COWBYS SQUAD SHOW: What is the next BIG move for the Cowboys?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys Squad Show | March 17, 2026

Episode Theme:
What is the next big move for the Dallas Cowboys?
Hosts:
Marcus Mosher (Locked On Cowboys Daily Podcast)
Glenn "Stretch" Smith (Former Cowboys Coach)
Jeff Biggs (Moderator)

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Episode Overview

This episode dissects the Dallas Cowboys’ sluggish free agency period, the ongoing lack of major moves, and what’s next as the NFL Draft approaches. Marcus Mosher and Glenn "Stretch" Smith debate roster building philosophies, speculate on trade rumors (notably Max Crosby), and analyze the Cowboys’ strategy (or lack thereof) to close the talent gap with NFC rivals. The crew also evaluates recent signings, the draft class, and potential trade targets—while sharing frustrations and hopes for the team.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Post-Free Agency Frustration: Are the Cowboys Stuck?

• Free agency is nearly dead: Most big names are gone, with the Cowboys making only minor additions.
  • Marcus Mosher [01:04]: “Free agency’s done.”
  • Jeff Biggs [01:40]: “There’s some names out there, but the good names are gone for the most part.”
• Biggest current hole: Starting linebacker. No real candidates left in free agency or trade.
  • Marcus Mosher [03:23]: “They’re just waiting on the draft at this point… I don’t expect them to make any big moves at linebacker.”
  • Glenn Smith [04:18]: “They’ve shoehorned themselves into having to wait for the draft.”

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2. Cowboys’ Team Building Philosophy: Stuck in the Past?

• Cowboys avoid free agency, prefer draft-and-develop—but the NFL is changing.
  • Marcus Mosher [05:30]: “You’re seeing more good teams be active in free agency… I just don’t know if you can win in the NFL by being a draft-and-develop team and just nibbling on the edges.”
• Discussion on college football as a feeder system is fading. Lack of development in college impacts NFL readiness.
  • Glenn Smith [06:36]: “Are we to the point now where there is more value, a lot more value…to go and supplement to get their team better?”
  • Marcus Mosher [09:21]: “I just don’t think you can be a draft-and-develop team only… There’s more teams trading than ever before. If you’re not active in free agency, it doesn’t mean you can’t win, but you’re kind of tying one hand behind your back.”

Notable Quote:

• Mosher [12:26]: “We’re in the second quarter of a game right now, and they’re down 24 to 10, and it’s not over, but they’re not in an ideal spot either.”

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3. Rumor Mill: Trade Targets and Non-Starters

• Patrick Queen: Cowboys reportedly pulled out of trade talks. Coaches may not have liked his tape.

  • Mosher [12:56]: “The coaches heard the Cowboys were maybe interested…threw on the tape and didn’t like what they see. Didn’t sound like the Cowboys ever offered Pittsburgh a deal.”
  • Smith [14:02]: “They probably let him out of Baltimore. He wasn’t great in coverage.”

• Other targets considered: Alex Highsmith, Jonathan Greenard.

  • Mosher [15:21]: “Highsmith is an awesome player. He would be a fantastic fit.”
  • Mosher [16:45]: “I think (Greenard) is another one the Cowboys might circle back to after the draft…doesn’t seem like they’re all that interested right now.”

• No impactful free agents left: Bosa, Von Miller, and Clowney mentioned as situational pass rushers if they return to football shape.

  • Mosher [17:28]: “Bosa would be a really good situational pass rusher... As these guys get into their 30s, they don’t love going to OTAs.”

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4. The Max Crosby Saga Continues

• Trade rumors not dead: Jeremy Fowler claims the “door is still open” for a Crosby trade, closer to or even during the season.
  • Mosher [21:16]: “I won’t be surprised if Max Crosby does get traded. I just think it’s going to be closer to the season or into the season.”
  • Smith [22:07]: “I don’t see him going back on the trade block.”
  • Mosher [23:38]: “This is why I advocate for players trying to get paid as soon as possible…Crosby’s got that financial security.”

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5. Recent Additions: Kobe Durant and the Defensive Backfield

• Kobe Durant signing analyzed: breaks the mold for Cowboys CBs (shorter, lighter, smaller reach).
  • Mosher [24:28]: “He is the shortest of all 27 cornerbacks (acquired since 2015)…this guy is tiny. I think this shows you that Christian Parker has some pull with that front office, because there’s no way Will McClay would have ever signed off on paying a player like this.”
  • Smith [25:31]: “Can he get on the runaway man train at Six Flags? Barely.”
• Signing may reflect a change in strategy or desperation for bodies at CB.
  • Smith [26:56]: “They had to have somebody. That’s why…what scares me to death about thinking where they are in this draft is drafting for need. …It is an appetite for a really bad meal.”

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6. Draft Strategy: BPA vs. Need and the “Money 5”

• Vigorous debate over drafting best player available (BPA) vs. targeting specific needs, especially on defense.
  • Mosher [27:32]: “One thing Landon and I talk about all the time…which are the money five positions: quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver, pass rusher, and CB.”
  • Smith [28:18]: “You can’t…you gotta trust the guys that look at these guys all year…”
  • Mosher [29:49]: “…this defense was the worst defense in franchise history last year.”
  • Smith [32:00]: “It’s so bad because they pulled the trigger on so many bad ones.”

Memorable Banter:

• Smith [32:36]: “At the end of the day, they…have done a poor job on that side of the football.”
• Mosher [32:43]: “Three minutes ago, I just told you that I don’t trust them to draft on that side of the ball.”

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7. Trade-Up, Trade-Down, or Stand Pat for the Draft?

• Cowboys could use trade flexibility (#12, #20, #92, #112 picks) to move up for an elite defender or trade down for more bites at mid-rounds.
  • Mosher [40:03]: “Cowboys trade picks 12 and 20 to go up to number six…get your premier defensive player…then you get back pick 39.”
  • Smith [41:32]: “How many true first round grades are there? …That sends you to the map of the direction that they’re going to go.”
  • Mosher [44:09]: “Chatter out there…10 first round grades is what teams are kind of talking about right now.”

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8. Free Agent Pool and Secondary Market Targets

• Potential post-draft additions: Legere Sneed, others likely wait until after the draft for new destinations.
  • Mosher [45:41]: “For a lot of these guys…they’re just going to wait until after the draft.”
• Lighthearted Moment: Tarleton State Debate
  • Smith [46:44]: “For a guy who says he’s in the scouting business, you might want to…Tarleton State…”
  • Mosher [56:06]: “E.J. Speed? Oh, Tarleton State. There we go.”
  • (A running joke about whether Tarleton State is a real school.)

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9. Roster Breakdown: Safety and Young Talent

• Jaylen Thompson signing praised; PJ Locke seen as a role player.
  • Mosher [49:56]: “I love the signing of Jaylen Thompson…played just about every position in Arizona’s defense…he’s going to be one of the better safeties they’ve had over the last five or seven years.”
  • Mosher [50:25]: “PJ Locke… can play a role as that third, fourth safety.”
• Skepticism over young player development (Shemar James, Siobhan Ravel) and uncertainty with new coaching staff.

