The Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 draft class arrived in Frisco for a three-day rookie minicamp at The Star, marking the first on-field work for the team’s new players and coaches. Here’s a look at what has happened with the rookies since draft weekend.
Here are key takeaways:
— First-round pick Caleb Downs and the rest of the rookie class hit the practice field for the first time on Friday, with Downs wearing No. 18 as he negotiates getting No. 2 from veteran Cobie Durant, while first-round edge Malachi Lawrence is transitioning to a standup outside linebacker role after playing in UCF’s 4-2-5.
— New defensive coordinator Christian Parker, hired in January from the Eagles, laid out his plans for the defensive draft picks, saying he wants the unit to be its own product rather than a copy of the Eagles or Vic Fangio’s defense, and plans to work third-rounder Jaishawn Barham at middle linebacker to start out.
— TCU tight end DJ Rogers signed with the Cowboys for $200,000 in guaranteed money — tied for the most among Dallas’ 11 undrafted signings — citing his relationship with tight ends coach Lunda Wells and the chance to stay in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
— Baylor tight end Michael Trigg, who tied Rogers for the most guaranteed money among undrafted signees, said going undrafted is motivating him after he caught 50 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns in his final college season following earlier stops at USC and Ole Miss.
— Presbyterian College running back Zach Switzer, the grandson of former Super Bowl-winning Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, called his tryout opportunity “unbelievable” after his grandfather phoned Cowboys college scouting coordinator Chris Hall to help arrange the chance to compete for a 90-man roster spot.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.
Game schedule dates, times, locations
NEXT UP: Game dates, times, locations, channel
Rangers ▶
April 27 N.Y. Yankees 4, Rangers 2
April 28 N.Y. Yankees 3, Rangers 2
April 29 Rangers 3, N.Y. Yankees 0
May 1 Rangers 5, Detroit 4
May 2 Detroit 5, Rangers 1
May 3 at Detroit, 6:20 p.m., NBCSN, Peacock
May 5 at N.Y. Yankees, 6:05 p.m., RSN
May 6 at N.Y. Yankees, 6:05 p.m., RSN
May 7 at N.Y. Yankees, 11:35 a.m., RSN
May 8 vs. Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m., CW
May 9 vs. Chicago Cubs, 6:05 p.m., RSN
May 10 vs. Chicago Cubs, 1:35 p.m., RSN
TCU Baseball ▶
April 24 TCU 8, Houston 3
April 25 TCU 4, Houston 2
April 26 TCU 14, Houston 2 (7 innings)
April 29 TCU 12, UT-Arlington 1 (7 innings)
May 1 Oklahoma State 7, TCU 6
May 2 Oklahoma State 9, TCU 2
May 3 Oklahoma State 11, TCU 10
May 8 vs. Utah, 6 p.m., ESPN+
May 9 vs. Utah, 2 p.m., ESPN+
May 10 vs. Utah, 1 p.m., ESPN+
May 14 at West Virginia, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+
May 15 at West Virginia, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+
May 16 at West Virginia, noon, ESPN+
End of regular season
Stars ▶
First-round playoff series (Wild win 4-2)
Game 1: April 18 Minnesota 6, Stars 1
Game 2: April 20 Stars 4, Minnesota 2
Game 3: April 22 Stars 4, Minnesota 3 (2OT)
Game 4: April 25 Minnesota 3, Stars 2 (OT)
Game 5: April 28 Minnesota 4, Stars 2
Game 6: April 30 Minnesota 5, Stars 2
Wings▶
April 30 Wings 95, Indiana 80 (preseason)
May 3 vs. Las Vegas (at Austin) (preseason), 6 p.m., Ion
May 9 at Indiana, noon, ABC
May 12 vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m., KFAA
May 14 vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
May 18 vs. Washington, 7 p.m., KFAA, Peacock
TCU Football ▶
2026 season
Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), TBA
Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, TBA
Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, TBA
Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA
Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA
Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA
Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA
Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA
Nov. 6 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA
Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA
Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, TBA
Cowboys ▶
2026 season
Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m.
2026 opponents (dates and times TBA; one home game will be in Rio)
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.
