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Tjhe NFL free agency has already given us some potential starters for the Dallas Cowboys first unit on this Micah Parsons-led defense to go along with the guys we know are back.
To begin the 2025 league year, here is our projected starting lineup for the Cowboys on the defensive side of the ball (and on special teams), where we are betting Dallas just acquired three new starters ...
DEFENSE
DE: Micah Parsons
DT: Osa Odighizuwa (re-signed 4-year, $80 million)
DT: Mazi Smith
DE: Sam Williams
LB: Kenneth Murray Jr. (via trade with Tennessee Titans)
LB: Jack Sanborn (signed one-year deal)
CB: DaRon Bland
CB: Caelen Carson
CB: Kaiir Elam (via trade with Buffalo Bills)
S: Malik Hooker
S: Donovan Wilson
Three back-to-back-to-back acquisitions for the Cowboys were made on Wednesday to address multiple levels of the defense.
First, they traded away picks for cornerback Kaiir Elam of the Buffalo Bills. So a former first-rounder now gets a fresh start in Dallas. Although his stats aren't the best, he is a healthy body at arguably the No. 1 position in need. I like the move in part because the cost in picks is nothing.
Then Dallas gets linebacker help by signing Jack Sanborn of the Chicago Bears, and trading for Kenneth Murray Jr. from the Tennessee Titans.
Sanborn played under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in Chicago. He will be a key (and cheap) contributor to another injury-ridden position group. I really like the move.
It will be sad to see DeMarcus Lawrence go (signed with Seattle), but it opens up a starting spot for Sam Williams opposite of Micah Parsons. This is a big opportunity for him to prove himself and earn the job, rather than it open up for him.
Micah and Osa will be fine on the D-line. The other defensive tackle, Mazi Smith, has the intangibles to turn into a solid force, but Cowboys Nation may need to be a bit more patient.
Free agency signings Solomon Thomas (two-year, $8 million) and Payton Turner (one-year, $3 million) are decent grabs for added depth here as well.
The safety position will be good enough, but cornerback (especially in the slot) is still a patch that needs fixing in the secondary. Trevon Diggs will be back eventually, but not soon.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K: Brandon Aubrey
P: Bryan Anger (re-signed two-year deal)
LS: Trent Sieg (re-signed three-year deal)
KR/PR: KaVontae Turpin
One of the NFL's best special teams groups remain intact. Love it.
It has been an eventful start to free agency for the Cowboys, and if Wednesday was any indication, expect the front office to continue being "selectively aggressive".
This is how the starting lineup looks right now but is likely to see a few tweaks.
The countdown to Week 1 begins. ... with our projected offensive lineup below ...
More must-reads:
- Jerry Jones is getting exactly what he wants with Micah Parsons drama
- Report reveals if Commanders intend to trade WR Terry McLaurin
- The '2024-25 NFL TD catch leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Jerry Jones is getting exactly what he wants with Micah Parsons drama
Do not let any of the noise and drama fool you. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is getting exactly what he wants with the Micah Parsons contract negotiation, even as it reached a boiling point on Friday with the star edge-rusher declaring a public trade demand. It's the perfect storm for Jones because all of this is doing the one thing that he loves more than anything in the world. It is keeping his team, his beloved Dallas Cowboys, as the top story in the NFL and the top headliner maker in the league. His team, his player and his story are the one thing that everybody is talking about. It's the top headline on every sports website. It's the top story on "SportsCenter" and ESPN. It's dominating the radio waves. It's put a spotlight on the Cowboys star and driven all of the NFL's discussions toward them. It doesn't matter if it's overly dramatic — or even bad press. It's still press. It's still focus on them. In Jones' world, the motto of "no press is bad press" is very much a way of life. He isn't worried about getting the best deal for the Cowboys or their salary-cap situation, and he might not even be concerned with putting the best possible team on the field. He is simply concerned with the Cowboys being the league's biggest newsmaker. There is a reason all of these big-time contract negotiations play out this way for the Cowboys. Whether it was Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Parsons, they have all played out the same way. The Cowboys dragged their feet, a holdout was either threatened or started, the bridges seemed to be burning between the player and team, the negotiations would dominate the news cycle and then eventually a new, more expensive deal would eventually emerge. That is almost certainly how this process is going to play out. Trade demands get made all the time in the NFL, and they do not guarantee a trade will get made. It is often a last-ditch negotiating tactic to speed things along. They usually work in that context. By the time the regular season rolls around, the Cowboys and Parsons will likely come to terms on a contract, and all of this will be forgotten. It will probably end up costing Jones and the organization more than it would have had they agreed to a deal sooner, but again, that wouldn't have given the Cowboys the headlines they want. It is almost as if Jones likes having to pay top dollar because then he can talk about how he negotiated and paid out the most expensive deal. It's about glitz and glamour as opposed to dollars and cents. All of this fits in with Jones' overall mindset and approach when it comes to running the Cowboys. He is the decision-maker. He is the football guy. He is the only owner who does weekly news conferences after every game as if he's the coach, and he is the only owner who does a weekly radio show discussing the X's and O's of the team. It's all about satisfying his own ego, and nothing satisfies his ego more than seeing his team and his name in the news. A drawn-out contract negotiation is the best way to do that when there are no games being played. In terms of on-field success, the Cowboys have mostly been an afterthought over the past 30 years. No Super Bowls, no NFC Championship Game appearances (the longest current drought in the NFC) and mostly mediocre finishes. Any other franchise with that sort of track record would be an afterthought in the NFL. But not the Cowboys. Not Jerry Jones. It is all by design. It's the only thing they want and care about.