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10. Arizona Cardinals Targets: Josh Sweat & Zaven Collins?

• Potential trade targets to watch:
  • Marcus Mosher [51:46]:
    • “Josh Sweat…had a really big year, sounds like he potentially wants out…contract is very manageable.”
    • “Xaven Collins…been moving back and forth between off-ball linebacker and edge…could be available for a day three pick.”
  • Smith [53:06]: “I like the call with Collins. Wasn’t he a first-round pick though? I’m not sure they would give up on him.”

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11. Overall Roster Assessment: Progress or Stagnation?

• Injuries create further uncertainty (especially Duron Bland, Donavan Nezaraku).
  • Mosher [54:08]: “On paper…they have improved. But you’ve got to factor in the injury part.”
  • Smith [57:03]: “If you’re really asking me that, we’re talking about splitting hairs. …They haven’t moved the needle for me. How’s that? They haven’t.”
  • Mosher [57:32]: “If we even have to ask or talk about it, it means they haven’t done enough.”
• Marcus and Stretch agree: The gap with NFC contenders remains sizable.

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Notable Quotes & Banter

• “If you’re sitting there at 12 and that guy’s there and the phone doesn’t ring and you don’t turn the card in, then…you need to spend a lot of time worrying about whether you want to get a frontal lobotomy or put a bottle in front of me.”
  – Glenn ‘Stretch’ Smith [30:30]

• “You have to trust that you have them lined up right, and that’s how they have to come off (the board).”
  – Glenn ‘Stretch’ Smith [31:05]

• “At the end of the day…they have done a poor job on that side of the football.”
  – Glenn ‘Stretch’ Smith [32:19]

• “I just don’t think they are great at this high pressure, high leverage situation where you’ve got to decide in five minutes, not five months.”
  – Marcus Mosher [60:20]

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Segment Timestamps

• Free Agency Dead, Linebacker Hole: 01:04 – 04:18
• Roster Building Philosophy: 05:30 – 12:26
• Trade Target Rumors (Queen, Highsmith): 12:36 – 17:52
• Max Crosby Rumors: 19:02 – 24:05
• Kobe Durant Signing/CB Mold Breaker: 24:28 – 27:24
• Draft Strategy Debate: 27:32 – 32:00
• Trade Scenarios & Draft Numbers: 37:05 – 44:27
• First-Round Grades Discussion: 44:09 – 45:25
• Roster Gaps & Young Players: 47:13 – 50:25
• Arizona Cardinals Prospects: 51:46 – 53:38
• Roster Progress or Lack Thereof: 54:08 – 57:32
• Free Agency Strategy & Cowboys’ Caution: 58:36 – 60:50
• Outro & Final Thoughts: 61:36 – end

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Conclusion

The hosts are candidly unimpressed with the Cowboys’ lack of bold moves in free agency. While there is still room before the draft, both express disappointment that the team has failed to close the gap with contenders via trades or splash signings. The roster looks slightly improved (on paper), but only marginally—and with key positions like linebacker and corner remaining major concerns, the pressure is on for the front office to ace the draft or engineer meaningful trades. The episode features lively debate, football philosophy musings, and a touch of humor—making for an honest, detailed look at the state of the 2026 Dallas Cowboys as the clock ticks toward draft day.

Transcript

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Jeff Biggs]

I am Jeff Biggs and I am ready for wave two of NFL free agency.

[Marcus Mosher]

I am Marcus Mosher and free agency's done. Jeff.

[Jeff Biggs]

No, not yet.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Glenn Stretch Smith and man, was that free agency supposed to be a fourth of July show. It was a popcorn fart.

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How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboys Squad.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Everything.

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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 Cowboys Squad show starting now.

[Jeff Biggs]

Squad up because we are ready. NFL free agency kind of continues, but I agree with Marcus. In all honesty, it's pretty much dead. There's some names out there, but the, the good names are gone for the most part. But hey, you know what? We are not and we are glad to be with you. Welcome to another edition of the Cowboys Squad show. That is the co host of the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast, Marcus Mosher, along with former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. Good evening, gentlemen. We'll have Aisha Morrison back with us on Thursday along with Landon McCool. But got to let you know that this episode is brought to you by FanDuel because FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a college basketball parlay profit boost. That's right. Head to FanDuel.com to get started. All right, we got a lot to get going as we get started here. Coming up, the very latest on the Cowboys, including more Max Crosby rumors. They just don't die. They're still out there. We'll get into that. But Marcus, a lot has happened since you were with us a week ago last week. So let's kind of dive into it. Piece by piece, if you will. The Cowboys added former Rams corner Kobe Durant. You and Landon did a show on that, breaking that down. We'll get into that, but let's just start there. They're still missing, though, that key linebacker, that key starting linebacker in the middle that we've been calling for and hoping for and wishing for, and it still hasn't happened yet. What do you think's going on?

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh, they're just waiting to the draft at this point. I mean, there's, I wish I could be more optimistic than that, but there's not a linebacker that's currently available in free agency that would be enough of an upgrade to work that's worth pursuing. And there's not really any linebackers that are available in the trade market that are worth giving up assets for. So we wait, and here's the good thing. This is a really deep linebacker class, whether it's in the first round, day two of the draft, day three, I think you can get starting caliber players throughout this draft. So if you're going to have a big need going into the draft, linebacker is not the worst one to have. For me, though, it's how do they, how do they address it? Do they do it in round one? Do they wait till pick 92 that they just picked up? Do they wait till day three? We'll see. But I don't expect them to make any big moves at linebacker between now and that first Thursday night in April.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, again, they're in a position now where they, they've shoehorned themselves into having to wait for the draft. I mean, that's just where they're at. And I do think it'll be interesting to see how they maneuver through it. I think you guys talked about on a podcast possible draft moves, giving up draft capital, receiving a little more draft capital, where the Cowboys might go with that.

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh, I got trades for you, Stretch. We can get in them all day long.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

But I'm still, I'm still from the school that, you know, I, I, I do trust what Jerry says. I think that he, he had every intention of, of, of jumping into this thing. And maybe, you know, maybe there were voices that were within the building that didn't want him or, or, or talked him back from maybe going a little, you know, swimming in some deeper water than maybe he wanted to swim in. So with that being said, I, I think the Cowboys are still holding some sort of card. I'm just not sure what it is.

