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Cowboys, CB DaRon Bland Engaging In Extension Talks

July 31st, 2025 at 11:00am CST by Nikhil Mehta

We knew back in April that the Cowboys were eyeing extensions for offensive lineman Tyler Smith, cornerback DaRon Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson, and kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Ferguson got his this weekend, and Smith switched up his representation after the team picked up his fifth-year option. While, so far, it’s been crickets for Aubrey, Bland told the media this week that his agent has been in talks with the team on a new deal, per Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS.

“Definitely Dallas is always where I want to be,” said Bland (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News). “Hopefully we can get it done.” 

The 2022 fifth-rounder is looking to cash in on a cornerback market that grew to $30MM this offseason. Though he may replace Jourdan Lewis as Dallas’ primary slot corner, he will likely want to be paid as one of the league’s top outside cornerbacks.

He entered the Cowboys’ starting lineup midway through his rookie year and led the defense with five interceptions. Bland then led the NFL in 2023 with nine interceptions, 209 return yards, and five pick-sixes on his way to first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, as well as a fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He then took a step back in 2024; after recovering from a training camp stress fracture, Bland logged zero interceptions in seven games and allowed a 105.7 passer rating when targeted.

If recent negotiations in Dallas are any indication, Bland may have to wait a while for his payday. Last year, the Cowboys extended CeeDee Lamb late in training camp and Dak Prescott just before Week 1, and the team still hasn’t signed Micah Parsons to a new deal. Bland has another year left on his rookie contract, which would allow contract talks to continue until next March (and potentially longer if Dallas uses the franchise tag).

However, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones pushed back on the idea that the Cowboys draw out negotiations with their top players.

“I don’t think there is a pattern here,” said Jones (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). “We don’t drag deals out. We do deals when there’s an opportunity to do a deal. Certainly, no one knows what goes on internally with a particular negotiation. Sometimes players and agents aren’t ready to pull the trigger until they see other cards played.”

Jones went on to say that he does not want to overpay just to get a deal done early, especially with players who want to remain in Dallas. Bland seems to fall into that category, so he may have to wait his turn to put pen to paper unless he accepts a team-friendly deal.

Cowboys-Micah Parsons Negotiations Going Backward

July 29th, 2025 at 10:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys’ pattern of delaying big-ticket extensions is on display through the Micah Parsons talks, and the sides are not believed to be progressing. These negotiations also may not be animosity-free.

While Dallas took considerable heat for waiting on the CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott extensions — the latter not coming to pass until hours before the team’s opener — ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter views the Parsons talks as different in terms of hard feelings. Neither side is happy right now, to the point the veteran reporter noted during a Pat McAfee Show appearance these negotiations have slid backward.

[RELATED: Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton Avoids ACL Tear]

No conversations are ongoing, according to Schefter. That was not the case in the spring, when talks were at least unfolding. The Cowboys are not happy talks have gone sideways, while Schefter adds Parsons feels like this deal should be done. Parsons had long hoped for a resolution by training camp.

This report comes after a strange Stephen Jones comment that followed chants of “Pay Micah” at Cowboys camp. The Cowboys executive VP said (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the team wants to pay Parsons, but “he’s gotta want to be paid.”

Jones’ offering comes after Parsons fired multiple salvos at ownership’s penchant for delaying bigtime extensions. Parsons said his price would go up the longer these negotiations took, and the market has seen a near-full-on reset between Maxx Crosby‘s March extension and T.J. Watt‘s deal earlier this month. In between, Myles Garrett and Danielle Hunter cashed in. The EDGE ceiling has climbed from Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-AAV deal to Watt’s $41MM number over the past five months. While Trey Hendrickson‘s price may have changed due to the developments this offseason, Parsons has made no secret of the fact his has. Parsons said this month ownership was complicating these negotiations.

The Cowboys, of course, do not have a traditional GM. Jerry Jones has held that title since buying the team in 1989. This has caused headline avalanches, and the veteran owner said he has no plans of stepping down from that role anytime soon. Parsons and the Joneses have sparred about the deal this offseason, and the All-Pro looks to be engaging in a Jonathan Taylor-like de facto hold-in. Parsons is not practicing due to a back injury, but the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins reports he is not receiving on-field treatment like Trevon Diggs. This would appear to be a negotiating tactic, one Taylor used two summers ago as he completed a contentious negotiation.

