COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: Are the Cowboys ready to spend in NFL Free Agency?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys — Cowboys Squad Show: Are the Cowboys Ready to Spend in NFL Free Agency?

Podcast: Locked On Cowboys – Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Mosher, Jeff Biggs, Glenn “Stretch” Smith (guest / former Cowboys coach)
Guest (next episode): Landon McCool

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Episode Overview

This week’s Cowboys Squad Show dives into the pressing question: Are the Dallas Cowboys finally ready to spend big in NFL free agency? The conversation centers on Jerry Jones’ public declaration to "bust the budget," the team’s draft/free agency strategies, franchise-tagged star George Pickens’ contract saga, and the impact of the NFL Combine—plus late-breaking health news on rising defender Donovan Ezraku. The hosts weigh in with candid analysis, inside stories, and draft/depth chart projections for fans eager to see if the front office will finally act aggressively to chase a championship window.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jerry Jones Signals Aggressive Spending — But Is It Real?

• Jerry Jones stated he's ready to "bust the budget" for the right free agent.
• Marcus Mosher skepticism: “The Cowboys are going to spend more in free agency than we've seen the last couple years. But that's not really saying a ton, Jeff ... last year, Dante Fowler was their biggest signing ... one year, six million.” (03:30)
• Cautionary note: Both Marcus and Stretch caution that spending must not prioritize familiar faces over true talent; previous staff hirings and acquisitions sometimes favored coaches' ties over pure evaluation.
• Quote — Stretch: “I don't want to overpay a guy just because he's got the password to the honeycomb hideout. If we're going to overpay a guy, let's overpay the guy that's evaluated in the correct way.” (06:22)

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2. Free Agency/Draft Strategy & Position Priorities

• What Dallas does in FA will guide their draft approach; if they go after key positions, expect them to avoid those spots early in the draft.

• Marcus: “If they go hard and heavy after cornerbacks, probably a good sign they’re not going to spend a first-round pick on a corner. If they sign Alontae Taylor and another guy ... we probably won’t see them use ... pick number 12 on Monsour Delaine.” (07:47)

• Draft Class Depths:

  • Linebacker and Safety: Deepest spots—can find early starters into Day 3.
  • Cornerback: Dries up quickly; quality edge rushers will only be found early.

• Stretch on team needs: Edge rusher might not be the top priority, despite some buzz.

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3. Stop Drafting “Projects” — Jerry’s New Declared Philosophy

• Jerry Jones wants “no more project players.”
• Stretch Analysis: “He’s saying, ‘Don’t bring me any of those [developmental guys].’ … That's what he's saying. Jerry has a memory like an elephant.“ (10:43)
• Marcus Speculates: Shift toward immediate-impact players over athletes with just “traits”.
• Draft Example: Marcus touts Miami’s Reuben Bain as the #3 player in the class despite not fitting traditional size traits. “He's a top five pick, first round pick ... elite, elite player.” (13:42–13:57)

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4. Traits vs. Proven Production — Draft Philosophy Debate

• Past Mistakes: Team has previously overemphasized measureables (height, arm length) over real tape production.

• Marcus: “You drafted Nayshawn Wright in the third round ... he was here for three years, did almost nothing ... and you don’t get ... the Cowboys got no benefit of that pick. I don't see the Cowboys being that aggressive taking traits this year.” (15:14–16:26)

• Stretch: “Whoever they are, I don’t care ... A day one starter, and they better be, because if they’re not, then it’s a bust pick.” (16:27)

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5. George Pickens: Franchise Tag & Long-Term Deal Drama

[22:12–33:39]

• Context: Pickens tagged; his high-profile agent (David Mulagueda) wants a long-term deal.
• Marcus: “I think Jerry’s smart ... Have you ever met a player that was excited about the franchise tag?” (22:12–22:38)
• Stretch: “No.” (22:38)
• Contract Stalemate & Strategy:
  • Pickens likely unhappy with just a tag but doesn’t benefit from a holdout.
  • Both sides may be “in no rush”; Pickens could bet on himself and try to reset the market post-2026.
  • “If he trumps the season that he just had ... you gotta consider him a $40 million guy.” — Stretch (26:40)
  • Marcus: “It might not be the worst thing in the world for Pickens to wait this out ... we've seen how guys like Dak have leveraged this into ... even bigger contracts ... If he can have another season with no antics ... could potentially earn 10 to $12 million more per season.” (25:47)
• Shifting WR market: Impending deals for JSN, Puka Nacua, and Rashid Shaheed will re-set numbers.

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6. Salary Cap & Negotiation Priorities

• Pickens’ deal may take a back seat while Dallas addresses other needs, kicker Brandon Aubrey’s deal, and cap flexibility.
• Expect more contract restructures and possibly up to $40M in cap space soon.
• Marcus: “Nothing is going to surprise them here over the next week, week and a half.” (59:23)

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7. Brandon Aubrey — Kicker Extension Looming

[34:35–36:15]

• Aubrey wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid kicker (~$7M/year); both sides seem close.
• Marcus: “There’s not a lot of wiggle room here ... I think it ultimately does get done.” (35:04)

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8. Donovan Ezraku’s Surprise Surgery & Defensive Depth Worries

[48:04–48:53]

• News broke that Ezraku is having hip surgery, likely missing the offseason but aiming for training camp.

• Marcus: “This is a setback for him ... but I don’t think this is going to suddenly make edge rusher a bigger need than it already was because I think it was one of the biggest needs on the roster.” (48:04)

• Context: Multiple key defensive players (Ezraku, Duron Bland, Savon Revell, Overton) are coming off injuries—a concern for 2026 depth and production.

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9. NFL Draft: Combine Takeaways & Roster-Building Philosophy

[39:25–44:47]

• Combine Impact:
  • “If you are rooting for someone like Reuben Bain ... this probably was a good combine.” (39:25)
  • Some prospects rose/fell based on measurables and workouts; others play the waiting game for Pro Day.
• Key Takeaway:
  • Most depth/value in this year’s draft is at linebacker and safety.
• Immediate Starters Are a Must:
  • Stretch: “If you don’t get two day one starters, I mean, it’s a bust.” (44:14)
  • Supports rumors that Dallas could trade a pick for a proven contributor.

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10. Blockbuster Trade Rumors: Max Crosby

[44:42–46:59]

• Rumor: Dallas linked to Max Crosby of the Raiders; a trade would cost at least pick #20 and possibly a player like Osa Odighizuwa.
• Marcus: “Whenever you’re paying a guy a lot of money and you’re giving up draft capital, that’s really hard to do... I probably would do it for pick 20 because you’re in a window... but I think anything more than pick 20, I, I would have a problem with it.” (45:50)

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11. Offseason Improvement: Fixing the O-Line, Analytics’ Role

[53:15–57:18]

• Stretch (Coach’s Insight): True team growth means analyzing every play, every look, identifying missed opportunities, and dialing up precise improvements.

