INTRIGUE: Dallas Cowboys Meeting With Several Elite DT Prospects At NFL Combine | What's Next?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys Podcast | February 26, 2026

Episode Theme:
Dallas Cowboys’ Interest in Elite Defensive Tackle Prospects at the 2026 NFL Combine: Signals, Strategy & What’s Next

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Dallas Cowboys’ unexpected activity at the 2026 NFL Combine, where the team used formal interviews on a number of top defensive tackle (DT) prospects—a departure from their traditional draft strategy. Hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool break down what this could signal about organizational priorities, future roster construction, and the evolving needs of the Cowboys’ defensive line, particularly under Christian Parker’s defensive system.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surprise Focus on Defensive Tackles at the Combine

• Cowboys Met with Top DT Prospects:
  The Cowboys used precious formal interviews (only 45 slots granted per team) to meet with nearly every top defensive tackle prospect—a move Marcus calls "very interesting" [01:12].

• Possible Reasons for DT Focus:
  Landon speculates that perhaps the Cowboys "didn't think we needed to" focus on the DT position earlier in the cycle, but "maybe something has changed" [02:32].

  "Maybe they also thought that they weren't going to be looking at defensive tackles because of their situation and maybe something has changed and they want to catch up." – Landon McCool [02:30]

• Contract/Future Concerns:
  The team has several DTs (Kenny Clark, Solomon Thomas, Perrion Winfrey) on expiring or high-cap deals.

  "Kenny Clark is really on like a year-to-year deal now. So there’s a chance he’s off the team in 2027. Solomon Thomas is in the last year of his deal… Maybe they’re looking at this as a need in 2027 or 2028.” – Marcus Mosher [03:56]

2. Strategic Use of Combine Interviews

• Long-Term Scouting:
  Sometimes interviews are less about imminent draft needs and more about “gathering information…for down the line, whether it becomes a trade or free agency” [04:36].

• Potential Roster Moves:
  The possibility of extending or moving on from Kenny Clark is discussed. If extension isn’t worked out, the Cowboys might have to part with a DT, which would increase the urgency of drafting at the position [03:15-03:46].

• Trade Flexibility:
  Landon notes that falling in love with a DT in interviews “opens lines of attack,” whether it’s keeping three serious DTs, moving on from one for cap savings, or stockpiling future resources [05:37].

3. Deep Dive: Caleb Banks & Peter Woods

• Why the Attention on Banks & Woods:
  Both are among the most talked-about defensive tackle prospects the Cowboys met with.

• How They Fit the Scheme:

  • Peter Woods: Seen as a “prototypical guy, a size three technique who I think would fit very well…what you’re looking for in one of these four-i” [10:20]. Woods himself reportedly pitched that his “best spot was a 4i” in his Cowboys interview—a potential scheme fit [10:54].

    • Measured "just under six three, 310 pounds" [10:35].

  • Caleb Banks:

    • Described as “an extremely enormous, extremely twitchy, explosive freak of nature. Literally a rare player…you don’t see every year” [11:13].
    • Senior Bowl measured: "6'6, 335 lbs, 35-inch arms, over an 85-inch wingspan, 11-inch hands" [11:34].

    Noted for his unique physicality—“I’m very impressed if he runs a 40 yard dash under 5.2, which I think he absolutely will. The only players in NFL history to run that fast at that size would be him and Jordan Davis.” – Marcus Mosher [11:56, 12:03]

• Production Concerns:
  Landon voices skepticism: “People are talking about him (Banks) as a slam dunk and he hasn’t really…this was the year he was supposed to be doing something and he didn’t do anything really…then he comes to the Senior Bowl and he dominates one on ones… but then he doesn’t really do anything in the team stuff or in the game.” [12:28-12:50]

• Potential for Versatility:
  Marcus responds, “I’m terrified because he’s 6’6, 335 pounds and he might run in the four nines. He’s just a freak athlete and he’s somebody that could play all over your defensive line and that would be pretty fun.” [13:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the reasoning behind Combine interviews:

