ESPN RIPS Dallas Cowboys 2025 Offseason Moves With SURPRISINGLY Poor Grade

ESPN RIPS Dallas Cowboys 2025 Offseason Moves With SURPRISINGLY Poor Grade

[Music] Welcome back into the Cowboys report. Tom Downey here. ESPN Seth Walder graded each NFL team’s off season and he was not very high on the Cowboys and what they did and what certainly felt like an offseason that was far better than some previous years in Dallas. In fact, he gave the Cowboys a C. Now, if we use the tiebreers of how they were ordered, that puts the Cowboys at 30th out of all 32 teams. If we don’t use the tiebreers, it’s tied for 26 with the Commanders, Jags, Steelers, and the Panthers. Ahead of only the Falcons and the New Orleans Saints, we’ll get into a lot of what Seth had to say where I agree and disagree, but what grade would you give the Dallas Cowboys offseason? Just be honest with me. sound off A, B, C, D, or F. Now, the first three things he said was the biggest move, the thing he liked the most, and the move he disliked. So, it was the George Pickins trade, drafting Davzaraku, which maybe if the best thing about it is the second round pick, that can start to indicate like how he’s lower on it. And swapping out Rico Dowel for Javvante Williams/Miles Sanders/Jaden Blue was the thing he disliked the most. Let’s go back to the beginning of the offseason though and Seth I think understandably didn’t like the hiring process that eventually landed on Brian Shottnimer as the Cowboys new head coach and I think if we’re specifically focusing on the process that’s fair. I think objectively speaking was not a good coaching search. How if you can go back and watch the the tape so to speak of our early coaching search videos. I asked for one thing. I asked for a real coaching search. We did not get one. It was not a real search. It was four candidates. It was it was Kellen Moore, Brian Shanheimer, Leslie Frasier, Robert Salah. Two of which were, let’s be honest, they were Rooney Rule, you know, fulfillment interviews. And they settled on Shottimer not having done a second interview with Kellmore. They just kind of picked him. I’ll give Shanheimer a chance. I think what he’s done since getting hired has all been positive. There’s a lot we still don’t know of how good he’ll actually be. how the Cowboys honestly don’t know how good he’s going to be, but the process was bad and you can still have some confidence and faith and hope in Shottenheimer. I’m not I’m not disavowing that. What is your confidence level in Brian Shottenheimer? Scale it for me from 1 to 10 in the comments section of today’s show. As for the George Pickkins trade, this was more of like a pro and con from from Seth Walder uh about the trade itself. Here’s what he wrote. On paper, it’s a perfect move. Pickkins not only fills a major need to second wide receiver, but he fits perfectly with CD Lamb. Pickkins is an outside downfield threat who’s been superb in contested catch situations, which pairs nicely with Lamb, who can play inside and out. What’s scarier is that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who has a history of being able to manage all sorts of personalities, was apparently done with Pickkins. This could be a reasonable one-year play for the Cowboys, who could get a comp pick if Pickkins walks in for agency next year, but I’d be wary of signing him to a long-term deal. In the meantime, Pickkins is a big ad for the Cowboys in 2025. I think that pro and con list is very fair. It depends on which side of the the line, the spectrum do you tend to fall on as it relates to Pickkins? Seth’s right. On paper, it’s the perfect fit for what Dak does well, for what Lamb does well, for what they didn’t have in the passing game in the offense. It does fit perfectly. It could all go belly up if you know football character pickings guy reemerges. And if that’s the case, then you move on and it’s only a one-year hit. And if it does go well, maybe then you’re more inclined to give him the long-term deal. That’s why I’m okay and not complaining about the Cowboys, you know, not extending George Pickkins right now. There are pros and cons to it. I I think given the investment level, it’s a risk. It is a risk that’s worth taking though in the end. Today’s show is made possible by Chubbies. Summer is here and it’s time to wear something cool and that looks good as well. And that is what Chubbies delivers. The original stretch shorts can live on your legs. They’re available in long, short, and way short. Relaxed fit, elastic waistband, and a no fuss design. The performance polo is perfect for brunch, backyard party, golf course, dinner out, whatever, or at work if you’re you’re like me and you wear polos to work. It is perfect for you. Collar that stays sharp, four-way stretch for comfort, and it’s also breathable and moisture wicking in terms of the fabric. Also, if you’re going to go swimming, you got to rock the classic lined swim trunks. Whether you’re suiting up for cannonballs, hookouts, golf course, casual Friday, whatever, Chubbies has you covered. For a limited time, you can get 20% off your order with code chat. That’s ch achubshorts.com/chhat. That’s code chatchubbyshorts.com. Link will be in the comments section and the description of today’s show, but support our show. Let them know we sent you and dress like summer is here in Chubbies because it is here. Next up, uh Walter was more in favor of the Osa Odigizua extension, at least from reading between what he wrote, between lines of what he wrote, saying quote, “Dallas’s big money move was resigning defensive tackle ODIA, who agreed to a 4-year, $20 million per