  • Emphasizes offseason film study, technical refinement, and making sure your best players are maximized.

• Marcus: “This is where you’ll see the analytics department ... saying, ‘Hey, when we get against these ... defenses, these are the five or six route combinations that are the most effective...’” (56:20)

• Key offseason priority: Fix the offensive line — needs to match its investment to performance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Marcus (on FA spending): “My fear is ... the Cowboys maybe don’t remember how to do it right. A lot of times you’re gonna have to pay 120% of what you think you need to pay.” (03:30)
• Stretch: “Don’t bring me ... a damn Toyota Camry. It’s not what I want. ... Jerry has a memory like an elephant.” (10:43)
• Marcus (on Reuben Bain): “Third best player in this class ... Top five pick, first-round pick ... elite, elite player. You don’t see that on tape?” (13:42–13:57)
• Stretch (draft philosophy): “I’m not looking for any projects. I’m not betting on the come. ... I don't want a guy that, boy, you know, he's got all this stuff, but boy, now, let me tell you ... I'm out on that.” (16:27–18:54)
• Jeff Biggs (on franchise tag): “Have you ever met a player that was excited about the franchise tag?” (22:38)
• Stretch (on injuries): “The problem with having hip surgery is … he needed to add some weight … How much lower body work can you really do?” (48:53)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:30 – Will Cowboys actually spend in free agency? (Mosher skepticism)
• 07:47 – FA action reveals draft intentions
• 10:43–12:53 – Jerry's "no more projects" mandate explained
• 13:42–13:57 – Reuben Bain top-5 prospect debate
• 16:27–18:54 – “Traits” vs. production; lessons from failed picks
• 22:12–33:39 – George Pickens tag, contract standoff; WR market discussion
• 34:35–36:15 – Brandon Aubrey’s looming kicker extension
• 39:25 – NFL Combine takeaways for Cowboys’ draft plan
• 44:42–46:59 – Max Crosby trade rumors; would Dallas pay the price?
• 48:04–48:53 – Donovan Ezraku’s surgery and defensive depth worries
• 53:15–57:18 – Offseason improvement strategy: film, analytics, line play
• 57:18–61:48 – Salary cap moves, extension priorities, and preview of next week

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Summary Flow & Tone

The episode is brisk, candid, and occasionally irreverent—matching the show’s signature style. Coach “Stretch” provides hardline, old-school evaluation and locker-room wisdom; Marcus delivers sharp, stat-laden perspective and transparent skepticism about front office promises. There’s tough love for previous draft misses, pragmatism about the realities of salary cap wizardry, and an unblinking focus on putting pressure on the organization to fix the trenches and resist familiar mistakes in both free agency and the draft.

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For First-Time Listeners

This Cowboys Squad Show episode provides clear, honest guidance on what frustrated fans might expect from Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office in a potentially pivotal free agency. If you’re tired of hearing the Cowboys are “in on everyone” only to watch them stand pat, this episode prepares you with realistic expectations, sharp draft/depth analysis, key cap mechanics, and the insider logic that will drive the team’s actions in both March and April.

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What’s Next?

• More combine buzz and draft rumors on upcoming Locked On Cowboys podcasts.
• Expect free agency preview coverage, with linebacker/safety scouting reports and reaction as the legal tampering window opens.

Your Team. Every Day.

Transcript

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Foreign.

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Glenn Stretch Smith]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Jeff Biggs]

and a jump away.

[Marcus Mosher]

AKA Fast. That was actually a good workout. Fast Fast one day delivery for all things fitness. It's on Prime.

[Jeff Biggs]

I am Jeff Biggs and I am ready for some good old fashioned tampering. Let the spending begin.

[Marcus Mosher]

I am Marcus Mosher and I'm still recovering from the combine and I didn't even run a 40 yard dash.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Make sure you give Jerry a pen that can write Glenn Stretch Smith. He's going to need to write some big numbers.

[Marcus Mosher]

How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboy Squad. Everything Dallas Cowboys every week covering all the big hits and game changing plays from America's team the way only the Locked on podcast network can get ready and squad up. It's the Cowboy Squad show starting now.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yes, March has arrived and so has some of the madness. And that includes another edition of the Cowboys Squad show. Great to be with you on this Monday night. We are brought to you tonight once again by FanDuel. Today's episode brought to you by FanDuel because you can use your profit boost on an NBA future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the NBA Finals. Play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, we got a lot to get to tonight. We start with a welcome to the co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast. That would be Marcus Mosher. Marcus, good to see you buddy. Landon will be back with us on Thursday. Aisha Morrison will be back with us next week. And coach, we've got former Cowboys coach Glen Stretch Smith. All right, so we got the very latest on the Cowboys. George Pickens has officially been tagged. The combine is over. As Marcus mentioned And we also learned of a surprise surgery today for Jonathan Ezraku. We'll get into that as well. But I think the big takeaway, at least for me, guys, over the weekend, Jerry Jones holding court on his bus in Indy, saying he is ready to bust the budget for spending in free agency. Marcus. What, you know, what are your thoughts on that? And, and I guess, realistically, what kind of spending should we expect?

[Marcus Mosher]

First of all, it must be pretty nice to just sit on the bus and let the media come towards you. I mean, I want to get to that point where you don't even have to leave the comfort of your double decker bus. Right. The other part of this, that I think the Cowboys are going to spend more in free agency than we've seen in the last couple years. But that's not really saying a ton, Jeff. Like last year, Dante Fowler was their biggest signing over the last decade and he got like a one year, six million dollar contract. So my fear here is a little bit that when it comes to spending in free agency, the Cowboys maybe don't remember how to do it right. And a lot of times you're gonna have to pay 120% of what you think you need to pay. It's like going into an auction. You've got so much money and all of a sudden the prices are way higher than you expected. We'll see if the Cowboys are ready to swim in these waters.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, I, I mean, I, I think you've already seen that they're prepping for what is going to be an ability to get to a big number with the right guy. Now my whole thing is more about the right guy. I'm, I'm, I'm a little gun shy from the last coordinators. Whether that was Marinelli and wanting to bring in Tristan Hill and draft him so early, whether that was Eber Flush and wanted to bring in a linebacker who was not very good, I'm more concerned about who it is. And the thing that I don't want is just because there's familiarity with Dean or Blankenship, I don't want those guys to go to the front of the line. I want them to do a true evaluation. Is, Is Levante David healthy enough to. To give you some. What you want at linebacker is would he be better than Lloyd? I mean, I just, I want him to get it right more than I'm concerned about Jerry writing the check.

