I wouldn't mind if we drafted a late round project QB. Either Green or Haynes King. Both those guys are competitors and at the very least could potentially make preseason fun to watch.

Tksymm7 said:

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Could I interest anyone in Taylen Green?

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Feels like we already got one of those. Indy has one too and I heard they gave him permission to seek a trade.

Looking at stuff pre/post combine is part of the draft fun (for me anyways).

I've done mock drafts where I didn't trade and just let the draft come to me. Styles at #12 and Thieneman at #20. At the time, I felt like both were solid picks, but perhaps a bit too high and maybe we were reaching for need a little bit.

Shoot, now there are plenty of people that think Styles will be gone before #12 and Thieneman before #20.

Styles isn't making it out of the top 5.

It was not a great combine for potential offensive players to break into the top 11. Tate is a good not great NFL WR imo (1b type of guy so to speak), Makai Lemon is a weird MOFO that interviewed poorly, and Tyson has serious injury concerns.

The guys that helped themselves the most, like Monroe Freeling or Vega Ioane, are either at positions you aren't drafting top 10 or are far enough back I don't think they can get in the top 10.

The one player I think could wind-up moving inside the top 10-11 is Kenyon Sadiq. TEs are such a prominent position in football now I think you could see KC or NO just saying F it why not.

I dunno... Styles film as a LB doesn't necessarily scream top 5 lock so it will be interesting to see how high he goes.

But I hear what you are saying, other than Jordan Love, I don't think any of the other "top" offensive skill players did anything to improve their draft stock.

Before Dallas picks at #12, it's hard to imagine more than 4 offensive players being taken.

I think teams are going to turn Styles into and full-time edge player

They might.

What's funny about that is I hear that some are thinking that Arvell Reese might be more of a stand up LB... So his stock might be dropping a little.

Rumor:
There is belief that Caleb Downs has a degenerative ACL issue that could cause issues down the road.
(Per @fakecorykinnan) pic.twitter.com/bOLsUINV1x

— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) March 3, 2026

Listening to some of the morning talk, teams are split on Downs's "injury". Many teams passed his medicals no problem, it was the Bears staff that apparently found the issue. It's definitely not nothing, but doesn't sound like a huge deal either.

I'm also hearing that the Cowboys might have McCoy (CB) off their board. There is talk of "no more redshirt years" for players. I think everyone in the organization is locked into this 1-3 year Dak window. Everything is being looked at from a 'help me now' state of mind.

The stuff about Bain's arm length is pretty wild. Apparently, there hasn't been a single edge rusher in the past 10 years taken inside the top 100 with arms as short as his.

It get's even crazier talking about Cashius's arms which are even shorter... not a single edge rusher has even been drafted with his T-Rex arms.

Don't see how Bain makes it out of the top 15 and I still can't see Cashius not going Day 1 or 2.

Yeah there seems to be some conflicting stuff out there regarding Downs medicals. It is lying season after all. And I agree, would still run to the podium to take him.

Some potential hope that Downs may fall to the Cowboys:

Monroe Freeling is starting to shoot up the mock draft boards and may be a potential top 10 pick.
McShay says the Browns are doing their due diligence on Ty Simpson and maybe take him at 6. Browns HC Todd Monken is a family friend of the Simpsons.
Cincinnati is letting Hendrickson walk, so hopefully they'll be looking at edges over safety.

jr15aggie said:

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The stuff about Bain's arm length is pretty wild. Apparently, there hasn't been a single edge rusher in the past 10 years taken inside the top 100 with arms as short as his.

It get's even crazier talking about Cashius's arms which are even shorter... not a single edge rusher has even been drafted with his T-Rex arms.

Don't see how Bain makes it out of the top 15 and I still can't see Cashius not going Day 1 or 2.

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Both are causes of concern. What I like more about Cashius is that he beats you with speed and agility and then can finish with power. Bain is a power guy where if he doesn't just overpower the tackle, he's going to get punched and just be fighting hands unable to get into the body of the tackle.

jr15aggie said:

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Listening to some of the morning talk, teams are split on Downs's "injury". Many teams passed his medicals no problem, it was the Bears staff that apparently found the issue. It's definitely not nothing, but doesn't sound like a huge deal either.

I'm also hearing that the Cowboys might have McCoy (CB) off their board. There is talk of "no more redshirt years" for players. I think everyone in the organization is locked into this 1-3 year Dak window. Everything is being looked at from a 'help me now' state of mind.

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Yeah, its a real cause for concern. He (McCoy) has a huge hurdle to clear explaining (at the very least) not participating in the combine. Its easy enough to explain not playing last year because he knee wasn't fully right (even if it probably was towards the latter part of the season.. But he should have showed up at the combine full of energy and ready to show off.