  "I just thought this was a position that the Cowboys were going to basically ignore during the NFL draft. Yeah, maybe some day three guys they’ll pay attention to…"
  – Marcus Mosher [01:38]

• On Kenny Clark's contract status:

  “A lot of people were assuming that he would get cut, but...more and more that the Cowboys are trying to find a way to resign him or to extend him in order to kind of move the money around a little bit.”
  – Landon McCool [03:17]

• On Caleb Banks' athletic profile:

  "The only players in NFL history to run that fast at that size would be him and Jordan Davis. That's it."
  – Marcus Mosher [12:03]

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Key Timestamps

• [01:12-02:27] – Cowboys meet with top DTs at the Combine; hosts express surprise
• [02:27-03:46] – Discussion of possible strategic changes and the implications of DT contracts
• [03:56-05:03] – How the Cowboys think about long-term needs, roster flexibility, and information gathering
• [05:22-05:58] – The possibility of moving high-cost DTs for cap space, freeing up the position for a rookie
• [09:51-11:02] – How Banks & Woods would fit in Christian Parker’s defense; discussion of profiles & metrics
• [11:02-13:00] – Athleticism and concerns around Caleb Banks; team and host perspectives on talent vs. production

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Conclusion & Takeaways

• The Cowboys’ use of formal Combine interviews on DT prospects signals either a strategic shift, prepping for major roster moves, or both.
• Kenny Clark's future (extension, cut, or trade) looms large in shaping Dallas’s DT strategy.
• The coaching staff is clearly open to scheme fits beyond the usual 3-tech, looking for versatility (4i, etc.).
• Caleb Banks and Peter Woods are physically unique, intriguing fits, but questions linger regarding consistent production.
• The interviews are as much about immediate draft plans as about long-term franchise intelligence and flexibility.

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For deeper draft content or to join the ad-free Everydayers club, check out the hosts’ links and subscribe to the Locked On Cowboys podcast wherever you listen!

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Transcript

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[Marcus Mosher]

The Dallas Cowboys met with the top defensive tackle prospects at the NFL Combine. And that is very interesting. We'll tell you why next.

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[Marcus Mosher]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. We'd like to thank you for making us the number one sports podcast network. I am your host, Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool. And on today's show, we're talking about NFL combine interviews. And we shouldn't overblow this because teams like to talk to a lot of different players at a lot of different positions. But you only get 45 formal interviews. And it was interesting that it came out on Wednesday, Landon, that the Cowboys met with almost all of the top defensive tackle prospects in this year's draft. And I just thought this was a position that the Cowboys were going to basically ignore during the NFL draft. Yeah, maybe some day three guys they'll pay attention to. But Caleb Banks, Peter woods, both getting attention from the Cowboys. What do you make of it?

[Landon McCool]

Well, I mean, it could be that, that maybe that they've.

[Lynn]

They also thought that, right?

[Landon McCool]

Maybe they also thought that they weren't

[Lynn]

going to be looking at defensive tackles because of their situation and maybe something has changed and, and they want to catch up. Not necessarily that they're committing, but you know, hey, we know a lot about these other guys. We, we probably need to do some work on the defensive tackles because we didn't think we needed to.

[Landon McCool]

So obviously, you know, if you look

[Lynn]

at the contract situation with the three defensive tackles, it's, it's, it's a pretty hefty number. I think we've, we've targeted Kenny Clark as a guy that probably needs to be extended and that's kind of the route that we've always felt like they've been working towards. Like they, we, we figured that he, they probably weren't going to play underneath his current cap. Hit, hit, number.

[Landon McCool]

The question was I think a lot

[Lynn]

of people were assuming that he would get cut, but I think it's, it's also a possibility that instead that it sounds like more and more that the Cowboys are trying to find a way to, to resign him or to extend him in order to kind of move the money around a little bit.

[Landon McCool]

So if that doesn't happen, if they

[Lynn]

can't figure out a way to do

[Landon McCool]

that, then they may have to have

[Lynn]

a situation where they talk about moving on from one of these guys.

