Schottenheimer has ‘extremely unique’ way of leading Cowboys – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Brian Schottenheimer has been all energy since joining the Dallas Cowboys.
“He has an extremely unique way of connecting people and wanting to take feedback, positively and negatively, and being able to process that, and finding a way to get better,” vice president of player personnel Will McClay said of Schottenheimer from the 2026 NFL Combine.
Schottenheimer is grading out very well both inside and outside of the building heading into his second season as the head coach and offensive playcaller,
and McClay explained why that is.
“Typically, head coaches are very stern. They have a way, you know: ‘It’s my way.’ So to be able to ask for input, handle it, still do your thing, but to also adjust to some of the insights of other people? That’s a unique way. And he’s very unique about that.
“And he’s got a very personable way that he really cares about every coach and every player, and you feel that. So that’s the greatest part about him.”
With Pickens secured on a franchise tag (at the moment) and the team working to get Aubrey on a long-term deal, having also re-signed Javonte Williams to a three-year deal to kick off free agency in Dallas, the offense appears set and raring to pick up where it left off last season as one of the best in the NFL.
If Parker, Schottenheimer’s hand-picked successor to Matt Eberflus, can repair the defense, the Cowboys will have a chance at being a contender in the season to come, but what’s already clear is that the needle on Schottenheimer is aimed due north — a head coach, communicator, teacher willing to both deliver and receive the hard conversations.
Cowboys ‘Excited’ to Get Struggling Rookie Back Under New Coach – Sean Deveney, Heavy on Cowboys
The Cowboys are expecting a big jump in year two from Shavon Revel Jr.
No doubt, the goal of the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is to rebuild the defense, which is going to require not just the use of draft picks to bring in quality young players, but free-agent dollars to bring in qualified veterans.
And for the young players on the roster already, there has also been a clear message: The time for slow ramp-ups and the building of confidence is over. Everyone on the defensive roster under new coordinator Christian Parker is going to have to sink or swim, and it should be apparent pretty quickly which players are the one who will be doing the swimming.
In that respect, Shavon Revel got in just under the wire. He was a third-round draft pick in 2025, despite having injured his knee (torn ACL) in 2024. He needed the first half of last season to get healthy. It was basically a redshirt year, and team owner Jerry Jones said recently, this is not the season for redshirts.
Shavon Revel Struggled When Healthy in 2025
Which, again, is good news for Revel because when he finally got on the field in 2025, not only had he been out for more than half the season (it was Week 11), but he looked like a deer in headlights when he did play. In fact, if not for the injuries and underperformance that ravaged the Cowboys secondary last season (DaRon Bland was injured and two Cowboys starters, Trevon Diggs and Kai’ir Elam, were cut during the season), Revel might not have seen the field.
But he played, and Revel allowed a whopping 126.1 quarterback rating when he was targeted last year. Pro Football Focus rated him the No. 112 out of 112 corners in the league.
There is, though, some excitement about Revel coming into the 2026 offseason, in part because of Parker’s reputation for developing young defensive backs.
Here’s what Nick Harris of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram wrote as part of the intel he’d gathered from the NFL’s draft combine: “Talk to anyone even remotely associated with the Cowboys, and the name Shavon Revel Jr. will be echoed as someone whom the team is excited to see back on the field under Parker. The cornerback is expected to be healthier than he’s ever been in his NFL career when the spring offseason program begins.”
Rich Eisen is in lockstep with Cowboys fans about a Maxx Crosby trade – Lior Lampert, The Landry Hat
The media really loves the idea of Maxx Crosby joining the Cowboys.
If Jones truly wants to swing for the fences and bring the Cowboys back to prominence, he can’t miss on the opportunity to add Crosby. As fans are well aware of, Dallas has the means and need to justify such a move, so why not? By the sound of it, renowned NFL voice Rich Eisen couldn’t agree more.
Eisen urged Dallas to make a strong push for Crosby, even if it means giving up the No. 12 overall selection in the 2026 draft.
“If [the Cowboys are] able to take the 12th overall pick, and instead of using it on a young defender, get Maxx Crosby for it. … You are not too far away, you’re just not,” Eisen said during a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show.
Rich Eisen nudges the Dallas Cowboys to trade for Raiders star DE Maxx Crosby
The Cowboys are one of four clubs with multiple top-32 picks this year, so they have one to spare, as Eisen insinuates. Dallas can win a bidding war against virtually anyone if needed, and their surplus of premium draft capital should appeal to a rebuilding Raiders squad.
In Eisen’s scenario, the Cowboys form a fearsome, experienced defensive line trio between Crosby and Cowboys defensive tackles Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. Then, Dallas spends their other first-rounder to further bolster what was arguably the most porous stop unit in football in 2025.
Suddenly, Dallas would have a revamped star-laden front seven on one side of the ball and perhaps the league’s most potent offense on the other. Bringing in someone of Crosby’s caliber, who ranks sixth in sacks since 2019 (69.5), can legitimately vault the Cowboys toward the top of the NFC. Cowboys Nation sees it, and Eisen seemingly does too.
Cooper Witten, son of NFL legend Jason Witten, commits to Oklahoma: Top-ranked LB adds to Sooners’ No. 1 class – Brad Crawford, CBS Sports
Another one of Jason Witten’s sons is off to play college football. Do you feel old yet?
Cooper Witten, the top-rated linebacker in the 2027 class and son of former Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten, committed to Oklahoma on Tuesday, he announced Tuesday. The 14th player in Brent Venables’ impressive class for next season, Witten hails from Argyle, Texas, and will join his father, whom the Sooners hired in January to coach tight ends.
“Coach Venables was the first coach to believe in me and offer me, so that really meant a lot from the start of the whole recruiting process,” Witten told 247Sports. “His defenses have been elite his whole career, and I believe that the coaching staff can develop me to be the best linebacker in the country one day.”
Witten chose Oklahoma over reported finalists Georgia, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. His pledge bumps the Sooners’ 2027 recruiting class to No. 1 in the country.
The 6-1, 220-pound Witten is a three-sport star at Liberty Christian High School. He his team to back-to-back state titles from 2023-24, including the school’s first unbeaten season in school history as a freshman. Witten’s older brother, C.J., signed to play at Rice in 2025.
The scouting report on Witten from 247Sports recruiting insider Gabe Brooks is simple — he’s a versatile threat who will fit into any defensive scheme, especially one as aggressive as Venables’ unit in Norman.
“Athletic, physical, likely role-versatile second-level defensive piece who plays with a relentless motor. Natural football IQ, awareness, instincts, etc. are obvious on tape and on the elite camp circuit,” Brooks wrote. “Produced outstanding combine testing numbers in Spring 2025. Owns a uniquely strong football pedigree. Wants the ball and plays for the ball, as evidenced by impact production through two varsity seasons. Also boasts the multi-phase participation and multi-sport athletic background so frequently seen in eventual NFL Draft candidates across the position spectrum, but especially in the defensive back seven.
