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Dallas Cowboys Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Jerry Jones Jr. (from left), head coach Brian Schottenheimer, owner Jerry Jones, pro college scout Shy Anderson Jr., COO Stephen Jones work in the Cowboys draft room before the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23, 2026.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
FRISCO \u2014 Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones<\/a> will often remind people that player acquisition happens 365 days a year. There’s no bigger player acquisition period, however, than the one we just had.<\/p>\n The Cowboys added seven draft picks this weekend<\/a> and quickly added 11 more\u00a0undrafted free agents.<\/a> A wave of 18 new additions means more thoughts about the state of the Cowboys roster after the biggest and last window for player acquisition.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Here are five postdraft thoughts about the Cowboys.<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (center, left) and newly drafted Cowboys defensive player Caleb Downs of Ohio State (center, right) pose for a photo with Stephen Jones (left) and head coach Brian Schottenheimer during an introductory press conference at The Star in Frisco, April 24, 2026.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Luck be a Cowboy<\/p>\n Cowboys owner Jerry Jones<\/a> gave a task to head coach Brian Schottenheimer<\/a> before the draft. He told him to make a list of players that he loved in this draft and, consequently, he\u2019d be heartbroken to not draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Their first round pick, defensive back Caleb Downs<\/a>, was on that list. So was their third-round pick, Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to get a couple of those guys \u2014 guys that will have a huge impact for us this year,\u201d Schottenheimer said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a really cool way of doing the process.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that Schottenheimer\u2019s list was one of many predraft exercises. They did mock drafts to try to foresee the many different ways the draft could go before they picked. They used AI as an assistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s safe to say not many of those simulations ended with the Cowboys landing Downs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe got lucky on that one to be able to do it,\u201d Jones said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cowboys were prepared. They were aggressive and moved up. No doubt were also a little lucky, too \u2014 to not only get Downs where they did but Barham, too.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n No redshirt but a risk<\/p>\n Late Friday night, after the second day of the draft had come and gone, Jones made a declaration. The Cowboys wouldn\u2019t entertain the idea of drafting a player in the fourth round who might have to redshirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n They wanted players who could make the 53-man roster and contribute this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n No redshirts didn\u2019t mean taking a player without any risk, however.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Cowboys, in search of an outside corner, landed a tall, athletic and productive one in Florida cornerback Devin Moore.<\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n Moore was healthy last season, playing in 11 games, but he played in only 30 games in four seasons. He dealt with a variety of injuries during that time. He also had sports hernia surgery after this past season, but he was able to work out at his pro day.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said they gave Moore a \u201cpassing\u201d medical evaluation.<\/p>\n “A big athlete that can think,\u201d McClay said. \u201cWe feel good about it.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n If healthy, Moore is a corner who could compete for playing time early. There is inherent risk because of that medical question, but in the fourth round they deemed it\u2019s worth the risk.<\/p>\n San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters (53) lines up before the snap during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo\/Zach Bolinger)<\/p>\n Zach Bolinger\/AP<\/p>\n Are they done at LB?<\/p>\n The Cowboys executed a long-standing contingency plan during the draft. They had linebacker Dee Winters as a potential trade candidate for months. The former TCU linebacker came to mind when they traded former Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On Friday, after starting-caliber linebackers had been selected, the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to the 49ers for Winters.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cowboys look at Winters as a starting-caliber linebacker next to DeMarvion Overshown. Should he be the only candidate, however?\u00a0<\/p>\n Dallas is open to adding another linebacker now that the draft has passed. There are multiple veteran options on the free agent market.\u00a0<\/p>\n Currently, the Cowboys have 88 players on their roster. They still have some roster flexibility if they want it. Linebacker will probably be one of those pursuits.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Can this rookie be a surprise starter?<\/p>\n The Cowboys made a major transformation to their defense. It was the first thing Jones pointed out in his postdraft news conference. The results back it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n Go back to Week 1 of last year compared to now, the Cowboys are looking at eight or nine potential new starters on defense. There\u2019s one position that\u2019s hard to figure out from a projected depth chart standpoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under Christian Parker\u2019s base 3-4, who will be the third defensive tackle next to Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams? It would\u2019ve likely been Odighizuwa, but he\u2019s now in San Francisco.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In Odighizuwa\u2019s place, how about someone who reminds the Cowboys of him?\u00a0<\/p>\n Cowboys fourth-round pick LT\u00a0Overton<\/a> was listed as an edge rusher when he was drafted. The Cowboys quickly said that he could play defensive tackle for them or a big defensive end, which makes sense, considering he\u2019s more than 270 pounds with room to grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cowboys could also go with a look where Otito Ogbonnia<\/a> plays inside, leaving Clark and Williams to handle the two other tackle spots.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cowboys will be in nickel a lot and rotate defensive tackles anyway, but\u00a0Overton could possibly be in line for more play than other fourth-round rookies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Baylor tight end Michael Trigg scores on a pass play over defensive back Braeden Marshall during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Waco, Texas. (Rod Aydelotte\/Waco Tribune-Herald via AP)<\/p>\n Rod Aydelotte\/AP<\/p>\n Can these two UDFAs make the roster?<\/p>\n History tells us at least one undrafted free agent will make the roster. How about two?\u00a0<\/p>\n The Cowboys agreed to terms with 11 undrafted free agents as of Monday. Two that stood out were Baylor tight end Michael Trigg<\/a> and SMU wide receiver Jordan Hudson.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Trigg was rated as a potential fifth-round pick, according to The Athletic. Cowboys tight end coach Lunda Wells worked closely with Trigg at Baylor Pro Day. He was by his side the whole time. Now Trigg will have the chance to work with Wells in Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s opportunity for Trigg, as well. Jake Ferguson is the team\u2019s starting tight end. Former undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford has an inside track on the second tight end spot. Former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker is entering the final year of his deal.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trigg could make things tough on the Cowboys when it comes to the final tight end spot. His spectacular catch ability should be on display in the preseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Another spot with opportunity is wide receiver. There should be some competition at the back end. Cowboys draft pick Anthony Smith and Hudson are two guys who could battle for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those are two early undrafted free agents to watch in training camp.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Jerry Jones Jr. (from left), head coach Brian Schottenheimer, owner Jerry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[732,102,104,103,88227,88775,88229,89124],"class_list":["post-269277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-article","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-tp-brian-schottenheimer","tag-tp-jerry-jones","tag-tp-nfl","tag-tp-nfl-draft"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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