Jerry Jones said he believed he and Parsons had deal parameters in place; Parsons confirmed that in June. The state of the union has since changed. Last week, Jones also reaffirmed a hesitancy in talking to agents, providing another complication in Dallas’ latest high-profile talks. Cowboys senior director of salary cap/player contracts Adam Prasifka has spoken with Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, per Watkins, who previously indicated no deal is close.

These negotiations have reinforced the Cowboys’ timing issue, as Parsons is undoubtedly shooting for a deal north of where Watt’s talks settled; Parsons is nearly five years younger than the Steelers dynamo. Team Parsons is also shooting for a four-year deal, per Watkins. Dallas caved on its usual longer-term structure to complete the Prescott and Lamb deals, but we heard earlier this offseason term length posed a problem in these talks. The sides still have more than a month until Week 1, but the negotiation is off track currently.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/25

July 29th, 2025 at 8:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Ja’seem Reed
  • Released from active/PUP (injury settlement): WR Dan Chisena

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: C Bucky Williams
  • Waived: C Brady Latham

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: RB Jacob Saylors
  • Waived/injured: TE Luke Deal

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

There was a scary moment at 49ers practice earlier this week, as 49ers defensive lineman Tarron Jackson was carted off the field on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury. Fortunately, the player has since been released from the hospital (per Vic Tafur of The Athletic), but his placement on IR means he won’t suit up during the upcoming campaign. A former Eagles draft pick, Jackson got into three games with the Panthers in 2024 before joining the 49ers practice squad late in the season.

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Aiming To Return By September

July 29th, 2025 at 12:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

It remains to be seen when Trevon Diggs will be available to the Cowboys in 2025. Positive strides have been made in his recovery, though, and the sixth-year corner does not anticipate a long stretch of missed games to begin the campaign.

Diggs has yet to receive clearance as he works his way back from an ACL tear, and an update from earlier this month confirmed some missed time during the regular is expected. The two-time Pro Bowler has long been seen as a candidate to start 2025 on the reserve/PUP list; that designation would ensure at least a four-game absence. However, Diggs said in an interview with Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS that he does not expect a stay on the PUP list to be necessary.

If that holds true, the Cowboys’ secondary would receive a boost early in the year. Diggs – who was recently fined $500K for not spending the mandated portion of his offseason rehab at the team’s facility – will be tasked with reprising his starting cornerback role once back in the fold. The Alabama product was limited to two games in 2023 before his latest injury cut last year’s campaign short. A clean bill of health would be key as Diggs looks to regain the ballhawking form shown early in his career.

“I’ll assure you that the minute that he’s able to go, I’m counting on him being a big addition,” owner Jerry Jones said when speaking about Diggs’ situation (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). For now, the 26-year-old resides on the active/PUP list. He can be activated at any time, but a decision will need to be made prior to final roster cuts on shifting him to the reserve list or carrying him on the active roster despite the risk of still being unavailable for Week 1.

Dallas currently has a number of injury concerns at the cornerback spot, so a positive update on the Diggs front will be welcomed. From a financial perspective, 2025 looms as a critical year in his case. Diggs has three years remaining on his contract, but none of his base salaries for 2026 or ’27 are guaranteed. Next offseason thus represents a potential out for the Cowboys, and deciding on retaining or moving on from the former second-rounder will depend in large part on his health and performances this season.

In other CB injury news, Archer reports Caelen Carson suffered a hyperextended knee over the weekend. As a result, a recovery timeline of four to six weeks is expected and the second-year cover man could be in danger of missing regular season time. The same remains true of Diggs, but his prognosis is currently in a good spot.

Cowboys LT Tyler Guyton Suffers Bone Fracture

July 28th, 2025 at 6:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton suffered a knee injury during training camp today that has been diagnosed as a bone fracture, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Guyton is also dealing with a sprained knee, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.

Initial signs pointed toward an ACL tear, Guyton will not require surgery and may even be ready for Week 1 with a projected four- to six-week absence. In the meantime, Dallas will have to find a new first-team left tackle for training camp who can step up in the regular season if Guyton experiences a setback.

The current roster doesn’t offer any obvious answers. Chuma Edoga, who started four games amid Guyton’s injury woes last year, is now in Jacksonville. Asim Richards replaced Guyton for one game and rotated in during several others, but has been lining up at guard in training camp. Left guard Tyler Smith moved to left tackle for two games in 2024 as well, but he spent the other 14 developing into one of the best guards in the league.

