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10 thoughts on the Cowboys 27-24 preseason loss to the Saints
The Cowboys lost to the Saints in their preseason game 27-24
Michael Gallup
WR · FA · 29 yrs · exp 7 · Colorado State
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5 potential roster cuts Cowboys should consider trading for
Yahoo Sports NFLSource ↗
The article discusses 5 potential roster cuts the Cowboys should consider trading for
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3 roster issues to settle in the Cowboys preseason finale
Preseason finale roster issues for the Cowboys
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Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: WR George Pickens
Since the 2000s began, the Cowboys have had several trades for big-name wide receivers. It’s still too early to make an official proclamation, but so far, the trade for George Pickens is looking like it may be the most successful. Our rundown series now comes to one of Dallas ’ brightest stars, and perhaps their most talked-about player this offseason. Years in NFL: 4 Acquired by: Trade (2025) 2022 was a year of sweeping change for the Pittsburgh Steelers . Ben Roethlisberger retired, there was a new general manager, and the receiver position was also in flux. George Pickens was part of this new offensive era, a second-round pick to go with first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett . Unlike the rookie QB, Pickens was an immediate contributor in a trio with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool . Pittsburgh traded Claypool away in November, leaving Johnson and Pickens as the clear starting duo. For three years, Pickens’ talent was clear but so were issues with his maturity and relationship with the Steelers. The team struggled to find its next QB, going through the poo-poo platter of Pickett, Mitch Trubisky , and Mason Rudolph before bringing in Russell Wilson in 2023. While Wilson helped bring some respectability back at QB, Pickens’ status with the team was already breaking down. Criticism of his effort became public, and he went into his fourth year without a clear path forward in Pittsburgh. As it turned out, the path led to Dallas. Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick were sent to the Cowboys for a 2026 third-rounder and Dallas’ fifth-round pick in 2027. For the Steelers, it was a decent return on a former second-rounder who they clearly had no intention of re-signing after his rookie deal. For the Cowboys, it was an immediate upgrade at WR2 and a much-needed wingman for CeeDee Lamb , who’d been carrying too much of the receiving load since the departure of Amari Cooper and the decline of Michael Gallup . For Pickens, the fresh start was clearly needed. Whether it was a new set of coaches, the pressure from his expiring contract, finally having the right QB in Dak Prescott , or all of the above, Pickens exploded in 2025 with new career highs of 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. He went to his first Pro Bowl and was a Second-Team All-Pro. In one year, Pickens went from the Steelers’ chopping block to the Cowboys’ franchise tag. A long-term deal was not reached this offseason, but Pickens reported to all mandatory activities and has said he’s ready to be at camp and play 2026 on the franchise tag. Even with the contract issue, Pickens’ relationship with Dallas seems undamaged and there’s plenty of excitement for his second season. Years Left: 1 2026 Cap Hit: $27.3 million Honestly, we’ve been waiting to do this one until we saw how the contract negotiations played out. But as of July 15th, the window for franchised players to sign a long-term deal closed and Pickens is now locked in to the franchise deal for 2026. We’ll circle back to this circus next February/March. Role: Starting WR Roster Chance: 100% We have one of those “great problems to have” with the rising debate over who the Cowboys’ true franchise receiver is between Pickens and Lamb. How you feel about it depends on what you value in a receiver, and much credit you give one guy’s presence to helping the other thrive. In the end, does it even matter? Dallas has two receivers that would be the clear number one for most NFL teams, so let’s just enjoy it. One of the fascinating things to watch in 2026 will be how defenses adjust to Pickens’ breakout. Does he get increased attention, making life easier for Lamb? Do teams commit so much to stopping the superstar receivers that guys like Ryan Flournoy and Jake Ferguson have huge years? Will Dallas’ running backs be the biggest beneficiaries from high concern over the passing attack? Without a doubt, Pickens’ presence makes all of this possible. As good as Lamb was from 2022-2024, Pickens’ arrival opene [... truncated ...]
