On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The Dallas Cowboys have no shortage of stars on either side of the ball, but the team's defensive standouts are continuing to fly under the radar.
While there is no denying Micah Parsons' talent, the Cowboys being plagued by injuries has left some of the team's top talents forgotten. In a recent article, SI.com ranked the top defensive trios in the NFL, with the Cowboys landing in the bottom third.
The Cowboys' "defensive triplets" included Micah Parsons, DeMarvion Overshown, DaRon Bland.
Star defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa was a noticeable absence.
Last season, Overshown suffered a second straight season-ending knee injury, while Bland missed the first part of the year with a foot injury suffered during training camp.
"It’s strange ranking a team with Parsons this low," Si writes.
"But there’s a possibility that Overshown will miss the entire 2025 season after his breakout year ended with a significant knee injury, and Bland struggled to return to top form due to a foot injury sustained in training camp last summer."
If there is any silver lining for Dallas, it's that Micah Parsons has said he plans on showing up for the team's minicamp which begins this week, despite his lack of a new contract, which is expected to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
More must-reads:
- 49ers pull off trade for disgruntled Commanders star
- Falcons HC speaks out after offensive starter gets carted off practice field with concerning injury
- The 'Second-leading receiver by NFL team' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Cowboys' Micah Parsons seen taking bizarre action in preseason finale
Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons in body only. The star pass-rusher showed no spirit and did not dress amid his hold-in for a contract extension. On Thursday, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media feed. During Friday's game, he couldn't be bothered to be with his teammates on the sideline watching the whole game. Per a photo posted on X by The Athletic's Jon Machota, Parsons was seen lying down on a trainer's table during the contest. Parsons' actions come amid a turbulent week between his representation and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. In separate interviews, Jones told both Michael Irvin and ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he did not plan to back down from his agreement with Parsons to work with agent David Mulugheta. During the pregame show on Friday, Jones boasted to 105.3 The Fan that defensive end is where the Cowboys have the most depth on the roster. "Frankly, our defensive ends may be the best depth, where we have the most talent of any position on the field," Jones said via Machota. "I'm excited about our depth and our numbers at pass rusher. ... I'm concerned because of having space on the roster to keep that many of our guys that have pass rushing ability." Following Friday night's game, the Cowboys' preseason is over. The situation between Jones and Parsons is not ideal for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is tasked with trimming the roster to 53 players by Tuesday. If Parsons is traded or chooses not to play in Week 1, Schottenheimer is going to have to decide to take away depth from what Jones sees as a weaker part of the team to boost a unit that is without their best player because he won't negotiate with Mulugheta.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
These college QBs are set to earn millions in 2025
Quarterback is the most important position in football, and the money given to top signal-callers — both in the NFL and at the collegiate level — supports that. On3's Pete Nakos detailed on Thursday what some of the top quarterbacks in college football will earn during the upcoming season. Nakos writes that at least five QBs will make roughly $3 million in the 2025 campaign, while more than 20 starting quarterbacks will command at least $1 million. It's important, for context, to note that these financial figures include direct revenue-sharing from schools and/or NIL deals from third-party collectives. Leading the way among 2025 quarterbacks is Duke's Darian Mensah. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound redshirt sophomore, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., will earn $4 million this year, part of a two-year, $8 million contract with the Blue Devils. Mensah transferred to Duke from Tulane, where in 2024 he threw for 2,723 yards with 22 touchdowns against just six interceptions. True freshman Bryce Underwood of Michigan is set to collect $3 million this season, which is a massive number for someone who has never taken an official snap in college. Still, the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Underwood is a significant contender to win the Wolverines' starting QB job in 2025. The native of Belleville, Mich., was the No. 1 national prospect in the 2025 recruiting class. Redshirt senior Carson Beck transferred from Georgia to Miami in the offseason, and he will make $3 million to $3.2 million this season to start, in a deal that could be worth up to $6 million with incentives, per Nakos. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck, who is from Jacksonville, Fla., tallied 3,485 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024. According to the On3 article, Nebraska's Dylan Raiola will earn more than $3 million in total compensation during the 2025 season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound sophomore, who hails from Buford, Ga., threw for 2,819 yards with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as a true freshman. Last year, Raiola guided the Cornhuskers to a 7-6 record and a bowl-game triumph. Drew Allar will look to lead Penn State on another deep College Football Playoff run in 2025, and the senior quarterback will earn at least $3 million during the upcoming campaign. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Allar, from Medina, Ohio, threw for 3,327 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions a year ago as Penn State made the CFP semifinals. The Nittany Lions are No. 2 in the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll. Other quarterbacks who are expected to make big bucks in the 2025 season include Oklahoma's John Mateer ($2.5 million to $3 million), Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia (at least $2 million), Kansas State's Avery Johnson (at least $2 million), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers ($1.8 million), TCU's Josh Hoover ($1.75 million) and Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby ($1.5 million to $1.7 million), among others.
