Job’s not finished. After the draft, brought in some undrafted players to make things interesting.
The 2025 NFL Draft has officially come to an end and the Dallas Cowboys have a new group of players to work into the roster.
Before they can begin any kind of work though, the Cowboys will add to their rookie class by way of undrafted free agency. This process, if not obvious, involves the college players who were not drafted.
The Cowboys have a strong history with undrafted free agency and have found players like Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Dan Bailey to name a few. Current players like Brandon Aubrey, KaVontae Turpin and Terence Steele were UDFAs, so you never know what you are going to find.
We will be tracking all reported UDFA signings for the Cowboys as they trickle out so make sure to keep this page updated. There will be an initial flurry right after the draft ends, but the process can linger a little bit.
Signings
Kentucky DB Zion Childress (via Jeremy Fowler)
Oregon WR Traeshon Holden (via Brody Smoot)
Texas Tech WR Josh Kelly (via Justin Melo)
Auburn TE Rivaldo Fairweather (via Nick Harris)
Syracuse DB Alijah Clark (via Syracuse)
Dallas Cowboys 5th Round Recap: Jaydon Blue and Shemar James – Mark Heaney, Inside the Star
Dallas adds a speedster running back and a lump of clay for new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to work with.
The Dallas Cowboys 5th round picks are in the books: Texas Running Back Jaydon Blue and Florida Linebacker Shemar James are headed to Dallas at 149th overall and 152nd overall.
Dallas addresses both running back, which is perhaps their biggest offensive need, and linebacker in the span of four picks.
To get James at 152, they sent the 174th pick in the fifth round, and the 221st pick in the sixth round, to the Arizona Cardinals. That price tag is not too steep for a guy the Cowboys really like at a defensive position of need.
When it comes to Blue, a local kid and Longhorn star, he marked the third consecutive selection from Dallas that was my highest graded player available.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, Shavon Revel, and Blue are all great value picks. Fans have been skeptical, and they do still need a wide receiver, but this draft class is really coming together right now.
149th Pick: Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
The Cowboys can trust Blue to be the RB1 of this team in 2025. They have been searching for a running back with legitimate juice for at least two years now, and this selection brings that and then some. Blue, 21, ran a stellar 4.38 in the 40-yard dash and has elite explosiveness on the field. When he gets into the open field, you cannot catch him, and the stats back that up.
Rushing for eight touchdowns in 2024, he spearheaded a dynamic Texas backfield with Quintrevion Wisner and Jerrick Gibson. His ability to provide the speed and electricity while a more powerful back handles the short-yardage situations brings huge potential to Dallas. If they can find a strong running back in the backend of this draft, or through an acquisition, they might have something special behind Dak Prescott in 2025.
Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders should battle for the RB3 role, while Blue and that mystery addition take the main roles. I also see pass-catching ability in the cards for Blue, as he reeled in 42 passes in 2024.
Overall, this kid is at a minimum the most explosive running back Dallas has had in a long time. At his ceiling, we could be talking about an All-Pro thanks to his speed, explosion, versatility, and untapped potential.
Rugby player-turned DT joins Cowboys draft class, experts high on potential-Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire
Cowboys ‘think big’ with one of their picks in the seventh round.
Mazi Smith was a first-round draft pick just two years ago. Osa Odighizuwa signed a huge contract extension this offseason to remain in Dallas, and then the team signed veteran Solomon Thomas just a week later. But the Cowboys have decided they’re not quite set at defensive tackle.
With the 217th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Cowboys selected Jay Toia from UCLA. This pick came to Dallas as part of the Joe Milton trade package.
At 340-plus pounds, Toia is a massive human, roughly the same size as second-season man Justin Rogers, who was a seventh-round draft pick himself out of Auburn last year. But he’s said to be surprisingly nimble, perhaps a byproduct of a background as a rugby player. Put it all together, and with a little more coaching, he could be just what the Cowboys need as a run-stopping D-tackle.
Here’s how a few of the big national outlets evaluated Toia in the weeks and months leading up to the draft.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic
A three-year starter at UCLA, Toia was the zero-/one-technique in defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe’s 3-3-5 base scheme. His production on paper doesn’t jump out, but the tape shows a player willing to chew up blocks in the middle, freeing linebackers and ends to make plays.
When he plays with consistent leverage, Toia is able to put down roots and shut down inside run lanes. However, he must continue to develop his instincts to create tackle opportunities, instead of just taking up room. Overall, Toia might not have the length or awareness to be a full-time two-gapper in the NFL, but he has a powerful base and physical hands to neutralize the point of attack. He projects as a scheme-versatile nose tackle.
The Cowboys speak candidly on their draft.
“I would think that both Javonte and Miles will not be intimidated by these two guys, I think Jayden and Phil will both come in, they’ve got a big learning curve, but they’re both the right type of guys that will pick the system up fast.”
With only five defensive tackles on the roster heading into the draft, it was a position that many thought Dallas would take early on but instead, they doubled up in the seventh round with Jay Toia and Tommy Akingbesote. McClay didn’t label them as one-techniques or three-techniques, instead as just defensive linemen who they want to be strong up front.
“What we tried to do with Jay Toia and [Tommy] Akingbesote is to get bigger, more physical, add more competition in there. The way that [Matt] Eberflus has come in and talked about playing defense, is we’re going to be running after the football.”
“We’re going to be playing aggressive, physical football, and we’re going to ask guys to run and play fast, so we try to get guys that were able to do that.
Schottenheimer, a University of Florida alum, added a Gator to his inaugural draft class when the team selected linebacker Shemar James. James of course wasn’t drafted because of Schottenheimer’s days in Gainesville, but instead to get a chance to develop under Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who has a strong track record with linebackers.
“He’s a young player, instincts… really like his ability to rush the passer,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s got great disengagement skills with his hands, obviously linebackers in Matt Eberflus’ defense are going to be tasked with doing a lot of different things, but really just a good strong player at different levels for us.”