[Landon McCool]

And if that's the case, they still

[Lynn]

need another defensive tackle. So maybe that need just triggered them going. It's time to at least start kicking the tires on these guys. Now that we have an opportunity that we're in Indianapolis.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's all, I mean the other part of this is Kenny Clark is really on like a year to year deal now. So there's, there's a chance he's off the team in 2027. Solomon Thomas is in the last year of his deal. Perry on Winfrey only plays was one game last year and I think he's on a one year deal. Maybe they're looking at this as a need, you know, in 2027 or 2028. And it's just always good to interview some of the top guys because you never know when they're going to become available like Quinn and Williams or Kenny Clark. Right. And I think a lot of times these teams use combine interviews just to gather information. Not so much for this year's draft, but for down the line, whether it becomes a trade or free agency. They just want to talk to some of these top prospects and maybe a guy like, I don't know, Caleb Banks, who is one of the most talented players in the draft. What if he's there at pick 27 after the Cowboys trade down? It would be nice to have a little bit of background information on him and why, why was he so up and down during his couple years at Florida and where is he at health wise Teams use these interviews to gather information.

[Lynn]

Yeah, he's certainly the most. Most. One of the most athletic defensive tackles in the draft.

[Landon McCool]

I. I do think that the.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, go ahead. Just. Fine.

[Landon McCool]

No, we do think. We do think that, that, you know, it just.

[Lynn]

It could be, again, like, them just kind of opening up avenues of discovery to see what's.

[Landon McCool]

What's out there.

[Lynn]

Maybe they fall in love with one of these guys, right? Maybe they have an interview with Peter woods and they love his mentality, and they're like, well, what. What could we get for, you know, Kenny Clark or an Diggy Zua? Right? Like, so I. I think those are

[Landon McCool]

possibilities that they could be opening up

[Lynn]

those kind of lines of attack, because I think that there is.

[Landon McCool]

There are ways to do this where, you know, if. If you just don't feel like you

[Lynn]

need three serious heavy hitters up front in order for this defense to run, maybe you do find a way to part with one of them and. And get a little bit cheaper there and get. Get some resources out of it.

[Marcus Mosher]

Let's talk more about Caleb Banks and Peter woods, because those are two guys that the Cowboys did meet with at the NFL combine. How would they fit into Christian Parker's defense? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Five Hour Energy. Welcome to the Five Hour Energy flavor draft. With 18 different flavors to choose from, including new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow, or cotton candy, there's something for everyone. The board is set, the flavors are ready, and I've got my number one pick for the five Hour Energy draft. It is cherry. By far. It's the best flavor. It's what I drink right before I record this podcast so I have the energy to push through. I love the tart finish on it. It's unbelievable. I honestly wish I could do a better job of explaining it to you guys. Just go out and try it. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. 5 hour energy shots give you a boost with zero sugar and zero crash. And five Hour Energy has a lot of upcoming flavors planned, so make sure you check them out. Find your new favorite flavor of 5 Hour Energy Shots, available online at 5hourenergy.com or on Amazon. This episode is brought to you by Home Chef. As the new year gets going, a lot of people are trying to simplify their routines and. And dinner is always a big one. Between busy work days, cold winter nights, and packed schedules, having an easy and reliable dinner plan makes a huge difference. And that's where Home Chef Comes In Home Chef takes the stress out of cooking by delivering fresh pre portioned ingredients right to your door with easy to follow recipes that actually taste great. They're rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And it's easy to see why meals come ready to fit your schedule. 30 minute recipes, oven ready trays or quick lunches. And for a limited time only, Home Chef is offering our listeners 50% off your first box with free shipping and free dessert for life. Just go to homechef.com locked on that's homechef.com locked on for 50% off your first box with free shipping and free dessert for life. You must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. This episode is brought to you by Indeed. Workplace Chaos. Deadlines stacking up, inboxes overflowing. And the one position that you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire. This is a job for Indeed. Sponsored Jobs. 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 that the right candidate stumbles across your post. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes with Indeed Sponsored Jobs and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to help give your job the premium status that it deserves. And@ Indeed.com podcast just go to Indeed.com podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen every single day. Lynn if the Cowboys were to draft a defensive tackle early, Caleb Banks and Peter woods are for most people the top two defensive tackles in this class. Kaden McDonald's in there a little bit but I have a hard time. Cowboys would be interested there. Woods, Banks, how would they fit this defense?