Even if McCoy is physically good to go, not playing ball in, I think I heard, something like 18 months is a real concern.

We already have fingers crossed with Revel and Overshown. Don't need another one.

jr15aggie said:

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The stuff about Bain's arm length is pretty wild. Apparently, there hasn't been a single edge rusher in the past 10 years taken inside the top 100 with arms as short as his.

It get's even crazier talking about Cashius's arms which are even shorter... not a single edge rusher has even been drafted with his T-Rex arms.

Don't see how Bain makes it out of the top 15 and I still can't see Cashius not going Day 1 or 2.

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It's because the modern NFL tackle profile means there is a bare minimum arm length you have to have as an edge rusher to beat them. You have to be able to swipe their hands/arms away while staying from enough from them so they're can't get their hands on your torso, because even bad NFL OTs are gonna swallow guys that much smaller of they can grab inside their pads.

siap...will Jerrah take a flyer on newly-released Murray and bring him home? He'd have a legit shot at starting for his hometown team in a couple years.

Why on Earth would he come to Dallas to be the backup when there are multiple franchises that he could start for? 2026 is about earning his next contract and he needs to play...

He would definitely be better than what we have, but also more expensive. I think my attitude is we ride or die with Dak... What money (cap space) we have, it's time to spend it to put the best team around him.

Peter Klaven said:

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Why on Earth would he come to Dallas to be the backup when there are multiple franchises that he could start for? 2026 is about earning his next contract and he needs to play...

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Maybe being home is an incentive?
Maybe because Dak is a fossil?
I'm just being Ed Sheeran here (thinking out loud).

And he's in great shape (below - stolen from another thread)

Kyler is a fine QB but he's never sniffed a season like the one that Dak just had. He is no upgrade and it's silly to even think about because we couldn't realistically get rid of Dak even if we wanted to.

the yearly operation kick the can is already underway with restructuring contracts....

let's see how they use the money, or if Jerry plays the "gotta have it for draftees"

Daveintx said:

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the yearly operation kick the can is already underway with restructuring contracts....

let's see how they use the money, or if Jerry plays the "gotta have it for draftees"

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I'm not gonna dog Jerry too much because almost every team is doing this, but the current restructures were just to get under the cap (which currently includes George Pickens high Tag figure).

They are going to have to redo a few more deals to have free agency play money. And it sounds like they are going to be doing just that.


The only question is will it pay off? I'm under the impression that Philly is mostly out of time with their can kicking, but hey, they got their ring.

And just FYI for those that don't know how it works using Dak as the prime example:

All of this "restructuring" is basically just adding on dummy years to the end of his contract. This allows us to spread current salary cap money into these voidable years which lowers the cap right now.

But once Dak's actual contract expires in a couple years and he is no longer playing for Dallas, we are going to see millions of Dak Prescott Dollars effecting our salary cap for at least 2 seasons after he's gone.

That's what you call rebuild and hope you can find a new / cheap QB on a rookie deal.

Some of the mock draft simulators are updating post combine and appear to be a lot closer to what I would expect.

Some notable movement on guys I'm looking at:

LB: Styles has firmly moved into the top 10 overall prospects as projected. Jacob Rodriguez (Tech) is now more of an early 2nd round graded guy which makes sense. I'd consider him a legitimate target for #20 or lower if we happen to trade down.

Safety: Thieneman is now a "lock" as a 1st round safety along with Caleb Downs. At this point, not out of the question for us at #12 depending on the situation. But me personally, what little I've studied him, I don't know that I see enough on field impact to take him that high.

CB: Not much change here at the top, but Will Lee has moved up and joined the other 2nd/3rd round graded CBs which is deserved. I still like Avieon Terrell for Dallas as a 1st round option, but Pounds has risen as a 1st/2nd round tweener guy as well.

Edge: No big changes in rankings at the top other than Howell dropping a decent amount for his T-Rex arms. I expect a lot of shake up here on draft day and not surprised at all if Bailey is the first edge drafted. Heck, I'm almost expecting Bain to be on the board at #12... history is against him and his measurables.

Offense: Unfortunate for us, I don't think any offensive players shot up the board. They are all still ranked about where they were before the combine. Gonna have to survive the 11 team gauntlet and hope that 3 or 4 of them really need an OT / WR.

jr15aggie said:

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Daveintx said:

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the yearly operation kick the can is already underway with restructuring contracts....

let's see how they use the money, or if Jerry plays the "gotta have it for draftees"

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I'm not gonna dog Jerry too much because almost every team is doing this, but the current restructures were just to get under the cap (which currently includes George Pickens high Tag figure).

They are going to have to redo a few more deals to have free agency play money. And it sounds like they are going to be doing just that.


