![]() ![]() This is what fans should have heard Tuesday when Stephen Jones rattled off much-needed contract extensions and went in this order: Diggs (whose deal was being wrapped up at that very moment), wideout CeeDee Lamb, edge rusher Micah Parsons and offensive tackle Terence Steele. Meanwhile, Smith, Lawrence and Gilmore could all be let go in free agency next offseason. Martin’s impending push for a raise could signal a literal changing of the guard next offseason. Prescott is entering a phase where he’s going to need to do an extension next offseason to get some relief from a $54.9 million salary-cap number. ![]() The Cowboys have a roster saturated with young talent and a handful of aging stars or starters who are entering dicey territory when it comes to the implications of their contracts. But the implications of this team are clear. ![]() ![]() That’s not exactly an “all-in or bust” group when it comes to experience. Rounding out the longish-in-the-tooth defensive experience: defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (31), cornerback Stephon Gilmore (32), and a pair of late-20s safeties in Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson. Surrounding him, a pair of 32-year-old offensive pillars in tackle Tyron Smith and Martin at guard (when he eventually reports), and wideout acquisition Brandin Cooks, who turns 30 in September. Among them, you can now count quarterback Dak Prescott, who will turn 30 on Saturday and has now started 103 games - including the playoffs - during his career. That layering of talent includes some core players who are entering a portion of their career where they are either deep into their prime years or tiptoeing toward the end of it. And right in the middle of it, Dallas might have the most balanced cross-section of experience and talent since McCarthy took over in 2020.Ī culture of players that McCarthy confidently dubbed, “Definitely the best in four years.”ĭallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy (left) speaks during a news conference along with executive vice president Stephen Jones (center) and team owner Jerry Jones (right) ahead of the team's training camp on Tuesday in Oxnard, California. It's a period when two things are intersecting in the agenda: a continued spin-up of younger parts of the roster that will become the next foundation, and a winding-down of some long-term cornerstones that will need to be replaced sooner than later. This is the moment when the Cowboys are on the cusp of some roster change and potential revitalization in the next 12 months. If anything, those two developments - one major holdout and one major extension - spoke to what 2023 represents for Dallas. But that wasn’t enough to weigh down a day that would end up highlighted by a five-year, $97 million extension of cornerback Trevon Diggs. Yes, perennial All-Pro offensive lineman Zack Martin didn’t report to the team Tuesday, representing the Cowboys’ biggest holdout since Ezekiel Elliott in 2019. It was a familiar tune for Dallas, albeit coming out of a 2023 offseason with far less talent upheaval and pressing concerns than one year ago. And finally, the usual stern accountant refrain from Stephen Jones, reminding everyone that contracts were being negotiated and the financial outlook of the build was well in grasp. You had the typical lightly guarded undertone of supreme optimism from Jerry, buoyed by the annual “things are looking up” state-of-the-harvest report from McCarthy. The Dallas staffer nodded and shot back: “And then it starts to feel like Groundhog Day.”Īnd in some respects, so it did, with all the usual hallmarks of the typical Cowboys preamble to the season. ![]()
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