Will Micah Parsons play against the Cowboys in Week 6?
Former Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, who was traded to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark before Week 1 of the 2025 season, said on Tuesday that a return from a torn ACL last season is "very realistic" in Week 6 when Dallas travels to Lambeau Field to face the Packers.
There is still work to do in the recovery process for Parsons, who will head into his second game against his former team in the 2026 season if healthy.
In their first meeting in Week 4 of the 2025 season, Parsons posted three tackles, three quarterback hits and a sack a month after being traded. Speaking to reporters in Green Bay on Tuesday, Parsons said opposing teams should be worried about how he returns, not if he'll return.
"People are worried about the knee; they should be worried about how I'm going to play when I get back," Parsons said. "The anger, the frustration, the things that I'm going to have to let out because of how long it's been since I played."
As wide receiver market grows, so does George Pickens' value
On Tuesday, Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers agreed to terms on a four-year, $140 million extension to remain in Baltimore, according to multiple reports including NFL Media. Flowers now becomes tied with Justin Jefferson as the fourth-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL in average annual value at $35 million per season.
The last three big wide receiver deals have been at $35 million a year for Flowers, $33 million a year for Saints wide receiver Chris Olave and $35.25 million for Falcons wide receiver Drake London.
With the market at the position continuing to rise, Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens' price is likely on the rise too, especially if he can put together a similar season to his 2025 campaign.
For now, Pickens is playing on his $27.3 million franchise tag for the 2026 season. He'll become a free agent following this year, and if he plays at a Pro Bowl level like he did in his first year with Dallas, will likely seek to be paid among the highest-paid players at his position. The Cowboys do have the option to franchise tag him again at 120% of his current tag, which would be approximately $32.8 million. - Tommy Yarrish
What Jadeveon Clowney's decisions means for the Cowboys defense
On Sunday, multiple reports including from NFL Media announced that former Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is will sign with the Houston Texans, the same team that drafted Clowney with the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of South Carolina.
Clowney, who is heading into his 13th NFL season, led the Cowboys in sacks in 2025 with 8.5 across 13 games, six of which he started. While the Cowboys initially expressed potential interest in bringing Clowney back in 2026, after the hiring of Christian Parker as defensive coordinator it didn't seem like Clowney's skillset was an ideal fit in the scheme that Parker is planning to run in Dallas.
Now, Clowney stays in the state and goes back to his first team, where he'll team up with one of the better pass rushing units in the league that features Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Clowney will face the Cowboys in Week 4 of the 2026 season.
When training camp started, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones expressed interest in the potential of adding a player on defense, through either the trade market or free agency, if the right opportunity comes across the table. If a veteran pass rusher is what Dallas is looking for, one of them is now off the table in Clowney. There still are others available, like Dallas native Von Miller, who have yet to sign with a team ahead of the season. Other veterans at different positions, like linebacker Bobby Wagner, are also in the same boat. Could the Cowboys acquire one of those players or another veteran that's available? It seems to be a possibility.
What does Chris Olave's extension mean for George Pickens?
Any time a player signs a big contract for another team, it's natural to wonder how it might relate to the Cowboys, especially a wide receiver, considering George Pickens is eyeing a new deal at the end of the season and it won't be long before CeeDee Lamb goes back to the negotiating table, too.
So the Saints just signed Chris Olave to a four-year extension worth $132 million. But the real number that people want to know is the average salary per year and where it ranks among the other receivers. Olave's deal is paying him just under $33 million per season, making him sixth in the NFL, right behind CeeDee Lamb at $34 million.
You wonder how that might affect Pickens, but then again, considering he's on the franchise tag and won't be allowed to get a new contract until the season is over at the earliest, it might not matter at all because Pickens, and every other receiver, will go through this upcoming season and it's likely the landscape of the WR market will certainly change.
But just comparing Pickens and Olave is interesting enough. The stats are similar, with both of them having an edge in certain categories. Olave (55) has played 10 less games than Pickens' 65, but still has 24 more catches. And while Pickens has a slight edge in touchdowns at 21-19, he has proven to be more of the big-play threat, with nearly 500 more yards and a 16.0 average per catch, compared to 12.8 for Olave. Either way, another contract into the mix is just another way to analyze what will be an interesting situation all season – and shortly after. - (Nick Eatman)
Could Jalen Carter's deal speed up a Quinnen Williams extension?
On Tuesday, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter agreed to a four-year, $152 million extension worth up to $160 million and with $106 million guaranteed. He now becomes the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history, and will average $38 million per year.
Cowboys Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is under contract through 2027, but with the defensive tackle market rising, a getting a deal done at training camp to get ahead of other deals in the future may be a good option.
Being in Oxnard has proven to be friendly grounds for contract talks in years past, and Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones said Tuesday that Dallas is "absolutely" willing to start talks on a long-term deal with Williams.
"We're very open to that," Jones said. "We want Quinnen here for the long haul. Obviously, we've got a lot of resources tied up in him. He knows what we think about him, we've had some discussions with the agent about how to go about the process. Certainly he's one of the best in the business, and we know kind of what that market is. Obviously, it evolves and changes with each new deal which is the case at any position. Certainly he's at the top of the list in terms of the people that we want to keep around here long term, and there's other players on the roster that we may take a look at as well." - (Tommy Yarrish)
NFL releases important dates for 2026-27 season
The NFL's annual important dates announcement for the 2026-27 season released on Tuesday, with several events to mark down on your calendars ahead of time.
