Cowboys news: Dallas free agent class gets hit by injuries

Pair Of Big Injuries: Parris Campbell & Robert Jones Knocked Out

The first thing we heard of regarding veteran offensive guard Robert Jones was his larger-than-expected impact. He filled in on the first team at times, mentoring first-rounder Tyler Booker, etc. That storyline ended pretty quickly.

Jones, 26, literally suffered a neck break in practice, and he’s now expected to miss 2-3 months after surgery.

For an injury that sounds that serious, just a few months of recovery is actually good news, but for the Cowboys’ offensive line, it means losing their one solid depth piece added in free agency.

Dallas’s wide receiver room is going through the same problem right now, too. Parris Campbell was the only receiver in the entire Cowboys’ free agent class, and he is now done for the year with a leg injury.

He was helped off the field on July 26th, and moving him to IR became the corresponding move for signing La’el Collins yesterday.

Yes, the Cowboys have George Pickens now, but the depth in that room is still a huge question mark. Let’s just say the front office did itself no favors both up-front and out-wide on offense in free agency.

According to Bryan Broaduss of 105.3 The Fan, Tolbert has had a quiet camp so far. While it’s admittedly hard to stand out in a WR room that has CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Broaddus has noticed that Tolbert and Dak Prescott haven’t boasted a strong connection in training camp.

The one thing holding Tolbert back from being a reliable WR3 is his ability to separate. It’s no secret that Mingo struggles to create separation as well, but he is the much more physical receiver. Mingo is an inch taller and has some 20 pounds on the former third-round pick.

While George Pickens gives Dallas much-needed size at the position, they are obviously keeping Lamb, who can be moved all over the field but isn’t a prototypical X receiver. They are also keeping KaVontae Turpin, who figures to operate almost exclusively in the slot.

It should also be noted that undrafted free agent Traeshon Holden is making waves at camp. He’ll need to carry that into the preseason, but he is quickly becoming this year’s camp darling.

That isn’t to say the Cowboys should definitively trade Tolbert. The WR room hasn’t been this deep in years. It would be awesome if it was five or six deep this season.

However, there are plenty of teams in the league who could use a WR3/4. If the Cowboys want to shop Tolbert and take advantage of another team’s desperation, the emergence of Mingo and Holden would make that move much easier to stomach.

The Cowboys entered their 2025 training camp with a dire situation at cornerback, though one that has a clear solution: patience. Two of the team’s top three players at the position are still recovering from 2024 injuries as Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel work towards healthier knees. To make matters worse, the team’s top slot corner from the last decade, Jourdan Lewis, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the offseason.

That left a hole they’ve been trying to fill. One of the hopeful solutions has been Kemon Hall, a slot corner whom the team signed during last season. Hall appeared in six games in 2024, Weeks 11 through 16, but playing only on special teams for the club. This is his second stint with the Cowboys, also spending some offseason weeks on their roster back in 2020. He’s also been rostered by the Los Angeles Chargers, twice, the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. The Chargers and Cowboys are the only stops where he’s seen regular-season action.

According to The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner, they should have high expectations. Baumgardner said he likes the move more now than he did when it was announced, adding that Booker could be a “dominant interior presence.”

“The more I’ve considered this one, the more I’ve liked it. Initially, I thought No. 12 was too high for Booker, but he was easily the most physically impressive run blocker this class had outside of Campbell and Membou. And I don’t care that he’s guard-only,” says Baumgardner.

“If Booker stays in good shape weight-wise, he can be a dominant interior presence. He can also help change an offensive culture.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has used the “culture” phrase throughout the offseason and praised Booker’s leadership. A former team captain at Alabama, he’s expected to bring the same work ethic to Dallas, which can have a lasting impact.

All of these moves were heavily criticized in real time. All five of these guys play the “money five” premium positions in the NFL, and in most cases, the team had a better option in their back pocket. Prescott, Lamb, and soon Parsons will make up the Cowboys’ top three paid players, and they were all factors when the team decided to move on from these other guys.

When criticizing the front office, we should try to remember that the Cowboys aren’t in the business of letting their stars get away. When was the last time you were genuinely upset about a player leaving, and how long did you stay upset? But more than that, we should also take comfort in the fact that these drama-filled contract negotiations take place because the Cowboys keep drafting star talent. That’s a good problem to have.