HEADLINES

Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

CB Rumors: Flott, Giants, Sneed, Titans, Hill, Bengals, Barron, Broncos, Diggs, Packers

July 25th, 2025 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants used a first-round pick on Deonte Banks in 2023 but have not seen the Maryland product justify his draft slot yet. This led to the Paulson Adebo signing. While Adebo is entrenched as a first-stringer, Banks may not be merely set to slide from New York’s No. 1 cornerback to a sidekick role. Cor’Dale Flott‘s latest summer ascent continues, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the fourth-year defender received the first crack at the CB2 role during team drills. This appears a full-on competition. Flott had received minicamp work with the 1s, doing so after he impressed last summer en route to a slot-to-boundary shift.

Banks has started all 29 games he has played; being unable to hold off Flott would represent another setback for the former No. 24 overall pick. Flott would not have a path back to the starting slot role were he to lose this battle, as 2024 third-rounder Dru Phillips resides there now. This competition represents a big chance for the 2022 third-round pick, who is due for free agency in 2026.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

Jerry Jones: No Real Consideration Given To Stepping Down As GM

July 23rd, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders’ surprising journey to last season’s NFC championship game left the Cowboys with the longest-running drought in the conference. Dallas has famously failed to reach the conference title round since its Super Bowl XXX victory nearly 30 years ago.

Only the Browns have the Cowboys beat here entering the season; the Texans have never reached an AFC title game, but they have only been in existence since 2002. In a scenario in which the Cowboys held a traditional power structure, there is next to no chance the same GM would be calling the shots from the mid-Troy Aikman period to now. The numerous playoff disappointments, even as a host of first-round gems have ascended to All-Pro status over the past 15 years, would have undoubtedly prompted Jerry Jones to make a change. Fortunately for Jones, he is the GM as well.

Jones will turn 83 in October, and while the iconic owner is in the Hall of Fame for his work in that area, his work in the front office draws annual scrutiny. Micah Parsons is now applying it from the inside, criticizing Jones for yet another delay in a high-profile contract negotiation. The Cowboys would assuredly be better off if a traditional exec were in place as GM under Jones, but the longtime owner remains against such a change.

When asked if he has considered removing himself as GM, Jones responded, “Uh… yes. Momentarily. Small fractions of seconds, I promise you that.” Jones named himself GM upon buying the team in 1989. He promptly fired Tom Landry, while Hall of Fame GM Tex Schramm moved on not long after. Jimmy Johnson then steered one of the great rebuilds in NFL history. Since the Jones-Johnson divorce (1994) centered around credit for that rebuild, a Jones-centric Cowboys operation has lost ground in the NFL hierarchy.

“I don’t apologize at all for the fact that I’ve got the passion to be in the spot I’m in or I have the background or I have the qualifications,” Jones said, via Fox4News.com. “I don’t apologize about that at all to my mirror.”

While Jerry Jones delegates considerable draft responsibilities to VP of player personnel Will McClay, his son Stephen serves as the Cowboys’ executive VP. McClay has led the way in providing the Cowboys with Parsons, Tyler Smith, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith. He has also turned down GM interest, highlighting his central role in the Cowboys’ front office. Jones gave McClay an extension this offseason.

Even as McClay has remained a constant, Jones has run into rampant criticism regarding roster management and his handling of head coaching situations. Jones kept Jason Garrett in place for nine-plus seasons as HC; of the 10 seasons he finished, Garrett produced three playoff berths. Jones then fired him days into the 2020 offseason, before conducting a narrow search that brought in Mike McCarthy. That sequence repeated this offseason, with the Cowboys waiting several days to separate from the five-year HC. They then promoted Brian Schottenheimer, who had not conducted a head coaching interview anywhere else since PFR’s 2014 launch.

Schottenheimer will be the latest HC to operate in a Jones-centric workspace. The Cowboys have posted 12-win seasons in each of the previous three slates Dak Prescott has finished, but two of those seasons ended with home playoff losses. Although the Bengals also have their owner (Mike Brown) in a GM role, Duke Tobin operates as a de facto GM for the AFC North club. Jones also has tenure on Brown, being the longest-serving active GM. Among non-owners, Mickey Loomis (hired in 2002) is the closest to the two owner/GM figures.

Micah Parsons Avoiding Hold-In, Not Practicing Due To Back Issue

July 22nd, 2025 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

While Micah Parsons is still seeking a new contract, the star pass rusher was in attendance for the start of Cowboys training camp. However, it sounds like the veteran won’t be hitting the practice field anytime soon.

