No.16) Where do CeeDee-Pickens rank as WR duo? – Staff, DallasCowboys.com
Year two of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens together is going to be a whole lot of fun.
Patrik: ‘Tis a great question, it is. In looking around the league, in both conferences I’m hard-pressed to find a more potent duo at WR than CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. This isn’t a biased take, but rather the science of the situation. Lamb and Pickens are not WR1 and WR2. They are two true WR1s that are also led by an All-Pro quarterback who, if not for a historically-bad defense in 2025, might’ve been in the MVP
conversation (again). Everyone knows what Lamb can do, and that’s why he’s one of the best in the league at the position, regardless of who you ask.
What many were hoping to find out is what Pickens can be, and that answer was carved in stone with a 1,400+ yard season (with nine TDs) in Dallas that led to his first-ever Pro Bowl nod and and a Second-team All-Pro honor. I’ll stop short, at the moment, of saying they’re the No. 1 WR duo in all the land — mainly because the sample size for what Pickens did last season is small as compared to, say, the top two guys in a Rams uniform. But I’d put them higher than Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, squeezing them right into the No. 2 spot.
Mickey: Can’t imagine any lower than Top 5 in the NFL. Think about it, two Pro Bowl receivers in 2025 on the same team, and CeeDee Lamb achieved that recognition when limited to just 14 games but still producing 1,077 receiving yards while Pickens earned his first Pro Bowl selection by picking up the slack in Lamb’s absence, finishing with career-highs of 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Who else can match those numbers? Only two other teams had two 1,000-yard receivers in 2025, Detroit with Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,401) and Jameson Williams (1,117) and Philadelphia with Devonta Smith (1,008) and A.J. Brown (1,003), no longer with the Eagles.
2 depth players who will benefit from a solid Training Camp – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star
The Jonathan Bullard signing is way under the radar right now, but the veteran defensive end could be a key part of the DL rotation.
Jonathan Bullard
Jonathan Bullard signed a one-year deal with Dallas back in March.
Bullard, 32, is a 10-year veteran, having entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Bears in 2016.
He has also played for the Cardinals, Seahawks, Falcons, Vikings and Saints.
In 2025, Bullard appeared in 15 games for New Orleans, starting six, and tallied 26 tackles, four tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
Bullard will reunite with his former defensive line coach, Marcus Dixon, who coached him with the Vikings in 2024. Bullard started all 17 games for Minnesota that season and posted 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a sack.
With new defensive coordinator Christian Parker taking over that side of the ball for the Cowboys, Dallas is transitioning to a base 3-4 defense. Again, he is a depth guy that needs to have a good training camp so that he can be a trusted defender if someone goes down.
Starting 17 games a year ago is something I love to see, and camp will be important for him. I like him as a depth guy and a strong camp will be important for him.
Cowboys success in 2026 hinges on the health of a handful of players – Brian Martin, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have done a lot of work at linebacker, but the whole situation gets unstable if DeMarvion Overshown isn’t on the field.
LB DeMarvion Overshown
Although he’s shown flashes of being a potential special player in his three seasons with the Cowboys, two separate season-ending knee injuries has caused him to miss a total of 32 games. Heading into training camp in the final year of his rookie contract he’s projected to be the starting MLB, arguably the Cowboys biggest question mark on defense. If he can stay healthy he could excel in that role, but if not, it could be disastrous for the entire defense. Dallas unfortunately doesn’t currently have much proven depth at the position.
Honorable mention: OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku
Dallas’ pass rush a season ago was pretty much nonexistent, however, Ezeiruaku showed enough glimpses as a rookie he could take a significant second-your jump. He’s currently working his way back from an offseason torn labrum injury that required surgery, allowing first-round pick Malachi Lawrence to receive some first-team reps in OTAs. Both are expected to add some much-needed juice to the pass rush this year. Expectations however are higher for Ezeiruaku entering year two with the season of experience under his belt.
The NFL world takes a strong stance on Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams, and it sheds light on a big change that must happen – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
There is a lot of anticipation about how the Cowboys will handle running back in year two of their offense, after Javonte Williams took the reigns last season.
Two things stand out in the case against Williams: lack of explosiveness and lack of pass catching production.
Williams ranked 43rd in explosive play rate per SIS. Though he was stellar in avoiding negative plays, he as mediocre in generating big ones. He was one of the most efficient running backs in the NFL but he was more of a singles hitter than a slugger.
As for his impact as a pass catcher, Williams didn’t do much. Out of 35 catches, only seven moved the chains as he totaled 137 receiving yards. Other than checkdowns, there’s not a whole lot the Cowboys asked from him as a receiver.
To put things into perspective: Out of 51 running backs with a minimum 20 targets, Williams was dead last in EPA/target and yards per route run. He was 48th in success rate.
The Cowboys must change RB approach
The above numbers sheds light on a big change that must happen: The Cowboys offense needs to shift towards a running back by committee approach.
Last season, Miles Sanders’ early season-ending injury forced the Cowboys to treat Williams as a three-down back. He finished the season with the seventh-highest snap count percentage among NFL running backs. He sat behind the likes of elite RBs like Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, Bijan Robinson, and others.
For the Cowboys offense, doing that in 2026 will mean sacrificing pass-catching and big-play upside. Hopefully, someone such as second-year running back Jaydon Blue emerges as a change up. Blue was drafted last year because of his speed and explosiveness.
Daily discussion question: If you could guarantee one thing for the season what would it be?