[Marcus Mosher]

And I'm with you, Stretch. You know, unfortunately, that's a lot of free agency is who, you know, who you've you know, played under before. That's how these guys sign deals. And there's certain agencies that work really well with teams and, you know, there's college ties that go back here. So I'm, I'm, I'm 100% with you. We've already heard a couple names. Nicobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, PJ Lock. All these guys have connections to Christian Parker. That doesn't mean they're bad fits. But it can't just be guys that you are, you're, you're friends with. Right. Or you've coached with, coached under before. That part of it I am a little bit nervous about as well.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, I don't want to overpay a guy just because he's got the password to the honeycomb hideout. If we're going to overpay a guy, let's overpay the guy that's evaluated in the correct way.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, and don't you think that happened a little bit even last year? I mean, they traded for Quinn and Williams and I think a lot of it was because, you know, Aaron Whitecot is a guy that coached him before they signed Solomon Thomas, who played under Aaron White Cotton. They hired Matt Eberfluss because that was somebody that they knew. That's kind of the business of the NFL. I just hope you aren't putting lesser players better ones because you know that

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

and we're saying the same thing. I mean, I'm not. Do I think that White Cotton had more cachet or more to say about whether they traded for Williams or not? He might have when it came to Solomon Thomas. I'm not sure about Quinn and Williams. So we'll, we'll, we'll see where, we'll see where that goes. But the point I'm making is always before, when guys first get in the building, they get the bullhorn. Now if you get the bullhorn, you, you need to be right in what you're saying. In the bullhorn. Don't get the bullhorn and just get to, just, just get to be in a damn carnival barker.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I'm stretch. What I'm really interested in is which positions do they attack Because I actually believe what they do in free agency will likely tell us what they're going to do in the draft. Like if they go hard and heavy after cornerbacks, probably a good sign that they're not going to spend a first round pick on a corner. Like if they sign Alante Taylor and another guy, I'm just throwing out names, we probably won't see them Use the first, you know, pick, pick number 12 on Monsour Delaine from LSU. Or if they go really hard at linebacker and they bring into Kobe Dean and somebody else, maybe even a guy like Sunny Styles wouldn't be an option. Or CJ Allen at 20. I think in the next week, again, because legal tampering starts next Monday, I think we'll have a pretty good idea what the Cowboys are trying to accomplish in free agency and in the draft.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

So where, where, I mean, I haven't done enough homework right now and I probably am speaking a little bit early here. We got a lot of shows till all this happens, but I mean, where is the, where is the draft deepest at? Is it deepest at safety? Is it deepest at linebacker? Where is it deepest at corner?

[Marcus Mosher]

No, the first two, linebacker and safety, those are probably the two deepest spots in the entire draft. I think corner is one of the spots that dries up really quickly. I just don't think even after pick 20, you're going to be getting guys that you feel great about. Linebacker goes all the way into day three. You can find starting caliber linebackers on day three, but what you're not going to find are these guys up front, these edge rushers outside of round one that you feel awesome about. So if you want to get an impact pass rusher, and we'll talk about Donovan as Rocku later, but if you want a guy that can come in and give you some, you know, quality play, you're going to have to draft that guy early or you're going to need to attack free agency pretty heavy there.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, I'm just, I mean, I, I, I think when you look at where, where you're at here, I mean, I, I don't prioritize. I don't think one number one need is edge rusher right now. That's just not, I, I don't believe that. Not, not, not in what I, what I think can happen here. That doesn't mean that it does that it may not enter in at 20, but I don't believe at 12 edge rusher is a direction you're going to go.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do you think with Jerry Jones talking about. One of the things I thought was fascinating is that he said he doesn't want any more project players. And what I think he means by that and coach, I mean you speak Jerry better than anybody else. I know. What I think he means by that is he doesn't want these guys that are, that are banged up, that are going to need time to get healthy and that need a year before they're ready to play. I think he's feeling like they need guys that can play right now, right now. And I do wonder how that changes their draft strategy.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean, again, Jerry is a Zig Ziggler sales guy. And so Jerry, the, the number one, he. Thing he's going to say is, I got two picks in the top 20. Don't, don't give me, I, I got a chance here to draft and go get myself a Ferrari. Don't. Don't give me a damn Toyota Camry. It's not what I want. And that, that's, in a sense, that's what he's saying is if you go back and you think about where the Cowboys have been just since he's owned the football team and you go back and think about, and I don't want to say this like, like I'm dinging guys, but you go back and think about Kavika Pittman, Ebenezer Ekibon and guys that they were taking flyers on because they felt like they had what it took to be an edge guy. And what he's telling you is, don't bring me none of them. That's what he's saying. Jerry has a memory like an elephant. Don't bring me any of those guys. That, that, that's how I take what he's saying. I don't want to. Well, and I feel, I feel the same way about Ezraku. I mean, I, you know, I, I think Donovan Azeraku, where did they take him?

[Marcus Mosher]

I was like, it was like 45 or 47.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah. Into the end of the second. Middle.

[Marcus Mosher]

Top of the second. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I, I think he's a, he is a project guy. Don't give me another one of them with these first two picks. I don't want one of those. But we've got one. And, and doesn't mean he's bad. It means that it, it's going to take him, I believe, another year before he really can blossom into being something. And so what he's saying is I want a guy right now that is, is in position to go make this defense better.

[Marcus Mosher]

And I find that fascinating because some of the edge rushers in this draft are guys that aren't the traitsy type. Like Reuben Bain from Miami. Came in at 30 and 78 inch arms, which would be the lowest ever for a defensive end drafted inside the top 150 picks. So you're taking an all time outlier in terms of traits. He didn't run the 40 because he's not going to run very fast. He's 6 foot 2. He is a short, armed defensive end, but he can get to the quarterback. And I think maybe that's more what they're going to be open to now. The, Rather than taking a guy like Keldrick Falk from Auburn, who's six six 275 and it's got really long arms but no production, I think they want the guys that can come out and play right now.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

You think Bane is a true first round draft pick?

[Marcus Mosher]

Absolutely. I've got him as my, I think my third best player in this class.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Third best player in the whole class.

[Marcus Mosher]

Whole class.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Say it again.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, whole class. Third best player in this class. Yes.

[Jeff Biggs]

Wow.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Top five pick is what you're saying.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes. A top five pick, first round picked. Whatever you want to say. Yes. He's a, the elite, elite player. You don't, you don't see that on tape?

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean, I, I'm telling you. Is, is, is Love the running back at Notre Dame? Is he a top five guy to you? Yes, yes, yes. How many time he got in the top five? About 15.

[Marcus Mosher]

I got five. Arval Reese, Sunny Styles, Reuben Bane, Fernando Mendoza and Jeremiah Love. That's five. I can count.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean I, I see you over there working in abacus off the right, right off the right of that screen.

[Marcus Mosher]

Working on it.