Richard Childress makes bizarre claim about Austin Hill, Aric Almirola incident
In the aftermath of Austin Hill and Aric Almirola's incident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, team owner Richard Childress has made an odd claim about what led to the crash. Hill was suspended for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway after NASCAR ruled that he intentionally wrecked Almirola in retaliation for previous contact. But Childress doesn't see things the same way, instead claiming that Sheldon Creed, who drove for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023, was involved. In an interview on Kenny Wallace's YouTube channel on Thursday, Childress explained what he saw. "I think there was a lot more that once NASCAR, I hope they take a deep dive into it like we have. If you look where the No. 00 (Creed) was, he actually caught the No. 21 car (Hill) and hooked him," Childress said. "It was all so close and happened so fast. ... I think when it went left on him, that's when the No. 00 got into his left-rear quarter panel." Video replay of the incident does not show any contact between the vehicles of Hill and Creed before Hill began to turn left and hit Almirola. Rather, it appears that Hill initially straightened out his No. 21 Chevrolet before deciding to turn left and hook Almirola, wrecking both cars and ultimately leading to his suspension on Tuesday. Hill did hit the right front of Creed's No. 00 Ford, but that contact only occurred after Hill had begun to turn Almirola's No. 19. Dillon will drive the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway on Saturday in place of Hill, who will return at Watkins Glen on Aug. 9.
Lakers Interested in $60 Million All-Star Big Man, Under One Condition
The Los Angeles Lakers were hunting for a center for most of the offseason after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. They knew they needed an upgrade from Jaxon Hayes. While the Lakers didn't get any of the top centers on the free agent market, they were able to sign Deandre Ayton after he was bought out. Another center would be a better fit, but he wasn't available in the offseason. Nikola Vucevic has been linked to the Lakers dating all the way back to the trade deadline, although Vucevic was not moved. More news: Lakers Make Massive Announcement Ahead of 2025-26 Season The Lakers would only be interested in Vucevic if he were to be bought out, according to Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints. Los Angeles will not be pursuing a trade to acquire Vucevic. After bringing in Ayton on a two-year deal, it wouldn't make sense to trade assets in order to bring in Vucevic. They want to see what Ayton can do before bailing on him already. The Lakers needed a starting center, as that was their biggest need heading into the offseason. While Ayton isn't the greatest option, he is someone who can help the team with what he brings to the table. The Bulls seem to think that Vucevic can still help them win games and contend for the playoffs in what will be a very weak Eastern Conference next season. If things don't go well by the time the trade deadline arrives, the Bulls might decide to buy him out if they aren't in the playoff picture. That would be the only scenario in which the Lakers bring him in. More news: Lakers Rumors: NBA Insider Provides Massive Update on Luka Doncic Extension The Lakers are always looking to improve the roster whenever possible. They aren't worried about hurting feelings, so they wouldn't hesitate to offer Vucevic a contract if they thought he was better than Ayton. With LeBron James entering the end of his career, the Lakers are going to try to win the title as quickly as possible while he is still on the roster. Last season with the Bulls, Vucevic averaged 18.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. He shot 53 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. More news: Former Lakers Castoff All-Star Linked to East Team in Free Agency For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love’s Pitch to Micah Parsons Resurfaces Amid Wild Trade News Bombshell
Padres' Role for Mason Miller Revealed By Team Insider
After their trade deadline moves on Thursday, the San Diego Padres have put together the strongest bullpen in MLB. San Diego has been battling to hold on to one of the NL Wild Card spots and are only three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. But their bolstered bullpen could push the Friars past the Dodgers and through a deep postseason run. With the addition of closer Mason Miller from the Athletics, the Padres have two closers they can lean on. Miller is a 2024 National League All-Star, and two-time NL All-Star Robert Suarez leads all of MLB with 30 saves. The Padres reportedly plan to keep Suarez as their primary closer and use Miller as “powerful arm in a variety of high-leverage situations,” per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. San Diego will also now be able to give their relievers more frequent rests to preserve their arms through October. “Like we’ve seen so far through the first 100 games, if we have an opportunity to shorten the game, you want to take that,” said Padres general manager AJ Preller. “I think also it gives Mike (Shildt) an opportunity to mix and match with the ’pen, an opportunity certain nights to be able to go to one set of relievers and give guys an opportunity to get a little bit of a rest and a blow and be fresh for, hopefully, what’s a long run here for the rest of the regular season and into the postseason.” In addition to strengthening their bullpen, the Padres were able to deepen their rotation and kept starting pitcher Dylan Cease. Along with Miller, the Athletics traded starting pitcher JP Sears to the Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers traded All-Star starting pitcher Nestor Cortes. Acquiring Miller and Sears will certainly help San Diego through the postseason this year. But in the process of landing the pitching pair, the Padres lost their No. 1 overall prospect Leo De Vries. San Diego has been criticized for their history of trading top prospects, especially after sending their No. 1 overall prospect from 2021 and 2025 All-Star starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore to the Washington Nationals in 2022. Preller said trading De Vries was a difficult decision but the organization ultimately felt like Miller and Sears were worthy enough to make the trade. For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.
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