INDIANAPOLIS
As the NFL Combine powers on in Downtown Indianapolis, the Dallas Cowboys have begun meeting with prospects in the impending draft class. Each team is allotted 45 formal meetings with draft prospects which entails members of the coaching staff and scouting department asking questions varying from off-the-field personality to on-the-field instincts and everything in between.
In each of the last two drafts, the Cowboys have had a formal meeting with their first-round selections (Tyler Guyton in 2024 and Tyler Booker in 2025). With two first-round picks in the bag for the 2026 draft (No. 12 and No. 20 overall), identifying potential first-round talents have taken more importance this time around.
Defensive linemen and linebackers a major focus
Of the 45 meetings, at least 28 have come at the defensive line and linebacker positions. Here are the prospects that Dallas has met with so far in Indianapolis:
Ohio State LB Arvell ReeseOhio State LB Sonny StylesGeorgia LB C.J. AllenOklahoma LB Kendal DanielsLSU LB Harold Perkins Jr.Texas Tech LB Jacob RodriguezMissouri LB Josiah TrotterTexas A&M LB Scooby WilliamsArkansas LB Xavian SoreyTCU LB Kaleb Elarms-OrrFlorida DT Caleb BanksFlorida State DT Darrell Jackson Jr.Clemson DT Peter WoodsOle Miss DT Zxavian HarrisUCLA DT Gary Smith IIISouth Carolina DT Nick BarrettMiami DE Rueben Bain Jr.Texas A&M DE Cashius HowellTexas Tech DE David BaileyAuburn DE Keyron CrawfordTennessee DE Josh JosephsPenn State DE Dani Dennis-SuttonMissouri DE Zion YoungUCF DE Malachi LawrenceMiami DE Akheem MesidorClemson DE TJ ParkerTexas DE Trey MooreOklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
The current layout of the Cowboys’ front seven has a lot of holes entering the offseason. At defensive end, just Donovan Ezeiruaku and James Houston are under contract for 2026. At linebacker, a lead communicator and productivity is needed at a second level that regressed in 2025. To dedicate this many resources to the front seven isn’t necessarily a surprise, but nearly 60-percent of the formal meetings being dedicated to those position groups is quite fascinating.
However, the one position on defense — literally, the only one — that they are set at is defensive tackle, but they still dedicated at least six formal meetings to the position group. Most are versatile defenders that can be utilized in other spots up front, but their dedication to that spot shows that they aren’t leaving any stone unturned on the defensive side of the ball.
Cowboys working on defensive tackle “problem”
It’s wild to look back to this time last year and see how desperate the Cowboys were at finding defensive tackle talent and then jumping to the present-day to see Osa Odighizuwa re-signed and the duo of Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams on the roster after two blockbuster trades. So, to say there is a “problem” here is worthy of quotations, but there is something to figure out there.
As of now, that trio is set to count as an unprecedented $63.9 million toward the salary cap in 2026 (19.4-percent of the team’s total salary cap). Multiple sources tell the Star-Telegram that the Cowboys are working this week to figure out that situation before the new league year begins by meeting with the representation of all three players.
Clark’s salary for 2026 is not triggered until March 14, so an extension to push his money down the line is the likeliest scenario for him. Williams could also see an extension (currently set to expire after the 2027 season) or a restructure, and Odighizuwa could see a restructure.
A trade or cut for one of the three is unlikely, as defensive coordinator Christian Parker is already workshopping how to have all three be a part of the unit’s front attack moving forward. However, if the unlikely scenario does come about, Clark’s contract is the easiest to move in a potential deal.
What’s going on with Brandon Aubrey?
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones certainly raised some eyebrows on Monday when he said that extension negotiations with impending restricted free agent Brandon Aubrey have “been a journey” since before last season. Reports have indicated that Aubrey has been offered a deal worth $7.5 million per year, but those reports have not been corroborated by people with knowledge of the situation.
Regardless, built-in advantages for the Cowboys exist in the form of the restricted free agency tenders that they will certainly place on him if a deal is not agreed upon before March 11. If a second-round tender is placed (the likely scenario), a team would have to offer Aubrey a contract that he accepts, the Cowboys would have to decide not to match the said offer and the team would have to give Dallas a second-round pick.
That scenario is highly unlikely, meaning that the Cowboys would have team control on what to pay Aubrey to retain him for at least 2026. But if both sides want to find the long-term security they both seek, they will have to find common ground on a deal that would make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.
Caleb Downs and Jeremiyah Love set to interview
In addition to the 28 reported meetings that the Cowboys had on Tuesday, the team is set to meet with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love on Wednesday. The team also met with South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley on Tuesday.
Downs is considered one of the best defenders in the draft class, if not the best. It’s rare that a safety gets this much love in the draft process, but Downs’ ability to truly play anywhere in the secondary gives him advantages that other safeties simply haven’t had in recent years. For the Cowboys, it’d be a dream scenario to see Downs fall to No. 12.
In 2025, the Atlanta Falcons used all 45 of their formal meetings on defenders, and the Cowboys could have made the case as the likely team to do the same thing in 2026. However, meeting with Love will break that trend as Dallas takes an up-close look at one of the top backfield weapons to come out in recent years. After signing Javonte Williams to a three-year deal over the weekend, running back isn’t necessarily a need for the team, but seeing Love on the draft board would certainly spark a “best player available” conversation that’s worthy of being had.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.