Combine wrapup: Osa deal gets done, Micah talks begin, Jerry’s silence, draft notes and more
The NFL Combine is officially in the rear-view mirror as the Dallas Cowboys will now direct their attention to contract extensions, the upcoming free agency period and hosting draft prospects ahead of the NFL Draft in late April.
It was a busy week for the Cowboys in Indianapolis. Let’s catch up on all of the buzz and notes heading into the next stage of the offseason.
Osa deal gets done
The Cowboys continued to have discussions with the representation of starting defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa after a productive week in Indianapolis between the two sides. After returning from the combine, the two sides were able to agree on a deal that keeps him in Dallas for four years for $80 million.
While there was expected to be a handful of teams with serious interest in Odighizuwa if Dallas allowed him to hit free agency on March 12, the Cowboys had the option to place the franchise tag on him before the deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to continue negotiations without the threat of another team getting involved.
Essentially, the tag would’ve given the Cowboys exclusive negotiating rights and more time to work out a deal that was expected to be at least four years in length and $90 million in total value. Instead, the deal comes in at a cheaper price.
Once thought by the organization just a few weeks ago to be too expensive to retain, Odighizuwa undoubtedly left money on the table to return to Dallas. Now, a deal gets done.
Micah Parsons negotiations begin
On the topic of 2025 cap flexibility, getting a long-term contract done with star defensive end Micah Parsons in the near future would give the Cowboys a ton of breathing room heading into a free agency period that executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team will be “selectively aggressive.”
Parsons has stated publicly that he doesn’t need to be the highest-paid defender in the NFL nor does he need the $40 million per year price tag that he could realistically land. While public sentiments and private demands could differ, the conversations have at least begun in recent days, according to multiple sources.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean an agreement is on the horizon. Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb saw their conversations with the team carry all the way through the offseason before getting deals done in the eleventh hour.
Will a more urgent approach from Parsons allow the team to wrap this deal up sooner?
Jerry goes quiet in Indy
Unlike his fellow owners around the league, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is no stranger to the media. So when he declines to speak to reporters, it’s arguably more of a headline than when he doesn’t.
After not attending the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month where he usually holds an availability with reporters, Jones canceled his annual meeting with the media at the combine on Friday. Cited for having too busy of a schedule in the limited time he was at the combine, Jones also declined to speak to reporters in the lobby of the J.W. Marriott hotel in Indianapolis on Saturday morning.
Is the silence representative of something happening behind the scenes? Or is the new staff and front office truly working overtime to catch up on a busy offseason with limited time available?
The latter could very well be the case, but his reticence is notable nevertheless.
Jones is scheduled to speak with the media on Wednesday afternoon after Zack Martin’s retirement press conference.
What happens in the draft?
The NFL Draft is just over 50 days away, and there is still a large amount of haziness around what direction the Cowboys could go with their No. 12 overall selection.
It’s justifiable considering that the staff has been on the job for less than a month and has devoted more time to watching the 2024 season tape of their own team rather than dig into the weeds of the upcoming draft class blind of what they might need.
In Indianapolis, the Cowboys met with multiple prospects that could make sense in the first round. Here are some of the 45 formal meetings that the Cowboys had in Indianapolis:
Georgia ED Mykel Williams
Ole Miss ED Princely Umanmielen
Oregon ED Jordan Burch
UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger
Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa
Florida LB Shemar James
Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman
Clemson LB Barrett Carter
Texas DT Alfred Collins
Michigan DT Mason Graham
Florida State DT Joshua Farmer
Michigan DT Kenneth Grant
Clemson DT Payton Page
Ole Miss DT Walter Nolen
Texas CB Jahdae Barron
Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston
Michigan CB Will Johnson
Ole Miss CB Trey Amos
Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison
Texas WR Matthew Golden
Texas WR Isaiah Bond
Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan
Maryland WR Kaden Prather
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson
Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson
North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton
William & Mary OT Charles Grant
Georgia C Jared Wilson
Simply put, the Cowboys need an offensive playmaker next to CeeDee Lamb. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the name that has been linked to Dallas by draft experts more than any other prospect, but the staff’s view on taking a running back in the first round could lead them in a different direction – even if he is available when Dallas is on the clock.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said in his press conference in Indianapolis that the staff is still catching up to watching draft prospects, including Jeanty. When that time comes around, it will take a resounding yes from the staff to consider his services at No. 12.
And that very well could happen, given Jeanty’s huge junior season that saw him rush for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. As of now, it’s a wait and see kind of thing until the staff gets a full evaluation down on the Frisco native who the Cowboys will host for a facility visit next month.
As for other options, a couple of names that continued to pop up in Indianapolis as it pertains to the Cowboys were Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams.
McMillan has the kind of game-changing size (6’4”, 219 pounds) and production from his time with the Wildcats that could make him a perfect pairing with Lamb in the Dallas receiving corps. Williams has the size around the edge (6’5”, 260 pounds) that would be a perfect immediate replacement for what the Cowboys could lose if DeMarcus Lawrence departs in free agency.
A quarterback to monitor
Further into the draft, Stephen Jones made it known early last week that the Cowboys will be looking for a quarterback in this year’s class to backup Dak Prescott with Cooper Rush and Trey Lance expected to hit free agency. One name that popped up on the radar in Indianapolis was Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Ewers, who has been training with former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy ahead of the draft in nearby Plano, did not have a formal meeting with the team in Indianapolis but did have an extensive conversation with multiple offensive staffers that left them impressed with the Southlake native.
After a solid showing in workouts in Indianapolis, the Cowboys would most likely have to swing on a day two pick to get Ewers, but he is firmly on the radar going deeper into the process.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM.
