The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Mailbag: Could Ezeiruaku be a holdout at camp? – Mickey Spagnola & Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
Dallas may have a rookie holdout on their hands.
In light of the situation with Chargers’ second-round pick Tre Harris planning to hold out from training camp, do we have a similar situation looming with our unsigned second-round rookie, defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku? How detrimental would that be to both Ezeiruaku’s development and the Cowboys’ defensive plans? – Rudy Longoria/San Antonio, TX
Mickey: Just so you understand, this has little to do with Donovan and all about the agent, Athletes First Andre Odom trying to follow suit with all the other second-round agents trying to negotiate the unprecedented fully guaranteed deals the top two picks in the second round signed. My guess is the teams will not acquiesce to this collusion. Now at least he did attend the offseason programs, so that helps. And remember, those first four days of training camp is not more than strength and conditioning and the ramp-up phase. And yes, if he misses more than that, this will impact his ability to contribute as a rookie or at least slow it down. If Ezeiruaku is smart, and appears he is, just needs to tell his agent to get ‘er done. With the Cowboys need for depth at defensive end, no sense jeopardizing a great opportunity.
Tommy: He absolutely could, and all other 30 players drafted in the second round are facing the same predicament with their teams. If Ezeiruaku is unsigned, he can’t participate at camp, and of course that would be a massive detriment to Ezeiruaku’s development. Last year, you saw first hand how missing time in training camp effected Tyler Guyton, who was playing in one of the most important roles in the offense in his rookie season. Dallas is deep at defensive end, so losing Ezeiruaku for a short period may not detour things too much, but it would mean giving snaps to a player that maybe can’t do as much for you as Ezeiruaku can. That’s obviously not what anybody wants, so at some point, something is going to have to give in this stalemate between agents, players and teams. Whether that be a player deciding training camp reps are too valuable and settle for less guaranteed money, or a team deciding a player participating fully at training camp is too valuable and give away more guaranteed money, eventually I think we see a pretty quick finish to this once the first domino falls.
Overshown appears in ESPN’s rankings, despite playing just 12 games – Mario Herrera Jr., InsideTheStar.com
Even in a small sample size, Agent 0 proved he’s one of the best.
Cowboys fans might want to sit down for this one.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN just dropped his annual off-ball linebacker rankings based on opinions from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, and our guy DeMarvion Overshown is officially on the map.
Despite only playing in 12 games in 2024, Overshown soared to #8 in the rankings, ahead of names like Dre Greenlaw and Quincy Williams.
Yeah, top ten, and ahead of names with far more snaps under their belt.
It’s not just the spot on the list that turns heads; it’s what people around the league are saying about him.
Here are the four quotes that stood out most in Fowler’s article; each one enough to get Cowboys Nation hyped about Agent Zero’s future.
Cowboys urged to trade for veteran CB before 2025 NFL season – Randy Gurzi, Sports Illustrated
Corner depth should be on Dallas’ radar.
This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys said goodbye to one of their top secondary members, Jourdan Lewis.
The under appreciated slot cornerback signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency, leaving a hole in the Dallas secondary. They’ve tried to fill this with DaRon Bland working in the slot, but that leaves them suspect on the outside.
At full strength, they would feel confident with Trevon Diggs and rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. Neither, however, are healthy which leaves Dallas with Kaiir Elam and Caelen Carson. That’s why Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder is urging them to trade for a veteran cornerback before Week 1.
”The Cowboys have some uncertainty at cornerback heading into training camp with Trevon Diggs and rookie Shavon Revel Jr. coming off torn ACLs from last season. While the addition of Kaiir Elam can help, he struggled to see the field in Buffalo last season. So, Dallas should explore the idea of trading for a veteran cornerback with starting experience to help bridge the gap until Diggs is ready to return. Or, it could add a nickelback to replace Jourdan Lewis, who signed with the Jaguars in free agency.“ — Holder, Bleacher Report
Holder hasn’t named any options, and right now, the cupboard may be bare. Players such as Jalen Ramsey and Jaire Alexander are already with new teams, leaving the options on the trade block thin.
That said, there are a couple of veterans available in free agency with Stephon Gilmore and Asante Samuel Jr. leading the list. Perhaps Dallas should reach out to one of them because Holder is correct that they need more depth.