Free agency and the NFL draft have passed, and rookie minicamps are underway.
The smell of fresh cut summer lawns is in the air, and training camps are just around the corner. What I’m saying here is, NFL football is in the air again.
Yesterday, I covered six rookies that the Cowboys will face in 2025 that were on their draft radar before being taken by their respective teams.
Today, I want to talk about familiar faces in the 2025 NFL season as three of Dallas’ former players have joined new teams.
These matchups promise intriguing storylines as the Cowboys face off against these former teammates, now wearing different uniforms.
Thankfully, former NCB Jourdan Lewis and the Jacksonville Jaguars are not on the schedule because fans have already started throwing shade at J-Lew after the acquisition of George Pickens.
QB Trey Lance, Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are repeat offenders after coming out in yesterday’s article with RB Omarion Hampton, a player the Cowboys targeted in the draft.
Trey Lance, once a third-string quarterback for the Cowboys, signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in April 2025.
Despite limited playtime in Dallas, Lance’s athleticism and dual-threat capabilities make him a potential wildcard.
His tenure with the Cowboys provides him with insights into their defensive schemes, which could be advantageous for the Chargers.
While his preseason performance in 2024 included five interceptions against the Chargers, Lance has the opportunity to refine his skills under the Chargers’ system.
The Cowboys’ defense will need to prepare for his mobility and potential to exploit their defensive weaknesses should he get on the field.
DE Chauncey Golston, New York Giants
DE Chauncey Golston transitioned to the New York Giants after a breakout season with the Cowboys in 2024, where he recorded a career-high 5.5 sacks and 97 total tackles.
His move to a divisional rival intensifies the competition within the NFC East.
Golston’s familiarity with the Cowboys’ offensive line and play-calling could give the Giants a strategic edge. Dallas’ offensive line will need to adapt to Golston’s pass-rushing techniques, which he honed during his time there.
Containing Golston will be crucial to maintaining QB Dak Prescott’s protection and offensive rhythm.
RB Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers made my Rookie Radar article yesterday by stealing WR Tetairoa McMillan four picks ahead of Dallas in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Today, they make the list with RB Rico Dowdle.
Dowdle signed a one-year deal worth up to $6.25 million with the Carolina Panthers after leading the Cowboys with 1,079 rushing yards in 2024.
Dowdle’s departure left a notable gap in Dallas’s backfield before the draft, and his addition to the Panthers’ roster bolsters their running game.
His ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact presents a challenge for the Cowboys’ run defense.
Moreover, Dowdle’s knowledge of Dallas’s defensive tendencies could aid the Panthers in exploiting weaknesses.
The Cowboys will need to focus on disciplined tackling and gap assignments to mitigate Dowdle’s impact.
Familiar Faces
Facing former teammates adds layers of complexity to the Cowboys’ 2025 season.
Each player’s intimate understanding of Dallas’ systems could be leveraged against them. The coaching staff must anticipate and counteract the insights these players bring to their new teams.
Additionally, the Cowboys will need to address the voids left by these departures, particularly in the running game and defensive line.
Integrating new talent and adjusting strategies will be essential for Dallas to maintain competitiveness and cohesion throughout the season.
The Cowboys’ encounters with Trey Lance, Chauncey Golston, and Rico Dowdle will not only test their on-field performance, but also their adaptability and resilience in the face of familiar adversaries.
These matchups will be pivotal in shaping the narrative of Dallas’s 2025 campaign, and whether or not they can end the NFC Championship and Super Bowl drought.
Another lack luster article that is totally misinformed. How would Rico Dowdle know the defensive tendencies if the team has a new DC? Riddle me this…
So I guess these players, in your mind at least, are just a bunch of robots following every direction of their coach, without tendencies, habits, traits, and skills of their own? New DC tells them what to do from the limited number of possible schemes and coverages in the sport, but how they do it is unique to each player. Is it not? But hey, thanks for reading anyway.
I disagree with 2 of these players being able to help their new teams with how our defense is ran!! We have a whole new defensive coaching staff, so those players won’t know anything about what we’re doing now!! We’ll have a whole new scheme and new plays being called compared to what was being done when they were with the Cowboys last season!! The only player here that might be able to help their new team is Chauncey Golston, and that’s cause our new head coach was our offensive coordinator last season, but even that will be different cause he’s gonna be calling different stuff than Mike Mccarthy did, plus we have a new offensive line coach and everything, so that might even be a long shot for Golston to help his new team with our play calling on the offensive line and even the offensive side of the ball at that!! Even though we’re playing former players, I still think we have the upper hand on them and their new team cause we have a whole new coaching staff, with a whole new scheme on both offense and defense!! And again even though our head coach was on our team last season with those players, they’re still not gonna know what his scheme and play calling will be like cause he didn’t do any of that, cause Mike Mccarthy was the one that used his scheme and he called his own plays!! So I really don’t see how these players can help their new team when they don’t know anything about our new coaching staff!!