Tolbert showed some signs of life in his second season in 2023 after only catching two passes as a third-round rookie the year prior. The South Alabama product posted a 22-268-2 line on 36 targets across 17 regular-season games, and Gallup's release now leaves Tolbert poised to take another step forward as a potential No. 3 receiver in 2024.

That backup job to Dak Prescott is the short-term goal, but Archer notes Lance is also prepping for a potential shot at free agency next offseason. A serious leg injury and the subsequent development of Brock Purdy conspired to oust Lance from San Francisco, but he's slated to get the bulk of reps in preseason games this summer as he tries to beat out Cooper Rush for the No. 2 role with the Cowboys. Lance has been prepping through his workouts with Christensen, which have included a focus on the quarterback's footwork, grip and velocity.

The Cowboys have publicly stated they plan to use a committee at running back, which will include Ezekiel Elliott. However, Yousuf believes that Dowdle is the player best positioned to emerge as the leader of the backfield. He had a solid third season as a pro in 2023, racking up 361 yards on 85 carries, but he appears to have a shot at surpassing those numbers in 2024.

Prescott said Tuesday during a youth football camp he was hosting that he is feeling great and went on to explain that he wore the boot after his ankle was a bit sore following some extensive workouts. Prescott will be ready for training camp, which is set to begin July 25.

Per Archer, the injury isn't expected to impact Prescott's availability for training camp, which begins July 25 for the Cowboys, in any way. It's uncertain when or how Prescott suffered the injury, as his last on-field work at the team facility was June 5.

Machota projects Dallas will keep Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn at running back along with fullback Hunter Luepke, while cutting Freeman and Malik Davis. If Freeman fails to make the team, it would be a missed opportunity for the veteran running back considering Dallas has arguably the least impressive backfield in the NFL entering the 2024 season. Freeman will have a chance to make his case for a spot with Dallas during training camp and preseason after compiling 319 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry with the Rams over 14 regular-season games in 2023.

Rush is battling Trey Lance for the backup spot behind Dak Prescott. Machota believes the job is Lance's to lose given his superior upside, and the Cowboys are unlikely to roster three quarterbacks, which would leave Rush as the odd man out.

Lance is likely to get a roster spot over Rush given Lance's far greater upside. While Rush has six NFL starts under his belt compared to Lance's four, Lance's superior physical tools led to him being drafted third overall in 2021 by the 49ers. According to Machota, Lance would have to have an awful training camp and preseason to lose the competition for Dallas' backup spot behind Dak Prescott.

The Cowboys, as has been their pattern in recent years under Jerry Jones, have dragged their heels in working out a new deal for star players like Lamb, preferring to let the market establish itself first. The 25-year-old wideout will be looking for something comparable to the $35 million per season that Justin Jefferson got from the Vikings, and Lamb seems unlikely to report until he gets it.

Ferguson took the leap in his sophomore campaign in 2023, finishing with 71 catches on 102 targets for 761 yards and five touchdowns across 17 regular-season games en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. The 2022 fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin was Dak Prescott's second-favorite target last season behind CeeDee Lamb, and Ferguson will rightfully draw more attention from opposing defenses in 2024.

Michael Gallup departed this offseason and the Cowboys made no significant additions to their wide receiver corps, leaving the depth chart behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks unsettled. Tolbert and Brooks have both have gotten positive reviews to this point in the offseason, with Brooks getting praise for his ability to work in short areas and excel on slant routes. He played only 74 offensive snaps in 2023, his rookie season.

Getting Prescott's situation resolved first makes sense for salary cap reasons, but time is growing short for the team to get new contracts in place for both star players before the season begins. Lamb will be looking for a contract at least in the neighborhood of the one Justin Jefferson just signed with the Vikings, which had an average annual salary of $35 million and $110 million in guaranteed money.

All three stars are eligible for extensions, although Parsons is under contract for two more years and will almost certainly have to wait for the other two Dallas players to get their deals first. Prescott's leverage as a quarterback who can't be given the franchise tag next offseason puts him in position to match or potentially even exceed a $55 million average annual salary, a mark so far only reached by Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. Resolving Prescott's situation and lowering his cap hit would then give the Cowboys more flexibility in extending Lamb this offseason.

Naturally, the fact Prescott appears increasingly likely to play out the final year of his contract this season and enter free agency next offseason is the biggest storyline attached to the star quarterback. However, Shook notes that Prescott's on-field success, or lack thereof, in 2024 will also likely determine the future of head coach Mike McCarthy, as well as the long-term direction of the franchise. Naturally, it will also have a direct impact on the value of Prescott's next contract, which could still come with the Cowboys.

Martin has had a decorated NFL career, as he's a nine-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro, though there has been a glaring lack of playoff success during the guard's 10-year stint with the Cowboys. If Dallas finally reaches the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1995, Martin may decide to go out on a high note and hang up his cleats.