2024 seventh-rounder Nathan Thomas, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, may also be an option. He has been rotating in as the second-team left tackle in training camp in addition to some time at guard, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Guyton, the No. 29 pick in the 2024 draft, dealt with some injuries in college with five absences due to his injury over his last two seasons at Oklahoma. Despite appearing in 15 games with 11 starts as a rookie in Dallas, he only played 57.22% of the team’s offensive snaps over the course of the year. Guyton played every snap in the first four games before leaving the game in Week 5 and missing Week 6. He played almost every snap in Weeks 8 and 9 before another injury that sidelined him for Week 10. From Week 11 on, he only commanded a 43.4% snap share with a rotational role at left tackle due to poor play that may have been exacerbated by his injuries.

The Cowboys will be hoping that Guyton can hit the ground running when he returns in late August or early September so he can put together a much stronger 2025 season compared to his disappointing performance as a rookie.

Cowboys G Robert Jones To Miss Time

July 28th, 2025 at 9:32am CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys’ offensive line will be shorthanded through the remainder of training camp and into the start of the regular season. Guard Robert Jones has suffered an injury which will keep him sidelined for the time being.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Todd Archer report Jones broke a bone in his neck yesterday. As a result of the ailment, an absence of two to three months is expected. The news marks a blow for the free agent signing, especially given his workload early in training camp.

Jones had spent time at right guard with the starting offense during camp, supplanting first-round rookie Tyler Booker in that role. WFAA’s Ed Werder notes Jones had been enjoying a strong camp to date, but his ability to compete for a first-team gig has now disappeared. Surgery will not be required in this case, per Archer.

After spending his first four seasons with the Dolphins, Jones signed a one-year, $3.75MM deal to join the Cowboys. The 26-year-old has 30 starts to his name, including 17 from last season. Tyler Smith is in position to operate at his preferred left guard spot, however, and the decision to select Booker on Day 1 of the draft put the Alabama product on track to handle right guard duties. Especially with Jones now injured, the Smith-Booker tandem will prepare to play together in the regular season.

The offensive line was an issue for Dallas during the disappointing 2024 campaign, Booker’s ability to succeed in a starting role – along with the development of second-year left tackle Tyler Guyton – will be critical in determining how the unit fares this season. Jones will represent an option to fill in along the interior if needed once he returns to full health. That will not be possible at the start of the year, however.

Cowboys, TE Jake Ferguson Agree To Extension

July 27th, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys and tight end Jake Ferguson have agreed to a four-year, $52MM extension, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal features $30MM in guarantees, including a $12MM signing bonus.

Although it was reported earlier this year that Dallas was eyeing a new deal for Ferguson, the negotiations mostly flew under the radar. In terms of average annual compensation, the contract places Ferguson seventh in the NFL’s tight end hierarchy. It also makes him the highest-paid TE in franchise history (h/t Rapoport).

Ferguson, 26, was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He played in just 40% of the club’s offensive snaps in his rookie campaign, but he assumed TE1 duties in 2023, when Dalton Schultz left in free agency. As part of a prolific Dallas attack that led the league in scoring and finished fifth in total offense that year, Ferguson tallied 71 catches for 761 yards and five TDs.

Of course, 2024 was a different story. With quarterback Dak Prescott missing over half of the season due to injury, Ferguson totaled just 494 receiving yards and failed to reach the end zone. Nonetheless, Ferguson has shown he can be a productive member of a healthy and capable offense, and the Cowboys have opted to bet on that upside rather than allow the Wisconsin product to play out the final year of his rookie contract.

In addressing the extension, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer partially attributed Ferguson’s downturn in production to the TE’s own health concerns (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). Ferguson suffered a sprained MCL in Week 1 of the 2024 slate and then dealt with a concussion in the middle of the season, but those issues appear to be behind him. Schottenheimer also said Ferguson has lost weight and is moving well.

“I have zero doubts in my mind that his production will get back to where it was the year before,” Schottenheimer said. “I think last year was just kind of one of those years that you look back on your career and it was more of a fluke than anything.”

Historically, Prescott has relied heavily on his tight ends, so getting the Ferguson deal done represents a key piece of business for the Cowboys. The team remains in a holding pattern in its talks with star edge rusher Micah Parsons, and while that situation has understandably generated the most headlines, new contracts for players like Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, and Brandon Aubrey could also be in the works.

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.

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