year deal worth $39 million fully guaranteed. That’s not unreasonable in a hot defensive tackle market.” He ranked fourth in pass rush win rate in 2023, but dropped to 11th in 2024. Either way, we’re arguing he’s a top 15 pass rushing defensive tackle. And in that scenario, he could have commanded much more on the open market. I I don’t think it would have been that different than the highriced Milton Williams contract he got from the Patriots, by the way, which was like $6 million per year more. OSA for now, and this will continue to drop overall, is the 15th highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL. I get that’s a lot of money. The alternatives were not exactly good. you know, we had kind of been like, “Oh, well, you could have done Kinlaw and Puna Ford and a linebacker for that price.” And then ended up not being that way because those guys got paid a good amount of money, too. So, with the way it played out, with the benefit of hindsight, I think that the value they got for OSA ended up being a stronger one than I would have thought it would have been going into free agency. When it comes to draft, seemed like Seth was mostly okay, but not like in love with it. on the Booker pick says the Cowboys drafted Booker at 12. That’s poor positional value for the spot. There’s no way to know, but hope the Cowboys exhausted trade option before settling for Booker who was projected to go later. I don’t know how much longer Booker would have lasted. He was not going to get out of the top 25 26 somewhere in that range. And they did explore tradowns. The offers weren’t good enough. They did shop and look around and try to move down. The Texans and Cowboys had trade talks. the offers weren’t strong enough, so they just kind of instead of taking bad value, just put the guy that they had highest on their board. Now, Seth Waller did love the Donovan Ezaraku pick. I was a big fan of Ezaraku in the second round of 44. He was considered a first a fringe first round pick entering the draft and fared well in my sack forecast for prospects. Seth does a lot of analytical stuff for ESPN and it’s pretty good stuff overall. I think he had like seven and a half sacks as the overunder for Reszaraku. Something pretty darn high uh for this upcoming season. Now look, I love the pick and I think the positional value stuff regarding round one other issues. We feel better about the round one pick because he got George Pickkins. Overall, I did like the draft. You know, Revel I’m a big fan of. Jaden Blue was was good value in the fifth. Shamar James was a little early for me, but you know, that’s a linebacker in the fifth. I’m not going to complain about it. Maybe one of your other later day three picks like a Jaytoya ends up making an impact as well. But, you know, they’ve they typically draft well overall. So, I do want to give them some benefit of the doubt. And overall, I thought I’ll give it like an A minus or a B+. It’s good. Now, if you want more Cowboys updates, all for free, show it by liking to or by subbing right now so you don’t miss out. So, I was doing the Ron Burgundy thing. If what being disliked by Seth Walder was the running back moves and I I do think this is also fair. Is it the most impactful thing? No. Oh, and that’s why I haven’t dinged him too much. The Cowboys swapped out Rico Dao, who was good last year. Rico Da played well once he became the lead back. We’re going to go in depth on the ground game issues as a whole. This Cowboys team have struggled through for several years. Rico had some good success, especially after contact based on the stats. And you know, maybe a bounceback year is coming for Javvante Williams, but Rico Dattle in 2024 was better than anything we’ve seen in the career out of Javvante Williams and anything we ever saw combined in the two years in Carolina that Miles Sanders had. There is valid concerns that Sanders doesn’t have much left. I like Jaden Blue a lot for what he is. I don’t think he’s going to become a workhorse back. That wasn’t what he was at Texas. It’s a tough projection to forecast otherwise when he was a full-time back at Texas. But as an explosive piece, I love it. I would felt a lot better about this Cowboys room if it was Rico D and Jaden Blue. Not maybe not a lot better, but I do think it’s fair to argue that they downgraded at least a little bit. And if you want to go back and watch my trade reaction as well, I get where Seth is coming from. The Kenneth Murray trade was a little bit rich for me. Here’s what Seth wrote. The Cowboys made an ill-advised trade for linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. trade was merely a sixth and seventh round pick swap, but it involves the Cowboys picking up a $7.5 million cash bill, unless they’re going to take a pay cut, which is tough to do through a trade. Despite Mura coming off a poor season in which he ranked the fifth worst in run stop win rate among offball linebackers with at least 300 snaps played, Kenneth Murray is still kind of the I can fix him player where he he is essentially the same guy he was coming out of Oklahoma who I I wasn’t as high on Kenneth Murray everyone else or wasn’t low on him. this was a a gifted athlete who can move downhill, but when he’s not kept clean, things get a little bit dicey and that that makes it worrisome. So, I understand the criticism of Murray. The C does feel a little bit low for me. I do think this is the best Cowboys offseason they’ve had in a very long time. I think it is worth mentioning though that the bar is pretty low. Like, it’s an A by the Cowboys standards, but what is it by NFL standards? [Music]

