Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
Cowboys given green light to sign former All-Pro (and they’d be silly not to) – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
At least the players remaining in free agency should be within Dallas’ budget.
Former All-Pro tackle David Bakhtiari is still available and he revealed this week that he’s almost ready to meet with teams.
Cowboys should absolutely free agent offensive tackle David Bakhtiari [sic]
“It’s mutual,” Bakhtiari posted on X (formerly Twitter) about why he’s still a free agent. “I’m waiting to make sure there’s no question marks about the knee. We are nearing the end of my rehab so things are gonna heat up on both ends in the coming two months. I’m excited to remind everyone again.”
Even with Bakhtiari’s recent injury history, the Cowboys should be all over this. A former fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2014, Bakhtiari is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a First-Team All-Pro as recently as the 2020 season. The only problem? He’s played a combined 13 games in the three seasons since.
Which quarterback will be the first to get to $60 million? – Mike Florio, PFT.com
The going rate for a starting quarterback signing a new deal is fast approaching $60 million, and that is deterimend much less by who is signing the contract and much more by when that contract gets signed. PFF identifies nine (!!!) QBs that are in play for the $60 million mark: Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford and Tua Tagovailoa this year, Brock Purdy and CJ Stroud next year, and Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson via re-worked deals.
In two years, the market has gone from $46 million (Deshaun Watson) to $51 million (Jalen Hurts) to $55 million (Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence). Inevitably, a quarterback will get to $60 million per year in new-money average. Who will it be?
Dak Prescott, Cowboys: He’s currently in the best position to get a contract that starts with a 6. Between the growth of the market, the ongoing increases to the salary cap, and the leverage that comes from the final year of the contract that the Cowboys waited too long to give him, Prescott can basically name his price. Why wouldn’t that price be $60 million per year?
Jordan Love, Packers: The Packers and Love are working on a new contract. With $11 million in cash due for 2024, a five-year, $300 million extension would have a new-money average of $60 million — and a total-money average of $51.83 million over six years. With no owner diverting profits to superyacht construction or maintenance, the Packers can reinvest all profits in their football operations. If they’re truly sold on Love (and if they can construct the contract to give them an out after two or three years), it wouldn’t be a shock if he gets to $60 million first.
Why Micah Parsons is the Dallas’ most important contract extension – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
An extension needs to come at some point. Starting with Parsons could be the right move.
Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report says extending Parsons is more critical than Lamb or Prescott, adding that while those two are the tops at their position, Parsons is on the way toward such a status.
“The case can be made here for QB Dak Prescott and WR Ceedee Lamb, but neither of the aforementioned offensive stars are considered the top player at their position in the NFL. A dominant force off the edge, Micah Parsons has arguably evolved into the most feared defensive player in the game today.” — Ryan Fowler, Bleacher Report
Parsons has one more season under contract than Lamb and Prescott, who are in the final year of their respective deals. After electing to pick up the fifth-year option in his rookie deal, Parsons is under contract through the 2025 season with a cap hit of just $5.43 million, which will leap to $21.32 million in 2025.
For several seasons, the Jones family has elected not to set the market, which continues to bite them in negotiations. They can’t afford to do this with Parsons, who could see his salary demands get out of control with another monstrous season.
Which Cowboys offseason change will make biggest impact – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
Looking at what’s new for 2024.
The most notable change in Dallas was on the coaching staff.
Hiring Mike Zimmer, and assistants like Jeff Zgonina, Paul Guenther, and Greg Ellis kicked off the Cowboys offseason.
Now, the team is learning the new philosophy and scheme that comes with that.
It is hard to immediately say exactly what effect this change will have on Dallas, but we can make some assumptions.
Players like Mazi Smith and Donovan Wilson are going to have new, key roles in the Zimmer defense.
And those guys will have to step up for this experiment to work.
Cowboys are going back to the LB well in 2025 draft, here’s why – Ben Larimore, Cowboys Wire
It is never too early to think about the upcoming NFL draft.
As the Cowboys head into training camp, they will evaluate a mix of undrafted free agents and practice squad members, all vying for a chance to make their mark on the team’s linebacker corps. The future is far from concrete at the linebacker position. Here’s a look at some names to watch at the position for the 2025 NFL draft.
Danny Stutsman
Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman (28) signs a ball for a young fan and lets a fan take his head band after an NCAA football game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Iowa State at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023.
Danny Stutsman has made significant contributions to the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense since his freshman year in 2021. In 2023, he solidified his status as a standout linebacker, earning second-team Walter Camp All-American and first-team All-Big 12 honors. Stutsman led the team in total tackles, solo tackles, and tackles for loss while demonstrating versatility with three sacks, an interception, and multiple forced fumbles and pass breakups.
His sophomore season saw him receive honorable mention All-Big 12 as he led the conference in tackles. Stutsman’s impact on the field was evident with double-digit tackle performances and key defensive plays throughout the season.
3 interesting matchups to look forward to at Cowboys training camp – Dana Bartholomew, Blogging The Boys
Let the competition begin.
Deuce Vaughn vs. Jourdan Lewis
Possibly one of the most surprising and unexpected matchups to watch this year at training camp will be Deuce Vaughn and Jourdan Lewis. At the Cowboys minicamp, it was reported that Vaughn was testing out the slot receiver position. If the Cowboys continue this experiment at training camp, that would match him up against the slot corners, a small group led by Lewis.
The shifty running back turned slot receiver versus the scrappy veteran slot corner.
Vaughn is looking for different ways to contribute to the team in his second year, whether that is at running back, kick returner, or slot receiver. Although he is a bit on the smaller side, his speed gives him a lot of potential that could be great out of the slot. There are a lot of big guys in the middle of the field and defenders could easily lose track of him. Vaughn impressed at camp last year but that did not ultimately translate to in-game success. This position shuffle may be the key to that success showing up on Sundays.