The Cowboys Are Off To A SOLID START To Free Agency! - Kris Kretschman Show

The Dallas Cowboys are already making moves in free agency, and it might be the start of a very interesting offseason in Dallas.

On this episode of The Kris Kretschman Show, we break down the Cowboys’ strong start to free agency, including the impact of signing safety Jalen Thompson and what it could mean for the defense moving forward. Could this be one of the most underrated moves of the offseason?

I’m also joined by @AKOYEMedia, and we dive into a huge hypothetical scenario: what if the Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary? Would that instantly change the ceiling of this defense and take pressure off Micah Parsons?

We also take a look at how the first wave of free agency could reshape the Cowboys’ draft strategy, discussing potential draft fits and how Dallas might approach the board after Day 1 of free agency.

If the Cowboys are truly moving different this offseason, this episode breaks down exactly what it could mean for the future of the team.

🔥 Topics include:

Cowboys signing Jalen Thompson

The possibility of a Rashan Gary trade

Cowboys free agency strategy

Draft fits after the first wave of free agency

👇 Let me know in the comments:
Do you think the Cowboys are finally being aggressive this offseason?

Make sure to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔, and SHARE if you enjoy Cowboys content and want daily breakdowns of the team all offseason long.

Chapters:

0:00 - 0:34: Intro
0:35 - 8:59: Cowboys Off To A Solid Start To Free Agency
9:00 - 9:07: Break
9:08 - 10:15: Akoye Intro
10:16 - 17:59: Cowboys SIGN Jalen Thompson
18:00 - 34:16: Cowboys TRADE For Rashan Gary
34:17 - 44:58: Cowboys Draft Fits After Day 1 Of Free Agency
44:59 - 46:05: Outro

