Happy Monday, the offseason for the NFL, is nearly in full swing, and with that comes everything nobody likes to tune into, although it is very important for each football team.
The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason ramped up last weekend with rookie minicamp giving the coaching staff its first look at the 2025 NFL draft class and undrafted free agents putting in work on the field.
Teams around the league will begin organized team activities (OTAs) on Monday, May 19. OTAs are voluntary, but it’s always interesting to see who shows up.
There are a handful of OTA periods before what really matters: mandatory minicamp.
Mandatory minicamp for the Cowboys will begin on Tuesday, June 10, and run through Thursday, June 12.
That’s when we know that training camp and the preseason are right around the corner, but before we get to that, I wanted to take a peak at what we should watch for during OTAs that start two weeks from today.
Brian Schottenheimer
This is the first and most important thing I am going to be tuned into. First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer and how he is going to handle this football team.
We all know he was hand-picked by not only the front office, but Dak Prescott and the rest of the offensive guys who probably did not want to leave an entire new system yet again.
Jerry wanted a guy in there that he knew would let him continue to have the spotlight, and I want to see how Brain Schottneheimer is going to handle this.
https://twitter.com/NickHarrisFWST/status/1918737443655712895He can’t keep living off his dads name forever. I want him to do well, of course, but he has no heading coach experience.
The first step is making sure the summer goes well and everyone is locked into what they are doing.
More Offensive Help?
The second thing I am looking for is whether Jerry is going to give this offense some help.
They have CeeDee Lamb and nobody else. Jalen Tolbert is not ready to be the sidekick to Lamb, and with them once again going with a running back by committee, they need to add another weapon on offense.
The top free-agent option available is Amari Cooper, who played with the Cowboys from 2018 to 2021.
https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1917236935904600135The Cowboys traded their 2019 first-round pick to the Raiders for Cooper, but decided to move on after the 2021 season due to salary cap reasons. He was very productive in Dallas, averaging nearly 70 yards per game and scoring 31 touchdowns in 54 starts.
I don’t think he is coming back though.
Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy and Parris Campbell. I mean this team cannot run this depth chart out there every single Sunday and think they are going to score enough to win.
We will see how this summer goes, and do not be surprised if it looks ugly for the next two months.
Time For Micah?
Parsons will be in the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and is eyeing a long-term, record-breaking deal that sees him earn $40 million a season from the Cowboys.
Everyone and their mother on these talk shows are saying the Cowboys should just go ahead and trade him for the future. Like sure, let’s just trade away a generational type player.
This team clearly needs Micah and I would really love if this team would just get it done and wait until week one like they did last season with Dak Prescott.
The less this front office has to worry about with players in house, the more they can focus on maybe trading for someone or adding a guy or two.
https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1918712056976421366Micah says he is focused and not letting it bother him, but you know these guys like to have their protection just in case something happens on the field.
This summer is going to be nothing short of drama, and I am also going to be watching to see who takes the lead role in the backfield for Dallas.
Schotty likes to run the ball, but this offense needs major help.