Should Dak Prescott get a contract extension after the 2026 season? – Mark Heaney, Inside the Star
Does it make “cents” for the Cowboys to pay Prescott some fresh cash?
It was not even two years ago that the Cowboys franchise quarterback and NFL All-Pro, Dak Prescott, signed a massive four-year, $240M contract extension. However, we may be just one season away from the team negotiating another long-term deal with Prescott. At first glance, that sounds ridiculous; how are we already talking about another Prescott contract when the ink on the last one still feels fresh? For the Dallas fans who aren’t
the biggest fans of the longtime QB, the last contract is probably still a sore spot.
Unfortunately for those fans, that is the reality of having a franchise quarterback in today’s NFL. Prescott is coming off a strong 2025 season, throwing for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, and if he shows this season that he’s still playing at that level, the conversations will start because of the salary cap situation that will go down if they don’t.
Dak Prescott’s Next Extension Comes Down To “Cap Hits”
After the Cowboys restructured Prescott’s deal, his number is set to jump to over $75M in 2027 and over $85M in 2028; that is an absurd amount of money for one player to count against the cap, even when that player is your starting quarterback, and you can bet Dallas will find a way to avoid that hit. The only real way to do that is a contract extension.
A new deal would be about pushing money around, lowering those short-term cap hits, and giving the front office more room to actually build around him, not just be about keeping Prescott in Dallas for longer. The Cowboys, for all their struggles of late, have some huge contracts already on the books, and some fantastic players that will soon need their share of that pie. Some fans will argue Prescott’s presence sets the team back, but eating those cap hits to avoid an extension indisputably hurts the team far more.
Cooper DeJean just gave Cowboys fans another reason to love the AJ Brown trade – Jason Kandel, The Landy Hat
Don’t know what you got until it’s gone. How AJ Brown leaving the Eagles helps the Cowboys
It may have happened on the first of June, but the day that the Philadelphia Eagles traded A.J. Brown was like Christmas for fans of the Dallas Cowboys. The long-overdue trade that sent Brown to New England gave Dallas’ hopes of winning the NFC East a big boost. After months of complaining and enough trade speculation to last a lifetime, the Eagles are finally rid of a player that rocked the division in 2025. It got to the point that the city of Philadelphia was ready to escort Brown to the airport, but that opinion isn’t shared by Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean.
On an episode of DeJean’s new podcast “Exciting Mics” with ex-Eagles safety Reed Blankenship, the All-Pro cornerback said something that most Dallas fans will love: he’s making it clear that no matter how the court of public opinion sways on A.J. Brown, he’ll miss him.
“I mean, yeah, I wish him nothing but success over there for sure,” he said. “Yeah, he’ll be a good asset for them. And obviously, we’re gonna miss him, and what he was able to do in Philly. He was a dominant player, so you’ll get to go against him. But yeah, now we get to play against him, or joint practice. It’ll be fun to go against him and see him up there in Foxborough, different colors.”
Cooper DeJean said he will miss having A.J. Brown on the Eagles
After such an ugly breakup, you have to commend the 23-year-old for having the class to speak candidly rather than besmirch his former teammate on his way out the door. From such a young player, it’s rare to see that much professionalism, especially given the classlessness of Eagles fans. DeJean’s comments are telling in another way in that they are a major contrast from the comments of one of his Eagles teammates. Left tackle Jordan Mailata said, “thank God it’s over,” in reference to the saga, as the 29-year-old’s frustration with Jalen Hurts and Kevin Patullo was too much for their locker room to bear.
“I think this is more of a — it sounds terrible — but like, thank God it’s over. It was a slow pain of just, is he in, is he out? We didn’t really know, and that really wasn’t our focus as a team, our team, especially on offense.”
NFL.com analyst makes Cowboys rookie his long-shot pick for DROY award – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire
Cowboys have a DROY candidate on the roster, but its not who you think.
He’s not David Bailey or Arvell Reese, nor is he Mansoor Delane or Sonny Styles, all of whom were drafted before he was. Heck, he’s not even the first guy his own team took on the opening night of selections. But Cowboys edge rusher Malachi Lawrence has at least a chance to leapfrog all of them by season’s end when it comes time to hand out the end-of-year hardware. So says NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks, who recently named Lawrence his long-shot candidate to win Defensive Rookie of the Year.
(The UCF newbie isn’t the only Cowboys notable on Brooks’s list. He also names “underappreciated” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy his long-shot pick to win Coach of the Year. That move that would no doubt be a burr under the saddle of Cowboys fans, who were more than ready to run McCarthy out of Dallas despite three straight 12-win seasons… prior to 2024’s collapse.)
Lawrence overshadowing sparkly new safety Caleb Downs on the Cowboys roster would be a major feat in and of itself. The Ohio State product and No. 11 overall pick has sky-high expectations attached to him as he looks to be a key ingredient in leading first-year coordinator Christian Parker’s new-look scheme in Dallas.
But Brooks believes Lawrence, who is somehow flying under the collective radar despite being a top-25 pick himself, could create real havoc making his league entrance alongside a handful of seasoned veterans.Brooks notes: “With opponents forced to deal with Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and Kenny Clark at the point of attack, Lawrence will see plenty of one-on-one matchups on the edge, leading to regular sack opportunities. Moreover, the disruptive supportive cast could help Lawrence enhance his stat sheet with a bunch of tackles for loss and quarterback hits generated on extra effort and hustle plays. Lawrence is poised to receive plenty of exposure, given the Cowboys’ brand and the team’s six prime-time games. The rookie from UCF could swipe the award with a productive season that features a series of splash plays.”
Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: CB DaRon Bland – Jess Haynie, Blogging the Boys
Dallas needs DaRon Bland to get back to his former self.
The 2023 season wasn’t long ago, but it sure feels like it for Cowboys CB DaRon Bland. Two injury-plagued seasons have dulled the luster of his record-setting breakout year. As Dallas tries to get back to fielding a competitive defense, Bland returning to his former self would be an enormous help.
Background
Years in NFL: 4
Acquired by: 2022 5th-round pickBland’s rookie season began at the bottom of the depth chart, but injuries pulled him into duty quickly. When Jourdan Lewis went to IR in October, Bland became the new starting nickel. Even before the breakout, he established his playmaking potential with five interceptions in 2022.
Then the real fun began. In his second season, Bland set a new NFL record for pick-sixes and tied the record for most defensive touchdowns. In addition to the five house calls, Bland had four other picks for nine total. Leading the league in interceptions, Bland was an easy pick as a First-Team All-Pro. The excitement for what he could do with more experience and training was sky high going into 2024.
That’s where the fun ended. A foot fracture in training camp led to a 10-game absence. Bland returned with Dallas already 3-7 in Mike McCarthy’s final season, but helped spark a 4-1 run. But the hole was too deep: Dallas was eliminated from the playoff after Week 16, and Bland’s missed games were ultimately more impactful than his return. Despite this, the Cowboys still made a long-term investment with a four-year, $92 million extension.
Bland returned in 2025 to a defense in disarray. Like so many, he seemed neutered by the issues up front and general breakdowns under Matt Eberflus’ direction. It was eventually revealed that he was also playing through continued foot issues, which eventually put him on IR after 12 games and required surgery in January.
