Dallas

Cowboys

The Cowboys will play host to their division rival, the Eagles, in front of a national audience this Thanksgiving. The Cowboys downed the Kansas City Chiefs in a high-scoring 31-28 affair last season, and have won their last four Thanksgiving Day contests. The league has now announced two Cowboys games ahead of its full schedule release, as they are also set to take on the Giants on Sunday Night Football in Week 1.

Both players are a long way off from being fantasy-relevant, but this is good news nonetheless. Trigg’s college tape is dotted with explosive plays and surprising drops. Watkins complimented his improving maturity and aptly noted that Trigg has more “potential” than Rogers, who set a goal of leading the team in special teams tackles. For now, Trigg is buried on the Cowboys’ depth chart. He is highly unlikely to be viable in re-draft this season, but remains an interesting dart throw in dynasty formats. He must continue winning over Cowboys coaches this summer and an underwhelming pre-draft showing.

Downs is expected to be an immediate starter for a Cowboys defense that ranked 32nd in points allowed last season, while also allowing the highest yards per attempt. Downs is a versatile defender who excelled in both pass coverage and against the run while at Ohio State. He is one of six Cowboys to ink their rookie deals, with pass rusher Malachi Lawrence the only one yet to put pen to paper.

The Cowboys were initially reported to be placing the franchise tag on Pickens prior to the NFL draft, prompting speculation he would be dealt during the draft. However, Pickens did not sign the $27.3 million tag immediately, leaving him out of any potential trade conversations. Now, the Cowboys announce Pickens has officially signed his franchise tag. He now plays on a one-year, $27.3 million fully guaranteed deal for 2026 while aiming to negotiate a new contract with Dallas or another team that would agree to acquire and sign him to a long-term deal.

The deal includes a $187,500 signing bonus and appears to simply be a depth move. MVS spent time with the 49ers and Steelers last season, catching 14 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. The veteran speedster has bounced around to four different teams since parting ways with the Chiefs after the 2023 season and hasn’t caught more than 17 passes at any of his stops. He’ll likely be battling to earn a roster spot in camp and carries little fantasy value.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported shortly before the start of Day 1 of last week’s draft that Pickens would be signing his franchise tag. Now, it appears that is not the case. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said last week that the team would not have negotiations with Pickens for a long-term deal this year, but it’s possible that Pickens and his team may take their time to see if a deal can still be reached. There’s not much we know here other than Pickens hasn’t signed his tag, but with the deadline to sign tags still over two months away, Pickens has plenty of time to see if the Cowboys are willing to budge and ink him to a new deal rather than force him to play on the one-year tag. If he does play on the tag, Pickens would earn a guaranteed $27.3 million.

After quiet stints at USC and Ole Miss, Trigg (6’4/240) carved out a seem-stretching role at Baylor in his fourth collegiate season. He racked up 395 yards in 2024 and upped that to 694 in 2025. No matter what school he was at, Trigg’s coaches used him much farther downfield than the average tight end. He finished his career with an average target depth of 10.5, one of the highest marks in the class. That’s a valuable role for a tight end, but Trigg will need to polish his game at the catch-point in the pros. He brought down just 45 percent of his career contested targets and dropped an FBS-leading seven passes in 2025. Trigg missed the NFL Combine with a hamstring injury. That issue flared up at Baylor’s Pro Day after he logged a dismal 27.5” vertical jump. Trigg’s tape is full of big plays and equally shocking drops. Without athletic measurables, he will likely be considered a developmental project by his NFL team.

Hudson (6’1”/191) spent his freshman season at TCU in 2022 before transferring to SMU for his final three seasons. Prior to breaking out for 63-785-6 in 2025, Hudson never totaled more than 423 yards in a season. He displayed a good ability to create after the catch last season, posting a career-high 6.2 YAC/REC while also forcing 16 missed tackles, good for a 25.4 percent missed tackles forced rate. His 16 missed tackles tied for the 11th-most of all receivers in the nation. Hudson played primarily on the outside, but he lacks top-end speed (4.58 40-yard dash) and saw 54.8 percent of his targets come on short passes (0-9 yard ADOT) or behind the line of scrimmage, per PFF. The flashes Hudson showed last season make him an interesting developmental prospect at the next level. If he can find ways to create after the catch in the pros while continuing to improve his route running, Hudson could eventually earn a meaningful role in the right system.

Rogers possesses a burly build, standing 6’4/258. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler deemed him an “interesting Day 3 developmental option” after putting decent tape on film in his final season at TCU. He caught just 34-of-40 targets for 319 yards and two touchdowns last year and shows flashes as a run blocker at times. He will turn 25 in November.

Smith (6'2/197) is a lean wide receiver with linear route-running and speed. He spent the first four seasons of his career at NC State, seeing low volume with 13 receptions over that time. After transferring to East Carolina, Smith tallied 799 receiving yards in 2024 and 1,053 yards off 64 receptions and seven touchdowns in 2025. He was a standout track athlete in high school, winning the state title for the 55-meter and 300-meter dashes. He won the Go Bowling Military Bowl MVP for the 2025 season and was a Second Team All-American. Smith is a downfield threat who has a chance at cracking the roster off his speed.