How offseason gambles put the Toronto Maple Leafs in a better position
With training camp on the horizon, the Toronto Maple Leafs are about to enter their first season of a new era. This new “era” rightfully has some fans dismayed, but that doesn’t mean these fans should not be excited. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Unfortunately, this is exactly what we have seen the Leafs do over the last nine years, and it has not worked. Not even close. We have beaten to death the playoff failures and how the “Core Four” was a problem. Mitch Marner unfortunately had to go, and from the sounds of it, it was mutual. But we now have a change in perspective and direction when it comes to the team. In this post, let’s take a look at some of the offseason moves made by the Leafs and why the Leafs are in a better position than last season. Changes and acquisitions With the changes so far, we have seen a shift in team philosophy. The two “go to” guys are now Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Perhaps throw in Knies after signing his six-year extension. But either way, the Leafs will have to fill in the holes with actual supporting players, instead of shopping at Value Village for bargain-bin players like they have the last several years. The three big additions this offseason by general manager Brad Treliving were Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua. Maccelli is a young winger at 24 years old, while Roy and Joshua are entering the tail end of their prime. Maccelli has one 57-point and one 49-point season in his four-season NHL career, with last year being a disappointment. It should be mentioned that he played for the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth for his career. The team has made the playoffs once in over a decade, and Maccelli was playing for Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga at the time. Nicholas Roy and Dakota Joshua are known to play a heavier game and have an aggressive forecheck. Roy has been a 30–40 point centre the last four seasons, while Joshua showed promise two seasons ago, scoring 18 goals and 14 assists for 32 points, but tapered off considerably. Last season, he only scored seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 57 games. This is what Leafs fans have wanted for several years now: a much more balanced roster in terms of salary allocation. But are they better? Are the Leafs better? I think the question everyone is wondering with these acquisitions is: Are the Leafs better? I think this can’t be answered until the conclusion of the 2025–26 season. But for the sake of argument, I will say yes, they are better, but not from a skill standpoint, but from a cultural shift and flexibility point of view. The Leafs’ roster needed to change in a big way; the playoff failures speak for themselves. Brad Treliving’s Gambles Losing a 100-point winger in Mitch Marner hurts. If we add up the point totals from last season for all three new additions, they scored 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points. Compared to Marner’s 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points, this looks like a horrible proposition on paper. But what do these three players have in common? They are all expected to have bounce-back seasons. If we add up the point totals of three new acquisitions from the 2023–24 season, they scored 48 goals, 82 assists for 130 points. Much better value, especially when considering these three players will play throughout the lineup, not just on the first line. The team is heading towards a better balance instead of being so top-heavy. Maccelli playing with either Auston Matthews and Knies, or with John Tavares and William Nylander, is a solid bet, especially with Maccelli in a contract year. For the sake of discussion, let’s say Maccelli scores 50–60 points. At age 25 and an RFA, you absolutely re-sign him and have a decent young player in your top-six. Joshua and Roy are less flashy and are older. However, while not every player will be a Matthew Knies, Roy and Joshua could be the missing pieces in the bottom-six that have plagued the Leafs for nearly a decade: A bottom-six that can ram you through the boards and can also score. With Treliving’s gamble on Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and the gambles on defence, notably Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Simon Benoit, Treliving has deserved the benefit of the doubt. More often than not, his gambles have paid off. Future opportunities The offseason acquisitions have a lot to do with future opportunities just as much as they do with this upcoming season. The Leafs are no longer married to a high-priced offence that disappears come playoffs. They can continue to find