Cowboys news: Dallas is benefiting from quiet offseason

Quieter offseason has Cowboys focused on the right things – Todd Archer, ESPN

This is exactly what the Cowboys needed.

“There won’t be negotiations on a long-term deal,” Stephen Jones said.

It was another perfect only with the Cowboys moment where contract negotiations have become a never-ending story.

In 2023, All-Pro right guard Zack Martin held out of a portion of training camp looking to renegotiate his contract. In 2024, the talks surrounded the futures of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb with the Pro Bowl wide receiver missing most of training camp before an extension was reached. Prescott’s record $60 million annual deal would be agreed to on the morning of the season opener.

And then last year, the mess that surrounded Micah Parsons‘ contract saga that eventually saw the All-Pro pass rusher traded to the Green Bay Packers a week before the 2025 season started.

It all pointed to more drama in 2026.

But Pickens, who will make $27.3 million on the tag, attended the mandatory minicamp in June and said he will not hold out of training camp. July 15, the deadline for Pickens to sign a long-term extension, came and went with barely a note.

It was like a balloon that flitters away when the air is released. The potential of drama was gone.

Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Primer: Five biggest storylines heading into Oxnard – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Things to keep an eye on.

New line of defense

It’s a new year, and it’s a brand-new defense under new coordinator Christian Parker. And while there is quite a bit we can pull from his press availabilities about how much the unit will see change, it’s tough to truly envision it until it hits the field.

How has he solved the communication problems that plagued the unit last season? How will the 3-4 scheme find consistent pressure? Who will hold the bulk of the responsibilities in the secondary? Those questions might not get full answers in Oxnard, but the on-field product that we will see will offer a ton of insight into the unit that Parker has constructed over the past six months.

Personnel-wise, there are a lot of new faces with things to prove. Rashan Gary was traded from the only NFL team he’s known (Green Bay) in April. Jalen Thompson arrives with the biggest free agent contract in team history. Caleb Downs walks into the NFL with sky-high expectations, and fellow first-round pick Malachi Lawrence will be looked at for a premium role as well. After poor linebacker play in 2025, Dee Winters is back in DFW to see if he can be the solution in the middle.

The expectations remain the same on offense. On defense, the level of play has to take a significant step forward. How far has it come? We’ll at least get a head start on answering that question in the next month.

2) Is Dak Prescott a legitimate MVP candidate for 2026? Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Will Dak Prescott have himself in the MVP conversation this season?

Patrik: It tickles me to see some people act as if this question is bold or unreasonable (I call that the “Cowboy Tax”) when, in actuality, it’s so reasonable that it almost earns a yawn from me. Let’s talk facts here, or science, if you will. Prescott is an All-Pro quarterback that has been at the front of the NFL MVP conversation not once or twice, but three times over the last five seasons — to the point where there’s a contingent that argues he should’ve won the honor over Lamar Jackson in 2023.

So, can Prescott be a legitimate MVP candidate again when the 2026 season rolls around? Yes, and yes again. He’s at the top of his game. He’s got weapons galore. He’s got an offensive play-caller that invites fresh ideas and proved he can call a No. 1 offense. If the Cowboys’ defense plays up to expectation under Christian Parker, or at least above average, Prescott’s play won’t be wasted with a playoff-less campaign or early postseason exit and, then and only then, will the world be willing to give the former fourth-round pick his credit … following a playoff run that requires both sides of the team to show up every week and not just Prescott and the offense. (*yawns*)

Former Cowboys QB Will Grier to join Dallas staff as assistant coach – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News

Will Grier is back in Dallas.

Former Dallas Cowboys and recently retired quarterback Will Grier will join the team as an offensive assistant coach, a person familiar with the move confirmed to The Dallas Morning News.

Grier had briefly re-signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason before ultimately deciding to retire earlier this month. The Cowboys actually had interest in adding Grier to the coaching staff this offseason before he signed with the Panthers. The offer, it appears, still stood. 

The 31-year-old spent the entirety of last season on the Cowboys practice squad, his second stint with the team.

Tony Romo arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving in Milwaukee – Saad Yousuf and Andrew Marchand, The Athletic

The former Cowboys’ quarterback found touble.

Lead NFL on CBS analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated (OWI) Thursday evening, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.

Romo was driving southbound on Interstate 43 in Milwaukee when he was pulled over. The arrest report obtained by The Athletic states that Romo performed poorly on the standardized field sobriety tests and was taken into custody as a result.

Romo was released shortly after being booked and given a court date of Sept. 21.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a first-offense OWI carries a penalty of $150-$300, plus a $435 OWI surcharge. An OWI is Wisconsin’s equivalent to what other states call a DUI (driving under the influence) or DWI (driving while intoxicated).

Daily discussion question: How will you spend the last weekend without Cowboys things going on?