[Jeff Biggs]

So let me, let me ask this. There was, somebody was talking. I read somewhere somebody was talking about not necessarily following traits. So, so what do they mean by that? What, what? Break that down for us. You want to do a coach?

[Marcus Mosher]

You want me to do it?

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Following trend. I'm, I'm not sure I understand the question.

[Jeff Biggs]

Like they were guilty in the past of just following too much.

[Marcus Mosher]

I got one like example for last year. Savon Revelle. Savon Revell is a 6 foot 2 long arm cornerback who runs in the low four fours. But he got injured and he didn't have a lot of experience and he was playing at East Carolina. That is a trace pick. You are, you are betting on your coaching staff being able to develop him because he's got all of these tools rather than somebody like. Let's use an example from 2017. Jordan Lewis, who is a, you know, five foot nine and a half corner with shorter arms. He runs a four, five. But Jordan Lewis could play right out of the gate. Right. He played at Michigan. He was born to play in the NFL. Lewis was an awesome player. It was over 10 years in the NFL already. We'll see about Ravel. We'll See how long it takes. I think another example, Jeff, would be like Nayshaan Wright. You drafted Nayshaan right in the third round. He was here for three years, did almost nothing. Right. He moves on to another team in Minnesota, does nothing, and then finally in year five, he does something with the Bears. But now he's a free agent again. And you don't get, you know, the Cowboys got no benefit of that pick. I don't see the Cowboys being that aggressive taking traits this year.

[Jeff Biggs]

Good answer.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I'm, I'm just from the school. That again, whoever you pick with these top 20 guys, I, whoever they are, I don't care. I don't care. Position they are at day one starter and, and they better be, because if they're not, then it's a bus pick. That, that, that's how I look at that. I don't want, I'm not looking for any projects. I'm not betting on the come. I'm not, I don't want a guy that boy, you know, he's, he's, he's got all this stuff, but boy. Now, let me tell you, every once in. No, no, no, no. I'm, I'm out on that. And that's why I do think that when you start talking about guys that get dinged for certain characteristics, does that move that individual out of your top 20, out of your top 15, or for that matter, out of the top first round? I mean, you know, how much that, that's my, that would be my take on this is how much, how much emphasis are you going to put on measurables? How much are you truly going to put on measurables? And I think we see it happen all the time. I mean, I, you know, we saw it happen with Ross, the, the receiver. I mean, Ross, yeah, he was. Could run a hole in the wind, but he, but he didn't know how to run a route or as Jason Garrett's dad would say, a root. So if you don't know how to do that and you can't, you know, you can't maneuver your body, you can't throw your outside hip and run out of speed cuts, you can't get yourself into the dig window. You can't understand that once you escape from press coverage and he's outside leveraging you and you have to go inside and you don't understand the concept of getting back on top of him or tracking the football in the correct way. Those are all things that you, you put too much emphasis on the measurable side of things. And like you're talking about, I mean there will be people. I will promise you that that will ding Bane and will ding Cash's how that that'll be the first thing they say the first time they get locked up on in camp or they're them 30 inch arms. There's that 65 tackle locking on them 30 inch arms and, and, and steering him like a, you know, just steering him like a go kart.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yep, it's going to happen.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right. Well we'll leave that there for now, but lots to get to and I know Marcus, Hugh and Landon have been all over the draft already, which is great. It's a beautiful thing. All right, when we come back, George Pickens has been tagged. It's official. Where do things stand with that? We got to talk about Donovan Ezraku as well. And what clarity do we have now that the combine is in the books? We'll do that coming up. This is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff Biggs]

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[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, I think Jerry's smart. He. He's got several players on his roster right now that are represented by David. Mm. He's got some free agents that probably want to be here that are represented by David M. There's no reason to poke the bear any further. Right. He also said that George Pickens was, was ecstatic about the franchise tag. Coach, you and I have been doing this for a while now. Have you ever met a player that was excited about the franchise tag?

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

No.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, that's kind of what I feel like as well, is Pickens just. I. I think Pickens is excited about the op, you know, potential of playing in Dallas with CD Lamb again in 2026. Do I think he wants to play in the franchise tag? Absolutely not. I. I think he wants some long term certainty. We'll see if the Cowboys give him that deal. But we heard Stephen Jones talk at the combine, and he said there's no. They don't feel like there's a timetable or a rush to get this thing done. I think this could be a thing that drags out for a while and

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

that plays into the hand of how David M, you know, manages his guys. Hey, we'll just, we'll just. We'll just take our time here. We'll just. We'll just sit back and see if they decide to play a card or what card they decide to play. And, you know, I don't think that's always. That doesn't fit in my mind with where the Cowboys need to be going into the 2026 season. They need, they need their guys lined up and ready to go when training camp hits.

[Jeff Biggs]

Absolutely.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do you wonder. I mean, I agree with you. Obviously, there's been some talk about that he wouldn't be around for off season workouts and all that kind of stuff. And I get it. That's the play that the agent has to make if the guy's on the franchise. Tag, but I also don't know how much that really matters, Stretch, because this is a guy that didn't join the team until May last year anyways. He wasn't really around for all the off season workouts. He showed up in training camp in. He was awesome. They, they've got a deadline. Was it July 15th? To get a deal done? And if they don't get a long term deal done, he'll sign the franchise tag and he'll be a free agent again in 2027. I just wonder if this isn't, I wonder if this might just play out that way. Let, let him play in the franchise tag. He'll be there for training camp. I, I don't think he's going to make a big fuss about it. That's my personal opinion. I, I wonder if we're trending in

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

that direction, if we're trying to get a. Direction of a holdout.

[Marcus Mosher]

No, not a holdout because I, I doesn't benefit Pickens to hold out at all because he's already got a reputation around the league. Right. And if he's holding out, it's not like the Cowboys can trade him after July 15th anyways. Right. So he's gonna have to play. He likes playing in Dallas. That's why I, I think Stephen and Jerry Jones are very open to the possibility of making him prove it one more year. Much like they did to Marcus Lawrence back in 2017, 2018. They made him play on the franchise tag before they gave him a long term deal. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they're going to try to do here.

[Jeff Biggs]

My only concern though is that to get to that point, that means that they're not going to be able to agree on a long term deal before that.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Correct.

[Jeff Biggs]

And so I just.

[Marcus Mosher]

What if they're not in a rush though, Jeff?

