MAKE OR BREAK: Will McClay Faces JOB-Defining Draft | Will Dallas Cowboys Be Aggressive?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys — “MAKE OR BREAK: Will McClay Faces JOB-Defining Draft | Will Dallas Cowboys Be Aggressive?”

Date: April 3, 2026
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

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Episode Overview

This episode zeros in on the critical nature of the 2026 NFL Draft for Dallas Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Will McClay. With recent draft struggles and a defensive unit in crisis, Marcus and Landon dissect the high stakes of this draft for McClay's job security and the entire Cowboys’ leadership. The discussion explores potential strategies — safe picks vs. high-upside swings — and analyzes the complex dynamic between McClay, new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, the Jones family, and the Cowboys' shifting organizational priorities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why This Is a “Make or Break” Draft for Will McClay

• Recent Draft Struggles & Defensive Downturn
  • Cowboys’ drafts in the past 3-4 years seen as underwhelming, especially in the context of building a top defense (01:34, 01:59).
    • “They have not drafted as well in the last three or four years as they had in the previous three or four years. They've really struggled to build a defense. That's why they were… last in 2024 with Mike Zimmer… all-time worst defense of 2025.” — Marcus Mosher [01:43]
• Leadership Job Security On The Line
  • If defensive woes persist, offensive and head coaching staff likely safe; front office attention turns to Will McClay as the “next name” likely to face consequences (02:38–04:03).
    • “I wonder if they point back to the front office… next name would be Will McClay.” — Marcus Mosher [03:32]
    • “If someone's head has got to be on the chopping block, it kind of naturally falls on McClay.” — Landon McCool [04:03]
• Past Precedents and Organizational Loyalty
  • McClay’s strong history with Dallas and the Jones family is acknowledged, but even that may not exempt him if the franchise needs post-season accountability (04:03–05:09).

2. Accountability: Who Takes The Fall?

• Owner Immunity
  • Jones family (“the Joneses”) cannot be fired, but may be seen by public and fans as the “number one candidates for why it happened” (05:59–06:12).
    • “We're saying that if this scenario happens, the Joneses are more than likely the number one candidates for why it happened.” — Landon McCool [05:59]
• Potential Future Scenarios
  • Speculation of a shake-up in the front office or introducing a Cowboys legend in a leadership role if a scapegoat is needed (06:28).
    • “I'm making up a name, it's Moose Johnston is going to be in that role now. We'll see.” — Marcus Mosher [06:28]

3. Draft Philosophy: Play It Safe or Swing Big?

• Would McClay Shift His Strategy Under Pressure?
  • The hosts debate: does job pressure mean McClay will prioritize “safe” picks—NFL-ready, high-floor talent—even at the expense of star upside? (08:31)
    • “Do you think we could see Will McClay go for more safer players in round one? ...Or do you think they're going to take some big swings in round one?” — Marcus Mosher [08:19]
• Organizational Influence
  • Changing defensive priorities and the large role of new DC Christian Parker muddy the waters—is a shift in drafting style McClay’s initiative, or simply an organizational “win-now” mandate? (08:31, 10:14).
    • “Is this because Parker has a completely different set of needs for his defense … or is this because this is Will McClay desperate to, you know, kind of cool his seat a little bit?” — Landon McCool [08:31]
    • “If the Joneses have dictated this as a win-now window … Will McClay's success is in executing their vision.” — Landon McCool [10:14]
• Illustrative Example of a “Safe” Draft
  • Drafting Dylan Thieman (safety) at 12 and CJ Allen (linebacker) at 20 emphasizes immediate help over upside, but raises questions about whether this changes the franchise’s ceiling (09:33).
    • “Both of those are good players, but... the upside just isn’t there. Again, doesn’t mean it’s a bad draft. But I don’t know if it’s… the needle moving draft that the franchise needs.” — Marcus Mosher [09:33]