[Marcus Mosher]

Can we talk about free agency really quickly? Because it, this is a team who has now shown for the last 15 years that they don't like participating in free agency. Right. And that's, that's fine. Like, I, for a long time, it was only the bad teams that were spending money in free agency. And that was, you know, it was kind of the good teams were draft and develop. But I think things have changed. Stretch. You're seeing more teams trade than ever before. You're seeing more of these good teams be active in free agency than ever before, and you're seeing them steal money from future years to try to be good right now. And I think the Rams are a good example of that. Philadelphia is a good example of that. I just don't know if you can win in the NFL in today's league by being a draft and developed team and just kind of nibbling on the edges in free agency because your roster is never going to be good enough. And I think they did some good things in free agency this year, but have they really improved? Have they closed the gap on teams like the 49ers and the Rams and the Eagles? I don't think so.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, I, I'll ask you, you like to, you like to kind of pose and say how. Let me ask. I'll ask you guys this. With the state of college football where it is today, players, transitioning, portal, portal, team, team. Okay. Lack of development at that level, are we to the point now where there is more value, a lot more value in saying we'll, we'll package these draft picks much in the same way that the Rams have done to go and supplement to get their team better? And you can say, well, that's a, that's a flare for the obvious because obviously you want a more seasoned veteran player than you want a rookie player, and I get that. But the NFL has also always been about risk reward from an injury standpoint. I thought it was interesting what Aikman came out and said on a, on a Rodeo Times podcast where he was making mention of training camps not being as tough and because of that, leading into some what he felt like were excessive early season injuries. So I'm asking kind of a twofold question. Where college football used to be the feeder system for the NFL, is it now that is now the trickle up where because these kids are playing in two or three different schools, maybe they're not getting developed to the, to the level that guys used to be developed at? I don't know. It's just, it's just something that I, that I think about if I'm a big horse race guy. So I try to handicap, I try to look at the entire picture. I try to see, okay, did this horse have trouble coming out of the gate? Well, they're putting blinkers on him. Okay, so he's not going to see this. Are those type of handicapping scenarios working themselves into, into the NFL? And I'll take a, I'll just take an example of Tyreek Woolen. He, I think he was a receiver. He wasn't school to school to school, but it was a receiver the first three years of college. Then he's got to be a much more seasoned corner now that he spent his senior year at UTSA than he spent several years in Seattle. Might that be happening where guys are saying, we're going to put value in these guys who've been in the NFL and they have been in that developmental role for two or three years?

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean. Yes, I think so. I think you are. You're not getting as much quality coaching because I think a lot of these guys are. They're in programs for six or seven months and then they're gone. Right? So, yes, I think that's part of it. I think the other part of it too is that when, let's go back to the 90s, right, when Jerry Jones won the Super Bowls, when you were drafting players, you were getting a lot of these guys on five and six year contracts, right? So you would draft a guy and they would develop on your team, in your roster, in your system. Coaching turnover didn't happen as much as it does today. Whereas now you draft the guy, you know, a lot of times, you know, in round two, round three, they're gone by the, you know, the end of that fourth year, they don't have time to develop or they've only had a one, you know, one year to develop. And now you've got to make a decision on them in free agency. And that can make team building really hard. I, I just don't think you can be a draft and develop team only in today's NFL because these players want to move, they want to hit free agency. And there's more teams trading than ever before. If you're not active in free agency, it doesn't mean that you can't win, but you're almost kind of tying one hand behind your back. And that's my fear Stretch here with the Cowboys is that I think they've done good work, but I don't know if they've done enough work yet to really close the gap. And our friends over at FanDuel, they open up free agency with the Cowboys at 8 1/2 wins. They're sitting at 8 1/2 wins right now after the first week of free agency. And you've seen other teams like the 49ers and the Rams see their, you know, their win totals increase. Obviously, there's people around the league that don't believe the Cowboys have done enough in this portion so far.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, so my, my thought to that would be, initially, this team has really done nothing more but turn the bottom of the roster through free agency. That's about what they've done.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And I, I think, I think they've made certain positions stronger. Like, I think safety, they're in a better spot than they were at the end of the year. Right. Are they better at edge rusher? Slightly. Probably right. But then you got to factor in the Donovan as a Rocu injury. Are they better at linebacker? I would say no. Are they better at corner? Well, adding Kobe Durant, who we'll talk about in a second, that's. That's a good move. But Duron Bland also had foot surgery this off season, and we've got no idea when he might return to the field. I, I think they are improved, but it's not enough. And if you're a Cowboy fan, you want to see this team make big leaps forward to actually contend with those top teams in the nfc, and I just haven't seen them yet.

[Jeff Biggs]

Well, we'll see. I mean, we do have a little bit of time, and some things can still happen. They could, like you guys talked about, they could, they could trade out of a pick and they can do some things. They might be kind of going back and forth with somebody that we don't know about. So they have, they have time before we give the final grade. And I think you, you know, I'm not telling you that's what you said, but, yeah, I think we will see.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I think, Jeff, the best way to look at it is like, we're in the second quarter of a game right now, and they're down 414 to 10, and it's not over, but they're not in an ideal spot either.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah, that's a great way to put it. So over the weekend, according to reports, they pulled out of talks with the Steelers about Patrick Queen. What. What does that say to you? And, and what about some of the other names that we've heard, like a Jonathan Granard or even Alex Highsmith with the Steelers?

[Marcus Mosher]

So let's start with the Patrick Queen one Because here's. I'm gonna bet this is what happened. Again, this is no inside knowledge. This is me just kind of knowing the way the Cowboys work. The Cowboys had a fairly high grade, I believe, on Patrick Queen during the 2020 draft. Probably Steven Jones, Will McClay, Jerry Jones looked at their board, said, hey, this is a high, high graded player that we liked a lot. He's only 26 years old. He might be available for the Steelers before they got to give him this roster bonus. Let's see what it would cost to go out and get him.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You talk about a high grade coming out of lsu.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes, yes, I know. Maybe not.

[Jeff Biggs]

He bowled out in Baltimore. Go ahead.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

He did.

[Marcus Mosher]

And then my guess is that the coaches heard that the Cowboys were maybe interested here, so they threw on the tape and they didn't like what they see. And that's how we get a room. That didn't come to a consensus. It didn't sound like the Cowboys ever offered Pittsburgh a deal, but that's the way this usually works. You kind of throw a name out, you start watching them talking about it, and then you come to a consensus whether you want to pursue it or not. Dallas obviously didn't think it was worth it.

[Jeff Biggs]

Okay.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I think that's probably about as good of, you know, 35,000 foot overview as can be given, because I don't know that if you watch Patrick Queen, I mean, they probably let him out of Baltimore. He wasn't great in coverage. I mean, he's not. Not great in coverage. And, and, and I'm not comparing Murray to Queen. I'm not doing that. I'm saying Murray wasn't great in coverage. So, I mean, my gut feeling is that what you're saying is probably a pretty good assessment of where they are. Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And Queen. Queen is not as bad as Kenneth Murray is in coverage. He's also not as big and he's not as physical in the run game. I think he's a better player. But is it worth giving up an asset and paying that guy the money that he's going to command or that he's due? Probably not. My guess is the Cowboys felt like, hey, if we don't get anybody in the draft, maybe we're. We'll circle back and see what Pittsburgh wants to do. Much like they did last year with George Pickens when they wanted to draft a receiver at 12. That didn't happen. They did not draft the receiver at all. And they turn around and drafted George Pickens and that worked out okay.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right. And so what about Highsmith and Granard?