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Chris Crotchman Show for March 10th, 2026. And on today's episode, I'm going to be talking about the first day of free agency and giving the Cowboys a grade. And we're also going to go over, I have a Kouye joining me. We're going to go over the trade for Rashawn Gary and the signing of Jalen Thompson. We're going to talk about what this means for the Cowboys going into the 2026 NFL draft. Before we get into the episode, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I'd greatly appreciate it. We're on Apple and uh Spotify and all those podcast providers. So make sure to check us out there, Chris Cratz. I'll greatly appreciate it. Without further ado, let's get into the episode. So let's talk about the Cowboys' first day of free agency. And we do this all the time. When the Cowboys make a move, it's like, oh, well, this isn't a superstar. We we paid too much for this guy. And then when they don't make a move, it's what are you guys doing? Why aren't you guys being more active? Why aren't you guys trying to make your team better? So I feel like we have to maintain consistency. Is Rashawn Gary a superstar player? He's not. He is a starting quality NFL player. Something that you did not have on your team going into this free agency period. You now added a good player to your football team. You added another good player in Jalen Thompson. Your defense is better today than it was yesterday. And that's what this is all about, right? Now, maybe they add a linebacker at the time of recording. They have not added a linebacker so far. Maybe they add a corner that can provide some depth. Maybe they add another pass rusher, right? But for right now, when I look at this defense, I look at a defensive line that I think is stout, that I think really fits this 3-4 scheme that they're gonna run. I see a linebacker that needs another guy in there, no doubt about it. Then I look at the safeties. You have two good safeties, you have two quality safeties. Like to me, Jalen Thompson is a lot better than Malik Hooker, but Malik Hooker understands what he's doing out there. He's a guy that's capable of being out there. So right there, when you look at the middle of your defense, when you talk about the defensive tackles, the edges, you're good there. Your defensive line is fine. You probably want to add another guy to your defensive line, somebody that gives you pass rush juice. But I think overall you're looking pretty good there. The linebackers, you want to add another linebacker, no doubt about it. But overall, like you have a guy in DeMarvian Overshone who you've seen can play at a high level. So if you add another guy, that's gonna be big. Safeties, like I would like them to add another safety for depth, but you know, like they can still draft one in the draft, right? Like if Thieneman is there or Emmanuel McNeil Warren, draft one of those guys in the draft. Like the the the signing of Jalen Thompson is not preventing you from doing that because while yes, like he's gonna be the main guy in that room, at least for the current moment, if you sign or if you draft Thieneman or draft Emmanuel McNeil Warren, maybe that's different. Malik Cooker is a guy that's replaceable. You can replace him, you can upgrade from him, and that's what I think the Cowboys could do in this upcoming draft. But overall, like, do I think they have improved this defense to the extent that like they can take an offensive player for how much they improve this defense? No, I wouldn't go there. I I would not go there. I I don't think they are they're good enough when it comes to the edges, when it comes to rushing the passer. I think they need to add another linebacker, I think they need to add another corner, and it wouldn't hurt to add another safety. But if they sign two more players in free agency that can legitimately start and play good football for you, then I think you're looking at this and you're saying, okay, if we hit on these draft picks, now we're looking at a defense that is competent. This is a capable defense, and especially if you have a defensive coordinator that can really dial it up for you. Now you're looking at a situation where you're like, huh, we might actually have a defense that can be floating around that top 15. And when you look at, you know, they told you what they thought about the offense today, guys. They did. Like them not even going after any offensive players tells you how confident they are in the offense. Resign George Pickens, make sure that he's there for day one. You have Ryan Flornoy, he's your number three receiver. You have CD Lamb. That's your either that's your one one A, one B receiver, whatever, whatever order you want to put it in between him and Pickens. You have Turpin that can do some things, right? Like Ferguson, Brevin Spain Ford, the offensive line, they restructured Terrence Steele's contract. Like they have answers on this football team offensively. Like they're they're fine. They're really, they're actually really, really good. Now it's going to be on Jadon Blue. Can you do the things Tuesday through Saturday that's going to get you on the field on Sunday? Because like I think where this offense could really take a step forward is like one, the offensive line improving. I think that that's going to happen when you look at the interior. You hope that Guyton can continue to progress. You're you're probably in a situation with Steel where you feel like this is what we're going to get out of him. But you have the receivers, you want everybody to feel more confident in this scheme and in this system going into year two because now there's consistency with the play caller, right? So that's where I think you're going to get better. But Jadon Blue is like to me, if Jadon Blue can be the player that I thought he was going to be coming into the NFL, this offense is going to take a completely just a leap forward because of the type of player I thought he was going to be. Like I think he is one of the more talented running backs in the NFL, just pure talent. I I really think that of Jadon Blue. I have such a high opinion on him as a talent, but he has to do the things Tuesday through Saturday that's going to get him on the field on Sunday. And if he does those things, oh my God, this offense is going to be even better than we think it's going to be. And we think this offense is going to be really good. But like that guy taking that step forward and being what we think he can be, like, man, that's just that would be incredible. But when you look at the defense, you you're a better defense today than you were at the end of the season. How much better? I think a lot better because I think the scheme is going to be a lot better. I think guys are going to know what to do on the field. I think that you added two guys that raise the floor of your defense when you talk about Gary and Thompson. I think that they're going to continue to add to this defense through the draft and through free agency. I think you're going to get at minimum four more players that can start in the NFL right now, added to your team, whether that be through free agency or the draft. And now you look at this and you look at the needs on this team. Like the dire needs to me, they need to add a corner and they need to add a linebacker. Those are the dire needs to me. You know, like you can improve your safety room, you can improve your defensive line and find that juice pass rusher. Like, yes, you can find that, but those aren't dire needs. You have dire needs at linebacker and cornerback. I think you're gonna address linebacker and free agency. I would like to see them address cornerback as well and just get a starting quality guy or like a high-level backup, right? So that like if you're in a situation where you get wiped out and you can't draft a cornerback at 12, or I mean you can, but just in case, like, hey, we don't have to reach here, we can take you know a pass rusher, or maybe we could take a linebacker, whatever it may be here instead of a corner, then you can do that. But luckily for the Cowboys, I think they're looking at this draft and they're saying, we feel very confident with the corners in this draft. And you could be in a situation where if you draft Thieneman, you might just say, Hey, Revel, Bland, you guys are gonna stay on the outside, put Thaneman in the slot and just allow him to stay there with the two safeties that you have over the top, right? Like you can do that. You can even like when you're in a situation where you have maybe Malik Hooker as your your cover one safety, maybe you could throw Jalen Thompson in the slot, like and and and have some reps there, or maybe you add another safety and you you know you could play Jalen Thompson. Like they have some answers. I want them to have more answers than what they have right now, but they have some answers. So I I would give this team a B for today. I would give them a B. Like I don't think they did anything that really rocked the boat, but I I think they added players that are gonna make their defense better. I think their defense is better today than it was yesterday, and that to me is so important. So, yeah, the defense improved. I want to see more activity from them in the upcoming days. You know, there's talk about them adding a linebacker. Um, I think that that's gonna be something that you see like a legitimate starter there. And when we go in the draft, we're saying, all right, the defensive line, we look good. Linebackers, you look good, safeties, you look good, need to improve uh at cornerback, but you can add you continue to add players again. I think they're gonna add at minimum two more starting level, like good players in free agency to the defense, and I think they're gonna use those two first-round draft picks on defense, and at that point, you will have added six players that can start for you on your defense this offseason. That's like what we were looking for them to do. Hey, quick break. Please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe, and a koye is up next. You guys are gonna enjoy this one, and without further ado, let's get into it. Joining me on today's episode is my guy Akoye from Okoye Media. So, real quick, you know, you're the the first recurring guest on the show ever since I rebooted this thing and rebranded you know it it it it's only right, man.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

You know, I feel special now, but it's only right, it's only right.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure, bro, for sure. Last last conversation we had, I thought was an absolute banger. So, you know, I had to bring you on because especially when it comes to like yeah, film watching and breaking down players, I think very few, if any, do it better than you in the space. And uh, you know, when it comes to the players that we added today, I think people need some context about you know what they provide to this team, and you know, because we're we're gonna talk about Rashawn Gary. That's that was for sure, for sure, for sure. Like we're gonna talk about Rashawn Gary. There's a perception of Rashawn Gary, and I don't know if the film backs it up. Maybe maybe you say it will, but uh well where I really want to start is uh Jalen Thompson. So the Cowboys traded for Jalen, or I'm sorry, the Cowboys signed Jalen Thompson in free agency, it's a three-year deal worth $33 million. And I'm gonna be honest with you, I like it because the way I look at this is when you have Malik Hooker back there, and now Jalen Thompson, you have two legit starting safeties. I think Jalen Thompson is a much better player than Malik Hooker at this stage of his career. But I think Malik Hooker in the right scheme and playing with Christian Parker, I think he can be better than what we saw under Iber Floos and what we saw under even Zimmer. I thought he played fine under Zimmer, but I think maybe with the new coaching staff, you see another level of Malik Hooker. And this doesn't necessarily write the Cowboys off when it comes to drafting a safety in the upcoming draft. But I look at this as the Cowboys just added a really good player. What are your thoughts about it?

