just 25-years-old, at least one team will likely be willing to offer Williams a multi-year contract. Spotrac projects the running back to earn a three-year, $22M deal on the open market. While $7M a year isn’t a huge number, with all of Dallas’ needs to address elsewhere on the roster, it seems unlikely they would seriously consider bringing Williams back to Dallas at that number.
If Williams has found a home in Dallas and is willing to take a more modest number to remain here, he may stay. If he’s looking to cash in on his career-changing year, which he almost certainly will be, there’s a very good chance he’s about to play his final two games as a Cowboy.
Getty Images
When the Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Kenny Clark back at the beginning of September, the 30-year-old veteran had big shoes to fill. While no one expected Clark to replicate Micah Parsons’ production on Dallas’ defense, Clark filled a big need the Cowboys had at defensive tackle and figured to be a guy who could make a significant impact right away.
With how bad the Cowboys’ defense has been as a whole, Clark’s season has gone a bit unnoticed, but the 10-year veteran has had a very productive year. When Dallas acquired Clark, they knew he would be solid against the run, but questions remained about whether he had anything left in the tank as a pass rusher. Surprisingly, Clark has turned back the clock a bit this year and has been a more than adequate pass-rushing defensive tackle.
In 15 games, Clark has recorded 43 total pressures, 33 QB Hurries, and four sacks, via Pro Football Focus. With two more games to add to these totals, Clark will likely finish with the second-most pressures, hurries, and sacks in his last four seasons. While the totals aren’t close to his star-studded 2023 campaign, they are still impressive for a veteran interior defensive linemen.
Clark has had a more than acceptable first season in Dallas, but his long-term future as a Cowboy is anything but certain. With the Cowboys acquiring star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, there’s a chance Dallas will not be able to afford to keep Clark, Williams, and 27-year-old Osa Odighizuwa all on their roster in 2026.
Of those three, Clark is the most obvious choice if Dallas is going to cut ties with one of the defensive tackles. The way Clark’s contract is structured, the Cowboys can get out of the deal this offseason with no penalty. If Dallas were to cut Clark (pre or post June 1), they would incur no dead money and save $21M against the cap this year and $20M in 2027.
As mentioned above, the Cowboys have so many other needs to address on their roster this offseason, keeping Clark at a $21.5M cap number just does not feel like a realistic option. Dallas could restructure the veteran’s contract to lower his 2026 cap number and keep him as a Cowboy for the remainder of his deal, but the more likely scenario seems to be Dallas releasing him at some point next summer.
The Dallas-Fort Worth economy is ending 2025 in a much different manner than it began.
In a year that started with all eyes on Washington, D.C. and an incoming (and repeat) Trump Administration, North Texas carved its own path, reshaping the business landscape for years to come. Here are a few of the biggest stories of 2025:
Once a bellwether of the retail world, Plano-based JCPenney in January said that it was merging with Sparc Group to form Catalyst Brands, bringing in names such as Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica.
Longtime Dallas-based luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus, which was acquired in 2024 by Saks Global, announced and then unannounced that it would close its iconic downtown department store. The move was a blow to downtown leaders and city officials in an era when the central business district is being displaced as the region’s business and cultural epicenter.
Texas became the hotbed for the data center boom this year, with dozens of companies announcing plans for these energy-sucking, AI-enabling facilities. Gasoline was thrown on an already sizzling market when OpenAi announced its Stargate initiative in February. This adds to major North Texas data center projects from players such as Meta, Google and Nvidia partners Aligned and Wistron.
After more than six years of discussions — delayed by new economic realities after the COVID-19 pandemic — DFW International Airport and American Airlines finalized a deal for a super-sized $4 billion Terminal F, the first new terminal since 2005. The upsized plans will include 31 new gates, exclusively occupied by Fort Worth-based American. The first phase should open in 2027.
Celebrity TV problem solver Phil McGraw saw his North Texas-based startup Merit Street Media crumble in 2025 and file for bankruptcy, starting a contentious, fireworks-filled and often baffling court battle with partners such as Professional Bull Riders and Trinity Broadcasting Network. It was more entertaining than the famous Dr. Phil “Cash Me Outside” episode.
Dallas-based banking giant Comerica was purchased by Ohio’s Fifth Third Bancorp in a $10.9 billion deal. Fifth Third was essentially buying its way into the Texas market, alongside branches in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas.
These are just a few of the major storylines. There is also the drama about a Dallas ranch real estate agent killed by a buffalo during a hunt in South Africa, numerous real estate deals and residential expansions, arena searches by Dallas’ NBA and NHL teams that turned into a soap opera. A Muslim-centric development near Josephine gained national notoriety from politicians railing against the project.
National economic storylines such as international import tariffs and more aggressive national immigration enforcement efforts all reshaped the North Texas economy, too.
One thing was consistent. The Dallas-Fort Worth economy kept chugging along, adding some 42,600 jobs between the beginning of the year and the end of the third quarter. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Elementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
Family clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, shot and killed in his home in Brookline, Mass. | Fortune
Try This Quiz and See How Much You Know About Jane Austen
Putin says Russia won’t launch new attacks on other countries ‘if you treat us with respect’
Family in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off
Minneapolis man is third convicted in Coon Rapids triple murder
Border Patrol chief, progressive mayor caught on camera in tense street showdown: ‘Excellent day in Evanston’
