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Cowboys VP Stephen Jones on roster: ‘We max out our salary cap’ – Todd Archer, ESPN.com
The Dallas Cowboys are saving every penny in the bank for upcoming extensions.
“We spend max, max money year in and year out. All 32 can only spend the same amount of money over a five-year stretch,” executive vice president Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “When we’re all said and done, we max out our salary cap every year. We will have done that and what comes with having a good roster, which we do, we also are looking towards signing our own guys. It doesn’t mean it happens overnight. But when you’re wanting to sign players like Dak [Prescott] and Micah [Parsons] and CeeDee [Lamb], then certainly you have to hold money back if you want to have a realistic chance of signing those guys.”
Extensions for Prescott and Lamb would decrease their salary cap figures for 2024. Prescott currently counts $55.4 million against the cap, while Lamb is set to count $17.99 million thanks to the fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Prescott is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, with the Cowboys unable to use the franchise tag on him. Lamb could be a candidate for the franchise tag if they are unable to work out a lucrative extension by next March. The Cowboys will pick up Parsons’ fifth-year option for 2025 at a cost of more than $21 million.
Lamb and Parsons have not attended the first two days of the Cowboys’ voluntary offseason program. A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Lamb’s absence was due to contract negotiations, while Parsons did not take part in the program a year ago, opting to work out on his own.
Dallas Cowboys pre-draft analysis: Exploring the best- and worst-case scenarios – Saad Yousuf, The Athletic
How things could end up “glass half full” or “glass half empty” on draft weekend in Dallas.
Best-case scenario
The Cowboys have spoken openly about their desire to keep All-Pro Tyler Smith at left guard instead of moving him to left tackle, where there is a void following Tyron Smith’s departure and where Tyler Smith did play as a rookie in 2022. It’s an understandable desire, given left guard is Smith’s natural position and he is a more effective overall player inside than on the edge. With the Cowboys ignoring the left tackle position in free agency, the best-case scenario for the draft has to involve finding a Day 1 starter at left tackle.
In Dane Brugler’s “The Beast,” the first five offensive tackles rank in a 15-slot range from No. 5 through No. 19. Joe Alt (No. 5), Olu Fashanu (No. 12), JC Latham (No. 13), Taliese Fuaga (No. 17) and Amarius Mims (No. 19) are the top end of the position. Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton, the sixth-ranked offensive tackle, is a notch below at No. 27 overall. After Guyton, there’s a bit of a drop-off before the next offensive tackle, Kingsley Suamataia — No. 40 overall and seventh at his position — though Suamataia’s stock is rising as the draft nears.
Worst-case scenario
With the glaring needs the Cowboys have on the offensive line, the other 31 teams will have a pretty good idea of which players the Cowboys will be weighing. That means if another team is eyeing a player at that position, it could make the effort to clean up business ahead of Dallas’ selection, similar to what the Philadelphia Eagles did in the second round in 2018 when they jumped the Cowboys to ensure they got tight end Dallas Goedert.
The worst-case scenario would begin with the top two centers and the top six tackles all flying off the board within the first 23 selections. To compound the misery, the Cowboys could be on the clock and unable to find a willing trade partner for their desired return. At that point, the Cowboys have to decide to either reach for a player at a position of need, take a player who is highest on their board but doesn’t fill one of their many voids or trade back and only get late-round selections for doing so. The Cowboys cannot afford to end the first night and not get a Week 1 starter.
Pick Fit: EDGE fits for every Cowboys draft pick – Nick Harris, Dallascowboys.com
Looking at the depth on Dallas’ roster, defensive end could be a sneaky need.
Round 3, Pick 87: Austin Booker (Kansas): One of the more inexperienced players in the entire draft class, Austin Booker used one huge season at Kansas to propel himself into day two of draft discussions. The inexperience does show up in hand fighting with opposing offensive linemen and identifying run schemes, but his athleticism and length off the edge are explosive enough to foresee a future that involves a long and productive career in the NFL once he gets reps under his belt.
Round 5, Pick 174: Jalyx Hunt (Houston Christian): It’ll be tough to find a more freaky prospect in the draft than Jalyx Hunt, who transferred from Cornell where he played safety before adding weight and starring as a pass rusher for HCU. His bend, athleticism and high motor all combine to display violence off the edge with one of the more impressive highlight tapes you’ll find in the draft cycle. He will have to get used to playing at his newfound weight and skillset, but once he translates that to play strength, he can be a violent disruptor in the NFL.
Round 6, Pick 216: Xavier Thomas (Clemson): A six-year player at Clemson that has seen a lot of football in his time with the Tigers, his quickness of the line continued to give offensive linemen in the ACC trouble with keeping him at bay. Typically only a winner primarily off the line, Thomas will have to work on stunts and hand fighting to find other ways to move around competition, but his cat-like movement makes that reality a scary one if he can put it all together.
Dallas Cowboys 7-round mock draft: Cowboys invest in their interior offensive and defensive lines – Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus
How would fans feel about the Cowboys going defensive tackle in the first round again?
ROUND 1, PICK 24: DI JER’ZHAN NEWTON, ILLINOIS
Newton, the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is listed at only 6-foot-1.5 and 300 pounds, but he often makes up for it in quickness. Few pass rushers get off blocks better than him. He likes to win by getting his hands on a blocker and using a push-pull or arm-over move. He brings a wide variety of pass-rush moves and counters.
In run defense, he shoots his hands up and in and throws linemen aside after getting them off-balance. If he does not immediately win, he can get controlled at his lower weight. His high run-defense grades come more from gap shooting than from holding the line, and he does not hold up consistently against double teams.
ROUND 2, PICK 56: G CHRISTIAN HAYNES, CONNECTICUT
Haynes was a four-year starting right guard at UConn. He has the ideal build for an interior offensive lineman: shorter in height for leverage but higher in weight with long arms. His weight is also distributed well, especially in the lower half, which allows him to anchor bull rushes and throw down lighter defenders.
He has a good first step off the line of scrimmage, and that makes for some impactful blocks as a puller and a zone blocker. His overall athleticism is good, but he can get off balance when in space. He isn’t as much of a people-mover in a man- or gap-blocking scheme. He also doesn’t sit as low as he should in pass protection.
ROUND 3, PICK 87: RB TREY BENSON, FLORIDA STATE
Benson’s track speed shows up immediately on tape, as his acceleration and top speed are both excellent. His explosiveness allows him to covert speed-to-power to break tackles.
He is a bit stiff when it comes to changing direction and agility. His athletic advantage is a good thing, but it does affect his mentality, vision and patience for rush lanes. He is overeager to get to the sideline and outrun defenders rather than find a cutback lane.
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