ESPN’s Seth Walder graded each NFL team’s offseason and he was not high on the Cowboys’ moves. He gave the Cowboys a C, one of the worst he handed out. Cowboys Report host Tom Downey reacts to the grade following an offseason (especially post-Brian Schottenheimer hiring process) that feels like one of the better ones in years for the Dallas Cowboys.

Your new wardrobe awaits! Get 20% off @chubbies with the code CHAT at https://www.chubbiesshorts.com/chat

Agree or disagree with Cowboys Report host Tom Downey by commenting on today’s video:
– What grade would you give the Cowboys’ offseason? A, B, C, D or F!
– Confidence level in Brian Schottenheimer? Scale it: 1-10
– Did the Cowboys get better at RB this offseason? Type ‘Y’ for Yes, ‘N’ for No

ESPN’s Seth Walder’s main takeaways on the Cowboys offseason:
– Biggest Move: George Pickens Trade
– Move Liked: Drafting Ezeiruaku
– Move Disliked: Dowdle For Williams/Sanders

5 More thoughts on the Cowboys offseason from ESPN’s Seth Walder:
– Poor hiring process for Brian Schottenheimer
– George Pickens trade thoughts
– Approved of Osa Odighizuwa’s extension
– Okay (?) with NFL Draft
– Disliked the RB Moves
– Disliked the Kenneth Murray trade

Get a Cowboys video (or 2) notification each day by making sure your notifications are set to “all”

Chat Sports has all the NFL and NBA coverage you could want. Subscribe for free today: https://youtube.com/chatsportstv?sub_confirmation=1

ESPN 2025 NFL Offseason grades:
Los Angeles Rams: A
San Francisco 49ers: A-
Arizona Cardinals: A-
Denver Broncos: A-
Baltimore Ravens: B+
Tennessee Titans: B+
Buffalo Bills: B+
Philadelphia Eagles: B+
Cleveland Browns: B+
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: B+
Houston Texans: B+
New York Jets: B
Las Vegas Raiders: B
Indianapolis Colts: B
Green Bay Packers: C+
New England Patriots: C+
Minnesota Vikings: C+
Cincinnati Bengals: C+
Washington Commanders: C
Jacksonville Jaguars: C
Pittsburgh Steelers: C
Carolina Panthers: C
Dallas Cowboys: C
Atlanta Falcons: C-
New Orleans Saints: D

Join the LIVE Cowboys Report every Monday and Thursday at 4p ET / 3p CT for the latest Cowboys news & rumors throughout the 2025 Cowboys Offseason: https://www.youtube.com/CowboysTV?sub_confirmation=1

The best way for the Cowboys Report to grow is more shares! So help us out!

Cowboys offensive coaches:
Head Coach/Play-Caller: Brian Schottenheimer
Offensive Coordinator: Klayton Adams
QBs Coach: Steve Shimko
RBs Coach: Derrick Foster
WRs Coach: Junior Adams
TEs Coach: Lunda Wells
OL Coach: Conor Riley
Asst. QBs Coach: Ryan Feder
Asst. OL Coach: Ramon Chinyoung Sr.
Asst. WRs Coach: Tiquan Underwood
Pass Game Specialist: Ken Dorsey

LIKE today’s Dallas Cowboys YouTube video … or else

Dallas Cowboys YouTube videos are posted every day here! So in case you missed any, here are the most recent:
– Cowboys Insider HINTS At Dallas Adding DT Help | Cowboys Rumors On Top Free Agent & Trade Targets – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCezLmC-0IA
– Here’s Why The Cowboys 2nd Round Pick Hasn’t Signed His Rookie Contract Yet – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raOdYyNOV4k
– Cowboys Receive MORE EVIDENCE Of Offensive Line Breakout Thanks To Tyron Smith + Cut Robert Jones? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Otj-M8_Id8

Want more Cowboys rumors & news? Check out the Chat Sports website: https://www.chatsports.com/dallas-cowboys

Find Dallas Cowboys news, rumors & updates in real time by following Tom Downey on Twitter: http://x.com/whatgoingdowney

#Cowboys #CowboysNews #ESPN #CSCB2025 #chubbiespod #ad #CSB #CSCIN