The linebacker position is one fans are still concerned about, but not the position coach.
Not to be forgotten, however, is the work that was done on Day 2, when the Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick to add veteran linebacker Dee Winters to the roster, then using their lone third-round pick on Jaishawn Barham, a versatile Michigan linebacker who will play both inside and outside in Dallas.
The position coach directly responsible for acclimating them to the NFL level and for potentially turning them into impact players is former SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons, and Symons can barely contain his enthusiasm about his new-look linebackers’ corps.
“The three guys I’ve been able to interact with the past couple of months — Justin [Barron], Shemar [James] and [DeMarvion Overshown] — I’m really excited about the guys that we currently have and the guys that we’ve added to this room, from a culture standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, I think we have a really good foundation to build on in there,” Symons said after the Day 2 moves in Dallas.
He then went on to gush over Winters, whom he knows well from their SMU vs. TCU days.
“[Winters] was very disruptive, an extremely athletic linebacker and the clear leader of the [TCU] defense,” Symons said. “This is a process that’s been going on for some time to try and make this happen. I’ve been a huge advocate for it. When you look at his [2025] production — his ability to run, his ability to cover, the multiplicity that he brings to the table and what it does to that room is really exciting for us. It feels really good.”
Everyone is trying to figure out just how this defense may look.
It allowed the Cowboys to enter the draft cycle focused on a select few of defensive positions, such as inside linebacker, nickel corner and outside linebacker. In the draft’s first two days, the Cowboys added Ohio State defensive back Caleb Downs, UCF defensive end/outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence in the first round, traded for veteran inside linebacker Dee Winters and drafted Michigan linebacker Jaishawn Barham.
Following an offseason of moves culminating with this past weekend’s draft, here is the projected starting defense with the depth chart filled out going into the rest of the offseason (starters in bold, rookies in italics):
OLB: Rashan Gary, Malachi Lawrence, Sam Williams, Tyrus Wheat
DT: Quinnen Williams, Jonathan Bullard, D.J. Withers
NT: Kenny Clark, Jay Toia, Kelvin Gilliam Jr., Tommy Dunn Jr.
DE: Otito Ogbonnia, LT Overton, Adedayo Odeleye
OLB: Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston, Marist Liafau, Isaiah Land
ILB (WILL): DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn-Barham, Shemar James
ILB (MIKE): Dee Winters, Justin Barron, Curtis Robinson, Langston Patterson
CB: DaRon Bland, Devin Moore, Caelen Carson, Josh Butler
CB: Shavon Revel Jr., Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, Trikweze Bridges
NCB (when in nickel): Caleb Downs, Reddy Steward, Zion Childress, Corey Ballentine
SS: Jalen Thompson, PJ. Locke, Julius Wood
FS: Malik Hooker, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark
The George Pickens situation will likely drag on for a while.
The Cowboys were under the expectation that wide receiver George Pickens would sign his franchise tender, as people familiar with Pickens’ thinking indicated Thursday to The Dallas Morning News. Doing so would’ve allowed Pickens to participate in the first day of voluntary workouts on Monday — something head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he would ask Pickens to do.
When Monday rolled around, neither of those things happened. Pickens had not signed his tender, and he didn’t report to voluntary workouts as of Monday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the situation.
While Monday’s workouts were voluntary, and Pickens won’t face any financial ramifications, it added another layer to a contract situation that could get tense. And if it gets tense, recent history tells us there is potential for it to result in a separation.
Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones announced last Wednesday, a day before the draft, that the Cowboys wouldn’t negotiate on a long-term deal with Pickens this season. The Cowboys see the tag as a beneficial salary cap tool. They believed it was in their best interest to use it on Pickens with a non-exclusive tag worth $27.3 million for one year. The Cowboys and Pickens have until July 15 to negotiate long-term, but it doesn’t appear the Cowboys are bluffing when it comes to their approach.
Tony Romo falls short of his dream again.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and CBS analyst Tony Romo will have to try another year to make it to the U.S. Open after he shot a 9-over 79 and missed out by 11 shots in a local qualifier Monday in Waco, Texas.
Romo is among eight former athletes who are going through the first stage of qualifying for the June 15-18 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.
Romo, a former winner of the American Century Championship, shot 40-39 in a low-scoring qualifier at Ridgewood Country Club where Theo Humphrey was medalist with a 66 and 2-under was needed to advance to the final US Open qualifying stage, which Romo last reached in 2010.