While the free-agent frenzy has slowed down in week two, the Dallas Cowboys have made some sound pickups along the way.
They would still benefit from adding veterans at cornerback, linebacker, wide receiver and nose tackle, but by improving their depth at myriad positions they are primed to take the best player available with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
What's particularly noteworthy is that the Cowboys have added mostly defensive players in free agency. Between Dante Fowler Jr., Solomon Thomas, Jack Sanborn, Kenneth Murray and Kaiir Elam, most of the team's new additions have been of the defensive variety.
That's not to say the defense is a finished product. It's nowhere close to that. However, don't be shocked if Dallas goes offense-heavy with its first few picks.
Wide receiver, running back, and offensive line should all be in the mix, but NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport has a different viewpoint that will shake Cowboys fans' to their core.
Ian Rapoport says the Cowboys could draft a quarterback in the first round
Rapoport firmly believes Dallas will draft a quarterback this year after longtime backup Cooper Rush signed a two-year deal with the Ravens. That's been the expectation for weeks. The kicker, though, is that Rapoport said they could take a QB as early as the first or second round.
"How high do they go? Because if you’re going to wait until the fifth or sixth or seventh round, you don’t know what kind of backup quarterback you’re getting. And honestly, by then, they may all be gone. This at least, to me, means the Cowboys are considering taking one (a quarterback) if not Thursday, maybe on Friday."
NFL insider Ian Rapoport
While the draft is still well over a month away, it is officially smokescreen season. This report reeks of a smokescreen.
Many rumors that get leaked over the next several weeks won't be true. That isn't to say Rapoport doesn't have trustworthy sources. Rapoport is well-established as one of the NFL's premier and most dependable insiders. He wouldn't leak this "report" out of the blue.
That said, it is nearly impossible to believe Dallas will target a quarterback in the first or second rounds. Not only did they just give Dak Prescott $60 million per year and $231 million guaranteed, but they have too many holes on the roster to take a backup (!) early.
Draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN) and Daniel Jeremiah (NFL Network) had the Cowboys drafting UNC running back Omarion Hampton and Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden No. 12 overall, respectively, in their latest mock drafts. Taking a RB in round one would create a world of questions, but it is far more realistic than a quarterback.
The same can be said about the second round. If Dallas takes Golden at No. 12, a running back needs to be in consideration for the No. 44 pick. If it's not a RB, a defensive tackle would absolutely move the needle. In that case, RB might be the target with the 73rd pick.
We haven't even talked about cornerback, which is the biggest question mark on the roster following Jourdan Lewis' departure. Assuming the front office doesn't make a splash at CB in free agency, it HAS to take one with one if its first three picks.
Rapoport is right to question what kind of QB the Cowboys will get if they wait until day three, but again they have a $60 million starter. Between Jalen Milore, Quinn Ewers, Riley Leonard or Kyle McCord, there are plenty of intriguing draft-and-develop options.
Reaching on a quarterback in round one or two would be detrimental to the team's hopes of winning at the highest level in 2025 and beyond and it could potentially alienate Prescott. It's a recipe for disaster no matter how you slice it.