personnel who fit their new vision. The Leafs have just under $2M in cap space. With a logjam of players in the bottom-six, one or both of David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok will likely be moved. I am not expecting a huge trade, but the Leafs will likely have more cap space by the NHL trade deadline to fill holes. None of the changes made this offseason prevents the Leafs from making changes in the future. If one of the new additions doesn’t work out, their cap hits aren’t insurmountable that they can’t be traded. With few draft picks or solid prospects, these new acquisitions can be used in combination with available cap space to make a bigger acquisition come the trade deadline or next offseason. The offseason moves provide the Leafs with much-needed cap space and roster flexibility. However, if the new additions perform well in the lineup, the team will be much more well-rounded than last season, especially come the playoffs. Way forward I think we need to look at everything in totality, as opposed to viewing it as a “100 point player out, a bunch of third line producers in.” During most of the regular season, most of the series against the Ottawa Senators, and when the Leafs went up 2–0 against the Florida Panthers in the second round, what were your thoughts? My thoughts, and we’ve written about it several times, are that this team has changed. A lot of it is due to Craig Berube and his system, but this was Year 1. Adding more “Berube-esque” players in Joshua and Roy, and this team will perhaps be even better than last year. Combine these solid offseason bets with existing players like Matthews and Morgan Rielly being due for bounce-back seasons, or perhaps Easton Cowan making the roster out of camp, and there’s plenty to be excited about heading into next season. I am not dismissing the importance of points during the regular season. After all, the team still has to make the playoffs. But if the Panthers are any indication, regular season success does not translate to playoff success. It’s how the team plays the game, and the Leafs need to continue to reshape their DNA into something where we will not have an annual eulogy.
Panthers will be without Matthew Tkachuk for a while
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk’s health entering the season has been a topic of conversation after he returned early from an adductor injury sustained at the 4 Nations Face-Off to suit up in Florida’s run to a second straight Stanley Cup. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period now relays that Tkachuk indeed opted for surgery to repair it, undergoing the procedure “a few weeks ago,” and could miss as much as the first four months of the campaign. It’s still not clear what caused the right-winger’s injury during the 4 Nations tournament, but he missed the balance of the regular season and wasn’t cleared to return until Game 2 of the Cats’ first-round win over the Lightning. Opting for non-surgical rehab initially to accelerate his return timeline, he still managed to rattle off a point per game as he marched to his third straight Stanley Cup Final and second straight win, although his 17:24 average time on ice was a noticeable drop from his previous usage. His projected return timeline makes him LTIR-eligible and offers the Panthers a pathway to cap compliance to begin the season, but it’s not that simple. They’re now $4.5M over the cap and, on top of shuffling their roster to optimize his LTIR relief, they have to figure out a way to reinstate him on the active roster when he’s ready to return while staying below the $95.5M upper limit. They likely won’t concern themselves with the first bit too much, as he’s not a season-long absence and their roster is full, but their roadmap to a compliant roster and a healthy Tkachuk is still murky. Tkachuk, 27, has averaged 99 points per 82 games since arriving in Florida in 2022 via the blockbuster trade with the Flames that sent Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar the other way. He also has 25 goals and 69 points in 67 playoff games for the Panthers over the last three years, ranking fourth and third in franchise history, respectively. In the interim, the Panthers can expect 2021 first-rounder Mackie Samoskevich to play a pivotal role in their early-season success. The 22-year-old winger filled in for Tkachuk down the stretch last year and finished his rookie campaign with a 15-16–31 scoring line in 72 games. He’ll now get more opportunity out of the gate after essentially being forced to sign a league-minimum contract this summer thanks to Florida’s cap crunch and his 10.2(c) status prohibiting him from signing an offer sheet.
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