SPEAKER_01 11:07

I mean, I I I feel the same way. I think that uh when when you look at it from um a draft standpoint, though, right? I I look at it like this. The Cowboys aren't trying to go into the draft having to draft anybody, right? They don't want to be thirsty or hungry at at the edge, and they don't want to be hungry at safety, it appears, right? So when you look at it from this standpoint, it tells you at 12 they don't need to go past Russia at all. They can. So it it it's it's telling you that they're doing what they usually do, in my opinion, which is put themselves in position pre-draft to grab the best players available rather than be thirsty for position need, right? And I think that's where they are right now with both these, you know, both these um signings, uh the trade and the signing. But when you look at what Thompson's able to do from a schematic standpoint, like how him as a player, um, I just I'm I'm watching a film right now and I can I can tease some up for you. I have some already chopped and I'll put it in. But before we even get to it, what looking at how he allows you to disguise your defense, uh how he communicates, uh his ability to play both in the slot and over the top, uh at in the box, anywhere. Like he's he's uh all world safety. And I'm not trying to come and tell you he's the second coming of Darren Woodson or anything like that, but I'm just saying, at the end of the day, watching what he's able to do on film, if you get a guy like that on your team, you can be multiple, you can disguise things, you can do a lot of different things, and he's very, very smart, very rangy. He has cornerback skills, but he is a safety. Like he hits like a safety, he plays the ball when when you know when in field as a safety, but his coverage ability is definitely he looks like a corner. He looks like a corner when he's covered.

SPEAKER_00 12:51

And you know, that's the thing when it comes to this move that the cowboys made is like this raises the floor of your defense. Like automatically, I feel like the Cowboys have a better defense right now because think about it like this you know, like they're not really losing anybody off that defense from last year that really made any type of impact for them. So I think the the way I'm looking at this right now is like you add a Jalen Thompson, and automatically your secondary is better. Now you might get better play out of Bland and Revel and you know, uh Malik Hooker because you have a guy like this in your secondary. And and I think you're right to point it out. This is not a Darren Woodson, this is not a Kyle Hamilton, this is not a Jesse Bates or Mika Fitzpatrick in his prime. He's not that, but what he is is he is a good player, he is a good safety, a legitimately good safety. And I just feel like it's been so long since the Cowboys have had a guy that is as good as Jalen Thompson, and that's not even really to hype up Jalen Thompson, that's more so to say that the Cowboys actually not it's just saying it.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Like I'm really I'm looking up not to like doubt you, I'm just like, you might that's a point. I'm trying to think of who has these type of skills. I mean, skill wise, skill-wise, if you just look at a skill set, I think Wanye probably dropped the ball last season because he has these types of skills, but he hasn't displayed it long enough as a starter in this league. So like Jalen Thompson is more like the refined version of what we liked about Wanye Thompson, to be honest, to be honest, Wanye Thomas, to be honest, but so we've seen these skills, but never at a level that he's consistently played it at.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