4. McClay’s Real Value Evaluated in Later Rounds

• Day 3 (Rounds 3–7) as the Measuring Stick
  • Later-round picks are typically where scouts and McClay have greater influence. Hitting on contributors here will speak more to McClay’s personal value than first-round decisions dominated by ownership (11:43).
    • “That’s where I think like pick 92, 112, the day three picks are more important for Will McClay… if they can find two quality players… that’s probably more telling than what they do in the first round.” — Marcus Mosher [11:43]
• Identifying Tells in Draft Approach
  • Picking “older players” or “low upside, high floor” types outside the first round could be a sign of a purely immediacy-driven strategy (12:13).
    • “If you’re drafting more on the spectrum of older players or low upside guys but very high floor… that gives you all the information you need.” — Landon McCool [12:13]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the uniqueness of the Cowboys' front office:
  “See if they can find someone else that would fit into what is a very unique front office for the... in the NFL.” — Landon McCool [04:44]

• On the pressure to draft for immediate help:
  “They've already shown a propensity to like shorten their timeline a little bit. So it'll be interesting to see if that actually plays out in the draft as well.” — Landon McCool [10:40]

• On the ownership conundrum:
  “We’re not even just saying that the Joneses can't be fired. We're saying that if this scenario happens, the Joneses are more than likely the number one candidates for why it happened.” — Landon McCool [05:59]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:34 — Introduction to why the draft matters for Will McClay & past draft failures
• 02:38–05:09 — Speculation on who would take the fall if defense continues to fail; Jones family dynamics
• 08:19–10:14 — Should McClay play it safe or take big swings in the draft? Balancing job security with organizational needs
• 11:43–12:47 — Why mid-to-late-round picks are the best reflection of McClay’s true influence and ability

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Summary & Takeaways

• The episode paints a high-stakes landscape for Will McClay. If the Cowboys' defense cannot rebound in 2026, McClay could become the scapegoat despite years of loyalty and solid work amidst shifting priorities.
• The looming question is whether job pressure and a “win-now” mandate will warp Dallas’ draft approach — pushing McClay toward NFL-ready contributors rather than hunting for transformative, high-upside talent.
• The first round will likely be molded by the Joneses’ vision, but true insight into McClay’s impact and value will emerge from picks on Day 3—an area where his skillset has historically shined.
• Overall, the 2026 draft is positioned as a critical inflection point—not just for team construction, but for the long-term shape of Cowboys leadership.

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Transcript

[Host 1]

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[Marcus Mosher]

This is a make or break draft for Will Mlay. We'll tell you why next. You are Locked on Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network.

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Your team every day.

[Marcus Mosher]

Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool and today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. During the tournament, FanDuel is offering 300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. Head over to FanDuel.com to get started. All right, on today's show we are discussing Will McLay because Landon, I believe this is a really important draft for Will McClay for a couple different reasons. Number one, they have not drafted as well in the last three or four years as they had in the previous three or four years. They've really struggled to build a defense. That's why they were What Last in 2024 with Mike Zimmer they had a all time worst defense of 2025. And it feels like with these two first round picks with pick 92 they got to get it right and if they don't have a good season really on that defensive side of the ball land and I, I really wonder, I don't see Brian Schottenheimer getting fired. Obviously Christian Parker is not going to get fired. Could it be Will McClay who's the odd man out here?