Lamb is awaiting a new contract, and there has been some speculation that a deal could come quickly for him now that Justin Jefferson has reset the wide receiver market. Nevertheless, Lamb continued his absence from the team's offseason activities and is now subject to fines. Coach Mike McCarthy expressed no concern over Lamb's absence.

Parsons is seeking a new contract from the Cowboys, which undoubtedly played a role in his absence. However, he also provided a more detailed response to defend his decision to stay away from team activities, citing his relatively small stature for his position and his desire to let his body heal. While coach Mike McCarthy called Parsons' absence a missed opportunity to learn new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's defense, Parsons was unconcerned and said he'd have plenty of time to gel with the defensive unit during training camp.

All signs indicated that Lamb was content to let Jefferson re-set the wide receiver market before getting serious with his own negotiations, and that happened Monday when Minnesota made its star wideout the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Lamb's new deal may end up coming in just below the $35 million average annual salary or the $110 million in guarantees that Jefferson got, but his patience is still going to be amply rewarded. Lamb is set to make $17.99 million in 2024 on the final year of his rookie contract after leading the league in receptions last year with 135 while finishing second to Tyreek Hill in receiving yards with 1,749.

Vaughn relayed after Thursday's practice that he had conversations with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer at the end of last season about being utilized in the slot, with the running back adding that he wants to be a versatile player for the Dallas offense. While he's likely third in the backfield behind Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, Vaughn could be used across multiple positions on offense and special teams, serving as a utility player in a similar fashion to Taysom Hill and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Cooks has been a big name in the league for most of his 10 seasons, posting six 1,000-yard campaigns and four 80-plus catch tallies. However, Blair points out Cooks has never made a Pro Bowl or received a first-team All-Pro nod. The veteran wideout also had some struggles finding his way in Dallas' offense in the early part of the 2023 season, before coming on with a 43-539-6 line from Week 10 through the wild-card loss to the Packers.

McCarthy only conceded that not being on the field whenever there's an opportunity in the offseason is "an opportunity that's been missed." Otherwise, the veteran head coach stated that Parsons had been around the facility much more than had been made public, adding the star linebacker had also been involved in one-on-one meetings with coaches about the new defense being installed by coordinator Mike Zimmer. "He's engaged," McCarthy said. "He'll be ready when it's time."

Kendricks played under Zimmer when he was head coach in Minnesota. Upon the coach's departure in 2022, Kendricks made critical comments of Zimmer's style, but he has since clarified that he was simply frustrated by the team's 8-9 record that season. Kendricks spent the 2023 campaign with the Chargers and signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Cowboys this offseason.

After the Cowboys released Michael Gallup in March, Tolbert moved into the WR3 spot on the depth chart behind Lamb and Cooks and ahead of KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks. Tolbert saw more looks in the passing game in 2023, registering 22 catches on 36 targets for 268 yards and two touchdowns while playing 454 snaps on offense across 17 regular-season games. He's received plenty of praise from his coaches and teammates this offseason, with Cooks noting that Tolbert is going to "crush" whatever expectations are put in front of him.

The 2021 third overall pick of the 49ers did not take a snap during his 2023 debut campaign in Dallas, but Lance is believed to have a legitimate opportunity to wrest No. 2 duties away from Rush with a strong enough training camp and preseason. Lance reported this week his confidence is much higher than when he came into the league despite how his tenure in San Francisco went, and he added he now has a full grasp of Mike McCarthy's offense due to the time he's put in familiarizing himself over the last several months.

Prescott is in the final year of the four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021, and he has both a no-trade and no-franchise-tag clause in his contract. The veteran signal-caller has said he'd like to remain with the Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones has echoed that sentiment from his perspective, but there apparently hasn't been any tangible progress on locking Prescott in beyond 2024. Nevertheless, Prescott has not missed an offseason workout, supporting the notion he's primarily focused on the season ahead.

Overshown was a third-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2023 but missed his entire rookie season due to a preseason ACL tear. Once fully recovered, the linebacker out of Texas will compete for playing time against 2024 third-round draft pick Marist Liufau and free-agent addition Eric Kendricks in a defense that lost perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to retirement.

Prescott's contract status figures to be a story line throughout the summer, but barring injury, the star quarterback will be under center for this marquee season-opening matchup. The Cowboys will be making their first trip to Cleveland since Prescott's rookie 2016 campaign, and the 30-year-old signal-caller will be going up against a Browns defense that allowed the fewest yards per game in 2023 while also recording 49 sacks and 18 interceptions.

After spending one season in New England, Elliott reunited with Dallas on a one-year, $2 million contract. With Tony Pollard signing a three-year deal with the Titans, Elliott is the presumptive leader of a Cowboys backfield that includes Rico Dowdle, 2023 sixth-round pick Deuce Vaughn and veteran Royce Freeman, with Malik Davis and Snoop Conner battling for a roster spot. In his three seasons under McCarthy from 2020-22, Elliott took 712 carries for 2,857 yards and 28 touchdowns over 47 games.