[Lynn]

I actually think they may be interested in Kaden McDonald.

[Landon McCool]

But, but I, I, I, I think

[Lynn]

woods and and Banks to me make the most sense.

[Landon McCool]

I, I, I. Liz is, you know,

[Lynn]

an incredibly athletic up the field penetrating defensive tackle. You know, he's very much looks the part of a 3 technique. 62 ish, like 300. What do you have the you have his numbers in front of him?

[Marcus Mosher]

I can get him. Go ahead.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I think yeah, he's but he's

[Lynn]

more just the kind of prototypical guy, a size three technique who I think would fit very well. Kind of what you're looking for in one of these four eye that you. We're likely going to see a lot of 6026.

[Marcus Mosher]

So just under six three, 310 pounds. He'll get measured in on Thursday officially. But those are the numbers I have from this year. Yeah. So.

[Landon McCool]

Right.

[Lynn]

You know, very much like what you would consider to be, you know, maybe a little, that's a little bit bigger than, than, than a normal three technique necessarily. So a little bit in between. But that's what you're kind of looking for. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

And he said, I think he said in his interview with the Cow, he told them that his best spot was a 4i, which I think is fascinating.

[Lynn]

That happens to be a spot that the Cowboys may have. So that, that may have been a, an informed interviewee giving a good, a very solid answer the, to the, the people he's being interviewed by.

[Landon McCool]

So yeah, I like him a lot. And I think for Banks, you know, just a extremely enormous, extremely twitchy, explosive freak of nature.

[Lynn]

Like literally, you know, again, a rare player that doesn't necessarily. A physical athlete that doesn't come out, you know, every single year. You don't see.

[Marcus Mosher]

I got his numbers. 6060, 335. These are, com. Sorry, Senior bowl numbers. 35 inch arms, over an 85 inch wingspan with 11 inch hands.

[Lynn]

Yeah. And, and, and he is every bit that athlete.

[Marcus Mosher]

Not breast at all.

[Landon McCool]

I just, I mean what would I be impressed by? That's my problem. Right. Is that he's, I'm very impressed when I see him physically.

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm very impressed if he runs a 40 yard dash under 5 2, which I think he absolutely will.

[Lynn]

Yes.

[Marcus Mosher]

The only players in NFL history to run that fast at that size would be him and Jordan Davis. That's it.

[Lynn]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean again, like. And Jordan Davis is the second best defensive tackle on his team, you know.

[Landon McCool]

So like I, you know, I, I,

[Marcus Mosher]

I would be too in Dallas. That's right. It's not that big of that.

[Landon McCool]

I just think that, you know, I, I need to see more production. It's, it's, I just think that people

[Lynn]

are talking about him as a slam dunk and he hasn't really. We, this was the year he was supposed to be doing something and he didn't do anything really.

[Landon McCool]

And then he, okay. And then he, then he was played. Okay. And then, and then he comes to the Senior bowl and he dominates one

[Lynn]

on ones and that's great and everything, but then he doesn't really kind of do anything in the team stuff or in the game.

[Landon McCool]

But he was okay. I don't know, I, I think I, I, I, it's not that I, I don't like him. I just, I, I don't know why people aren't like terrified by him.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I mean, I am, but I, I'm terrified because he's six six, 335 pounds and he might run in the four nines. He's just a freak athlete and he's somebody that could play all over your defensive line and that would be pretty fun. All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Latan Cowboys your first listed every single day. Check out the Everydayer club. Go to lockedoncowboys.supercast.com to get ad free episodes of the show and so much more. Make sure you check out the Locked on NFL Draft podcast as well. Follow Landon on Twitter accoolbcb. I'm arcusmosier. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

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