[Host 1]

Let's I mean, let's be clear to me. I think the most likely scenario is in that situation that they, they give them the proverbial, you've got one more year to the whole crew. Right. Or, or, or at least, you know, Will gets lumped in with the head coach and the defensive coordinator who as guys that we're going to give one more chance to. But if they don't, if there is enough uproar and somebody's head is on the chopping block, I mean, you, you just laid it out. It's probably not going to be the head coach that they just hired last year. Although Jerry has done that before. He, he hated when he did it. He, he regrets it and he talks about it all the time, how he regretted letting Chan Gailey go too early. Right. I, I don't. So I don't think that that's necessarily going to happen again. You know, Parker is obviously a rising star. I think that, that he would likely get another opportunity here. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, and it's hard for, it's just hard for me to see a scenario where Brian Schottenheimer is canned while the offense is still performing well. Right. Like, you know what I'm saying. The Cowboys have like the 6 ranked offense but the 30th ranked defense and they go 7 and 10 again. I mean, he obviously deserves some blame because he's the head coach, but I wonder if they point back to the front office and we know Jerry Jones can't get fired and Steven Jones can't get fired. So the next name would be Will McClay.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And in that sense of that kind of logic. Yeah. I mean, if someone's head is got to be on the chopping block, it kind of naturally falls on McClay. Now obviously there's a lot of history here. He survived a lot of, you know, different administrations. He's been with the team for a long time. There's a lot of trust between the Joneses and Will McClay and they've, they've, you know, made him very, I think they've paid him very handsomely to stay over, over certain requests of GM jobs that he's gotten over the years. So I do think there is kind of a lot working in his favor. However, if, you know, if there is a situation where it's, somebody's got to go, if it's just, you know, everyone's kind of looking, how did this happen? The offense was elite, but we could not get where we needed to go. Defense again, I wouldn't be shocked completely if The Cowboys just decided, hey, it's time to kind of move in a different direction here and see if they can find someone else that would fit into what is a very unique front office for the. In the NFL. You're muted.

[Marcus Mosher]

Just to be clear. I don't think Will McClay is. I don't think he's done a poor job. And honestly, it's really hard to tell because he, what he does is try to marry the coaching staff in the front office together when it comes to evaluation. So this is not really a referendum on Will McClay. It's just, it's a huge draft for this franchise because you're kind of in this window in 2026 and 2027. You've got first round picks. You kind of need to hit on them if you want to have any chance to compete. And again, we're kind of laying out the scenario. If they have a bad draft or an average draft or an average season, I think fans are going to be even more upset than they are right now, which is all, you know, we're just saying that like it's, it's a big deal for Will McClay here.

[Host 1]

Let's even be more succinct. We're not even just saying that the. Jerry, that the Joneses can't be fired. We're saying that if this scenario happens, the Joneses are more than likely the number one candidates for why it happened.

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh, 100%. Yeah.

[Host 1]

And, and they can't get fired. So, yeah, somebody will have to be fired. Likely. Unless, you know, the, the, the public will accept the. We'll try it one more time. We will get it right this time, I promise.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And that's where I could see them, like trying to bring in a former player and be like, okay, we're going to bring in somebody else to, to work with us and hopefully this guy. I'm making up a name, it's Moose Johnston is going to be in that role now. We'll see. Let's talk about what will McClay in the scouting staff should do during the NFL draft. Should they be aggressive to try to hit four big home runs or should they play it safe? We'll get to that next. This episode is brought to you by fanduel. The tournament is here. It's one of the best times of the year. Brackets, buzzer beaters, upsets. It's non stop action from tip to final cut down. And right now, FanDuel is giving new customers a way to stay in the action all tournament long. And here's the best part, you get up to 300 back in bonus bets every day for 10 days. That means 10 chances to stay involved throughout the entire tournament. You can mix it up however you want, game picks, futures or even same game parlays for bigger potential payouts. It's perfect for the tournament because every day there's something new. Different matchups, new story lines and more ways to get involved as the bracket unfolds. So visit FanDuel.com to sign up today. That's FanDuel.com to get in on the action. Welcome back to the Loton Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen and every single day. All right, Lane. And assuming that the seat for Will McClay is getting a little bit warmer, do you think that will change the way that he drafts? And should it? Do you think, do you think we could see will McLay go for more safer players in round one? You know, guys maybe like C.J. allen, who maybe don't have the highest ceiling but can come in and start right away and fill a need, or do you think they're going to take some big swings in round one, hoping to really improve this defense?

