Don't miss any of the action with our daily updates: news, notes and more throughout the Cowboys' regular season. Presented by Blockchain.com
March 28 Updates
4:45 p.m. — Rookies LB DeMarvion Overshown and TE John Stephens Jr. remain on track to recover from their respective torn ACL injuries suffered in the 2023 preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, as head coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this week that he is looking to get them each back by training camp.
"They look great," McCarthy said. "They're crushing it in the rehab. Those guys, they all work out together. The weight that they all needed in the weight room, that definitely will be a benefit of going through a year of rehab. I'm hopeful we can get them on the field sooner than later but I look for those guys to make an impact starting in training camp."
Stephens was on track to make the 53-man roster after being signed as an undrafted free agent in the hours following the 2023 draft, while Overshown would've played a major role at linebacker in his rookie year. Both will add to a youthful position room in 2024.
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March 27 Updates
5:21 p.m. – Without a doubt, the new kickoff rule is a major change that was just passed this week. It will not only look different, but there are much more strategies involved now.
But with anything new, it will take more practice time. Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel said he expects much more time in practice this summer and in training camp dedicated towards the new kickoff alignment.
"We'll take a big look at it through OTA and training camp and honestly, we'll spend more time at it than we did last year, knowing we could hit some touchbacks and the ball is not going to be as live," Fassel said. "The time allocation in kickoff and kickoff return will go up significantly. I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be great for the fans. I think the players will love it, too."
The new rule moves both the kicking team and receiving teams down the field – only 10-20 yards apart, which cut down on the violent collisions. Plus, the players aren't allowed to move until the ball is caught or hits the ground. And if there is a touchback, the ball now moves to the 30-yard line, which should lead to more returns. Last year, KaVontae Turpin only had 10 kickoff returns.
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March 25 Updates
9:04 a.m. - Always the optimist, owner/GM Jerry Jones said this weekend at the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando that he is confident the Cowboys have already improved their linebacker position. Not only did they sign Eric Kendricks, a nine-year vet that knows Mike Zimmer's system inside out, but the return of a third-round pick who missed all of last year.
When asked about improving the run defense, Jones said DeMarvion Overshown is expected to make a big difference. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last year with a torn ACL injury he suffered in the preseason. The combo of Overshown and Kendricks is what Jones is counting on to help a run defense that has ranked 16th and 17th the last two seasons.
"Now, can you manage to stop the run better than you did the last couple of years?" Jones said of those two additions. "It's down to those kinds of things."
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March 24 Updates
6:21 p.m. - When the Cowboys drafted Tyler Smith in the first round in 2022, the eventual plan was to move him to left tackle at some point when Tyron Smith's days with the team were over. While that has now happened - with Tyron Smith signing with the Jets last week in free agency - it's not clear just yet where Tyler Smith will play in 2024.
This offseason, before free agency, both Mike McCarthy and Stephen Jones have hinted that Tyler Smith would remain at guard for now. But on Sunday at the NFL Owner's Meetings in Orlando, Jerry Jones told reporters to "keep the idea there" that Smith could move to left tackle.
"I'd say that's a good, viable thing," Jones said when asked by media members. "Certainly, he's potentially - I want to say - a great player left tackle."
Tyler Smith played most of his rookie season at left tackle when Tyron went down and stayed there even when the veteran returned in December and played right tackle. Then last year, Tyler Smith went to left guard and didn't move out to tackle once, despite a few injuries for Tyron Smith that sidelined him three games.
He has started all 31 games of his career - with 16 at left tackle and 15 at left guard.
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March 22 Updates
11:00 a.m. — One thing is definitely true of the Dallas Cowboys over the last 12 months, and that's the fact they've been stricken with the beauty of baby fever.
Zack Martin becomes the latest in a growing list to welcome a new addition to his family — he and his wife announcing Thursday the arrival of their son, Hudson Gage Martin.
The news comes less than one month after Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane welcome "Baby MJ" to the world.
The Martins are all in good health and even better spirits, according to the announcement.
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March 17 Updates
9:30 a.m. — The exodus of Dallas Cowboys players heading to the Washington Commanders to reunite with Dan Quinn was halted by Jourdan Lewis and CJ Goodwin, but Noah Igbinoghene has reignited it.