And and that's the thing, right? Like, because people may think that we're like overhyping this signing by saying this is the best safety that the cowboys had in a while. It's not overhyping the signing, it's just saying that the cowboys really haven't had great safeties of recent year, and you know, I yeah, you always look for when a new coach comes in, you're looking for what changes, right? So, like you bring in Christian Parker, what changes? You're seeing more emphasis at the safety position, a spot that the cowboys really haven't invested at recently. You know, like that's a big contract for for how much the the cowboys have not valued safety in the recent years, and for the type of contract that they signed to, I mean, three years, uh $33 million, I think with incentives up to $36 million. Yeah, that's big. And what that allows you to do is like, I don't think that takes safety off the board in this upcoming draft because the way I look at this is like you have your starting safeties that are going to play on the roof in uh uh Jalen Thompson and Malik Hooker. Now, if you want to go grab that Emmanuel McNeil Warren kid and play him as a Kyle Hamilton where you're playing him at the line of scrimmage and you're playing him in the box and you're moving him around the defensive formation, like that to me, like when you talk about the Nick Eamon Warriors, the Kyle Hamilton's, the reason why they're able to do what they do is because the team has the personnel built around them. And now, like when I look at if the Cowboys want to add a player like that and give him that type of role, I'm like, that works because look at your your defensive line when you talk about the the defensive tackles they have. And now, like, here's the thing Rashawn Gary is a very stout player, right? Like, especially playing as an outside linebacker, Donovan Ezeraku, like they have a defensive front that is stout and they have safeties that can cover on the back end. So now you can legitimately go get a guy and put him in that Eamon Wari, that Kyle Hamilton role. That that it seems like the league is just salivating over getting players like that because you built the personnel around those guys.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Right. And and because we have uh it's a nickel league, like you're half of you, you're in your base half the time, you're nickel half the time, you know. So at this point, you need a guy when you're when you're in that nickel, you can't just have a traditional the small guy because nickel used to be played by the smallest corner that you had, your shifty corner, and he just was just the guy that covers the slot. But when you see the way the NFL's evolved, you need a guy that can play corner like a corner, but also play safety at that line of scrimmage or be like an impact forced player on that side. So it you're right, it has evolved. And looking at a guy like Thompson coming in here, it does allow you to do different things. So it doesn't necessarily take any of the safeties off the board. You're correct with that. I believe you're right. It just makes it so that you're not thirsty where you have to take it. If there's a choice between, let's say, Downs and let's say, you know, you know, Sonny Styles, for instance, let's say both of them got to 12 for whatever reason. I don't think that'll ever happen. But you're not forced to take the safety because you need a safety at this point. And that's what that's the way I look at these signings. They're they're they're not the home runs that you're looking for, but at the same time, they're they that you're not thirsty at any position. And when you look at uh Rashawn Gary and what he provides you, you hit something on the head. Like you said, he's gonna be playing in the 3-4. I think that's the only issue I think Rashawn Gary's had last year is he went he was one of four. And I said the same thing about Michael Parsons. Take care of the things.

SPEAKER_00 18:16

Wait till we talk about Rashawn Gary. Wait till we because I think you're about to go on top of the stuff. No, no, no, no. We're yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Okay, so sorry, you can cut this stuff out. No, when you brought him up, that's what I thought we were on because you just brought up. No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

No, no, you're good. No, no, you were you were about to spit.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Now it's just like yeah, I'm I'm about to tell you why he's he's not what you thought he was last year. Don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

So that's actually you know, that's a great way to start this. It's like the way I look at this Rashawn Gary trade is like, okay, are you a better football team today than you are going into the day? Yes, like no, like I I because I've been hearing a lot of people talk about Rashawn Gary as he's like this bum football player, and I just don't see that. Like, nobody's sitting here saying, Hey, this is an impact player to the level of a Micah Parsons or any of these guys. Nobody is saying that. All we're saying is that when you looked at the room today, and now when you look at it with Rashawn Gary, they have two starting quality uh guys on the edges there, right? That's what you have with Rashawn Gary. He raises your floor and he brings something to your defense. Is he like the best pass rusher in the world? No, he's not that great of a pass rusher, like he's a fine pass rusher, but he's really good against the run, and that's something that's gonna be valuable uh in this defense, especially like when you talk about like what we talked about last segment. If people really want that Kyle Hamilton, Nikki Mamori type in their defense, they gotta have all four or five guys that are playing at the line of scrimmage, they gotta be stout, including the outside linebackers, and that's what Rashawn Gary is. So, you know, there's a lot of noise being made, and my my biggest problem with this is like they gave up a 2027 fourth round pick. Like, guys, are we trying to win football games this year? Are we trying to win football games three years, four years from now? Because, like, what are the odds that a fourth round pick is gonna be anything that you write home about? It does not happen all that often. So, and yeah, and and then with that fourth round pick, you might not see the fruits of that fourth round pick until 2029, and that does absolutely nothing for you, on top of the fact that the cowboys got two fifth-round comp picks for 2027, and when you look at the edge market the way it is, you see what a Dafe Owe and Boye Mafe and and uh all these guys went for, Jalen Phillips, and you look at yourself and you're like, you want to know what maybe that was the Cowboys getting out in front of this thing and saying, we expect that this is gonna be a really pricey edge market. So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna get out in front of this thing, we're gonna trade for Rashawn Gary, and that's how we're gonna try and improve our edge position at the current moment. Now, maybe they do something down the line in the draft, or maybe they add another edge in free agency. But for right now, like you have two star, like you have two fine uh outside linebackers. I think Marist is gonna be a pretty solid player playing as an outside linebacker. I I mean, I don't know, like your D like when you look at your defense now, you feel good with your safeties. I think you have two good safeties. I think you have uh a defensive line full of NFL starting to really good to elite players on that defensive line. You have a really good linebacker and overshone, you have corners that have some potential, like you're starting to put a defense together, and this isn't it wasn't the first, it wasn't the last move that they made today. It's not gonna be the last move they make all offseason. This is just another piece that you add to your war chest when it comes to improving this defense.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

