Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

A 2022 fifth-round pick by the Commanders, Howell made his first career NFL start against the Cowboys during the regular season finale of his rookie campaign. That next season, the North Carolina ended up being a full-time starter for Washington. He went 4-13 in his 17 starts, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,946 yards, 21 touchdowns, and a league-leading 21 interceptions.

It was reported on Wednesday that the Cowboys are bringing back Tyrus Wheat. The Cowboys were Wheat's first NFL team before he left to join the Detroit Lions, and he is now back in the fold. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was specific in noting that Wheat helps the Cowboys in a special teams capacity, so it feels like that is probably where he slots in here.

Dallas is going to re-sign defensive end Sam Williams to a one-year, $3 million deal, per Mike Garafolo and Jane Slater of NFL Network. After coming back from his torn ACL, Williams was looking to prove himself to be the edge rusher the Cowboys hoped he would become after being drafted in the second round.

Steele remains what he's always been, a strong run blocker with more lapses in pass protection than you'd generally like to see. His strengths and weaknesses are better suited to what Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams are doing offensively, which improved his long-term outlook. His warts become even more tolerable now after the pay cut, dropping his total contract value by about $12-$15 million.

With the 11th pick in this draft, the Cowboys selected a player who became a cornerstone for the defense and a Hall of Fame player. That guy was none other than DeMarcus Ware. At the time, DeMarcus Ware was viewed as a high-upside pass rusher out of Troy. DeMarcus Ware finished his career 10th all-time in NFL sacks and was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

You might feel a little nervous about trusting Blue and Mafah as the depth, given their mutual inexperience. Both barely played as rookies, and Blue's long period in the coaches' doghouse is concerning. But his performance in the finale, and positive remarks from coaches in the aftermath about his journey, indicates he may have matured enough for greater trust.

I want our George Pickens relationship to be all honey. I can't tell you how positive I feel about him, and I want our fans to look at it and say, 'That's a lot of money they're putting out there.' Jerry emphasized his commitment to maintaining a positive relationship with Pickens while justifying the financial investment to fans.

A third-round pick in 2023, he was getting a lot of positive buzz in training camp and flashed his potential in the early preseason games. But a torn ACL ended his rookie year before it could really begin, pushing his regular-season debut until Week 1 of the following season.