At least from the outside, little to no time has been spent discussing offensive players for the Dallas Cowboys heading into Thursday night. Two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft have long been presumed to be defensive guys. The Cowboys put up historically bad numbers last season, eventually leading to the firing of Matt Eberflus. Christian Parker is now running the show, desperately needing reinforcements.

Still, Jerry Jones is not totally eliminating the idea of an offensive player getting taken in the first round. He compared the situation back in 2020, when the Cowboys were looking for defensive help. Instead, then-Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell into their lap at No. 17. And everyone knows how well that decision has played out in Dallas.

“That’s alive and well,” Jones said of potentially taking an offensive player. “Given the right circumstances, you have to look at offense.”

Now, ahead of Wednesday’s press conference, there was a “context note” provided by team PR. Here is the note they sent out to reporters in attendance:

“What you’re about to hear may be truthful,” Cowboys PR said via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It may not be truthful.”

So with that in mind, it might be up to the public to decide if Jones is telling the truth. Whether or not the Cowboys ever really considered taking an offensive player, we might have to wait and see until Thursday night/Friday morning’s press conference. A pretty good tell might be if one is sitting next to Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer at the table.

Dallas Cowboys continue to be heavily linked with defensive stars

Despite the comments from Jones, mock drafts will continue to link defensive stars to the Cowboys until picks are made. Multiple names stand out, depending on where picks are made. Some have speculated a trade might be coming, with ESPN’s Peter Schrager being the latest. Schrager mocked Dallas moving up to No. 9 via a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, eventually landing LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

This goes past what they might do with No. 12 overall. Thanks to the Micah Parsons trade, the Cowboys are currently projected to be at the podium twice. Consensus thought continues to be a defensive player — maybe somebody capable of replacing Parsons as a pass rusher. All kinds of options are on the board for Jones back at The Star.