I mean, yeah, you you said a lot, but the things that I harp on when it comes to game. When we get players, once a player comes into the Cowboy fan base, you know, they kind of take it through a negative filter at times. And I think even with Gary, they're looking at it that way. But Gary rushing last year being one of four on a four-man front, I think that was more so this the issue with a guy like Gary being a pass rusher. I think Gary being one of five, being a guy that can be on the outside dealing with more so tight ends and half a man when he's dealing with tackles, right? Can get to the quarterback a lot easier when he's one of five. And I thought the same thing about Micah Parsons, to be honest with you. I didn't think the run responsibilities on Micah Parsons would have been that severe if he was in a 3-4 base, because you have three guys, three down linemen that are in between those outside linebackers that really are all able to take on a double team at any given time. So two of them are occupying at times four linemen. And then that third guy, who's usually either also on this team, is dealing with one tackle by himself. That's the entire offensive line at the snap, at the initial snap before the combo blocker, before any reaches, that's what's happening. At the initial snap, that's what that offensive line has to deal with. So both outside linebackers benefit from that because they either tie up a tight end, they're dealing with a tight end instead of a tackle, or they're dealing with running backs or some sort of trap action coming across the line of scrimmage. So that that allows them to use their eyes, their instincts in their as a malower, than it does when they're just a defensive end that has hand-down responsibilities and really has run responsibility as well. So when you look at those guys, I think Rashawn Gary and Micah Parsons would have benefited from this scheme, the way we're about to play our base. So I think that signing is a lot more impactful than the fans will give it credit for due to what I think Gary can be in this defense. So, you know, and then couple that with as a Raku, and then you look at three guys like Quentin Williams, uh Clark, and Osa being those down linemen in between those guys, it's crazy. And and the reason I smirked is because even on the outside, you said Mars would be okay, solid. Mars is, you know, he's a very, very good uh linebacker, and I think that he gets a bad rep due to the fact that, you know, he didn't have a regime last year that really knew what he was. Uh Mars Leophile, every time he was on the field, he was only on the field about 10 snaps, 10 to 15 defensive snaps, not counting special teams every game. That's what he was averaging. And every time I found film of Mars Leophile in those limited snaps balling. So looking at certain things that he was able to do with the limited snaps that he got, especially outside, because they lined him up outside in a lot of the five-two fronts. He got sacks from there, he was covering from there, he was blitzing from there, he was stopping the run from there. He was just, and he was, he was, he kept getting KOs of either tight ends, offensive linemen. He was knocking everybody out, whether they had the ball or not from the outside. So I thought that Morris Leophyll uh showed me last year with what he was doing on the outside. He's one of the more versatile linebackers that we have on this team. Because I think that if you're looking at one position, you look at Demo as a better will linebacker than Morris. But Morris can play the will. You look at uh, but I don't look at Demo as a middle linebacker at all. But Morris can play the mic as a backup. I can see Morris moving around this entire 3-4 uh linebacker room because of his versatility. Whereas you wouldn't put Rashawn Gary at the mic. You know what I'm saying? You wouldn't put Ezraku at the mic, but Morris Leophile is a chess piece because he now becomes like a spell for almost everybody in that linebacker room. So let's give him his credit for that. I just had to give him his credit right then and there. But everything else you said, I'm I'm really solid on.

SPEAKER_00 25:47

Real quick, like about Maris, like the the reason why I'm saying that is because like I agree with a lot of the stuff that you're saying. I'm just saying for the people listening that might not be 100% sold. I'm saying I'm trying to let them know, like, no, he's he's at the floor a solid player. Like, I think when you're playing him as an outside linebacker, just a linebacker in general. Like, look, guys, like there was somebody who used to coach Maris Liafau who was watching him play this year and said, What is he doing on the sidelines? He said, This guy loves football. He does everything at 100 miles an hour. So when you talk about Maris Liafau, I don't think this is just you, you standing on an island and saying that, like, hey, this is actually a good player. I think that there's people who really, really know what they're talking about and who have a lot of influence within that building that agree with you that maybe looked at what Iber Flus was doing and was like, eh, maybe you didn't have the best, he didn't have the best plan for him. Like he just he didn't have no plan for him. He didn't have any plan for him.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

When you look at just the the Jets game, right? When you look at the Jets game and how that game was going initially and what he did in that game, he changed that game. He won that game for us because he changed the momentum. The Jets had momentum all the way up until Morris Leophile knocked that ball out of there, right? So when you look at what he does and the way Morris Leophile has has played in spots, like even in the Packers game, the Packers game was going the same way. They had momentum. On that punt where he ran down and knocked Golden the hell out, that change, everybody just kind of woke up like we can beat them. You know what I'm saying? So the every everybody kind of got a uh uh they got a fire lit under under them because of Morris Leophile. So when you look at those two games, and that was in the beginning of the season, and you see that they didn't elect him to to get more reps after that because of probably the passing, I mean unnecessary roughness at the end of that Packers game. But you don't elect him for more reps, you you you elect Shamar James because he's probably a guy that Iber Fluss wanted, right? But when you look at what Morris did versus what what James had done up until then because he hadn't even played, it's just crazy to me that they they diminished his role and they they kept playing rotation with Kenneth Murray and James and anybody other than Mars when each time he was on the field, he does things. I mean, I can I show you some film real quick. Can I show you some film? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. It's real easy. It's it's like even for anybody who's looking at him, you know, it doesn't make any sense for for anybody to look at Morris Leophile and say that hey, you know, he's a guy that can't help you right now, or he's a guy that you don't see you, he doesn't pass the immediate eye test. You don't have to really listen to what I'm saying. I can I can shut up right now. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 28:44