[RELATED: DE Micah Parsons: Cowboys Ownership Has Made Negotiations “More Complicated” Than Necessary]

While speaking with reporters today, Parsons revealed that he’s nursing a back injury and doesn’t intend to practice until his body feels right. While Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News described the situation as a “hold-in,” Parsons said he’s not engaging in that negotiation tactic. The veteran also said he doesn’t plan on holding out (via Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports).

“Just being mindful,” Parsons said of his refusal to practice (via Jane Slater of NFL Network). “Obviously, just want to get the body going the right way and where I want it to. But, obviously, with D-Law gone, like I said, I just feel like it was my turn to lead and it’s hard to do that from the crib. So, I want to be here with the guys, show them that I care; I want to be here, win championships. So, that’s why I’m here.”

Parsons and the Cowboys appeared to be progressing towards a deal earlier this offseason, but there have been no developments on that front over the past few months. In the meantime, a handful of pass rushers have earned lucrative new deals, and Parsons admitted that those contracts have left him discouraged about his own contract situation.

“When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best guys, I seen T.J. [Watt] gotten taken care of. Maxx [Crosby] got taken care of. Myles [Garrett] got taken care of, [and] he’s got two years left on his deal,” Parsons said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “You see a lot of people around the league taken care of, and you wish you had that same type of energy.”

Parsons provided some more insight into his negotiations with the Cowboys…or lack thereof. The pass rusher said there’s “really not much movement” on the extension front (via Jon Machota of The Athletic), and the player said his agent, David Mulugheta, recently reached out to the organization but hasn’t heard back (via Watkins). Parsons even went as far as to acknowledge a potential divorce, noting that “if this is the end, this is the end…I understand the nature of the business” (via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Yesterday, Jerry Jones didn’t convey the same urgency as Parsons, as the Cowboys owner indicated that he’s not in any rush to finalize a new deal. On the flip side, Jones also said the two sides effectively came to an agreement on a new contract earlier this offseason (via Hill), but it’s uncertain when negotiations went off the rails. ESPN’s Adam Schefter seemed to contradict Jones’ comments, noting that the two sides still haven’t engaged in formal contract talks.

While a long-term pact once seemed like a certainty, it sounds like Parsons is at least considering a potential exit out of Dallas. While a number of edge rusher standoffs (particularly between Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals) have commanded headlines this offseason, this developing Parsons/Cowboys saga is suddenly center stage.

Cowboys, DE James Houston Agree To Deal

July 22nd, 2025 at 12:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys are among the teams making free agent moves just ahead of training camp. Veteran defensive end James Houston has a deal in place, as first reported by Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Houston was one of three edge rushers who recently conducted a workout with the team, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. His visit obviously went well with an agreement being reached in short order. As the Micah Parsons extension situation drags on, Houston will spend camp looking to earn a roster spot.

The Houston signing is now official, per a team announcement. In a corresponding move, fellow defensive end Luiji Vilain has been released. The former UDFA spent time on Dallas’ practice squad last season, and he landed a futures deal after the campaign. Vilain has only made four regular season appearances to date in his career, and he has yet to manage a season like Houston’s 2022 campaign in terms of production.

As a rookie with the Lions, Houston recorded eight sacks. Considering that figure came about with a defensive snap share of just 32%, expectations were high moving forward for the former sixth-rounder. Instead, he made just two appearances the following year and then split his time between the Lions and Browns last season. Houston has managed only one sack since his impressive rookie campaign.

As a result, expectations will be tempered upon arrival in Dallas. The Cowboys lost DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency, but they still have Parsons in the fold (once his extension is finalized) along with the likes of Dante Fowler, Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland. Those three, along with second-round rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, will enter camp with a stronger grip on a roster spot than Houston. The 26-year-old could nevertheless offer his newest team a depth option along the edge during the summer as he looks to survive roster cuts ahead of Week 1.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/25

July 21st, 2025 at 9:32pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Training camps are underway around the league, bringing more and more roster adjustments every day. Here are the latest minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Will Sheppard
  • Released: K Alex Hale

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: QB Dresser Winn

Minnesota Vikings

  • Placed on active/PUP: TE Gavin Bartholomew, LB Chaz Chambliss

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: CB Kam Alexander, DT Justin Rogers
  • Waived/NFI: CB Zy Alexander

Martin, a 12-year veteran who signed with the Panthers this offseason, is dealing with a minor hamstring injury, per Joe Person of The Athletic.