Elliott will be 29 years old when the 2024 season kicks off and has lost a step, so he likely won't see much usage on outside runs. The experienced running back can still churn out yardage inside, though, and Elliott is better suited for goal-line work than Rico Dowdle or Deuce Vaughn, who currently represent his main competition for backfield touches. The Cowboys led the NFL with 29.9 points per game last season, so Elliott could be in store for plenty of goal-line opportunities.

The executive compared Kneeland to former Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers, who exceeded 3.5 sacks only once in his 11-year career. Kneeland was selected 56th overall by the Cowboys in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's unlikely to get many pass-rushing opportunities in a defense that has Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Sam Williams at defensive end.

Tolbert has only 24 catches for 280 yards and two touchdowns through two NFL seasons, but the 2022 third-round draft pick projects to see a consistent role in three-receiver sets, as Michael Gallup signed with the Raiders and the Cowboys didn't select another wide receiver in 2024 until the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks occupy the top two spots on Dallas' wide receiver depth chart, but Tolbert could emerge as the top remaining option out of a group that includes return specialist KaVontae Turpin, rookie sixth-rounder Ryan Flournoy and second-year pro Jalen Brooks.

Flournoy was taken by the Cowboys with the 216th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, and he will compete for a wide receiver depth spot behind CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert. Flournoy played two seasons with Southeast Missouri, accumulating 118 catches for 1,823 yards and 13 touchdowns while being named to the First-Team All-Big Ohio Valley Conference in both years.

A police spokesperson noted there was insufficient evidence an offense was committed when providing a reason for the department's decision. The original allegations could still have ramifications in coming months as far as the court system is concerned, however, as both Prescott and the alleged victims are still in the midst of lawsuits they've filed against each other.

Archer notes the decision was hardly surprising, considering Lance's fifth-year option would have cost the Cowboys $22.4 million and would have been fully guaranteed. Although Lance remained a healthy scratch for all 17 regular-season games and the team's postseason contest last season, Archer reports team brass and coaches are happy with the progress he made in practice and will likely afford him plenty of action in this summer's three preseason games.

Christian McCaffrey was unsurprisingly the first player off the board in ESPN's first post-NFL Draft fantasy football mock draft, but Lamb went right after him in the 10-team PPR mock. Field Yates selected Lamb, unfazed by Lamb's absence from Dallas' voluntary offseason program as the wide receiver angles for a new contract ahead of his fifth NFL season. Lamb ranked second in the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and third with 12 touchdowns in 2023 while leading the league in receptions with 135.

Archer notes the Cowboys already met with Elliott and his agent early this week and then saw the Panthers move ahead of them in the second round Friday night and select Texas' Jonathon Brooks, who Dallas was reportedly interested in. While owner Jerry Jones naturally left the door open for the selection of at least one back in the final four rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, it appears increasingly likely Dowdle will soon have Elliott as a backfield mate once again following the latter's one season in New England in 2023.

Prescott is coming off an MVP-caliber season in which he completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 4,516 yards and a career-high 36 touchdowns. His magical season came to a grinding halt when Dallas was unceremoniously knocked out of the postseason by Green Bay in the NFC wild-card round. Prescott is set to become a free agent next offseason, and his chances of suiting up in a different uniform in 2025 will be tied to Cowboys' performance this season.

Dallas is expected to add a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft after letting Tony Pollard walk in free agency, but Dowdle is already facing increased competition from a veteran option in Freeman. Dowdle's 361 rushing yards last season were second on the team behind Pollard's 1,005. Freeman, meanwhile, had 319 rushing yards with the Rams in 2023 and rushed for a career-high 521 yards as a rookie with the Broncos back in 2018.

Heading into the final year of his rookie contract, Lamb is set to make $17.2 million in 2024, but getting a contract extension is his priority this offseason. The Eagles just reset the wide receiver market by giving DeVonta Smith a three-year, $75 million extension with $51 million in guaranteed money, and Lamb can reasonably expect to land a deal north of that after posting career-best numbers in 2023.

The NFL is implementing new kickoff rules for 2024 that mirrors what the XFL has done. Fassel said that Parsons has "lobbied" him to be the primary kickoff returner, and while the special teams coach admitted that the pass rusher would be "fantastic" at that position, he recognized that it's not going to happen. However, Parsons could see time on kickoffs in crucial, late-game situations with the new rule changes in 2024.

Tolbert showed some signs of life in his second season in 2023 after only catching two passes as a third-round rookie the year prior. The South Alabama product posted a 22-268-2 line on 36 targets across 17 regular-season games, and Gallup's release now leaves Tolbert poised to take another step forward as a potential No. 3 receiver in 2024.