Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs is ready to hit the ground running in Dallas after his time at Ohio State. The first-round pick is looking forward to a new challenge after being bored, his words, playing college football due to the ball rarely coming his way, this via an interview on 105.3 The Fan. Downs won’t have to worry about that at the NFL level; opposing quarterbacks love to test rookies early on to see if they’ll make common rookie mistakes.
In other news, the situation involving the Cowboys and George Pickens continues to draw more former players into the conversation. This time, it’s ESPN’s Jason McCourty who believes Pickens’ signing his franchise tag should be the last resort for the receiver. McCourty’s stance comes down to money, and Pickens should have his agent find a trade that will get him paid now instead of playing on the $27 million franchise tag Dallas gave him. Pickens has yet to sign the tag or show up to the Cowboys’ team workouts.
SI.com put out its way-too-early 2027 NFL draft. In their mock, they have Dallas using the 26th pick to take Indiana Hoosiers’ receiver, Charlie Becker. The Becker pick in their eyes was made to replace George Pickens, based on their similar skill set and need at receiver. As for the Cowboys’ original pick, that was traded to the Jets in the Quinnen Williams deal; had the Jets picked 16th in the first round. Not a very glowing endorsement for the 2026 season.
Dallas Cowboys Top Headlines
∎ Cowboys’ Caleb Downs Admits He Got ‘Bored’ During Ohio State Career, Explains Why ∷ Bleacher Report (Link)
∎ Why franchise tag should be George Pickens’ last resort, per Jason McCourty ∷ Clutch Sports (Link)
∎ Way-Too-Early 2027 NFL Mock Draft: Three Quarterbacks Go in the Top Five ∷ Sports Illustrated (Link)
∎ What anonymous scouts had to say about seven Cowboys rookies ∷ Blogging The Boys (Link)
∎ Jane Slater breaks down how Cowboys did filling their needs in draft | ‘The Insiders’ ∷ NFL.com (Link)
∎ Here is the Dallas Cowboys’ starting defense after the NFL draft ∷ Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Link)
∎ Is Caleb Downs ready to run the Cowboys defense? The green dot dilemma ∷ Cowboys Wire (Link)
∎ Cowboys LB coach ‘feels really good’ after NFL draft, new additions ∷ DallasCowboys.com (Link)
∎ Offseason checklist for all 32 NFL teams: What did the draft cross off and what’s left to do? ∷ NFL.com (Link)
∎ The Cowboys are seemingly moving on from veteran that spent eight seasons in Dallas, and it has significant implications ∷ A to Z Sports (Link)
∎ Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Drafted Their Way to More Super Bowl Respect ∷ Sports Illustrated (Link)
∎ The best and worst pick of the Cowboys’ 2026 draft ∷ Blogging the Boys (Link)
∎ Have Cowboys done enough on defense to contend in NFC? | ‘GMFB’ ∷ NFL.com (Link)
∎ Cowboys signing pair of top-25 TE prospects; could spark wild training camp battle ∷ Cowboys Wire (Link)
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Headlines: That was the bored version of Downs? Pickens tag news
Reporting by Terence Watson , Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