The Cowboys’ trio of cornerbacks were all expected to be placed on their respective lists given where they are in the rehab process, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The same is true of Overshown, who recently shared a positive update on social media (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

An eye injury will sideline Hale for several weeks, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, forcing the Packers to release him. Hale was not expected to push Brandon McManus for the starting job in Green Bay, but the team will need another kicker for training camp.

The Seahawks swapped undrafted cornerbacks, adding Alexander out of Oregon and waiving Alexander with a non-football injury designation. Rogers, meanwhile, was signed after a successful tryout.

DE Micah Parsons: Cowboys Ownership Has Made Negotiations “More Complicated” Than Necessary

July 21st, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Rory Parks

JULY 21: When speaking to the media on Monday, Jones said (via NFL Network’s Jane Slater) he does not share Parsons’ frustrations about the lack of a deal this deep into the offseason. He added he has still yet to speak with Mulugheta, something which is relatively common in negotiations. COO Stephen Jones often makes contact with agents, although he too said no conversations with Mulugheta have taken place yet (h/t All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill Jr.). Suffice it to say, there is little urgency on the team’s part to finalize a pact.

JULY 20: In April, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and star edge rusher Micah Parsons seemingly put the framework of an extension in place. After that report surfaced, however, there has been no indication that talks have gained any traction.

The Jones-Parsons summit did not include Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, and Jones’ public comments minimizing the importance of Mulugheta in the negotiation process did not sit well with Parsons. The four-time Pro Bowler nonetheless expressed optimism that the two sides would strike an agreement before training camp, which opens Monday.

In light of Parsons’ recent comments on the matter, such a development appears unlikely. In an appearance on the Six Feet Under podcast (video link via ESPN’s Field Yates), Parsons suggested the needle has not moved, and he laid the blame for that squarely at the Cowboys’ feet.

“We obviously wanted to get done early. We want that relief off our backs,” Parsons said. “But, obviously, ownership is always gonna make it drag out, make it more complicated than it has to be. Lack of communication and that standpoint, but, you know, I just always say, God has me this far, he ain’t done with me yet, so, you know, I just just keep working, keep going, and then when it comes, I’m gonna be ready. But, you know, ain’t gonna be no drop-off” (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Indeed, Dallas has been criticized for its delay in resolving contract situations with its best players, delays that have resulted in increased tension and increased price tags as the markets for premium positions (like edge rusher) continue to soar. Parsons himself recently indicated the new deals for players like Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett have driven up his own asking price, and during his Six Feet Under appearance, he seemed surprised Dallas would not want to get ahead of the curve for once.

“We wanted to do the contract last year,” Parsons added. “They were just kind of like, ‘We want to do Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb].’ Then you go out there and perform again and, you know, you would think, like, alright, we’ll get it done early. We know there’s some guys that’s about to get ready to get repaid, like Garrett, you know, Crosby is gone. So you’d think like, hey, let’s get ahead of that, you know what I mean?”

Instead, the Steelers and T.J. Watt just pushed the EDGE market even higher by virtue of a massive three-year, $123MM extension that features an exceedingly player-friendly structure. Watt, 31 in October, is nearly five years older than Parsons, who missed time due to injury last season but who nonetheless posted 12 sacks, giving him a total of 52.5 over his first four years in the league. It would be quite surprising if Parsons does not top Watt’s deal, and with a record-setting extension for the soon-to-be 25-year-old Aidan Hutchinson possibly in the offing, it looks like Dallas will again be paying for its willingness to slow play a high-end negotiation.

Assuming no deal is in place by the time camp opens, Parsons is expected to stage a hold-in (though as NFL insider Jordan Schultz confirms, Parsons will report to training camp). As Florio notes, Parsons’ remark regarding a “drop-off” implies the Cowboys may be worried his performance will suffer once he signs a lucrative new deal, though not having him as a full camp participant – particularly with a new defensive coordinator in Matt Eberflus at the controls – is also not ideal.

“It’s extremely important,” Parsons previously said of the significance of a deal being done by the onset of training camp. “You really see a lot of players struggle when guys aren’t participating in camp and they get off to slow starts. I want to hit the ground running.”

Cowboys Agree To Terms With Second-Round DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

July 17th, 2025 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Another second-round pick has been signed. The Cowboys have agreed to terms with second-round defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

As second-round picks around the NFL have pushed for guaranteed deals, Ezeiruaku got part of the way there. Per Garafolo, the rookie got 38 percent of the fourth year of his rookie pact guaranteed. Based on recent deals, we can assume a large portion of the first three seasons of the player’s contract were also guaranteed.

