Your Sunday morning Cowboys news.
NFL Teams Reportedly Think Cowboys’ George Pickens Trade Could ‘Tilt’ NFC East Race – Andrew Peters, Bleacher Report
The George Pickens trade has NFC rivals on high alert.
The addition of George Pickens made the Dallas Cowboys a better team this offseason, and some teams think the move will be enough for the Cowboys to compete for a division title.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter on Saturday that teams believe the Pickens trade can “tilt the field” in the division race this season.
“This George Pickens trade has the league’s full attention, particularly in the NFC East,” Fowler said. “People I’ve talked to in that division feel like he can tilt the field for Dallas and he’ll be a major player. Because he is one of the best contested catchers in the league, body contortive things downfield, so he gives them a new dimension. The issue really in Pittsburgh was really the maturity issues and some of those problems there, but a lot of it stems with Pickens wanting to get the ball, and wanting the offense to move properly, having the passing game humming. And so Dallas has that with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb already. So he’s walking into a good situation.”
“Cowboys feel like he’ll be highly motivated, he’ll be on his best behavior in a contract year,” Fowler said. “So this could really pay off. This is a thing where Dallas has made a trade where people stopped and said ‘Ok, this is a factor.’ So it’s really resonated league-wide.”
Dallas traded for Pickens in May, sending draft picks to the Steelers in return. At his best, Pickens is capable of being a WR1, but the Cowboys will look for him to be a strong complement to star CeeDee Lamb as the team searches for playoff success.
Who’s on the hot seat entering the 2025 season? Mike Florio, PFT
Shotty come in at No. 4 on Florio’s offseason hot-seat list.
The key to knowing Schottenheimer’s job security is to know whether and to what extent he has guaranteed money beyond 2025.
Usually, head coaches enjoy at least three years of guarantees. But there’s nothing usual about the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer.
He was on exactly zero teams’ short lists during the latest hiring cycle. For the Cowboys, who wanted to have offensive continuity for quarterback Dak Prescott, it was either Schottenheimer or Eagles offensive coordinator (new Saints coach) Kellen Moore. Schottenheimer came cheaper.
How cheap? So cheap that there would be no buyout if he’s fired after one year?
If so, Schottenheimer could need to do enough in 2025 to earn his employment for 2026.
2025 NFL linebacker unit rankings – Dalton Wassermann, PFF
PFF smacks the Cowboys LB room.
27. Dallas Cowboys
While Dallas’ linebacker unit is filled with familiar names, it doesn’t offer a track record of elite production. DeMarvion Overshown is likely to be sidelined for a large portion of the season due to a knee injury. Former first-rounder Kenneth Murray Jr. has posted sub-55.0 PFF overall grades in each of his five NFL seasons. Jack Sanborn projects as a rotational player who is familiar with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Damone Clark and Marist Liufau also project as serviceable depth, albeit with low production ceilings.
2025 NFL Offense Rankings – Staff, Pro Football Network
PFN comes down hard on the Cowboys offense, though they do allow for some upside.
23) Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott’s injury last season derailed things, slotting them into a bottom-10 ranking after back-to-back-to-back top-seven grades. The offensive line isn’t the powerhouse it used to be, but the addition of George Pickens gives the Dallas Cowboys the chance to be potent through the air. Meanwhile, a committee backfield should provide them with enough balance to keep defenses honest.
We aren’t ready to call for a full rebound, but ranking in the middle third of the NFL is likely, and a top-10 grade isn’t out of the question.
Cowboys lineman projected for $76 million deal to run numbers up if they wait too long – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
Tyler Smith is another guy the team will have to get under contract.
Smith is on his way to a well-deserved new contract. The Cowboys have a fifth-year option invoked that will keep Smith with the team in 2026 for $21.2 million, but he’s eligible for a contract extension now, and the club may want to buck their trend and pay him now instead of drawing things out. Spotrac projects him as being worth a four-year, $76 million extension, or $19.1 per season now, and that price tag will only increase with another Pro Bowl or All-Pro season.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott believes you have to fully trust yourself after doctors clear you – RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys
Dak Prescott speaks candidly about the mental aspect of recovering from injury.
Prescott was recently a guest of Good Good, the popular golf YouTube company, in a round where he teamed up with his teammate Will Grier and brother Tad Prescott. The match is a fun watch (here is how you can access it if you are so inclined) but during it there was obviously conversation about a number of topics.
Early on Prescott was asked if he was excited for the upcoming season and obviously said that he was. Dak was then pressed on what the process is like of trusting himself again after a big-time injury like the one he is coming back from.
“It should happen in the rehab. I usually break mine in the rehab. Honestly it’s not a good thing when you’ve been injured like I have and kind of throughout, career, just different injuries… you really just grow to trust the surgeons.”
”If I had surgery I had it for a reason. And I trust my rehab process. So I don’t really think about it once I’ve rehabbed. Especially if the doc says you’re good to go. Because if I do that I know it’s just slow like… it’s one more thing that I think about and I don’t need to think about it.”