[Marcus Mosher]

So Highsmith is somebody that Landon and I have thrown out because Pittsburgh is paying T.J. watt 40 million a year. Their backup, Nick Herbig, is going into the final year of his contract. He wants a starting role. He also wants to be paid. And this is a way for Pittsburgh to move on from a player who's going to be 29 years old, who struggled with some injuries, and get some draft capital. They're clearly trying to load up for next year's draft. Highsmith is an awesome player. He would be a fantastic fit. I would love to see the Cowboys make that move.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Who did, who did Pittsburgh hire as a defensive coordinator?

[Marcus Mosher]

Graham from the Raiders.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay. Is she, Is she a 34 guy?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes and no. Not really, traditionally, but they did say that, you know, they've got so many good pieces on that side of the ball. That's just what Graham is going to run as, a 34. But my guess is it's going to look different than what Mike Tomlin and Terrell Austin ran over the last 20 years.

[Jeff Biggs]

Right.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, that's, that's a point I'm making. So might they transition away because it's not going to be the same. Might they transition away with, you know, from some of that personnel?

[Marcus Mosher]

That, and I think there's also a chance that her big, who again, was really, really good, limited time, wants more snapshots. This would be an easy way to get assets and give him more snaps.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right. And, and lastly, do you think the Granard door has closed or No?

[Marcus Mosher]

I, I, I think that's another one that the Cowboys might circle back to after the draft. I think they want to see what happens at pick 20 and pick 12. I, I wouldn't rule that one out, but it doesn't seem like they're all that interested in going out and getting him right now.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I don't, I don't think financially that that makes a lot of sense, but

[Marcus Mosher]

Garnard wants a new contract, and that's what's going to make this a little tricky. Yes.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

All right.

[Jeff Biggs]

And I have not looked at the updated list of available free agents, but nobody, Marcus, nobody stands out to you off the top of your head that might stay healthy.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You wouldn't want him.

[Marcus Mosher]

Who's that?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Bosa.

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh, I think Bosa would be a really good situational password. I thought he played pretty well in Buffalo, but as these guys get into their 30s stretch, and I'm sure you know this, they don't love going to OTAs in mini camps. A lot of these guys would just prefer to show up in August. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case for guys like Vaughn Miller, Joey Bosa and Jadevian Clowney.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I mean, I mean Vaughn Miller's, I mean he. Three or four years older than Bosa. Right? So.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yes, yes.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I think that's, I think that would scare me at, at, at 36, 37 where von Miller is for sure.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, when we come back, I got to give you the latest Max Crosby rumor update. We'll do that when we come back. This is the Cowboys squad show.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Aaron. I'm Aaron Judge. Welcome to MLB the Show 26.

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[Jeff Biggs]

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[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I won't be surprised if Max Crosby does get traded. I just think it's going to be closer to the season or even into the season. I think teams are going to want to see how he's recovering from this knee injury. And again, we don't even know if Baltimore field and because of the recent knee injury or because of some past injuries, that's something that has yet to come out. But I do think there's going to be a market for him and it's not going to be two first round picks like it was previously. But I could see teams that are in the market or, you know, that believe they're one of the three or four top contenders being like, you know what, we'll give up a first round pick next year to have Max Crosby for this stretch run or hey, if we, if we put Max Crosby on our defense, that'll be enough to get us over the hump. I do think he gets traded eventually. I just don't think it's anytime soon.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I know. I just, I don't see with them going back to the, the, the where he, you know, failed the physical. Didn't he fail the physical. Whatever the scenario is, I don't see him going back, back on the trade block. I just, to me, I, I think the Raiders did enough in free agency to get themselves in position to you add him as a piece to what they did. And I think it's a, that's a pretty goodlook football team, especially if you could get a, a veteran quarterback who might come in there and mentor Mendoza.

[Marcus Mosher]

Sounds like Kirk Cousins by the way, which I actually, I think that's a pretty good fit with Mendoza, but we'll see. And it sounds like Crosby is open to playing for the Raiders and maybe that's what causes this thing to heal a little bit. But I, I just won't be surprised if he's back on the field and he's playing well if teams start sniffing around again.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah, I think so, too. We'll see. We'll see how it plays out. But I think you're right. I think at this point, they have to let him. Let him recover and be ready to go and see him back on the field again. And from his standpoint, I mean, he, you know, with that injury, he lost his leverage for the time being as far as getting out of there. So until he's back and healthy and can prove himself again and show everybody that he's okay, he's got to do what he has to do. But like you said, we'll see.

[Marcus Mosher]

One, one quick thing on Max Crosby, just a general thing. This is why I, I advocate for players trying to get paid as soon as possible rather than trying to wait it out and maybe make more money down the road. Crosby signed a big deal last offseason. If he would have waited one more year, I highly doubt that he's getting the same contract that he did a year ago. So now he's a bargain. You look at the market, I think he's a bargain. But at the same time, Crosby's got that financial security that's going to set him up for life.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah, well said. Well said. All right, let's talk Kobe Durant and his signing. I always, like, always liked his play with the Rams. Thought he's just a sneaky guy, gets to the ball. But you, as you pointed out, Marcus, he kind of breaks the mold for Cowboys corners of recent past.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, shatters it. Here's. Here's some stats up for you. Since 2015, the Cowboys have signed an unrestricted free agency, drafted or traded for 27 different cornerbacks. He is the shortest of all 27 cornerbacks. He's got the second smallest arms of all cornerbacks. The only one that was shorter was Jadobia Wuzier, and he is 11 pounds lighter than the next lightest cornerback that they've acquired. And he's going to play on the outside like this is Will McClay and his guys in the front office. They love long cornerbacks. Their average Cornerback is over six foot one and it has 31 and a half inch arms. I mean, sorry, 32 and a half inch arms. This guy is tiny. I think this shows you that Christian Parker has some pull with that front office because there's no way Will McLay would have ever signed off on paying a player like this. And now they have him, and now he's probably going to start.

[Jeff Biggs]

What do you think, Coach?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Can he get on the runaway man train at Six Flags? Barely.

[Marcus Mosher]

But you Know what? He's really good at playing on the outside. And I think there's something. He's been small his whole life, right. He knows how to play. He knows how to play that outside corner spot. I wonder, Jeff, if this is going to open them up to more possibilities in the draft, because in previous years, Landon and I would look at a list of all the top cornerbacks in the draft and we would take that sharpie. We would just scratch off all the guys that are under 6 foot and all the guys that didn't have 32 inch arms. And it honestly, it gave you a really good cheat sheet of the guys the Cowboys were going to draft. We circled Savon Ravel last year because, hey, over six two over 32 inch arms, that's what Will McClay likes. That's who they drafted. Now I wonder if the list is going to be quite a bit longer now that Christian Parker is running this defense.

[Jeff Biggs]

That's a great point.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I think you just signed that guy trying to throw you guys off.