[Jeff Biggs]

I, I don't think they are, but I, I'm, I'm sure Pickens and his agent would like to get that done. And I think, well, when we see what happens in free agency, maybe not.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, I, I think I, I generally agree with you. Right. But if you're Pickens and you're David Mulaguetta and you believe this is a situation that sets up well for Pickens to have another 13, 14, 100 yard season and if he's on his best behavior and he shows up on time to meetings and he's not getting fined and he has another big season, he's not going to make $32 million on the open Market or from his next team, he might be making $42 million. And we've seen how guys like Dak have leveraged this into, you know, making even bigger contracts. He's only 24 years old. If he can have another season with no antics, I wonder if he could potentially earn 10 to $12 million more per season. And we should mention guys like Puka, Nakua and Jackson, Smith and Jigba are up for contracts. And I think they're going to reset the market even further. It might not be the worst thing in the world for Pickens to wait this out.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, I mean, I agree with that. I mean, he's gonna, if he, if he trumps the season that he just had and goes out and does it again, I, I mean, I, you, you got to consider him a $40 million guy. And so now you, you, you think about the numbers. Let's say he signed up. I, I don't know. I mean, let's say you could get him for. Do you think right now he'd take a three year, $100 million deal?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I bet he would.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah. So, so, so, so if you, if you're him and you wait, let's just say you, you, you, you play the best you can this year, you, you bet on yourself again, you go out, you might get a 3 for 120 deal. 3 for 125.

[Marcus Mosher]

On top of the 28 million that you earned this year. Yes.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Right. At 25 years old.

[Marcus Mosher]

Correct.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

So you take the 28, the 125, you know, 153 and a half in, in a four year period, that, that resets a lot of different things. And so coming out of what he came out of a year ago, which was Pittsburgh in a place that at the time, you know, didn't have a, didn't have a quarterback that, that they thought was, that he thought was very good. He hooks up with a quarterback that is pretty good, gets in a position where he's in a good town, good place, good receiver, a really good receiver. Opposite of him, good tight end, good running game, good quarterback. It's a lot. There's a lot. There's a lot of boxes to check with, with pluses.

[Marcus Mosher]

You're really saying that Pennsylvania is better than Texas? Is that what you're saying? No, go look. That's fine. Go ahead.

[Jeff Biggs]

Do you think, let me start here. Do you think in Jigba will get a new deal before the season starts? Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

Okay, so I bet him and Puka both get new deals.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Right?

[Jeff Biggs]

Okay. So that that's gonna be. That's gonna factor into it, I would think, a little bit.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

And. And then what does that. What does that do with Shahid?

[Marcus Mosher]

Rashid Shahid? I mean, wouldn't be surprised if he gets. Well, he's a free agent. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets 15 to 20 million dollars a year on the open market.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Not with Seattle. If you're saying that they're gonna.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, probably not with Seattle.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

They're gonna play. If they're gonna pay JSN that kind of money, I don't see him locking up.

[Jeff Biggs]

No.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

That kind of money in receivers. Correct. Sorry to bother you, Jeff.

[Jeff Biggs]

No, that's good. So my point is, is that either, like, I see what you're saying, and could he bet on himself and do it again? And so, you know, yeah, no problem. I'll do it one more year, and then I'll get even more.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Get.

[Jeff Biggs]

Could he do that? And could he have that positive attitude? Absolutely. I. I hope he does. I. I love to see those stories, but I think the fact that we've heard a couple comments already from his agent and kind of feeling like he already. He already did that, and I kind of get the sense that his agent and his people don't feel like he needs to prove himself again. They. They want to get paid now. So.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And I. I think the reasoning behind that is these agents know their clients. They know that George Pickens is uber talented. Right. He is just as talented as all those guys at the top of the market. But he also knows how fickle this can be right here. I don't think his stock is. Is as stable as Jackson, Smith, the Jigba, or Pukinakua. So maybe. Maybe to them, the risk isn't worth it. So rather than arguing, hey, we want to get paid 35, the Cowboys are only offering 30. Let's settle at 32. Rather than, you know, completely dragging this out as long as possible. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more urgency from David Mulaguetta this time around than we did with Micah, because I think we all knew with Micah, every day that went by, the price was going up, Right? Because every team in the world would like Micah Parsons. We just had 10 months ago. Every team in. In the league had a chance to trade a top 100 pick for Pickens, and nobody was interested when he was on a rookie contract. Now he's brought up his value, but again, this is way more finicky than, I think some of these other situations.

[Jeff Biggs]

When I hear Finicky I think of cat food. Wasn't there a commercial coach back in the day with some cat food?

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

That's a good word though. I'm not even, I'm not even interested in cats or any cat food. So. I'm sorry.

[Jeff Biggs]

So, so who. Final question then we'll move on to Brandon Aubrey. So who's, who's got the ball right now? Who's, whose court is the ball? Is it the Cowboys move now to make the first offer, to make the first call? Or are they like you said, or do they wait and wait for Mulligetta to call them?

[Marcus Mosher]

I think it's the Cowboys, right? I think the Cowboys, if they send out that first offer, whether it's, you know, three years at 105 million or whatever, whatever the suggested number is, I wouldn't be surprised if that's ultimately what happens. I think for both sides, they're going to want a shorter term deal. And that's why I am fairly optimistic that it does get done here.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean, I think you gotta, I think you gotta look to see. He, he moved him because of where he was. He was at the top of the priority chain and he got the franchise tag. He's moved about five notches down. Now you got the kicker. Now you got some free agent needs on defense that I believe are in, in front of, from a priority standpoint, in front of George Pickens because they know he has the franchise tag. So it'll, it'll be interesting to see how Stephen and Todd Williams start to mess with this cap. I know they've already, what they, they've redone three guys, I think Dakota, CD and maybe Smith. So who else can get redone? And then from a priority standpoint, where do you, where do you place that priority? Is it linebacker, is it safety? Is it both? Because if it's both, I tend to say that the Cowboys are going to expect him to play on that franchise tag because it's going to be, I mean, do you really think they can create enough salary cap space to say, put pickens in for three years at. Just to say around number 100 and sign just for namesake David from Jacksonville and Blankenship, sure, you can do it.

[Marcus Mosher]

And Jerry Jones talked about borrowing money for future seasons. I think that's how they get it done.

[Jeff Biggs]

Okay, as far as the linebackers go, I mean, is it basically, are you, are we looking at either you get the Kobe Dean or you get David Devin Lloyd? Is it like one or the other or do you have like. Yeah, you can't yeah, right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Some of the numbers that we were hearing just whispered at the NFL combine for Devin Lloyd would make your jaw drop. I. He's an awesome player. I don't think the Cowboys are going to entertain that, but I do think somebody like Nicobe Dean, who knows the system well, one of the top three or four linebackers available, and I don't think Philadelphia is going to resign him. I think of the two, he is far more likely to be an option. And you should check out the 10 minute episode that Landon and I did on Monday where you'll hear us talk about Nakobe Dean. How's that for us?