I'm trying, I'm trying to add it to can you add it to the stage? I'm trying to add it to the stage right now, and for some reason, my I can't add it to it.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

No, it's just a peep game. There you go. This ain't a shot at Shamar James. Okay. Now watch Mars Leaf. Just look at 35 right here, man. Like I like I said, he whether he's making the play or not, like he he changes the tone or he sets the tone in games. Even when we look bad in games, he was the bright spot so many different times for me. Like when you look at this play here, man, watch him blow up this fullback and turn this ball back inside. Like this ball is coming front of action, boom. He makes the running back bounce inside and and run to his help. But that's because he knocked the fullback out cold. He blows that play up. Like he blows plays up. This is him on the outside in those five-man fronts. So he can cover from there, but he also can keep contained and he has you know good athleticism. This is him in one of those five, those three, four fronts as well. He's on the outside linebacker position right there. He's destroying that tight end right there. Just throw him. Like he does this every game. I find film of Morris Leophile doing something that I love. And I'm like, if you're a coach in the in the NFL and you watch this guy, it's no way you're watching this film and say, hey, I need to see more Shamar James. It doesn't make any sense to me. I need to see more Kenneth Murray. Doesn't make any sense to me. Now, Kenneth Murray, I I defended for because he is better than Morris Leophile in coverage. But anything near the line of scrimmage at all to do with run support or anything else, Morris Leafell has shown he's physical, he's violent, he's smart, he's a tone setter, and he's versatile. He can play anywhere. He could play. I've seen him play will, I've seen him play outside linebacker. Here he is at the outside linebacker position again in the goal line. Watch him blow that tight end up. This is why this bounces outside. Boom. He blows that up and then chases this outside, and we rally, and I think Ezraco makes this tackle. He needs to finish a little better, but he blew this play up in the first place.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Even then, that's a tough angle, too. That's a tough angle to blew that up.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

This is him versus the Jets, same thing. Standing guards up, still finding the ball. You know, this is this is the stuff that you want linebackers to do on film. And he's doing it all. Not one thing. He's covering, he's blitzing, he's forcing fumbles. He's he's always going after the ball. Like if you if you watch him here, I think this is a pass play here. Yep. Watch the, watch that, watch at the end of this play. Watch what he does here. This turnovers, this is why I said turnovers are intentional because when you watch him on this play, watch what he does. Immediately. He's he's just punching at the ball. Immediately. That's all he does. And every every time I catch him tackling somebody where he where he has a uh a second to line you up, he's going for the ball. Here he's covering off the edge again. This is him playing outside linebacker, blows this play up on a third down. You know what I mean? Him and Kenneth Murray blew this up, but he got a good pressure here. But he's he's a very versatile player. And I think that Morris Leophile is is to me, uh, I think he's the best linebacker that we have. And I say that not saying that he's better at will than DeMarion Overshawn. But he's he can play in places that I wouldn't even want to see DeMarion Overshawn. I don't want to see DeMarion Overshawn line up outside. This is that force fumble right here. But uh I don't want to see DeMarion Overshawn lined up out on the edge. I don't want to see him at the mic either. Not for very long. I think he could play the mic or the will. But look, this is him outside. This is 3-4 right here. He's an outside linebacker right now. Watch this. He gets a sack here. Boom. I mean, Mars, Mars is, you know, I think he's a baller, man. So I mean, I'm not gonna go beat the dead horse too much, but you get my point. I think this is this video is more so about what Rashawn Gary does for this team. But I think Mars definitely needs to be uh heralded because of things like this. You know what I mean? The things that you see on film right now. Like, look at how he attacks this ball, then you can just take this out. But watch this. Just watch that last play. Hold on. Let me see. I know you take it out. Go ahead. Watch that. Watch how he targets the ball. Boom. He doesn't he doesn't force the fumble there, but it's just crazy that he just does that all day. But that's all, man. That's all. Uh when you so when you look at it from that standpoint, I I think that you know the Cowboys are really loaded up outside. You know, I think they probably can use more depth at outside linebacker behind those three guys that we're talking about. But I like what I'm seeing. And like I said, I think Morris becomes a spell chess piece. He bounces around that linebacker room no matter where it is in 3-4, he can play. So he can spell guys and play in different sub-packages, things like that. But uh Rashawn Gary being here, I think we get a full offseason with Demo, who we already love, and I think they misused last year. So people are down on him. But I think Demo, you them not blitzing him, them not allowing him to play with his instincts, that that that will that will hurt a guy that plays the way Demo plays. He plays with passion, he plays with instincts, and you have to put him in a position where he's kind of at a mismatch or at a disadvantage because that's where he makes plays. You know, and we didn't do that very much with him last year. We didn't blitz him at all. We just asked him to cover, you know, hook the flat. That's it. I mean, it wasn't really much he was doing on the field. So with that said, I think everybody gets better with the front seven rotation that we have right now. Everybody gets better. You know, and when you go back to you know, a guy like Jalen Thompson, him on the back end, he he makes everyone back there better as well. You know, he does too.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

