Malachi Lawrence: Stock up<\/p>\n
Malachi Lawrence was during the first week of OTAs, but he managed to make a highlight play on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Tommy Yarrish of the team\u2019s official site noted how\u00a0Lawrence nabbed a sack<\/a>, and it came against the first-team offense after he beat Tyler Guyton<\/a>. Archer added Lawrence notched that sack\u00a0\u201cwith a good move to the outside.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Nobody is handing Lawrence Defensive Rookie of the Year for a sack in June, but it\u2019s just good to see something positive out of him. We continue to believe he\u2019ll start the season as the No. 3 EDGE behind Rashan Gary<\/a> and Donovan Ezeiruaku<\/a>.<\/p>\n Which stories coming out of OTA\u2019s are legit? And which ones should we pump the brakes on?<\/p>\n Marquez Valdes-Scantling<\/a> making the 53-man roster: Sell<\/p>\n With Pickens absent from OTAs and CeeDee Lamb<\/a> missing a practice, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling took first-team reps on consecutive days open to the media. That generated buzz about him locking down a roster spot, but I\u2019m selling.<\/p>\n I\u00a0didn\u2019t love the signing when it happened<\/a>, and the recent track record backs up my skepticism. The Seattle Seahawks<\/a> signed Valdes-Scantling to a $5 million deal last offseason and then cut him before the season started. He\u2019s been with four teams over the last couple of years. And since 2019, he has logged a grand total of four special teams snaps.<\/p>\n When you look at the Cowboys\u2019 receiver room, Lamb, Pickens, Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin<\/a> are roster locks. The fifth receiver better contribute on special teams, and I\u2019m not sure Valdes-Scantling is that guy. The likes of Anthony Smith, Jordan Hudson, and Traeshon Holden<\/a> will likely be the ones fighting for that final spot. My take? Valdes-Scantling is taking first-team reps because he\u2019s the only other experienced receiver who can keep the offense flowing in practice.<\/p>\n The Cowboys postseason hopes fall in the hands of the defense. How good can they be?<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been following the Dallas Cowboys this offseason you know that the major issue they are working on is the defense. After 2025\u2019s debacle on that side of the ball, the organization basically decided to do a full reboot.<\/p>\n Out went Matt Eberflus, in came Christian Parker. With Parker came a new defensive scheme, a base 3-4 with plenty of flexibility. To man this new scheme, Dallas switched out much of the personnel on that side of the ball. Players like Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence, Jaishawn Barham<\/a>, Jalen Thompson<\/a>, Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant<\/a> and others were brought in to try and revive the fortunes of the Dallas defense.<\/p>\n The Cowboys offense comes back basically intact, and that\u2019s a good thing considering how effective they were last season. Conventional wisdom holds that if Dallas had any kind of a decent defense in 2025, they could have been contenders. That conventional wisdom still holds up for 2026.<\/p>\n I keep hearing how detail-oriented Christian Parker\u2019s defense is, but *does\u00a0that mean it will take the players extra time to learn it until they are able to play quick and free in this scheme? Those extra fractions of a second needed to pay attention to the minor details can make a huge difference. What do you guys think?\u2013 Mark Somma\/Winchester, VA**<\/p>\n Tommy: You bring up a good point! That\u2019s definitely something that could be the case especially early in the season as everyone and everything is beginning to mesh together for the first time. It\u2019s only human nature as you\u2019re getting to learn something and are applying it in real-time action and not a practice setting for the first time.<\/p>\n That said, one thing we\u2019ve heard several times about Christian Parker, and one of the things the Cowboys said all offseason they were looking for in their next defensive coordinator, is a good teacher. Parker\u2019s known for being able to take complex schemes and condense it in a way that\u2019s easier for his players to understand so they can get to that playing fast point. Several players have already mentioned that about him in his brief time in Dallas. How long will it take to get to a \u201cmastery\u201d point or close to it? That\u2019s left to be seen, but with Dallas\u2019 schedule to open up the year being loaded with heavy hitters, they\u2019ll have to adjust quickly.<\/p>\n Talent has never been the issue for Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. When he\u2019s on the field,\u00a0he\u2019s been fantastic<\/a>, but staying healthy hasn\u2019t been easy. He missed his rookie year due to a torn ACL and again tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL in December of 2024, which kept him out for most of 2025.<\/p>\n SafeFrame Container<\/a><\/p>\n Overshown is finally healthy,\u00a0even going as far<\/a>\u00a0to call his knees \u201cthe best in the NFL\u201d. And the Cowboys are ready to see him turn a corner. Not only is he entering a contract year, but he\u2019s set to take on some new responsibilities within this defensive system that should cement him as a go-to guy.<\/p>\n In addition to lining up at his familiar weak-side LB, Overshown has played the MIKE and is part of a rotation of players wearing the green dot,\u00a0per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/a>. And dreams do come true, kids. The MIKE is a role the 25-year-old has sought out for quite some time.<\/p>\n