[Jeff Biggs]

That was seamless, Marcus. That was outstanding. Vintage right there. All right. So last week the Brandon Aubrey news broke and it kind of blew up and it seemed like maybe they were going to break up or go in a different direction, but it seems like everything kind of calmed down over the weekend and now it appears that they're hopefully pretty close to a deal. What do you think? They. They say they want to make him the highest paid kicker in the league. Sounds like they can do that. Will we see that happen?

[Marcus Mosher]

Sounds like there was a lot of agents yelling at the combine at reporters about certain numbers and yeah, I. Whenever you get those kind of things, I think you're getting close. I He wants to be the highest paid kicker in the league. Jerry said they had an offer out there to make them the highest, you know, highest paid paid kicker. There's not a lot of wiggle room here. Right. Like Harrison, but Care is the highest paid kicker in the league at six and a half million. And I believe it was Todd France, you know, said that, hey, they're not looking to get paid 10 million a year. So whether that's nine and a half or seven, there's not. There's not a lot of negotiating to get that down. That's why I think it ultimately does get done.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, cool. I hope so. I mean, I know. I know there's talk that kickers can kind of be expendable and I get that. But guy's so good and he's such a weapon to have. I think, you know, with. With the right situation, you can really use him. And really not only with the field goals, but also with the field position and not getting those 35 touchbacks.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And if we start to go like with the. The way the UFL is going where we're giving four points for a 60 yard field goal, Brandon Aubrey is going to be the most valuable player in the league. So let's sign me up for that.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right. When we come back, we're going to talk about the combine a little bit. We got to talk about this surprise surgery for Donovan as a rock. Who what does that really mean? What does that do to the defense that is already trying to get better and try to improve? We'll get into that when we come back. This is the Cowboys Squad show.

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[Jeff Biggs]

I gotta talk to you about Indeed and what they've got going on because workplace chaos. Deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. That's not good when the pressure's on you. You need to hire the right person. And this is a job for Sponsored Jobs. That's right, Indeed Sponsored Jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for. Skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. You're actually doing something about it. And here's a stab that really says it all in this time, less than a minute that we've been talking, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed. That according to the Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, you need to spend less time searching and more time interviewing the candidates who check all the boxes. Your boxes with Indeed Sponsored Jobs. So spend less time searching, more time actually interviewing candidates who check all your boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. We when you need the right person to cut through the chaos. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves@ Indeed.com podcast just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about it on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. All right, welcome back to the Cowboy Squad Show. That is Marcus Mosher, host co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast, along with Landon McCool and former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. All Right. So we were talking Marcus and you and Landon really did, I thought, a good show. But stealing your question, did the combine hurt or help the Cowboys draft plans? What was your takeaway?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I think it depends, right? I think it depends on what you want. If you are rooting for someone like Reuben Bain, the Miami guy, a top five pick in my opinion, Coach, to fall to the Cowboys at 12, then honestly, this probably was a good combine.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

You.

[Marcus Mosher]

Because he measured in a little shorter than expected. He didn't perform at, you know, any of the drills. He didn't run a 40, and there were a lot of other edge rushers that looked good. So now I wonder if some of these teams, like the Commanders and the Bengals and the Chiefs pass on him for more with players with more upside or if you're looking for a safety. Dylan Thieman and Emmanuel McNeil Warren both had fantastic combine performances, and now those guys are firmly in the discussion, not only at 20, but maybe even at 12. So I think overall it was a good combine for Dallas, but we'll have to see how it plays out. I mean, we. A lot changes from the mocks and everything we had all the boards last week to what's going to happen in the next couple week. And I think a good example of that, this Caleb Downs, who got flagged at for medical reasons at the combine, who a lot of people think is a top five player in this class, maybe all of a sudden he will be available to you at pick number 12.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I think. I think you're going to see a lot of guys and guys that are right now in staff rooms giving guys battlefield promotions from what come out of that combine, and they're also giving them battlefield demotions from what came out of that combine. Now, we don't. We don't necessarily know, but I think there's so much that's still going to be playing out here because of the pro days and because of guys wanting to go. And there were so many guys in my mind who didn't run at the combine who are waiting for the pro day. Let's. Let's see how that plays itself out. Because, I mean, these, these mock drafts are going to, I think, are going to drastically change.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, and they change every year. This is the time of the year, once we leave Indianapolis, you know, all the teams that there, we start getting little, you know, nuggets and rumors. You're going to see a lot of the mocks change. Maybe you'll see a guy like Jeremiah Love, who ran a 4, 3, 6, 40 yard dash, start going in the top five, maybe you'll see a quarterback like Ty Simpson who threw the ball well, starting to get more traction to like maybe the Dolphins at pick number 11 or the Rams at 13. I'm with Stretch. You're going to see a lot of changes between now and the next two weeks.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Let me ask you something. Do you think. Do you think Jeremiah Love was joking when they asked him who America's team was?

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, he. So he said his dad was a Steeler fan and just living around here. I know how. Trying to think of a nice word, dumb Steeler fans are. So. Yeah, I don't know. Maybe.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean, I'm just asking. I mean, was he. Did. Was he. I mean, was he thinking he was. You know, it was a Saturday evening at the Improv and he was going to audition real quick during the 5:30, you know, during the 5:30 drink special.

[Marcus Mosher]

Unfortunately, you've used that line for me several times, so I don't know if that's a compliment.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

No, I'm. I use a lot of lines a lot of different times because guess what? If the shoe fits, wear it. If it doesn't, cut your damn toenails and put it on. The point I'm making is, is, was he. Was that him being funny or do you really think, you know, I think

[Marcus Mosher]

he believes it, which I, again, I think he believes it, which means if he truly thinks that Pittsburgh's America's team gonna have to take him off the board. I just, I can't see any way that you would want to draft Jeremiah Love in the top 255 picks.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Throw him out. Throw him out.

[Marcus Mosher]

As the Yinzer would say up here. Get him out of here.

[Jeff Biggs]

So back to the. The getting a starter on day one. I mean, realistically, I mean, yeah, too. I mean realistically. I mean, can we, can we expect that, can we expect a couple guys to be, you know, ready to go and jump right in?

[Marcus Mosher]

Sure. I mean, I think so. I think you might prioritize positions that are a little bit easier to translate to the NFL. I mean, I think like, for example, linebacker. Linebacker is a spot that historically guys have been able to come in and be productive right away. That's not necessarily true for edge rushers. Right. That's usually a position that takes a while. Same for corner. So maybe you try to go out and you get a, you know, a linebacker in a safety with your top two picks because you feel good that they can quickly make that transition to the NFL. And again, just to kind of go back to the beginning of the show. Stretch, asked, what are the top two positions in terms of depth in this class? Linebacker in safety, maybe that's where you get the most value.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

And if you don't get two day one starters, I mean, it's a bust. I feel that way.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, and that's why we've heard so many people and rumors, you know, suggesting that the Cowboys trade one of those first round picks for a guy that can play right now, whether that's a Max Crosby or whoever, I understand the idea of like you cannot afford to bust with these two first round picks or you've got no shot in the nfc.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

There is zero room for error, zero room for air.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I'm with you.

