Cowboys Mailbag:Mick's Mail: 07/27

Am I wrong in thinking that Jaishawn Barham might be the surprise steal of the Cowboys' draft?

With the retirement of C. J. Goodwin, who do you believe will be become the Cowboys' special teams captain or leader?

We know that defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a great teacher and communicator, but does that bring attitude and tenacity? Will he bring a "disciplined nastiness" to the team? What have you seen so far?

The Cowboys were 22 for 35 on fourth down in 2025, the third-most conversions in the NFL. Do you think this many attempts were largely due to head coach Brian Schottenhiemer not trusting the defense last season? Or do you think he is aggressive by nature, and we should expect as many or more fourth-down tries coming this year?

I think we all think this defense is way better than last year's, but I'm getting concerned that there's too much hype going on. Isn't defensive coordinator Christian Parker going to have issues like all new coaches do?

It looks to me like the Cowboys are adding some "long" bodies who can run (Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Anthony Smith). With Dak Prescott's success on the deep ball, is this a sign Brian Schottenheimer is planning to stretch the field, or am I just getting too excited for football?

If the Cowboys have significantly improved their defense, do you think we will see the offense take more red-zone chances due to increased optimism in the defense's capabilities to stop the opponent and even get the ball back for the offense?

Von Miller recently posted a picture of him wearing a Cowboys uniform, begging the question if it would make sense for the Cowboys to sign the veteran pass-rusher.

Once training camp starts and we see players being cut from other teams, how does the scouting department evaluate who would benefit the Cowboys?

I loved your recent Mailbag question for the best offensive linemen in team history. Would you please consider the defensive line next? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has fun seeing how your selections line up with my own. And it's a great way to honor our stars across generations and remind everyone of our storied sixty-six-year history.

What is the plan to correct the longstanding problem with penalties that has plagued the team for as long as I can remember? The Cowboys simply will never make it back to the big game if they continue to beat themselves.