Yeah, no, I I I 100% agree with you. I I think you made some uh some really valid points there when it comes to Maris. So I I want to move on to last topic of the show. I want to talk about what this means for the draft at the current moment, just the way this roster is constructed. On we're recording this on March 9th at around 8.50 at night. To me, when I look at this roster, when I look at this team going into the draft, two positions that I'm looking at is edge and I'm looking at linebacker, because I still do think you need a guy that's gonna be your your your juice, your explosive pass rusher. And I think those guys are in this draft in abundance. I think there's gonna be multiple guys at pick 20 when you talk about. I mean, Akeem Mesador, Aquay, I'm gonna be honest with you when it comes to Mesador. If this guy was 20, if if if this guy was 21 years old, he would be a top five pick in this draft. No doubt in my mind. I I think he's a better player than Ruben Bain is. That's how good I think Mesador is. Um, and that's a guy who's probably gonna be there at pick 20 because he is 25 years old. But if this is a guy that can come in right away and be that juice that we need getting after the passer, I think that he would be uh a great fit. But he's not just a pass rusher. This guy, his motors are extremely high, his um uh his instincts are very good. He understands how to play the run. Uh, you know, he understands like, okay, if I'm playing as a four-eye, I'm gonna knife through and I have contain on the backside. I'm all I'm all good there. Like he understands, you know, a lot of those things. So when I look at Mesador, I think this guy is the complete package. I think he would be a great pick at 20. Uh, and that's a guy right away that can come in and be your your edge defender. And then you have, you know, like where I'm looking at right now, I would if Sonny Styles is there at 12, great. If he's not, like with our linebacker room the way it is right now, I think they're gonna sign a linebacker or a trade for one. I'm very confident in that. And then I'm looking and I'm saying, like, okay, but the way this defense is right now, you you probably need another corner. You like if Delane from LSU is there, I think that that's a guy you should probably take just because like the way I look at this corner room, I think you have two NFL starters on your team at the current moment when it comes to Bland and Revel. You know, like what are we gonna do uh uh in in in that spot when it comes to uh you know, is Bland gonna play in the nickel? Is he gonna play in the outside? If he's playing in the outside, who's gonna play in the nickel?

SPEAKER_01 36:44

Yeah, I think I I get what you're saying. And I agree. I think that um, but but I do think that now the the position of choice would be what you just named. Like the the cornerback position would be, I think, the ideal uh draft target for 12 right now, as it stands with these two signings. Not saying that they won't go get an edge or that we don't need another edge, but I don't think edge is at the top of their list with their signing of Rashawn Gary. I don't think there's, you know, are there guys that that as far as like being a juice, like you said, pass rusher from the edge today that that can edge out Rashawn Gary in camp? Sure. Or Ezraku, sure. Um, but hands down, no. You know what I mean? Day one, if you're going first round, I think right now you want a day one guy. And I don't think you brought Rashawn Gary in or Ezraku at this point and and or even move Mars to the outside to say, hey, these guys are going to be backups to the guy that were. I don't think that that's what they're looking at now. So at this point, I think the the only other thing that I can think of, if you're thinking of an edge guy or an outside uh you know guy, like a defensive end, I think more so rotational guy for those other three guys, those down linemen, like another osa type, someone like that, maybe. Um but as far as outside, I don't think they're as thirsty as as as you might think, because I I don't see you wasting a first-round pick on a guy that you're not gonna start day one. And I think you can start um a corner day one, obviously. Right now we need it. You know what I'm saying? Safety, day one, you can find a place for him, day one. Middle linebacker, day one, you can find a place for one of those guys, day one. I don't think you can with a with it with an edge. So I think we'll we'll go developmental or we'll sign another, but uh I think we'll go developmental like day two with edge, most likely. I don't see us doing it round one, unless there's somebody so crazy at 12 that you just can't deny it. But even then, I I just don't see it. I I think that we're looking at a linebacker corner draft right now as it stands, because those are the two positions that aren't addressed that we did have gaps in. And if you're if you're looking at it being, hey, let's, you know, let's let's make space for a Sonny Styles type, especially when you look at right after the combine or right around the combine, they move Morris outside, they start talking about, hey, Morris is gonna play outside. Okay, because you're gonna have somebody that you're targeting with the middle linebacker position, and he's not gonna be one of those guys, right? So now you know that they're they're obviously looking, they saw something they like during the combine at middle linebacker for them to announce it and intentionally announce it at that. No one asked you where Morris was playing, they just said where he's playing because that was at the top of their mind from the discussion. And that's just my assumption, but I think that's what was happening there. Um, and when you when you look at, you know, as as we just talked about, when you look at uh a guy like Jalen Thompson being signed as well, a lot of the things that I do like about Caleb Downs, and I'm not saying Jalen Thompson is gonna be better than Caleb Downs, the things that you like about Caleb Downs, his tenacity, his ball skills, his ability to play near the line of scrimmage, take away smoke screens and and screen passes, and he's covering tight ends, he's doing a little bit of everything all over. He's an all-world safety. He's a guy that you can play over the top as well. Jalen Thompson does all those things, right? He does all those things. He's a solid tackler. I don't see anybody ever breaking his tackles. Like he takes great angles to the ball, he's a solid tackler, and he's a guy where you say, hey, I I got my prototype at safety. If I just just look at this real quick, I just want to show you one play, and then we can we can get off the Jalen Thompson topic. Put this play up. All right, this is just a disguise cover three. Like the pre-snap, there's no way Mayfield can know what this is. This is disguise cover three with a blitz off the right side from uh from the from the other nickel, right? Now look at what he's covering. He he covers the the dig route first, and this is Jalen Thompson in the middle of the field. But he covers, he bites on the dig route, but realizes because of the lazy route that the ball's not going there. So he just looks for the ball, and now he sees this route behind him, finds the post, and then gets over the top of that. That just just him flipping his hips and getting over the top of that was enough, but he still was in position to break on the ball, although Mayfield probably put it in the air a little bit too much. But he that play shows you what he allows you to do in just one play. He's near the line of scrimmage right there, right? So I already see that he's a guy that allows you to play near the line of scrimmage, allows you to disguise things, but look at how much ground he has to cover. He runs a seven route or a uh a post pattern right now. Like he's running, he's darting all the way across the field. He and then shallow, he took away any slants that that top receiver could have ran in the first place, right? So then he locates the dummy route, the dig, and then flips his hips and runs all the way back, maybe 15 yards in the opposite direction to break this up on time. That's a that's a hell of a play for anybody, whether you're a corner, safe, any defensive back that does that is a guy that you want on your team. Period. Now I know how people do me when I when I break guys down in the offseason and I like them because I didn't get you know four months to sit there and watch the impact on my team. They're gonna keep coming back to me through the season and be like, didn't you say you like this guy? Whenever he misses a play through the season. But right now, as it stands or what I've seen on film, I look at Thompson as a guy that allows you to go into the draft very comfortable as safety. So now you're adding, like you said, a X Factor guy if you grab a K uh Downs or you can go and grab a Thynaman, I think his name is as well. I like him too. And that if he's there at 20, I wouldn't be mad about taking him. You know, I look at I look at both those guys as the type of safeties that you're looking at when you look at a Jalen Thompson. One of those guys that can play nickel, play over the top, play in the box, you know, and it's good from everywhere. He's more of a football player that happens to be a defensive back rather than a safety. And I I like that.