[Jeff Biggs]

You mentioned Max. Why do we keep hearing that the Cowboys are like favorites to land him?

[Marcus Mosher]

Like two first round picks and they need a defensive end. That's probably what it is more than anything. Right. And let's be honest, Jeff, like, it plays really well into SEO stuff when, you know, you put the Cowboys in trade stuff. People like to click on that kind of stuff. I didn't know that.

[Jeff Biggs]

So. So with that said, clearly the, the Raiders are not going to get for Max Crosby what the Cowboys got for Micah. Right. I mean, they're not going to get two first round picks for him. I mean, it's not going to happen.

[Marcus Mosher]

No. And Crosby's a really good player, but he's also coming off an injury. He's a lot older than what Micah was and he's not as special as a pass rusher. So, no, I think ultimately it's going to be a first round pick and maybe a player.

[Jeff Biggs]

Okay. Would you have any interest in him at this point at that price or no? Is that too high?

[Marcus Mosher]

You know, I mean, it's, it's mixed, right? Because I think whenever you're paying a guy a lot of money and you're giving up draft capital, that's really hard to do. And I think they've already kind of made that move with Quinn and Williams last year. They got to get Quinn a big, big deal either this year, next year, I think I probably would do it for pick 20 because you're in a window. Like these next two years are really all that it matters with Dak Prescott under contract and with the current build of your team. But I think anything more than pick 20, I, I would have a problem with it.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

You think the Raiders would take pick 20 for him?

[Marcus Mosher]

If it's. What if it's 20 and Oso Digizua

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

100. But I'm saying I don't think you. I mean, do you really want to give that much?

[Marcus Mosher]

I. If you don't think OSA is a great fit in the defense, I do, by the way. And you want to shed some money to take on Crosby's contract, it's not the worst idea, but I'm with you. I think that's a little too much.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

That's way too rich for what I think is going to be a rotational three down guys with Pickett, OSA and. And Quinn. Quinn, yeah, Quinn and Williams.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I'm with you.

[Jeff Biggs]

We got to see about Kenny Clark, right?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yep, yep.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Who? I said Pickett Clark.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I knew who you meant.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got Kenny Clark. Oh. So Diggy Zua and Quinn and Williams are the rotational inside guys. That, that I think then you're going to have, you know, again, if you're going to cover the. If you're going to cover the inside guys up like they're talking about doing. You mean you need, you need all three of those guys at five technique.

[Marcus Mosher]

Right. Not four eye. Right. Stretch. Just joking.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Go ahead.

[Jeff Biggs]

So did you have any idea that Donovan Ezraku had a hip issue or was going to need surgery? I. I don't. I didn't. I'm being brutally honest. And is there that he'll be okay for.

[Marcus Mosher]

So I, I mean, this is news to a lot of people. I think this is, this is a setback for him. It's a labrum in his hip. The expectation is he's going to miss most of the off season workouts, but he is ready. He is going to be ready for training camp. But now you've got, you've got Duron Bland coming off of a major injury. You've got Donovan as a raku coming off a major injury. You've got Savon Revel who tore his ACL in the, what, 2024. You got a lot of guys on defense that are banged up.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yep.

[Marcus Mosher]

Over shown coming off a major injury. Just a lot of your top defenders are coming back from major injuries. It's a, it's a setback. But I don't think this is going to suddenly make Edge Rusher a bigger need than it already was because I think it was one of the biggest needs in the roster.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

I mean, the problem with having hip surgery is, I mean, he. He's a guy that needed to add some. He needed to put some weight on and having that surgery. I mean, how much, how much can you really. I mean, how much lower body Work can you really do in order to add some weight?

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, I could tom it out some weight. Just go to that. In and out over and over again. That'll help you. It's not a problem.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Yeah, eat those animal fries and. Yeah, I get it.

[Jeff Biggs]

Good stuff. Better than Whataburger, by the way. That's just my opinion. I remember, though, Bo Jackson, I was at the game, the playoff game at the Coliseum when he was with the Raiders against the Bengals and, and he was tackled and injured his hip and he was never, never the same guy again. So I hope it's, I don't think it's the exact same injury, but it was a hip injury. And you hope that Donovan's going to be okay and ready to go.

[Marcus Mosher]

Landon's correcting us in the chat. Chat saying animal style.

[Jeff Biggs]

I think you can, I think you can use the.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Just put a bunch of Thousand island dressing on, some french fries and the melted cheese.

[Marcus Mosher]

I've never been to either, so I can't really comment.

[Jeff Biggs]

So put the grilled onions on also. All right, when we come back, our final segment. Coach, I had a bonus question for you that I was going to throw at you. So we'll do that when we come back. Great to be with you. Even Landon's hanging out with us tonight. It's a beautiful thing. This is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff Biggs]

All right, got to talk to you about game time. And wouldn't you know it, this, this thing, when I go back and forth, it gets rid of the ability for me to move this thing up and down. So there's going to be no banner, but it's okay. Game time. We live in a world where we can stream anything, order food in minutes and carry supercomputers in our pockets. And somehow buying tickets to a live game still feels complicated. Hidden fees, jumping prices, endless steps. There has to be a better way. Well, that's why you need the Game Time app. It gives fans the advantage and makes getting tickets simple. Whether it's NFL games, concerts, comedy, whatever you're into now you jump out of the app, check out the tickets for an upcoming game or event and literally it will only take you minutes. You can see panoramic views from every seat before you buy. The price you see includes all fees. There's no surprises at checkout and you can even spot zone deals where you pick the section and game time picks the seat for extra savings. So two taps, you have great seats locked in. Fast, easy done. So right now, take the guesswork out of buying Tickets. Download the GameTime app, create an account use code locked on for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again create an account and redeem code locked on L O C K E D o N for $20 off download game time today. All right, we are back. Final segment here on the Cowboy Squad show, Marcus Moser and former Cowboys coach Glenn Strike Smith. So, coach, I was going to ask you about this. You know, we've been talking a lot about the defense and things that they need to do. But I was curious. From a coaching standpoint, when you, you have a season like the Cowboys where did a lot of great things on offense, but still the team went seven, nine and one, you didn't make the playoffs. Again, a lot of good moments. What, what is the process of improving and building upon that? What's that like during the off season when you're done with the season and then the new season is coming up, you like your group, but you want to get better, you want to do even better. What's that, that whole process?

