Impact: How Jeffery Simmons’ extension could affect Quinnen Williams -DallasCowboys.com
The Dallas Cowboys could lock up one of their cornerstones on defense this offseason.
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 Williams’ 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
Dallas Cowboys CB Shavon Revel wants to the NFL’s best, he needs to earn a starting job in 2026 first – Clarence Hill Jr, DLLS Cowboys
The Cowboys’ former third-round pick could be the key to how good the defense becomes this season.
In an interview with DLLS Cowboys during the last week of minicamp, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel made headlines by proclaiming he was going to be the best cornerback in NFL.
He didn’t say when.
He said someday.
That’s still lofty talk from a 2025 third-round pick who missed 10 games as rookie, was mediocre at best when he did take the field last year and is not guaranteed to be starter in 2026.
Revel is currently alternating at left cornerback with veteran free agent Cobie Durant, who has turned the most eyes in the offseason.
Calen Carson has held down the right cornerback spot with DaRon Bland sidelined rehabbing a foot injury.
The best two will start.
The Cowboys continue to have high hopes for Revel, who was considered to be a first-rounder after a stellar junior year at East Carolina.
He entered his senior season widely considered one of best cornerbacks in college football.
But that was before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL, thus tanking his draft stock.
The cornerback needy Cowboys took a flier on him in the third round of the 2025 Draft, armed with inside information.
Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper did his surgery at East Carolina and could vouch for his ability to recover and return to health.
2026 NFL offseason: Judging biggest overreactions to moves – Dan Graziano, ESPN
Will George Pickens be with the Cowboys beyond 2026?
George Pickens will play for the Cowboys in 2026 … but not 2027
Pickens’ presence and comments at the Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp made it clear he’s fine with playing this season on the $27.3 million franchise tag. Barring a complete reversal by the Cowboys, he won’t have a long-term extension by the July 15 deadline for teams to extend franchise players.
Spinning this forward, if the one-year carrot is enough to bring the best out of Pickens the way it did in 2025 — when he had 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns on 93 catches — then it’s easy to see him pricing himself out of Dallas next year with a huge contract from some other team. If he has a bad year, it’s easy to see the Cowboys moving on to another option, too.
Verdict: OVERREACTION
First of all, the Cowboys could absolutely franchise Pickens again in 2027. It would cost them $32.8 million, but there are already six NFL wide receivers averaging more than that per year, and there likely will be more by next March. The fact that CeeDee Lamb, Pickens’ Dallas teammate, is one of those six is part of the issue. The Cowboys might not feel they can afford to pay two receivers top-of-market money and still manage their salary cap.
But the fact is, there’s no way to know how this season will go or how the Cowboys will feel about it when it’s over. Is there a world in which Lamb, who has missed games due to injury each of the past two years and has just $7 million in guarantees on his contract beyond 2026, is the one they move on from, allowing them to keep Pickens? Sure. I’m not saying that’s the way I’d predict this to go, but it’s not out of the question, right?
Pickens showed the Cowboys a lot last season after they traded a third-round pick to get him in the offseason. They’ve made it clear they’d like to see more before making any long-term decisions about him. He now has the opportunity to give them a difficult decision next offseason if he does everything they’re asking him to do.
5 players with the most to gain in training camp – Jorge Guajardo, Blogging the Boys
It could be a big training camp for a few players and their future in Dallas.
Jaydon Blue
In the immortal words of Cris Collinsworth, “Now here’s a guy…” Here is a guy who has the opportunity to make a big leap on the 53-man roster if he stands out in camp. The RB rotation behind Javonte Williams is not set in stone, and even though fifth-year pro Malik Davis has done fairly well with the opportunities given, it’s not a stretch to think that the soon-to-be 28-year-old back has reached his ceiling.
Blue, on the other hand, is in his second year and is building on his already formidable speed and elusiveness. If he continues to develop those skills, he is absolutely a viable option for the second back behind Williams. The only thing that could hold him back is how well he holds up in pass-protection. It isn’t a secret how much the Cowboys covet RBs that can block, and if Blue can at least prove serviceable in that area, be prepared to see a dramatic increase in snaps for the second year back in 2026.
Shavon Ravel Jr.
The second-year corner recently made waves by saying he sees himself as being the best corner in the league someday. For that to be true, he has a long way to go, but luckily for him, he has his whole career ahead of him.
Last year, Revel Jr. had a hard time staying healthy and getting onto the field. He played in only seven games, starting five, and had a negligible impact on what ended up being one of the worst defensive units of all time.
Revel Jr. also has the physical tools to make an impact. At 6’1”, 194 lbs., he’s equipped to handle the best receivers in the league. Positionally, Cobie Durant and DaRon Bland are probably shoe-ins for the outside corner positions, and Caleb Downs will be seeing a ton of action as the nickelback, but beyond them, a large rotational role as the third cornerback is up for the taking.
DeMarvion Overshown
Overshown is someone who has shown us glimpses of absolute magic when he’s been healthy, but that phrase has haunted him: “when healthy.” The third-year pro is looking to put together a complete season, which would be a first, and the shifting defensive scheme should give him a chance to shine even more on the interior of the second level of the defense.
From a camp perspective, nobody is challenging him for one of the two starting MLB spots on the defense, assuming Dee Winters is taking the other position. Ideally, the influx of talent on the defensive line could help Overshown, and with the speed and explosiveness he’s shown in spots in his career, he could see a huge role leading the charge of a possibly much improved defense.
Daily discussion question: Are you going to training camp this year?