The former first-round pick is expected to sign with the Commanders, per multiple reports, ending his short stay in Dallas.
Igbinoghene arrived in Dallas by way of a trade with the Miami Dolphins last season that sent former second-round pick Kelvin Joseph to South Florida in exchange for that team's former first-round pick.
The former would earn defensive game reps early in his stay, along with playing a role on special teams, but the majority of his short stint in Dallas was spent on the inactives list. Igbinoghene scored the first touchdown of the season in 2023, returning a blocked field goal for a touchdown in season-opener against the Giants.
Igbinoghene becomes the fourth player to move from the Cowboys to Commanders this offseason, joining Durance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz and Dante Fowler.
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March 14 Updates
12:00 p.m. — When it comes to free agency in 2024, one of the biggest items for the Dallas Cowboys to cross off of their shopping list isn't outside of the building, but rather inside of it and staring them right in the face; and that just happens to be perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith.
The two sides met at the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis but no deal was struck and, as such, Smith is currently testing the open market for his services.
That doesn't mean his illustrious career in Dallas has come to an end, however, as the team continues to hold out hope that he'll stay put and retire with the Cowboys.
"The door is open," said executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones. "Tyron Smith is gonna be a Hall of Fame football player. He's had an amazing career and we certainly haven't shut the door on a continued career here in Dallas. He's a man's man and one of the greatest left tackles to [ever] play the game. No one feels better about Tyron Smith than this organization. We have nothing but big-time thoughts about Tyron and what he's all about."
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10:18 a.m. — In the first few days of free agency, it was clear that Dan Quinn was targeting former players he coached in Dallas to join him in Washington. We've seen three players - Tyler Biadasz, Dante Fowler and Durance Armstrong - all sign with the Commanders.
Well, it seems as if Mike Zimmer can play the game, too. Zimmer, the Cowboys' new defensive coordinator to replace Quinn, likely had a big hand in convincing linebacker Eric Kendricks to agree on a deal in Dallas. Kendricks reportedly agreed to terms early in the week with the 49ers but switched to the Cowboys.
He spent last season with the Chargers, but the previous eight in Minnesota, coached by Zimmer as the head coach.
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March 13 Updates
6:46 p.m. — The Dallas Cowboys are closing in on an agreement with free agent linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Kendricks, who initially chose to join the San Francisco 49ers during the legal tampering period, surprised insiders by instead choosing to join the Cowboys.
He will reunite with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who drafted him in 2015 as the head coach at Minnesota. The two spent seven seasons together with the Vikings where Kendricks emerged as one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL — earning an AP first-team All-Pro nod in 2019.
The Cowboys have a big need at linebacker, where Leighton Vander Esch has decisions to make regarding his future.
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5:00 p.m. — There's another defensive lineman departing the Dallas Cowboys. This time it's Neville Gallimore, who is expected to join the Miami Dolphins — per NFL.com.
Coming out of a 2023 contract year is Gallimore, having showed great promise as a rookie third-round pick in 2020 before suffering a devastating elbow injury in 2021, one that he struggled to climb back from in 2022.
Having admittedly battled with the recovery mentally as well, as in not playing the game the way he was prior to the injury, he'd finally get back to being himself in 2023; and that led to a nod on the final roster in August and another strong season that rivaled his first.
This was Gallimore's first trip to free agency in his young career, and his resurgence last season gave plenty of reason for teams to be interested in his services for 2024 and beyond.
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March 12 Updates
10:00 a.m. — The first day of 2024 NFL free agency was a quiet one for the Dallas Cowboys, with the exception of Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz and Tony Pollard all departing for other teams. On Day 2 of legal tampering, the Cowboys struck their first deal — with long snapper Trent Sieg.
Sieg has reportedly agreed to terms with the Cowboys, on a one-year deal, keeping him in Dallas for the coming season.
It's been a carousel of sorts at long snapper in Dallas, in the post-Ladouceur era, one that's seen Sieg become the latest to take the reins at the position — from his predecessor Jake McQuaide. Sieg signed on last spring for a one-year deal and the fact his name was never mentioned in a broadcast or in a meeting room means he did his job to perfection.
The 28-year-old who entered the NFL in 2018 is hoping to soon find a long-term home in the league, however, having spent time on several teams to this point.
