It took almost a full month after the window opened, but the Cowboys have now signed their second free agent of the offseason. We’ll dig into how the addition of Royce Freeman may alter the team’s draft strategy just over a week from now. It seems likely the Cowboys still need offensive line help, but not to hear Stephen Jones tell it. We’ll offer suggestions on how they can do that anyway… and still pick up an extra pick or two later in the weekend. And the king of all draft gurus says Dallas’s top priority has to be surrounding one specific player with all the help they can give him.
Elsewhere, Micah Parsons’s absence from the offseason program supposedly has nothing to do with what you think it does, the team checks out a last-minute defensive prospect at his late pro day, we profile what the Cowboys like at linebacker, and we look back at the draft’s biggest busts of the last 30-some years (including two who wore the star). Also, what a new development means in the court case involving Dak Prescott. But we start News and Notes with Stephen Jones defending why the front office has spent next to nothing this offseason…
Stephen Jones explains why ‘all in’ Cowboys spent NFL’s least amount in free agency Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jones said every team is always “all in” when it comes to trying to improve, and feels the Cowboys are every year. But when asked about having the league’s lowest spending total in free agency, he tried to explain that the Cowboys “max out our salary cap every year… But when you’re wanting to sign players like Dak [Prescott] and Micah [Parsons] and CeeDee [Lamb], then you have to hold money back if you want to have a realistic chance of signing those guys.” Spoiler alert: none of those guys have been signed to new deals.
Cowboys expected to sign free agent RB Royce Freeman Cowboys Wire
Freeman was a third-round draft pick in 2018 and spent the most recent NFL season with the Rams. He’s averaged 3.8 yards over 471 career carries, scored 10 rushing touchdowns, and added 532 receiving yards on 86 catches. He’ll join the Cowboys on a one-year deal.
2024 NFL Draft: Who should the Cowboys draft at No. 24 overall? The 33rd Team
Charles Davis thinks Jerry Jones won’t be able to stay away from the “story” that would be Texas rusher Jonathon Brooks wearing the star. But former NFL GM Rick Spielman says he’d be “high-fiving whoever picks next,” because there’s no value in taking a running back with the 24th pick.
Cowboys' Stephen Jones looking to in-house backups to fill OL holes: 'You have to continue to evolve' Cowboys Wire
Jones chalked up the departures of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz to “tough decisions” but believes the team has young talented offensive linemen waiting in the wings to step up. He called out Matt Waletzko, Asim Richards, and T.J. Bass as examples of lesser-known players who could become solid options moving forward.
Kiper: The Cowboys need to draft some help for Dak ESPN
The draft guru calls the Cowboys’ offensive line “a major issue,” one that should preclude Dallas from drafting a new quarterback of the future in the first round even if they want to. “The pressure is on,” Kiper says, but two top-tier offensive linemen and a strong running back are draft-weekend necessities for the Joneses.
Report: Micah Parsons' absence from Cowboys workouts not contract-related Cowboys Wire
“A person close to” Parsons says the reason he’s not attending voluntary workouts is so he can train on his own, like he did last year. The reason is not, according to the source, that the team hasn’t yet made any moves to sign him to a new extension.
Draft history indicates type of LB Cowboys are looking for Cowboys Wire
Going back to 2011, it appears the Cowboys have a definite type they like at linebacker. They go for height and weight, and they love ‘backers with agility and good change of direction. This year, North Carolina State’s Payton Wilson may best fit the mold.
Illinois DT Johnny Newton draws a big crowd to his Pro Day ProFootballTalk
The Cowboys are still doing some last-minute shopping before draft weekend. They were one of over 20 teams represented at a pro day for the Illinois defensive tackle, who was rehabbing after foot surgery at the scouting combine and did not do on-field work. Newton is projected to be a first-round pick.
Top 5 options if Cowboys trade back in 2024 draft's first round Cowboys Wire
With a gap of 87 picks between their third and fourth selections, getting extra turns at the plate would be a sound draft strategy. A trade back is the easiest way to do it. If they slide back just a little in the first round, they could likely still fill a need with an offensive lineman like BYU’s Kingsley Suamataia, Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, or Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, an edge rusher like Penn State’s Chop Robinson, or a center like West Virginia’s Zach Frazier.
Ranking NFL's 10 biggest draft busts since 1990: Raiders pick is at the top, Trey Lance cracks the top five CBS Sports
Half of this list is comprised of quarterbacks who bombed in the pros. And two of them ended up on the Cowboys’ roster as they tried to rebuild their reputations as busts: Ryan Leaf and current backup passer Trey Lance.
What the latest legal move means in the case against Dallas QB Dak Prescott Lone Star Live
A Dallas County judge notified Prescott on Tuesday that the sexual assault civil suit filed against him- stemming from an alleged incident seven years ago- was withdrawn by the woman’s attorneys. Court records show, however, that two counter claims were filed in Collin County, where Prescott’s attorneys filed their extortion suit against the woman. “We wanted to have it all in Collin for purposes of convenience,” the woman’s lawyer said. “We are still 1000% pursuing this case.”
Cowboys' Cooks, Kendricks to battle Saints players... in cornhole Cowboys Wire
No, really. Cooks and Kendricks will face off against Derek Carr and Juwan Johnson, respectively, in the American Cornhole League’s Superhole Celebrity Series, taking place in New Orleans this Saturday and airing live on ESPN2. The Bills and Patriots will also have players featured and paired with ACL pros.
