FRISCO, Texas – Playing for the Cowboys is a homecoming for Coppell high school graduate and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas. He didn't grow up a Cowboys fan, but always wanted to play close to home and now gets to do just that.

"It's been awesome, it's been really cool just being part of the team. Being home for me has been awesome," Thomas said. "Coach Schotty has been doing an amazing job just getting the energy right and culture right here."

"Guys are excited every day, there's enthusiasm every day, it's feeling like a family. I've only been here like a few weeks, but being around the team everyone feels close, it's a very college like atmosphere."

The "college like atmosphere" has been a common theme amongst the Cowboys locker room, which delves even deeper to each position room as part of the overall push that Brian Schottenheimer and his staff are making to establish what he wants to be the best culture in sports.

From free throw shooting competitions to players getting in front of the team weekly and telling the group about their foundation and what motivates them, Thomas is getting to know his fellow players in ways he never thought he would've before.

"Just having conversations, in the d-line room we're all really close already, just talking to each other, getting a vibe for each other…" Thomas said of the relationship building with his position group. "It's been really cool getting to know everyone."

Thomas is widely respected around the league because of his strong reputation as a positive locker room presence and was the Jets' nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2024. It's something that he believes is one of his strengths that albeit mental, translates on the field.

"I would say my biggest strength as a player mentality wise is my leadership and my intensity," Thomas said. "I'm a guy who how I do one thing is how I do everything. I'm going to go hard every play, I'm going to practice extremely intense, run to the ball every play, I'm going to showcase my leadership through effort and action."

"And as a player being an undersized d-tackle, using my leverage, being quick, being fast, being explosive, getting off the ball, and then just making plays."

Not only does playing in Dallas serve as a homecoming of sorts for Thomas, it also serves as an opportunity to foster more collaboration between his foundation, The Defensive Line, and Dak Prescott's Faith, Fight, Finish foundation that have worked together in the past.

"Dak and I have done work together for years now, I think three years now, super thankful for him and for his foundation, they've lifted us up not only media wise, but Dak has donated to my foundation before and we've done great work together," Thomas said.

"We do a lot of advocacy for 988, the mental health crisis line, and that's super needed right now with funding cuts by the government, so the work that he's doing and we're doing together is really special."

What Thomas and Prescott are doing together off the field is special in it's own way, and Thomas thinks that what the Cowboys are building leading into the 2025 season is special too.

"No one is too big for the team…" Thomas said. "We're just starting right now, but I feel like we can build something that's going to be legendary here."