The Dallas Cowboys are turning the web page on a well-known story, ushering in a brand new period with head coach Brian Schottenheimer after 5 seasons below Mike McCarthy. McCarthy’s tenure introduced three playoff appearances, however for one of many NFL’s most storied franchises, the championship drought stays a darkish cloud. The Cowboys hoisted three Tremendous Bowl trophies within the Nineteen Nineties, with their final triumph coming in January 1996, however they continue to be the one NFC group to not attain a convention championship sport since then. It is a 29-year itch they’re itching to scratch.
Their subsequent likelihood at redemption begins April 24 within the NFL Draft, the place they maintain the twelfth total choose. For some time, rumors swirled round Boise State’sAshton Jeanty, the Heisman runner-up and prime working again prospect, however with Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams now within the fold through free company, that speak has fizzled. As a substitute, Dallas is on the hunt for a dynamic offensive weapon to again up their $60 million quarterback, Dak Prescott, and reignite a stagnant offense.
Jerry Jones Targets a Distinction-Maker at No. 12
Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones is not within the temper to play it protected with the twelfth pick-he’s chasing a prospect who can shake issues up. Few players fit that mold higher than Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona’s towering 6’4″, 219-pound broad receiver who has the numbers to again up the hype. In three faculty seasons, McMillan has racked up 3,423 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns whereas seeing the sector on 78.1% of his group’s snaps. His measurement, arms, and manufacturing make him a customized match for Dallas, and if he is nonetheless there at 12, Jones won’t hesitate to leap at him.
Many peg McMillan because the cream of this receiver crop, outshining skills like Texas’ Matthew Golden, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, and Missouri’s Luther Burden III-all of whom are anticipated to listen to their names known as within the first spherical. Pairing him with CeeDee Lamb might flip the Cowboys’ passing sport right into a two-headed monster, giving Prescott the sort of assist he is been lacking since Amari Cooper after which Michael Gallup left the group.
A Fierce NFC East Looms Giant
In Mike McCarthy’s first draft as Cowboys coach in 2020, Dallas took CeeDee Lamb with the seventeenth choose, a transfer that proved to be a house run. Now, with Schottenheimer taking the reins, drafting a receiver like McMillan might sign a robust begin to his period. However even when McMillan joins the fold, the Cowboys’ roster woes will not disappear in a single day. Behind Lamb, the receiving depth is shaky – Jalen Tolbert leads the pack, adopted by a crew of Jonathan Mingo, KaVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and the newly added Parris Campbell. No offense, however except for Lamb, this group does not precisely strike concern into defenses or yell Tremendous Bowl contender.
The NFC East solely provides to the problem: the Eagles are coming off a Tremendous Bowl victory, the Commanders have retooled with Jayden Daniels proving his value, and the Giants, armed with the third total choose, might pair Russell Wilson with a game-changer like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter.
Dallas wants greater than a single draft choose to maintain up – it wants Prescott to lastly clear up his playoff conundrum. The warmth is on Dak. His regular-season resume sparkles-76-46 over 9 years, with 5 postseason journeys to his name-but that 2-5 playoff file stings. He is a maestro from September via December, however January has been a unique story. With a $60 million contract on his shoulders, Prescott is aware of the clock is ticking to ship when it issues most. Touchdown a expertise like McMillan might be the increase he wants, forming a deadly tandem with Lamb to stretch defenses skinny.