[Marcus Mosher]

Thanks, Will. I appreciate it. Now, now we got to do a lot more work on prospects.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

We'll get, we'll get them off this trail. We'll. We'll sign a little one.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, it's. And it's. Honestly, there is a chance that's the case that, hey, this is just the best corner available. He's the best value. He doesn't fit our thresholds, but we have no other choice right now. Coach, you're right. Like that, honestly, could be what happened here.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I think they were absolutely, you know, had. Had to have somebody. That, that's why I don't want. The one thing that scares me to death about thinking where they are in this draft is drafting for need. I mean, when you start drafting for need, telling you it is, it is a. It is an appetite for a really bad meal. I'm just telling you.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, can I ask you a question, Coach? Because you can't.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I want love to fall to 12 and I want them to pull a trigger.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, good. I'm glad that you're bringing this up because one thing that Landon and I talk about all the time on our show is positional value. And if you're not sure what positional value is, that's weighing the positions that just matter a little bit more than the ones that don't. And traditionally, and I believe it was Bill Walsh who, who called them the money. Five positions, which is quarterback, offensive tackle, wide receiver, pass rusher, and cornerback. How do you value those positions versus the Non premium positions when it comes to players because there's going to be some players in this draft that play off ball, linebacker and safety and running back that are awesome players. But do you value those guys more than offensive tackles and pass rushers and cornerbacks?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, you can't. I mean, I'm just telling you. I mean, but what I think is just trust the guys that look at these guys all year and trust that they're gonna go and give you an evaluation that you can put them on the board with. That. That's what I, that, that's, that's, that's a position I'd be in.

[Marcus Mosher]

What if I don't trust those guys

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

when you better fire their ass as soon as the draft's over and get you some new guys.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I mean, I just mean the front office as a general because to their credit they've been really good at drafting offense between CD Lamb and all the offensive linemen and Jake Ferguson in round four, Dak Prescott, like we could go on and on. It's not so much the case on defense. They've had a lot of whiffs on that side of the ball. And I do worry in a draft where they have to get two starters in round one, I, I, I don't feel confident that they're going to be able to hit on both picks.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean it is a scary proposition. There's no question about it. And like I said, if you're sitting there at 12 and Jared and love falls to you, are you not gonna pull the trigger?

[Marcus Mosher]

No, no.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

God. See what I mean? Then you, that, that, that, that, that, that's, you're the kind of guy that should get his ass fired. I mean that's what you gotta do.

[Marcus Mosher]

But here's the thing.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean if you on the board to draft a less football player that's

[Marcus Mosher]

strapped and for need 100 agree. But I, this defense was the worst defense in franchise history last year.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You think I don't know that? I watch this every day.

[Marcus Mosher]

I like the way you bleeped yourself out.

[Jeff Biggs]

Very good.

[Marcus Mosher]

I don't know that I, I don't. But you they weren't active enough. If they would have been more active in free agency, it would have went out and got four or five new starters. I think you and I could have had a, a good conversation.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm telling you, they want, they were going, they were going. I mean you say four or five. I wanted one. You say, well ran Gary. Okay. Jaylen, to me he's a rotational player.

[Marcus Mosher]

I agree with that? Yes.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah. I mean, so they need to address one of them. And what I'm telling you is if you're sitting there at 12 and that guy's there and the phone doesn't ring and you don't. You don't turn. You don't turn the card in, then you. You need to spend a lot of time worrying about whether you want to get a frontal lobotomy or put a bottle in front of me, because that's where you're going to be.

[Jeff Biggs]

Wasn't there a song. Isn't there a song that had. That I'd rather have.

[Marcus Mosher]

Listen, I. I totally get where you're coming from, because I think Jeremiah Love is a better prospect than the hell,

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

but I'm saying to hell with him. I'm just saying, whoever it is, the point I'm making. Go, go. Let's. Let's exit him out of it. You have to put them up on that board, and you have to trust that you have them lined up right, and that's how they have to come off.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, let me ask you this, then. What if there's an offensive tackle or a guard available at 12 that's just a much better player than your top cornerback? Are you drafting a guard?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You got to take him.

[Marcus Mosher]

I see.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

That's what.

[Marcus Mosher]

Again, I understand the sentiment, but the problem for me is you've already spent so many resources on that side of the ball, and you're. You might be drafting the better player, but it's not going to matter. And that's. That's my fear, is that you're. This defense is so bad that they desperately need an influx of talent. And even if it's a reach by a couple spots, I don't know if you can afford to draft another offensive

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

player so bad because they pulled the trigger on so many bad ones.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, I don't disagree.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I. I mean, I'm just saying. I mean, I don't want to sit here and, you know, be Dusty the downer, but I'm just saying, I.

[Marcus Mosher]

That's usually my job, but. Yeah, go ahead.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

At the end of the day, they, they. They have done a poor job on that side of the football.

[Marcus Mosher]

100% agree. It's just they've gotten to themselves.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

What makes you trust they're going to do any better this year? Because I think. You think this defensive coordinator is going to reach over and grab a hold of the bullhorn and he's talking the

[Marcus Mosher]

loudest three minutes ago. I just told you that I don't trust him to draft in that side of the ball. I, I don't. That's why. That's why.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

So what's going to change? Is, is Christian Parker gonna, is he gonna reach over and get the bullhorn and, you know, and be the loudest guy in the draft room?

[Marcus Mosher]

Honestly, probably it's just going to be luck whether you hit on the right guy or not. I mean, I think with Micah Parsons, they were viewing him as a linebacker. They got a bunch of injuries at edge rusher and they had to move a guy and they ended up becoming an all pro. Unfortunately, a lot of the draft process is luck based and I think you're going to need some if you want this defense to turn around.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm not disagreeing. You got to have a little luck. But when you start flipping the quarter up there and barking heads or tails, that's when I check out.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, again, I'm with you. You also could get some luck in terms of players falling to you that shouldn't fall at positions that you need.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Like, like the Notre Dame running back.

[Marcus Mosher]

No, not the Notre Dame running back. Like the Miami.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Now it's going to be specifically yes. Boy, we're going to eliminate these guys. Hopefully it ain't that guy that falls to you or it isn't that guy that falls to you. To hell with that. If one of them fall to you, you better pull the trigger. And I ain't talking about that dog that you got out back named Trigger either.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, well, we come back, I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw it to you both in a different way and let's see if we can, we can reach a conclusion on this and also want to look at the board. Look at the, the right now, the starting depth chart if you will and get your thoughts on that. All that coming up and more. This is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff Biggs]

All right, well, it is tax time but for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. Trying to book an appointment that's not the most convenient sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers you emailing back and forth wondering if they really get your situation. But this year you're going to get a major upgrade. Intuit TurboTax now has in person locations nationwide. You can meet face to face with a real tax expert and your documents get uploaded straight to your TurboTax app on the spot. And just like that, you're done. Your TurboTax expert works to get you every dollar you deserve with while you get real time notifications as you go about your day. It's the relief of walking in, meeting a real person and walking out knowing that your taxes are being handled right. So head to turbotax.com local to find a store near you and book your appointment. All right. Welcome back to the Cowboy Squad show. Thank you for everybody that is tuning in, watching us live, listening later on. We appreciate it. A lot of good comments in the comment section. So we kind of hit on this in the beginning, so let's kind of bring it forward. Okay? Obviously we're talking, like I said, a lot of great comments on the comment section right now. We see what's going on. The Cowboys, no matter what they say publicly, privately, they know, they know where they're at and where they want to be and what they what they need, what they really, really need or what they really want. So my thought is, as we count down to the draft, do you think the Cowboys mindset right now is okay then we're going to, we're going to draft two starters and that's the goal. Or do you think they're thinking how can we use one of these picks and try to get a starter? How can we do something to get a veteran player like you guys were talking about that can help us right now?