Ezeiruaku is coming off a standout career at Boston College, although he took his play to another level in 2024. The pass rusher finished this past year with 80 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks. That performance earned him a number of accolades, including the Ted Hendricks Award, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top defensive end.

The pass rusher didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called, as the Cowboys used the 44th-overall pick on the edge rusher. The rookie will be joining a deep DEs grouping that’s already led by Micah Parsons and Dante Fowler, although Ezeiruaku could eventually carve out playing time ahead of Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland.

With the signing, the Cowboys have now inked their entire draft class to rookie contracts:

Players To Spend Season On Franchise Tag Since 2015

July 13th, 2025 at 10:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs and Trey Smith have just less than 48 hours to agree on a long-term extension; otherwise, the Pro Bowl guard will play on the franchise tag and negotiations will be tabled until 2026. That is 2025’s only tag situation as the July 15 deadline approaches.

Over the previous 10 offseasons, 77 players received the franchise tag. Many of those signed extensions before the midsummer deadline. Here are the players who did not and ended up playing the season for the tag price:

2015

Pierre-Paul’s infamous fireworks accident led to Giants rescinding $14.8MM tag, setting up revised agreement 

2016

2017

2018

Bell did not collect any money on his 2018 tag, being the 21st century’s lone franchise-tagged player to skip season

2019

Texans applied $15.9MM linebacker tag on Clowney, trading him to Seahawks in August 2019; edge rusher agreed to salary reduction upon being dealt

2020

Ravens, Judon agreed on compromise between defensive end, linebacker tag prices. Ngakoue agreed to salary reduction to facilitate trade from Jaguars. Vikings traded edge rusher to Ravens before 2020 deadline. Prescott received exclusive franchise tag from Cowboys.

2021

2022

2023

Raiders provided raise to Jacobs to bring him into training camp

2024

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Expected To Miss Start Of Season; Team Not Pressed To Make CB Addition

July 13th, 2025 at 8:11am CST by Rory Parks

It appears as if Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will indeed miss time in 2025. Diggs, who just finished the first year of the five-year, $97MM extension he landed in July 2023, began battling injuries shortly after signing the deal, and Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News confirms the Alabama product is not expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season.

Diggs, 27 in September, earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 after leading the league with a whopping 11 interceptions. He put forth another Pro Bowl effort the following season, which triggered the big-money extension. Unfortunately, Diggs played just two games in 2023 due to a torn ACL, and he played through a calf injury for the first 10 games of the 2024 campaign before his knee flared up and forced him to miss all but one contest the rest of the way.

While the new injury was in the same knee in which he suffered the ACL tear, the two ailments are unrelated. Nonetheless, Diggs’ second knee problem necessitated surgery, and despite his hopes to be in the Week 1 lineup, we have been hearing for some time that his early-season availability is in doubt.

Diggs is one of a handful of players on Dallas’ CB depth chart dealing with health concerns. Third-round rookie Shavon Revel suffered a torn ACL of his own in his final year at East Carolina, and though he is presently expected to return in the middle of training camp, it is fair to wonder how effective he will be given the nature of his injury and the fact that he will not have had the benefit of a full offseason program in advance of his first professional season.

Second-year player Caelen Carson ended his rookie slate on IR and underwent shoulder surgery this offseason. Luckily, Hoyt indicates Carson will be a full-go for training camp, and the writer also says the Cowboys are comfortable with the current makeup of their secondary.

In other words, the club does not feel a pressing need to make an outside addition at this point, even with Diggs’ presumed absence. We have already heard that trade acquisition Kaiir Elam is penciled in as one starter, and DaRon Bland – who missed the first 10 games of the 2024 season due to a stress fracture – has another starting job secured. Although he has not seen much time in the slot in his career, Bland took plenty of reps in that role in spring practices as Dallas seeks a replacement for former slot defender Jourdan Lewis.

Elam has generally failed to live up to his status as a former first-round pick of the Bills, and uncertainty abounds throughout the rest of the position group, but it appears the Cowboys will take a wait-and-see approach with respect to a veteran signing. Hoyt still believes such a move is a distinct possibility, and he names former Cowboy Stephon Gilmore – who was seen at the team facility before the draft – as a potential target. 

Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year who has had a nomadic existence over the last few seasons, was a full-time starter for Dallas in 2023. He played reasonably well, limiting opposing passers to a QB rating of 82.7 and a 55.8% completion percentage, and he hopes to play in 2025.

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

July 9th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

Load More Posts