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Predicting headlines from the first week of training camp
The Dallas Cowboys head out to training camp in California at the end of this month, and this means that after one week into August, they will have spent a week in Oxnard. That point is important for today’s discussion because we are about to look into that exact spot in the future. Here are three headlines that we predict will emerge from the first week of Cowboys training camp. Something we will likely see when training camp begins is the Cowboys taking things slow with George Pickens . CeeDee Lamb will also likely get a veteran day or two. Ultimately there are going to be more opportunities than normal for a player like Ryan Flournoy, and he has already made it a point to make the most of what he is given to work with. This is the classic sort of headline that emerges from training camp, and if you squint your eyes enough you can even see a world where people are suggeesting trading him away for help elsewhere. Think about the conversations we would have when Lamb, Amari Cooper , and Michael Gallup were frolicking around Oxnard. Obviously the Cowboys have had work sessions since drafting Caleb Downs, but training camp is a different animal. This is where the real and true work begins. It stands to reason that Caleb Downs is going to really announce himself. His presence on the team feels similar to Micah Parsons ’ in that they are both standouts on defense, but Parsons wasn’t exactly who he became during his rookie training camp. In this way Downs feels like someone he shares an alma mater with in Ezekiel Elliott . The world of Cowboys Nation is ready and hungry for Caleb Downs to take center stage, and it stands to reason that we will see this exact phenomenon unfold. It is normal as humans to try and connect dots. We innately want to answer questions. The biggest question on defense right now is who is going to support the team at linebacker. We have been carrying this question for months, and the most significant answer by way of a roster move was the trade for Dee Winters. Training camp is the exact opportunity where that work starts to be shown. Winters will have a legitimate chance to show that he is the proper piece in place for the heart of Christian Parker’s defense, and it would be a common training camp trope (not to say that it wouldn’t be real or legitimate) to hear that he is doing so in a successful way. What headlines do you anticipate seeing after the first week of training camp? Let us know in the comments below
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Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: WR CeeDee Lamb
It’s not often that your franchise wide receiver is one of the least-talked about guys on the roster, but that’s been CeeDee Lamb ’s offseason. As his fellow starter and even the backup have been getting a lot of attention, Lamb’s been almost taken for granted as a returning superstar in the Cowboys offense. Years in NFL: 6 Acquired by: 2020 1st-round pick It’s a tale most Cowboys fans already know well. In 2020, the Cowboys already had Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup as a solid starting duo of receiver. But when Lamb, generally considered a top-10 talent, fell to them at the 17th pick, it was too much value to turn down. Dallas scooped Lamb up, likely preventing him from becoming an Eagle within the next few picks. Lamb, Cooper, and Gallup formed a three-headed monster, each getting over 100 targets on the season. But with Mike McCarthy replacing Jason Garrett, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team wasn’t in great shape to take advantage of its strength at receiver. The team was 1-3 even before Dak Prescott ’s major leg injury, then there was only so much Kellen Moore’s offense could do to counter a terrible defensive year. Lamb still had a great rookie season with 935 yards and five touchdowns, but the best was yet to come. In 2021, Lamb began several streaks that remain in effect to this day. It was his first 1,000-yard season, his first trip to the Pro Bowl, and his first year as Dallas’ top receiver. His ascension to franchise status was a factor in Cooper being traded away the following offseason. In 2023, Lamb would earn a First-Team All-Pro nod as the NFL receptions leader, also breaking Dallas single-season records for receptions and receiving touchdowns that Michael Irvin had held since 1995. While he’s missed a couple of games each of the last two years, and played hurt through others, Lamb has never relinquished his top spot in the offense. George Pickens is the only Dallas WR to even come close to challenging him, but that debate will continue into next year. What a nice problem for the Cowboys to have! Years Left: 3 2026 Cap Hit: $19.7 million Lamb’s cap hit is well below his average annual salary of $34 million thanks to restructuring and void years. As such, the dead money against his contract makes him almost uncuttable through 2027 and perhaps even the final year. Thankfully, he’ll only be 29 in 2028, so there’s plenty of optimism for Lamb remaining a potent offensive weapon for the duration of the contract. Role: Starting WR Roster Chance: 100% Well, this one’s easy. Lamb will be right back in his usual spot as a favorite weapon for Dak Prescott. While fans and media may clamor over who is Dallas’ top receiver between him and Pickens, the players don’t seem remotely concerned about it. Both guys can eat in this high-volume offense, with plenty left on the table for Jake Ferguson , Ryan Flournoy , and others. Even if Pickens does remain the Cowboys’ most productive receiver in 2026, Lamb’s going to be fine. He’s got his money, and seems to be one of Pickens’ number-one fans on the roster. He and Prescott have both done a great job of helping Pickens feel welcomed in Dallas after leaving a rough situation in Pittsburgh , and continue to express support during this offseason’s contract issues. It’s good to have guys you can count on, and especially when they’re also among the elite players at key positions. CeeDee Lamb was a gift in 2020 and has kept on giving ever since. There’s no reason to think that will change this year. Check out our previous player profiles from this series: RB Israel Abanikanda | S Justin Barron | G T.J. Bass | C Cooper Beebe | CB DaRon Bland | G Tyler Booker | CB Josh Butler | S Alijah Clark | OT Ajani Cornelius | RB Malik Davis | DT Tommy Dunn | CB Cobie Durant | OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku | TE Princeton Fant | TE Jake Ferguson | WR Ryan Flournoy | C Matt Hennessy | S Malik Hooker | OLB James Houston | QB Sam Howell | WR Jordan Hudson | LB Shemar James | G Trev [... truncated ...]