[Marcus Mosher]

I think it might be a combination of both, honestly. Like I, I could see them saying, hey, we're going to use these first two picks to get some young guys inter secondary and we'll use the third rounder that we picked up from the 49ers to trade for a linebacker or trade for an edge rusher. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. I also wouldn't be shocked if they're looking at 12 and 20 and being like, you know what, we're going to be able to turn these two picks into three players. We're going to move down from 12 to 16, we're going to move down from 20 to 26 and pick up another pick inside the top 100 and that's going to be four guys that we can throw at our defense and that's how we're going to bring in an influx of talent. I, I don't know that they've, they have a plan of, hey, we're only, we're dead set on these two guys. That's what we're leaving the draft with. I think they're more flexible than that. I think they are going to be open to trading down, but I think they're going to try to use all of these top assets the first four rounds to figure out the way to get the most bang for their buck on defense.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Where are they in the first four rounds? 12, 20. Give me the numbers again.

[Marcus Mosher]

92 and 112.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay, so here's, I mean here's just a thought is that from what I understand the people that I've talked to, this is a very good draft. 35 to 95. Very good. There's a very good pool of guys in that, in that, in that particular pond. Okay. So then the question becomes you, you. Then you ask yourself, would we rather get ourselves in position to fish in that pond with more poles in that pond or would we rather take 20 and 12 and see if we can get the for sure guy in the top six or seven that create day one a rolling ball of butcher knives and a starter for us for five years. And can we then get in position to get ourselves back and get another pole into that pond of that 35 to 95, that 60 player pool over there. So let's take out who the names are and let's just say is there would there be a for instance that could get them back into that just get a, get above the commanders and get in that position and, and still be able to fish the other and still be able to catch fish in, in a really good pond? I, I'm just throwing the possibility out there.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, now we're talking about one of my favorite things, hypothetical traits and nice. Yeah, I think there is Stretch. There are a couple teams drafting in that 4 to 6 range that love making trades. And I'll give you an example. The Cleveland Browns at 6, their GM Andrew Berry has been one of the most aggressive teams in the league at trading down. They need an offensive tackle really, really bad. But there might not be one worth drafting at all six for them, but at 12, that's a different story. I could see a situation that would play out where the Cowboys trade picks 12 and 20 to go up to number six. That would be ahead of Washington who drafted seven to go get Your premier defensive player. Maybe that's Arval Reese from Ohio State, maybe it's Sunny Styles. You put whoever you want into that range and then you get back pick 39. So you're dropping from 20 to 39. It's about 19 spots. You're still at the top of the second round. You can grab a linebacker there, you can grab a corner. I would not be surprised if they're exploring moves like that to try to get that one elite player and still have another pick inside the top 100.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay, so that's. So we're back to one of the first comments I made to in. In one of these podcast where I said, how many true first round grades are there, Jeff Biggs? Do you remember me asking that question or were you scratching your ass there?

[Jeff Biggs]

You said about 12, right?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Correct. So, so, so I think that when you look at where the Cowboys are, here's, here's where, fellas, I'm telling you, you gotta trust them, putting them on the board because I think that that sends you to the map of the direction that they're going to go. If it's, if. Let's just say it's 15 or 16. What is the value of the 20th pick if in fact you're picking. And I get it if the phone doesn't ring, you got to pick somebody and you're going to pick somebody that probably has a high second round grade and so is everybody else. Right. So are all the other 14 teams that are in that position. But that in my mind gives you the route that, that I believe they could go if we can figure out how many true first round grades are there. And then is there somebody that the Cowboys might be real shot in the ass with that they can jockey that pick to, to, to, to move in one direction or another again to get back to fishing that pond that we were just talking about.

[Marcus Mosher]

And one of the things I'm going to be curious to see is do they try to make a move before we even get to draft night? And we've had these in the last couple years where teams are just getting these deals done ahead of time, not even knowing who's going to be on the board because they generally have a sense of, of how the top five or six picks are going to go and they don't want to try to make that deal while they're on the clock. And maybe the Cowboys do feel like, hey, we know we're not going to be able to get Sunny Styles and or arvell Reese at 12, but if we move up to six, we can lock ourselves into one of those two players. Maybe that's what you see them doing. Because if you have a true first round grade on those guys and you think there's a big drop off, it probably does make sense to go up and try to get one of those players. How aggressive are they going to be to try to do that? We'll see.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah. So when I start explaining stuff like that, doesn't it start making sense to you? How come I got my ass fired and I'm on here with you guys?

[Marcus Mosher]

I got. Never mind. Never mind.

[Jeff Biggs]

I love it, coach. I love the inside.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

It's. It's an open forum. You can. Can say whatever you want. I mean, I, I've always been from the school. You go to your church and I'll go to mine. So go ahead.

[Marcus Mosher]

By the way, really, just to circle back on first round grades because I don't want to get into psycho analyzing. Stretch. That sounds scary right now. Just kind of the, the chatter out there and these things can change a little bit. 10 first round grades is what teams are kind of been talking about right now. 10.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I think I said 12.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yes, you did.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah. Yeah. And every. And everybody. And everybody. And then. And I mean, I can remember saying that. And I, I mean I got a bunch of people that, you know, that gave it the. Gave, Gave it the bad applesauce. Belch. Yeah, I get it. And there's not yet. Now you're sitting there at. I mean, on that. What I think is on the cut line.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And that's. And that's what's always. This is why I love the draft is because not only are we talking about players, we're also talking about football philosophy and drafting and hey, do you take that first round running back or do you draft that second round corner that you absolutely need? Because there are times where, man, I get it. Like that running back can be really exciting and dynamic until you get to Sunday and then you don't have anybody that can go out there and cover A.J. brown and Devonte Smith. So it's what makes this thing so hard, but it's also what makes it so fun.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah. Amen. Well said. What about some of the guys that have been cut loose or starting to get cut loose, like Legera Snead, for example? Any guys like that stand out to you at all that they might be able to pick up or have interest in?

[Marcus Mosher]

I think for a lot of these guys that are getting cut now, and honestly, a lot of the guys that are still available. I think they're just going to wait until after the draft. And this is something we should talk about. Free agency used to be an event that was like two or three weeks long, and now it's like three days and it's over. Right. And so a lot of these teams, they've already shifted away from free agency to the draft. And if, hey, if they're, if they don't fill that cornerback need, maybe luxurious need is somebody that they circle back to to try to fill in a spot. But I think if. And if you're need, I think you're just going to wait until you see what situation pops up. But he is certainly a name to, to keep an eye on as we get further along in this process.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You gotta shift gears. I mean, what if you miss that guy at Tarleton State today that worked out in Stephenville that you can pick up in the seventh round?