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March 6 Updates
6:00 p.m. — While the Dallas Cowboys begin the work of sorting through their attack for 2024 NFL free agency, set to begin next week, they've begun a bit of the work already — re-signing nose tackle Carl Davis to what will eventually be the 90-man offseason roster.
Davis, 32, is a former 3rd-round pick of the Ravens (2015) out of Iowa who has spent time with the Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Patriots and Seahawks. This marks his second stint in Dallas, having signed to the practice squad in 2023.
He was elevated for the league maximum of three games before being reverted to the practice squad for the remainder of the season. Once the season ended, he was not secured on a futures deal, making him a free agent at the time.
But he returns to compete for depth at the position. He has 68 combined tackles in 19 NFL starts.
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March 2 Updates
9 a.m. — It's a tale of two versions of Michael Gallup nowadays. There's the pre-injury variant that reeled in a 1,000 yard for the Dallas Cowboys and landed a five-year deal thereafter, and the current one who is still trying to find his way back from a torn ACL suffered in 2021.
The problem is that for as effective as the veteran wideout was in spurts last season, he was also plagued by inconsistency and, with a looming salary cap hit of $13.85 million for 2024, it was expected the Cowboys were going to have to make a decision this offseason.
That decision, however, has yet to be made, and the two sides will meet soon to try and iron things out.
'We don't have a decision that we would like to talk about right now," said owner and general manager Jerry Jones, speaking from the 2024 NFL Combine. "It's one that we'll be going over with him, but nothing that we would say without him being involved. We need to sit down and go over some stuff with him before we talk about what we're going to do, or not."
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March 1 Updates
6:40 p.m. — The future of Leighton Vander Esch has yet to be decided. The former Pro Bowl linebacker suffered a season-ending neck injury in 2023 that is also threatening the remainder of his NFL career, particularly considering his history of similar injuries.
Speaking from the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, owner and general manager Jerry Jones echoed the statements made earlier in the week by executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones — in that talks with Vander Esch are soon-to-come and that whatever he decides, he will be the one to communicate it to the public.
"We met with his agent today, and we understand that, in my mind, it's divorced from a decision of football," said Jerry Jones. "And, in his case, football is a big part of his life and his profession and his career, but it has to do with his long-term well-being and long-term life.
"We're not only going to support whatever he comes up with, we're going to visit and talk with the sensitivity of someone you think a lot about — to the extent that if he's taking an undue risk, the conversations will reflect that."
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February 29 Updates
2:38 p.m. - As the Cowboys' front office evaluates the next crop of players in the NFL scouting combine this week in Indianapolis, there has been plenty of discussion about the team's next first-round pick, slated to be the 24thoverall selection.
But last year's first-round pick is still a topic of discussion, considering Mazi Smith was not a major factor in his rookie season in 2023. However, the team remains positive about his potential.
We have nothing but confidence in Mazi," Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said this week. "I think it was a transition for him. I think he was trying to get his hands around the technique and the way he played at Michigan and the way Dan (Quinn) was trying to incorporate his game."
Jones sounds confident Smith will be able to have a more defined role in Mike Zimmer's new defensive scheme.
"So I think Mazi can take a big jump in his second year," Jones said. "He's got all the right skill sets and all the right intangibles to go out there and get the job done. I think he's going to make a big jump in his second year."
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February 28 Updates
1:41 p.m. – Comparisons to be a scary thing, especially when someone is being mentioned alongside Hall of Famers.
But on Tuesday, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones was asked about Tyler Smith’s position and he couldn't help but bring up one of the greatest to ever play.
"That remains to be seen," Jones said when asked if Tyler Smith will play guard or tackle. "It's starting to feel like Larry Allen all over again. The great thing about Tyler is his versatility, he could be a great left tackle too. At the end of the day when we're through massaging it, we'll have a good spot for him. His versatility certainly brings options as we look at this team moving forward."
Allen spent most of the 2022 season at left tackle, but was moved to guard for 2023, when he made a Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro.
Allen, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, was mostly a guard in his career, but did have two seasons where he was predominantly a tackle and was able to make the Pro Bowl at that position as well.
Smith wears the same No. 73 as Allen, and both showed the versatility in the first two seasons of their career. Only time will tell if Smith can come close to matching the level of play Allen sustained for over a decade.
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