The Dallas Cowboys got to test-drive all their new rookies at the team’s first rookie minicamp as Dallas starts to take stock of what it picked up in a widely lauded draft class.
The George Pickens offseason saga creeps along, though there is a growing consensus he’ll be with the Cowboys in 2026. That doesn’t mean Dallas won’t make any trades, and some familiar names are surfacing in that regard.
With the 2026 schedule drop coming up, here is what Dallas is looking at.
Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp
The Cowboys got to take a look at their draft acquisitions at their rookie minicamp over the weekend, where their new players got to work with their new coaches for the first time.
Top pick Caleb Downs had several one-on-one sessions with first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“I feel like that’s when you learn fully what the coach means,” Downs told DallasCowboys.com. “To be able to get hands on and be able to do the drill with you, I feel like that’s a real positive.”
Third-round pick Jaishawn Barham, generally listed as an edge rusher during the draft, began work as a middle linebacker at the minicamp, where he will begin his Cowboys career.
“I feel like my ability to run, run sideline to sideline, be able to hit, take on blocks, get off blocks, being able to cover tight ends, running backs, whatever,” Barham told DallasCowboys.com. “I feel like I’m a football player. So whether it’s d-end or linebacker, I play football, so I can do it.”
George Pickens trade rumors
Dallas receiver George Pickens finally signed his one-year franchise tender, putting him in line to make 27.3 million in 2026.
Far from ending trade rumors, that’s going to fuel them, as Pickens, like everyone in the NFL, surely doesn’t want to play on a one-year deal.
Coach Brian Schottenheim said Dallas isn’t considering trading Pickens.
“That’s not what we plan on doing,” he told The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “We see George being a part of this football team, having a great 2026 and hopefully beyond.”
Schottenheimer also said he doesn’t know when Pickens will report to organized team activities.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Todd Fowler said a trade was at least looked at.
“Well, my understanding is Pickens at least looked around, gauged his market what a potential trade could look like if he could come to one with compensation and a new deal,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “He wants a long-term contract, so this isn’t an ideal situation for him.
“But he signed the tag because it locked him into $27 million guaranteed. I’m told he really does like Dallas. He’s been working with Dak Prescott this offseason; he’s expecting to have another big year. But it sounds like he’s going to have to do one more year to get that big payday down the road.
“So, now that he signed the tender, he’s good with the Cowboys. They should move forward; I’m not expecting a trade or new deal at this point, but it was sticky there for a couple of weeks where he was trying to figure out what his market could look like because they wouldn’t negotiate.”
Dallas Cowboys jerseys
The Cowboys have assigned numbers to their rookie draft picks, and while these are preliminary enough that they aren’t selling jerseys yet, they are a place to start.
Here they are.
18 S Caleb Downs
57 OLB Malachi Lawrence
55 LB Jaishawn Barham
67 OT Drew Shelton
29 CB Devin Moore
99 DL LT Overton
83 WR Anthony Smith
Dallas Cowboys trade rumors
The Cowboys have done much to restock at linebacker, but that still rates as a position of need as Dallas enters the next portion of its offseason.
They could also use some depth at receiver and possibly at running back. Those were assumptions by Terence Watson of the Dallas Cowboys Wire, who identified four players Dallas has shown interest in before as potential trade targets.
The four are Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks, Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Junior Colson, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman and New Orleans Saints running back Kendrick Miller.
All of these players are on their team’s roster bubble and may be more available now than they were before the draft.
Of Brooks, Watson writes: “After the Dolphins drafted linebackers Jacob Rodriguez (second round) and Kyle Louis (fourth round), Miami may now be more motivated to move on from Brooks. Rodriguez and Louis have a similar play style to Brooks, and come at a lower price than Brook would cost the team.
“Dallas adding Brooks gives them a top-tier middle linebacker who can wear the green dot and lead a young linebacker group.”
Dallas Cowboys schedule for 2026
The Cowboys’ 2026 schedule is tentatively scheduled to drop on May 13 (it potentially could be May 12 or 14), but Dallas already knows its 2026 opponents. One of their “home games” will be in São Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 27 against the Baltimore Ravens.
So far, that is the only specific game and date that is known.
Worth noting, Dallas has a game at Seattle next season, and traditionally, the Super Bowl winner opens the following season with a Thursday home game against a high-profile opponent.
Home:
Away:
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Cowboys rookie minicamp, George Pickens trade rumors and 2026 schedule
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