[Marcus Mosher]

Is that a real school?

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, well, so go ahead.

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm trying to think. Tarleton. That sounds like a fake school that you just made up.

[Jeff Biggs]

No, it's real.

[Marcus Mosher]

Is it real?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I beg your pardon, pal. For a guy who says he's in the scouting business, you better. You might want to lay off for two weeks and then maybe thinking about taking another two weeks off. Tarleton State. Just a thought.

[Marcus Mosher]

You guys need to go visit all these schools here in Texas.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Reach up there with your right pinky finger, go to the keyboard and hit that refresh button.

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm googling it right now. Tarleton State.

[Jeff Biggs]

So I was taking a look at the, the current depth chart and again, there's still time. This is not the opening day roster, so we have to, we have to leave that in there for them to still make some other moves. But I mean, do you, do you see Shamar James as a legit starting linebacker? Do you see Siobhan Ravel? Can he take that next step? Would you feel. Do you feel confident with him being a. A starter at one of the corner spots?

[Marcus Mosher]

Coach likes to von revel a lot. Coach, why don't you go ahead?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, what I, what I want to see from him is how does he take to the coaching of a, of a new staff? You talking about Revel? Yeah, I want to see how. Yeah, James, I feel is the same way. I don't know. I don't know that I have a real clear evaluation of how I feel about him one way or the other because he plays like one or two plays and then they yank him out of there. I mean, I haven't seen a lot of. I mean, I haven't seen a lot of volume with him. You know, I mean, I think he got a. I do like how they've kind of, again, turned the bottom into the roster and cut some guys loose and. And. And put some emphasis on some guys.

[Marcus Mosher]

I. I feel the same way. Like, I. I don't even really think about Ravel at the cornerback position when you look at the depth chart, because I just have no expectations. Like, I'm hoping he's better under Christian Parker, but I don't know if Christian Parker likes him. I don't know what he thinks the ceiling is. I don't know if he thinks he can play on the outside. Maybe he's gonna prefer smaller cornerbacks that get in out of their breaks better. I. I honestly don't know. And he's one of the biggest wild cards for the Cowboys this year. I could see him potentially being one of their best corners. I could see him not being a part of the cornerback rotation at all. So I don't know. And I actually feel better. Jeff, about Shemar James. I wanted to get to that as well, just because I saw more of James last year. I. He was only 20 years old as a rookie, so I do think there's some development there. I don't think you wanted to be your starter. I think you want him to be a rotational linebacker, and then we'll see. But honestly, I. I think I've got a better grasp of what Shemar James is right now than I do Sivon Revelle.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, that's fair. We. We haven't spoken with you, Marcus, since they made some of the other moves. You mentioned Jalen Thompson. What about PJ Locke and his experience with the coaching staff, what he might bring. So they, They've. They've made some moves. They've. They've. They've improved. But like we talked about at the beginning, there's still. I mean, the linebacker is obviously glaring, and I think we'd all feel a lot better with another corner, at least for sure.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

I love the signing of Jaylen Thompson. This is one of my favorite guys going into free agency. I'm glad the Cowboys got him. I thought they got him on a great deal. This is somebody who played just about every position in Arizona's defense. They moved him all around. He was very durable. He even played through some injuries this year. My guys in Arizona would said he's an awesome player. He just got kind of caught up in being a free agent with a new scheme in a new system. He thought it was time to leave. I think Thompson's going to be one of the better safeties that they've had over the last five or seven years. And I think PJ Lock, I don't think he's a starting caliber safety but I think he's somebody that can play a role as that third safety, four safety. We saw him playing a bunch of big games for Denver. I perfectly fine with that signing and

[Jeff Biggs]

you guys brought up another Cardinal on defense and why don't we get into that when we come back. It's a nice tease. We'll do that as we finish up our final segment. Coming up real quick, this is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff Biggs]

All right, Marcus, so you and Landon on your show today also looked at a member of Cardinals defense that might be an option might be available. Tell us who that is and why you like it. Potentially.

[Marcus Mosher]

Actually two guys that could potentially be targets for the Cowboys. We'll start with the big one. Yeah, Josh Sweat, the edge rusher who actually signed with the Cardinals last offseason, had a really big year. Sounds like he potentially wants out. He. I don't think he loves his fit in the new scheme. Remember the Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon. They hired the floor, excuse me, Michael Leflore to be their head coach. So I think Sweat is somebody that could potentially be had via trade. Now he's got a big injury history but the contract is very manageable and I think the Cardinals would be asking a lot. But that is somebody that you can plug and play into your defense right away and gives you a big upgrade on the edge. And then one last one. Xavin Collins, who the Cardinals drafted from Tulsa in the 2020 draft. He's actually been moving back and forth between off ball linebacker and edge rusher. Remember the Cowboys have a connection there with Ryan Smith who was the secondary coach over in Arizona. He's now at Dallas. Collins is somebody that I think Arizona would be willing to move on from.

[Jeff Biggs]

They were big on, right?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, it might be somebody that Christian Parker sees as his next Zach Bond, that guy that maybe played too many positions with his previous team. Keep an eye on both Sweat and Xavan Collins.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, I like to call with Collins. I think, I want to say, wasn't he a first round pick though? I mean, I, I would, I would think it would be. I mean, I'm not sure that they would give up on him.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, just from talking to people, he's due a, I think it's a roster bonus here at some point and they're getting new linebackers, so I think he would be somebody that could be available potentially for a day three pick. And he's on the last year of his contract, so maybe this new coaching staff doesn't view him as a long term piece.

[Jeff Biggs]

Interesting. I like that. Okay, so, so with that said, you brought up the, you brought up the, the question. I think it was last week, Marcus, and we, we've already kind of hit on it. But from, from where we stand, I think. Would you say that the Cowboys have improved? They're not as they, they're definitely, I think at least on paper, better than what we saw at the end of last season. But not enough, I think, to bridge the gap like you were talking about.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's hard to say because in one, I think on paper if you're just looking at the names, I think they have improved. But then you've got a factor in the injury. Part of this, and this is the part that I keep bringing up during our daily show is we have no idea what Duron Bland is going to look like coming off another foot injury. Like he might not ever be the same. And you had a healthy Duron Bland at the end of the season. You don't have a healthy drawn Bland. Now that is a big loss.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Don't you, don't you think they know that? I mean, don't you think the dog.

[Marcus Mosher]

100. I mean 100%, but okay. I, I also don't know if they know. They probably don't know what the foot's going to do. Donovan Nezaraku is another guy that they was healthy at the, the end of the season. Now he's coming off hip surgery. I'm again, all indications are that he's going to be fine for training camp. But I always get nervous when you start talking about edge rushers and hip injuries. Like that's a little scary. I, I do think they're better, especially when they're undersized. Especially when they're undersized. And I, I think they're better stretched, but I don't think they're significantly better.

