The Cowboys announced that they have signed their top pick from this year’s draft.
They have signed safety Caleb Downs along with five other draft picks. The Cowboys traded up on spot to take Downs at No. 11 and he’s expected to move directly into the starting lineup as a rookie.
Downs was the first of two first-round selections this year. Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence was the other one and he is the only member of the draft class who has not agreed to his rookie deal yet.
The Cowboys have also signed third-round linebacker Jaishawn Barham, fourth-round tackle Drew Shelton, fourth-round cornerback Devin Moore, fourth-round edge rusher LT Overton, and seventh-round wide receiver Anthony Smith.
Cowboys receiver George Pickens has accepted the franchise tender for 2026. Why would he do it?
It’s not complicated.
Pickens could have stayed away, for all of the offseason program, all of training camp, all of the preseason. He could have waited until the days preceding the start of the regular season to show up, take the tender, and make every penny of his $27.298 million.
He also could have skipped the first 10 weeks of the regular season before showing up, making $12.13 million, and getting credit for the contract year.
He could have demanded a trade. He could have insisted on better terms than the franchise tender offered, whether it be more money or a commitment to not tag him again in 2027.
Pickens did none of those things. He took the tender. Now. He’s under contract. Now. He can still skip the mandatory minicamp, but he’ll be fined. He can skip days of training camp. Again, he’ll be fined.
He could have done that without accepting the franchise tag.
The inescapable message is this. He’s handling the situation like quarterback Dak Prescott did in 2020. Accept the circumstances, show up, work hard, and see what happens in 2027.
Given Pickens’s reputation (right or wrong) during his three years in Pittsburgh, he needs to keep putting distance between his time with the Steelers and his time with the Cowboys. He needs to have another season like the one he had last year.
Even though the franchise tag for the receiver position falls $15 million short of the new-money APY for the top of the receiver market, Pickens will make more than anyone ever would have thought he’d make before he was traded to the Cowboys last May.
And so the play is simple. Play well enough this year to put the Cowboys in a bind next year. They can sign him to a long-term deal (which possibly may require them to move on from receiver CeeDee Lamb) or tag Pickens again, at a 20-percent bump over his 2026 salary ($32.76 million).
They surely wouldn’t tag him for a third year. It would be too expensive — at least $47.17 million. So he bookends three up-and-down years in Pittsburgh with three strong seasons in Dallas, and he hits the market. He will have just turned 27. He’ll have gas in the tank and, if the next two seasons go well, more than $60 million in new earnings and a shot at the open market.
That’s why he signed the tender. That’s the best play. Given the way his career began, it’s the only play.
The Cowboys have made a lot of moves to address their defense throughout the offseason, including trading for linebacker Dee Winters during last weekend’s draft.
A Texas native who played his college ball at TCU, Winters told reporters on Thursday that he was actually moving things into his new home in Arlington when he got the call that he was being traded to the Cowboys.
He added that he was definitely surprised by the trade.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it at all,” Winters said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “Everything happens for a reason. I’m excited to be back home, and I get to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
The current expectation is that Winters will serve as Dallas’ middle linebacker, though he told reporters he’s not entirely sure what his role will be. He likes that the scheme will have him “move in open space,” calling it a perfect fit.
Winters, however, has not played in a game as the “green dot” linebacker, having the calls come into his helmet from the defensive coordinator.
“I’ve only done a few practices with the green dot,” Winters said. “That’ll be new, but there’s a first time for everything. I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
He’s also entering the final year of his rookie contract, making his performance over the course of 2026 that much more important for his career moving forward.
“It’s very big,” Winters said. “This is where you help your family and your football career. I think this is a huge year for me. I’m excited to work in this scheme, be in space and make plays. That’s the biggest thing.”
Winters started all 17 games for the 49ers last season, recording 101 total tackles with eight tackles for loss, three QB hits, five passes defensed, and one interception.
A report last Thursday indicated George Pickens would sign the franchise tag and participate in the offseason program. The Cowboys, though, began their offseason program on Monday without the star wide receiver as he hadn’t signed the tag.
On Wednesday, the team announced that Pickens has signed the tag.
The one-year tender guarantees him $27.3 million for this season.
It also presents the possibility of a trade, but executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys have “zero intention” of dealing Pickens.
Jones also said the Cowboys will not negotiate with Pickens in 2026.
Pickens is scheduled for free agency in 2027.
Pickens, 25, earned his first Pro Bowl in his first season in Dallas in 2025, making 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
Two NFC teams are taking a look at an older incoming quarterback.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Maverick McIvor has accepted an invitation to Cowboys and Bears rookie minicamps.
McIvor, 25, spent three seasons with Texas Tech before transferring to Abilene Christian, where he started for three years, helping the FCS-level program win a conference championship.
He was then granted a seventh year of eligibility and spent it at Western Kentucky, starting seven games in 2025. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,062 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, despite missing six games due to a left shoulder injury.