unknown 42:49

I like that.

SPEAKER_00 42:49

Yeah, yeah, because I think like Thieneman, man, like dude, the the role like that I would put Thieneman in is I would just play him in the slot, I'd play him in the slot, like a majority of the snaps, and I would just have Hooker and Thompson over the top. Like, that's what I would do because I mean you see these slot receivers now. I mean, they're putting they're putting their best receivers in the slot, it feels like. And a guy like Thieneman with his hip fluidity and his length and his coverage skills, like that that could be something that would be very good for the cowboys. So I agree with you on that. Um, but yeah, that's gonna be it for the show. Uh, there's gonna be a lot more news to come with the cowboys in the upcoming days here. Hopefully, uh they add a you know another linebacker, maybe they add uh another edge, maybe, you know, and and really try to improve this team because I mean they really have a shot. Um any final thoughts?

SPEAKER_01 43:44

Um, I'm I'm excited. Like I'm I'm back in the football spirit, man. Uh, got the studio redesigned, I'm ready to go. So my the way I'm feeling is like, you know, the the way they've loaded up for the draft this year, they they always kind of you know make sure they're not going into the draft too thirsty, like you saw them trying to. It last year as well. But the way they're loading up for this draft, I'm excited with the things that we see in the first round that may be available at 12 and 20. So we've already gotten better, is what I what I mean. Even with the signing of Jalen Thompson and Hooker being our safety. If you look at Bland being a guy that can play inside and outside, obviously we still need a corner. Look at Revel as a guy that's going to get better with a full offseason, and he's actually in the playbook from start to finish. You know what I mean? He's a guy that's going to be better. You know what I mean? This season. And then you look at what we have at the front seven. We have a starting caliber defense today, right now. I think you can use help at middle linebacker. You obviously need a corner. But when you look at it that way, we can take the best players on defense available based on what Christian Parker wants to do schematically. He can take whatever he wants in the first round. I think middle linebacker probably still needs help, but that's about it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

Absolutely. Well, that's going to be it for the show, guys. Uh, please make sure to uh check out uh Okoye Pug Your Stuff because I feel like people do a better job of uh plugging their stuff than I do plugging their stuff.

SPEAKER_01 45:11

You can find me at Okoye Media on YouTube. Obviously, you can find me on YouTube as well at Okoye Nose Boxing. Um, and you can also find me on TikTok under those same names, aka on TikTok, uh, and Okoye Nose Boxing on TikTok and uh YouTube as well. Obviously, Okoye Media on uh Twitter. But uh, you know, it depends on what you guys are looking for. Like you want to see me talking uh football trash on Sundays, follow me on Twitter. You want some breakdowns, in-depth breakdowns, is YouTube and then you know the quick shorts, TikTok, obviously. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

Well, it's good having you on the show, bro. I appreciate it. Uh and and I can't wait until we do this thing again.

SPEAKER_01 45:54

Oh man, I appreciate you having me back, man. Peace.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

So that's gonna be it for the episode. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it, and I will see you guys on the next episode.