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Like, how do you, I mean, you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna go in and you're gonna look at all your cutups. All your plays are going to be divided by the exact same look, same place, same front. All those things that you can sort and look at your plays by. And what you want to do is you want to, you want to really get yourself in a position to say, okay, we had opportunity here to make big plays in this situation or in this play or versus this look or versus this coverage and how are we going to best put ourselves in position next year? When we see these coverages, we see these fronts, we see this look, how are we going to, how are we going to attack this in a more efficient fashion? And then those are the things that you prioritize and you, and you work through all through the OTAs and all through all year. So, for instance, say that they feel like they could have been better running a certain route or had opportunity to take advantage of a certain front. How Are we better going to block this front? What techniques are we may, we may tweak or we may change in order to help us get this where it was a 7 yard run, make this a 14 yard run or make it an 18 yard run or make it to where he gets one on one with a safety right now. So all of those little things and all of those little angles and all of those little tweaks, it's, it's like tuning a car engine. That's what you want to do. You want to take the time from drawing out what you, what you played and what you had during the season and then giving yourself an opportunity to say, boy, if we had, if, if we had both of our wide receivers, CD didn't get hurt, can you imagine what we would have gotten on the backside of this? Where they were, where they were playing George over the top? Or can you imagine if CD is, is getting the bracket here and we call this route versus this coverage. Can you imagine what we can do with that? And so that's what you want to do. You want to take those things and you want to work on those things and that's exactly what you want to do. Challenging your quarterback too, to make sure that, you know he's better with the tighter window throws or whatever it is that you're looking at. You know, again, you can break it down with the offensive line and their steps and how their head placement in and how their hand placement are, break it down with the running backs, how their eyes are, what they do, how they see certain protections. All of those things you want to, you want to just tweak and you want to continue to dial in so that when you get that opportunity to see that exact coverage or that exact front or that exact look, you where you, where you were able to get a 30 yard game, maybe you're able to gash it for a touchdown.

[Marcus Mosher]

And this is where I think you'll see the analytics department that the Cowboys have spent a ton of money on over the last five years working with some of these coaches and players and saying, hey, when we get against these, this style of defense, these are the five or six route combinations that are the most effective or give you the most EPA per player, however they want to word it. And on defense, hey, this is the best, this is the best way to attack, you know, a quarter this, you know, mobile quarterback or however. I think you're going to see the Cowboys using more of the analytics and hopefully coaching up the coaches so they can do a better job here. In year two.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, that's good stuff. So, I mean, I, I would, I would think, and I'll ask coach this when he comes back. That. Right. I mean, you, you, you have different goals and different things that you want to improve upon. Maybe a different message for Dak and the offense, kind of something to, To. To try to build upon and. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And I think for the Cowboys, it's really as simple as they've got to fix the offensive line. They've got the talent, they've used the resources on this unit. They're going to bring back TJ Bass as a, you know, a high end backup. You've got Tyler Booker in year two. Tyler Smith had knee surgery, but he's expected to be healthier. You've got to figure out a way for all of these investments on the offensive line to really start paying dividends. Right. Whether that's running the ball more, you know, physically, whether it's being better in short yardage. They were not very good in the red zone last year despite being one of the better offenses in the league. And I wouldn't be surprised if you see the coaching staff really challenge this offensive line to kind of take the next step, because if they want to be a contender in the nfc, that's the unit that needs to improve the most outside of the defense.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah, well said. Great point. All right, Marcus, before we wrap things up, what do you and Landon have coming up the rest of this week on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, we've got some combine rumors and buzz that we're going to be talking about on Tuesday's show, including a safety that could be falling down the board and a round one cornerback the Cowboys don't appear to be interested in. So make sure you guys listen to that. Also going to have free agent previews for you ready to go, because free agency starts next Monday, and we're going to be continuing to preview the top linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft, including Jacob Rodriguez, Anthony Hill, and C.J. allen. So a busy, busy week of shows. Make sure you guys are subscribed to the lot on Cowboys podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Biggs]

Beautiful. Well said. That was very nice. And we've talked about this before, Marcus. Right. But again, not being Captain Obvious, but obviously the Cowboys front office and, and the staff, they. They know privately with amongst themselves who they want to go after, who they want to target, and who they hope to be able to get a deal done with quickly, right away, so they're not kind of caught in Limbo and then musical chairs. Then they. The music stops and everybody signed everywhere else.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean, they kind of know. And this is one of the things we don't talk about enough in free agency. A lot of the deals get done at the combine. Now you can't talk to teams, you can't talk to players, you can't talk to agents. But what do you think happens at St. Elmo's in Indianapolis during the week? Like, they kind of have an idea like what the market is and they kind of have an idea like, hey, these are the two or three guys we're gonna call the, the minute it hits 12 Eastern on Monday afternoon. So they know they're not going to be surprised by anything. They've got a, they've got a to do list of guys of that they're going to restructure and talk to about their contracts. Nothing is going to surprise them here over the next week, week and a half.

[Jeff Biggs]

And, and also it's worth a reminder that, I mean, agents, they also have an idea of where their players would fit, where the best situation for them would be and where they'd like them to be.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, and they know. Yeah. And they roughly know the amount of money now. I mean, it takes like Nicobi Dean's agent, he probably knows that he's going to get somewhere between 10 and 12 million per season, but maybe on Monday, a team desperately needs a linebacker and they offer $2 million more per season. Like that kind of stuff does happen, but it's not this wild range of a guy think he's, he's going to make 20 million and then all of a sudden he only gets four. And free agency like these agents are, they get paid a lot of money for good reason.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, so there's still work to be done, right. As far as clearing, they cleared a big chunk of cap space, but there's still some more that they'll attempt to do before pre agency.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

So.

[Marcus Mosher]

CD Lamb, Dak Prescott, Tyler Smith. It sounds like all of those contracts will be restructured. The Cowboys also have the option of restructuring that guys like Quinn and Williams. We'll see about that. But it sounds like the first priority is address the Kenny Color contract, whether that's an extension or a restructure. Talk to Terence Steele about maybe moving some money around to free up some space. There's a couple other guys, including like Jake Ferguson, that you could move some money around, but I fully expect the Cowboys to have somewhere between 3:30 and $40 million of cap space before we get to next Monday, so expect a lot of moves to happen between now and then.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, well look forward to that. That's going to be awesome. But in the meantime, we got a busy week coming up. Again, be sure and check out Marcus and Landon on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast. Coach Stretch Smith, we'll get him back on Thursday. We'll be back with you. Landon will be with us as well. Aisha Morrison will be back with us next week, but until then, good, good way to start off the week. There he is. Coach, thank you. We appreciate you, appreciate your insight, man.

[Glenn Stretch Smith]

Thank you so much. I had to, had to step away, but hey, I know you guys could handle it and did a great job doing so.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, well have a good week. We'll talk to you on Thursday. Marcus will check you and Landon out and again, thanks to everybody watching and listening later on. This has been the Cowboys squad show.

[Marcus Mosher]

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