As far as in-season important dates go, the one that gets the most attention is the NFL's trade deadline, which will fall on November 10, 2026 and trading officially closes at 3:00 p.m., which will fall six days later than the 2025 trade deadline.
At the deadline last year, the Cowboys made two trades for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson.
When it comes to offseason dates, the window for teams to place the franchise tag on players begins on February 17, 2027. The deadline for the tag to be placed will be on March 3, the third day of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana that runs from March 1-8. Right after the conclusion of the combine, the NFL's legal tampering period will begin at 11:00 a.m. on March 9. The official beginning of free agency and the 2027 league year is on March 11. - Tommy Yarrish
How Jeffery Simmons' contract extension can affect Quinnen Williams
The Tennessee Titans made defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history, with the 29-year-old signing a three-year, $105.8 million deal with $100 million guaranteed and $35.3 million in AAV, well above the previous high from Chiefs DT Chris Jones at $31.8 million per year.
Who could be next among star defensive tackles to earn a big pay day?
Cowboys DT Quinnen Willaims' name certainly comes to mind. He and Simmons are both 29, and Williams is only under contract for the next two seasons with Dallas.
As it stands, Williams is currently the ninth-highest paid DT in the league in AAV at $24 million per year. The Cowboys being willing to trade a first-round pick for him in next year's draft shows how important they feel he is to the defense, which means a contract extension to back that up could be in the future to make Williams either the highest paid, or close to the highest paid, player at his position. - Tommy Yarrish
What Drake London's new deal could mean for George Pickens
Falcons WR Drake London is now the NFL's third-highest paid wide receiver in AAV, signing a four-year, $141 million extension with $100 million guaranteed and $35.26 million per year.
London, who is 25, is the same age as Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, and both are heading into their fifth seasons in the NFL. Pickens too was seeking a long-term contract, but the Cowboys told him and his representation that would not happen this offseason, and he instead signed his $27.3 million franchise tag that keep shim under contract for the 2026 season.
Pickens' one-year deal on the tag makes him the 17th highest-paid wide receiver in the league in AAV. Should Pickens go out and post a year similar to his 2025 campaign where he had more than 1,400 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, a deal similar to London's may be in the ballpark of what Pickens could seek. For reference, CeeDee Lamb is the league's fifth-highest paid WR at $34 million annually.
If Pickens surpasses him and is closer to London's $35 million per year mark, he and Lamb would become the highest-paid WR duo in NFL history, surpassing the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who currently combine for $69 million per year. – Tommy Yarrish
Examining Eagles' WR room after trading AJ Brown to Patriots
Eagles WR AJ Brown is now reunited with Mike Vrabel for the New England Patriots going forward, taking him out of the Cowboys' crosshairs entirely during the 2026 regular season after Philadelphia traded him for 2028 first-round pick and 2027 fifth-round pick.
One of the best receivers in the league, Brown was again set to square off against Dallas at least twice this year, once in Week 7 and again on Thanksgiving Day — the holiday game likely playing a massive role in ultimately determining this year's NFC East champion.
A three-time All-Pro, Brown was a perennial 1,000-yard receiver for Jalen Hurts, leaving Philly to figure out how they'll replace the production of someone who amassed 5,034 total receiving yards and 32 touchdowns while averaging nearly 15 yards per reception since arriving via trade with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
The Eagles are banking largely on rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon combining with DeVonta Smith to answer that question, as they look to test the new-look and newly-led defense in Dallas that is headlined by All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs. – Patrik Walker
Cowboys now set to face Myles Garrett in 2026 after blockbuster trade to Rams
A seven-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, Myles Garrett was initially not scheduled to take on the Cowboys in 2026, but he is now, when head coach Brian Schottenheimer and All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott lead their offense into SoFi Stadium on Dec. 20 (Week 15) against the Rams.
The Browns traded the reigning defensive player of the year to Los Angeles in exchange for Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 third-round pick.
It won't mark the first time Garrett has squared off against the Cowboys, but the quality of the team he's on has changed stratospherically, especially if speculation regarding a potential unretirement of future first ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Donald becomes real. But even if not, the Rams, already contenders yet again, just got far more difficult to wrangle.
And Dallas will actually get its first look at Garrett in a Rams uniform far ahead of Week 15 — seeing as the Rams and Cowboys have previously held joint practices in training camp, as recently as 2025. Though nothing is confirmed or official on that front as of yet, there remains a possibility Schottenheimer and Rams head coach Sean McVay opt to run it back in SoCal in 2026. – Patrik Walker
NFL teams no longer able to protect home games from international play
At the league's owners' meetings in May, the NFL approved bumping up the maximum number of international games to be played in a year from eight to 10 beginning in 2027. The Cowboys are set to play their first international game since 2014 in Week 3 against the Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, and may be playing in more over the new few years because of another rule change.
The NFL also voted in favor of taking away teams' ability to protect home games that may have become international play. Teams were allowed to protect up to two games from being moved outside of the US.
In years past, the Cowboys have been a popular team that opposing teams will veto playing overseas against because of the revenue it can bring to their home stadiums.
With that no longer being the case, the Cowboys could very well end up playing in at least one international game every year should the NFL decide they want to bring the team to some of their international sites. – Tommy Yarrish