[Jeff Biggs]

Yeah, that's fair. I think that's fair.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Who's the. Let me ask Marcus. Who is this? Who is this starting strong side linebacker for the Texans right now? Do you know?

[Marcus Mosher]

I believe it would be Henry Toa. Towel?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Take a look. Take a look. Get the. Get your depth out and do your little looking real quick. I want you to look at this. Go ahead. We got a few minutes here.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, I'm there. I'm looking at him right now.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Who is it?

[Marcus Mosher]

Henry Toa? Towa.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, it's EJ Speed.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I mean, the problem is you're talking about. Are you talking about in bass? Are you talking about your 4? 3.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay. Do you see EJ speed on that depth chart?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I have him as my backup middle linebacker behind Elsa here.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Where'd he go to college?

[Marcus Mosher]

E.J. speed? Oh, Tarleton State. There we go. Good. For like a trade.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Wardrobe is provided by Flat Bill. Willie,

[Marcus Mosher]

look at you.

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I was.

[Jeff Biggs]

You couldn't have scripted that any better.

[Marcus Mosher]

I really thought you were telling me, like, hey, there's a guide available.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You went from thinking I had made up a school, that there was a made up Texas school to, in fact, oh, boy, maybe, maybe time for me to lay off for two weeks and quit.

[Marcus Mosher]

So cowboy still has a little in them. I can see it.

[Jeff Biggs]

I love that.

[Marcus Mosher]

So stretch, let me ask you, do you think after what they've done in free agency or frankly haven't done, do you think they are better now than they were, let's say, like in week 16, 17 this year?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, I think we're. I mean, I think if you're really asking me that, we're talking about splitting hairs. I mean, I could probably make. I could make a case for the fact that minus OSA and, you know, minus. I. I don't know, one or two. Put whoever you want to put in there. Hooker, whoever. I mean, you know, they haven't. They haven't. I'll tell you this. They haven't moved the needle for me. How's that? They haven't.

[Marcus Mosher]

And that's what I was going to say. If we're. If we even have to ask or talk about it, it means they haven't done enough. Right. I was hoping that when, by the time that we did this squad show after free agency, we would be talking about, hey, cowboys are leaps and bounds better. They've improved this position, this position in this position. It just hasn't been the case yet. Again, free agency is not over. Maybe they can go out and get two or three more guys that can contribute. Maybe they make a big trade before the draft. But I'll be honest, I'm a little bit disappointed.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

And I. And I'll be honest, that's that for me, it's a little bit more than a little disappointed. I really felt like they would go and address this. And maybe the one thing that I want to give them the benefit of the data is maybe it was just too much. Maybe, you know, they, they. They. They made a play at. At Max Crosby. They. They made a play at Dean. Yeah, I mean. I mean, you, you know, oh, for two. Somebody else that we don't know about.

[Marcus Mosher]

But I think this is where they've had problems in free agency. Real quick, side note, I think they believe that Christian Parker and this new coaching staff can get more out of what we saw from the players last year. That's how they're going to improve. But the problem that they've had in free agency is they value Nicobi d, let's say at $10 million, right? So that's their offer, $10 million. But that's not the way free agency works. These guys get paid 25 to 30% more than what they're worth. And we've seen them in contracts over and over again. They always try to lowball first and then gradually work their offer up. You can't do that in free agency. Your offer right out of the gate, your strongest offer.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

But I tell you what, I tell you, it's like shopping at. Jeff, were you sleeping when I talked about this?

[Jeff Biggs]

I don't sleep when you talk, coach.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I said it's like going to. It's like going to Central Market for your groceries. You go, it's. It's a little more expensive that.

[Marcus Mosher]

You've got to know that that same

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

piece of fish they've got over at H E B who, by the way, owns Central Market. I know you don't know anything about this up there in. In the Yankee country, but at the end of the day, it's the same piece of fish, a little more expensive when you go get it at Central Market. And that's where you're at in free agency. And I mean, I think you're making a good point, Marcus. You gotta. You've got to pay a little more because you're. You're not shopping that way. And to me, I know the Jones family that. I mean, when was the last time they really. You really set back since it. Since Deion Sanders. And you really sat back and said, man, they did what they paid what. I mean, I guess it could be Dak with that, with, with that big number, but I mean, they don't do it very often.

[Jeff Biggs]

No.

[Marcus Mosher]

And they're, they're typically a franchise that likes to take their time with deals. They took their time with Dak and with CD and obviously Michael Parsons. That didn't work out. I don't think they are great at this high pressure, high leverage situation where you've got to decide in five minutes, not five months. Right. And honestly, they just need more practice. They need more practice bidding against these teams that have more cap space. And until they get used to doing it every year, I don't know if they're going to get better at it.

[Jeff Biggs]

I just, I thought there was going to be just one like one, one big name defensive player that they really, really wanted and that they were going to, whatever it took, they were going to find a way to get that guy to, to really be the, the foundation for what they want to want to build. And so that's where I'm kind of disappointed that they, they missed out. And I get it, you know, things happen. But now they got work to do and you know, like I, I keep saying it, but I, because I'm trying not to be Captain Obvious, but I mean we're talking about it. They have to know, they have to know that where the window was at and what the opportunity is and you don't want to waste another season with, with the offense. And so I, we count down on the draft and see what happens.

[Marcus Mosher]

And I wouldn't be surprised if they make, if they make some more moves after the draft like they did last year. Whether that's trading for George Pickens, they signed Javion Clowney, you know, during the season. Don't think that all their moves are over just yet because they didn't sign guys in the first week of free agency.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right, final thoughts before we go. Coach, from you and Marcus, what do you land and having have coming up the rest of the week on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, we've got a busy week of shows. We're going to continue to talk about some players that the Cowboys might be able to target with that new third round pick they got from the OSA Odigizua trade. We're continuing some draft profile, so make sure you guys are tuning in for that coach.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I hope, I hope they, I, I'm gonna be tuning in because I, you know, I'm Relying on those guys give old Stretch low radio information. So, yeah, I'm right behind them, cheering them on. B E A T Beat them, beat them B U S T Bust them, bust them, beat them, bust them at your custom. Go, fellas, go.

[Jeff Biggs]

All right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Is that what you learned at Tarleton State?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Hey, let me tell you something. You learn something every time you get on here with Stretch. Every time.

[Marcus Mosher]

Every time.

[Jeff Biggs]

It's true, it's true. I'll vouch for that. All right, love you guys. Have a great rest of the week. We'll be back on Thursday night. Be sure and check out Marcus and Landon every day on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast. Thank you to everybody watching and listening. This has been the Cowboys squad show.

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Ross Jackson]

What's up, everybody? This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast network. And if you haven't heard yet, we started a club and we would love for you to join. It's called the Everydayer Club. And one of the things that you get as a member is an ad free version of the podcast that you're listening to right now. It works with whatever podcast app you already use. Same episodes every day, just no ads. There's also a members only group chat for fans of your team, plus a lot more. You can check it out by tapping the Everydayer Club link in the show notes.