The only question is will it pay off? I'm under the impression that Philly is mostly out of time with their can kicking, but hey, they got their ring.

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Philly's "year of doom" is 2028, where they'll still have Hurts as their QB and half their cap will either be dead money or money being eaten up by old guys well past their prime.

But Philly also spammed this glitch more than anyone else and did it across many years. You only end up like that is if you do it repeatedly. Doing this once every 3-4 years is extremely manageable and frankly incentivized by the current CBA and rate of cap rise.

If Dallas gets this right theyll have three years to work with and wont have to do this again in that three years. The smart play is go to work this offseason, then draft your future QB in the 2027 draft if you get the chance, then in 2029 you have options. And all this is under the assumption Dak falls off a cliff at 35. The trend in the modern game is to QBs peaking in their mid-30s. Stafford is 38. Dak takes great care of his body and if he persists until that age this is all a non-issue because you've got him for 6-7 more years. NFL hell is the combination of both cap and QB hell, which is why Philly is screwed (because Hurts sucks). As long as your QB is good you can work with cap issues.

If Bain was available at 12 I'd probably run to the podium. I just think his overall talent, ability and tape is too good to pass up even if he doesn't 100% fit the scheme.

Most mocks still have him going well inside the top 10 as well, so I don't think NFL GMs are knocking him too much.

I really think the cowboys are going to have either trade up to get a guy or trade back and get a few more picks. I just don't see a real high impact player on defense being available at 12. Or trade that pick etc. for Crosby.

Tksymm7 said:

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Or trade that pick etc. for Crosby.

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There seems to be smoke out there that Dallas may be in the thick of it.

My feeling right now (if we don't trade #12 pre draft) is we should trade up to get Downs. He's just so damn good and would fill an immediate need on this defense.

We would have to give up #20 in exchange for an early 2nd rounder to make it happen. But I think that's OK. The caliber of player we can get at 20 is going to be very similar to what we can still get in the 30s.

I agree. That guy is a game changer

ApachePilot said:

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I agree. That guy is a game changer

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Yes. I feel like, with this move, we get a game changer at 1 spot and we still get a plug and play starter with our 2nd pick (hopefully @ LB).


The alternatives are not terrible options either... if we just sit at 12 & 20 (maybe make a small trade down move), we should still walk away with 2 starters. It's just less likely that either guy will have the kind of impact we expect from Downs.

Broadus was talking about a top 10 mock the other day that, let' just say, has been very accurate in recent years.

The latest (post combine) from this group is that more offensive players are going ahead of us than we think. OAK (QB), TN (WR), NY(OT), CLE (OT), NO (WR), KC (RB).

Reese, Bailey, Bain, Peter Woods (thanks Cincy) are the defenders that are gone.

If Miami takes a CB (likely)... we are sitting at 12 with Downs and Styles still on the board.


Maybe not likely, but very possible.

On the Crosby front. Good to know 2 firsts are not in play.

On Maxx Crosby and the Cowboys being at play here….here is what I’m being told from a team source.

“Raiders are talking to a lot of people. But we would not give up two first rounders.”

That’s the situation now. Will that change? I don’t know but I checked for those of you…

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 5, 2026

We may be out of the Crosby sweepstakes according to Wingo.

Things are moving fast re Maxx Crosby. Last night Dallas thought they were close to a deal but since then other teams have raised the ante and potentially are offering the Raiders 2 1st round picks Expected Dallas to now shift their focus to Trey Hendrickson

— trey wingo (@wingoz) March 5, 2026

I can't see any GM willing to defend giving up two firsts for Crosby to their fanbase. He's close to 30, entering year 8 and whoever gets him will have to make him the highest paid non-QB in the league 18 months after trading for him.

I'd giving up #20 and other stuff for him, or #12 alone, but no chance I'm parting with both picks for a guy I can't even have on my team two years from now without paying him $45 million a year in his 30s.

Infection_Ag11 said:

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I can't see any GM willing to defend giving up two firsts for Crosby to their fanbase. He's close to 30, entering year 8 and whoever gets him will have to make him the highest paid non-QB in the league 18 months after trading for him.

I'd giving up #20 and other stuff for him, or #12 alone, but no chance I'm parting with both picks for a guy I can't even have on my team two years from now without paying him $45 million a year in his 30s.

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My thought, is if they are somehow convinced to give up 2, it's one this year and a future first. Even then, giving up two firsts from any year, after getting only two for MP, would be a punch to the ballsack. Personally I could be convinced to give up 20 this year and a second or third next year, but that's about it. If they want 12, they can have that and a player and that's it.

They can have George Pickens and a ham sammich. I ain't giving up #12 this year and for damn sure nothing in rounds 1-2 next year for a 30yo DE that's about
To break the bank.