[Host 1]

You know, that's what's going to be kind of difficult to parse. Like the, the motivation because the truth of the matter is is that things may change because you're, you're dealing with the new defensive coordinator and the defense seemingly is changing enough that you've already seen the, the effect in free agency of them going out and getting a pair of, of short armed cornerbacks in the, for the first time and you know, since pre Covid, you know, well before that, honestly. So I, I think that there's likely to be some differences this year because there is going to be a focus on defense and because the defense has changed, but it's going to be hard to kind of parse. Like, is this because, you know, Parker has a completely different set of needs for his defense than any defensive coordinator we've had in the recent memory. Or, or is this because this is Will McLay desperate to, you know, kind of cool his seat a little bit by making sure that he's hitting on talent early in the first round?

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, because I could see a draft playing out like Dylan Theman At 12, you, you put him as the, the box safety, your slot guy and now you've got three really good safeties with Thieman, Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson and that helps. And then at 20, drafting CJ Allen, a guy that could Come in, call the defense right away is day one starter. Both of those are good players, but you're also taking a safety and a linebacker with your first two picks. And to me like your, your, the upside just isn't there. Again, doesn't mean it's a bad draft. But I don't know if it's a, the needle moving draft that the franchise needs to get the defense back to being playoff caliber, let alone championship caliber.

[Host 1]

But that to be fair, that is dictated by the Joneses. Like if the Joneses have dictated this as a win now window, then the desire is to go out and get the guys that are the kind of more immediate fits then Will McClay's success is in executing their vision.

[Marcus Mosher]

If that's why it's, it's so hard to separate these guys when it comes to the player evaluation.

[Host 1]

Yeah, exactly. And I think, look, it's like what is Will McClay's desire? Honestly, I don't think, I don't think that we're going to see him acting separate in, in a desire to, you know, save his job. Because the truth of the matter is is that whatever he's being told to do, if it's successful, that aligns with his, with his goal of keeping his job. Right. So I, I think to me it's going to be about executing the vision that they have all agreed upon as far as where the timeline is on this team. If it's a shortened timeline, then yeah, you're going to see a little bit more of the kind of short sighted, immediate help draft picks versus long term projects. And I think that that's kind of what we've seen because they've already said things like they don't want people on red shirt years, they don't want people, you know, with the year off. So I think they've already shown a propensity, propensity to like shorten their timeline a little bit. So it'll be interesting to see like if that actually plays out in the drafter as well.

[Marcus Mosher]

That's where I think like pick 92, 112 the day three picks are more important for Will Mlay because that's generally when the scouts get involved, right? If they can find two quality players and like guys that not start but like contribute on defense in those rounds right away that's probably more telling than what they do in the first round because you're right because I think the Joneses probably have a way bigger say at picks 12 and 20 than they really do at 112 well, and I

[Host 1]

think that that's like and I think it'll be easier to tell also because the the type of players are on broader parts of the spectrum, right? Like normally you would be drafting guys that are more upside y players or people that have something that's that that bumps them down first and second round picks who fell to the fourth round for a reason. If you're, if you're drafting more on the spectrum of hey, maybe these are older players or hey, maybe these are low upside guys but very high floor guys that we think can come in and be contributors right away, then I think that gives you all the information you need.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, that is it for today's show. We'd like to thank you for making Locked on Cowboys your first listen every single day. Make sure you subscribe and follow the podcast so you get all of the latest episodes. And if you never miss an episode, the everyday club is built for you. Get locked on Cowboys ad free members only, discord access and so much more. Head over to lockdown cowboys supercast.com to join the club. And for those of you on video, we can send you the first ever 24.7national NBA YouTube channel and on audio, make your second listen the locked on NFL Draft podcast. Follow Landon on Twitter @McCool BCB. I'm @Marcus Underscore Moser and we will see you right back here on Monday.

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