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Cowboys predictions that feel bold now, but won’t be later
The idea of bold predictions is so interesting. We step out on a limp and try to forecast something that feels impossible on most levels, but few of them leave it slightly within range if we squint our eyes. Today we are going to be talking about bold predictions that feel bold now, but later on down the road it might feel plain and obvious. These things tend to happen over time. Imagine if, for example, someone had said that rookie Ezekiel Elliott would lead the league in rushing while the Dallas Cowboys took home the top seed in the NFC. That was a decade ago and a lot has changed, but you get the idea. Let’s begin. This is an interesting year for the Cowboys offense. Opposing teams are obviously aware of how potent the group was last season, and it stands to reason that George Pickens may receive more attention on a game-by-game basis than he did in his inaugural season with the team. Still though he has proven to be an extremely dangerous threat opposite of CeeDee Lamb , and considering that Ryan Flournoy presents as a very serviceable third option, there are plenty of players to guard on defense. This feels similar to 2021 when the Cowboys had a tried and true trio of Lamb, Amari Cooper , and Michael Gallup . We never really got to see the three of them shine on a game-by-game basis for a variety of reasons, but the composition of everything led to the emergence of Dalton Schultz . That season was the first of consecutive ones where Schultz averaged double-digits per reception. Jake Ferguson has already done this in a season, incidentally the first that Schultz was gone, back in 2023 when Dak Prescott finished second in MVP voting. Circumstances around Ferguson feel similar to what they did around Schultz a handful of years ago, and he may be the most primary beneficiary of all of the other players that opponents have to deal with. This one may be me trying to manifest more than any other. Shavon Revel entered a really volatile situation from an overall perspective last year. He was a highly-touted draft prospect, but given that he was coming off of a torn ACL and that dampened his overall ceiling for his rookie year. Factor in that the Cowboys were still going at things with Trevon Diggs as a part of their plan in the secondary, and that the defense as a whole was so poorly constructed, it was difficult for anybody to properly thrive. An argument can be made that time has allowed for a proper settling for Revel in general, but that the Cowboys doing so as a unit has been helpful in parallel. This is the time when Revel has to remind everyone why there was such high belief around him last year. He is going to have every opportunity in the world to earn a starting job, and you could argue that the only real player ahead of him in the cornerback room at large is DaRon Bland which is a shaky proposition in its own right. Again, this is something that kind of has to happen for the Cowboys to take the next step. It just feels like it might off of the number of opportunities alone. Javonte Williams is well-entrenched as the Cowboys’ primary running back. Williams will get all of the traditional workhorse opportunities in a Schottenheimer sort of offense, one that Brian proved he was able to run along the lines of the NFL’s famed Marty Ball version that his father deployed. In today’s league though, you need to have a number of available options out of the backfield. There are a lot of people wish-casting (as I did with Revel above) that Jaydon Blue could be that player; we are not even a year removed from the coaching staff not exactly trusting him. Things can change, but there is a lot to overcome there. Plus, Phil Mafah represents the type of running that can close out games when matters are close and tough in the fourth quarter. He can help ice games away after the Cowboys offense has done work (with Jake Ferguson averaging 10 yards per reception, obviously!). What are some bold preditions you have that you thi [... truncated ...]
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Why the Cowboys offense could be even better in 2026
The Cowboys offense could see improvements in 2026
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