Within 48 hours of the 2026 NFL Draft ending in Pittsburgh
, the Dallas Cowboys
brought in 11 undrafted free agents into the fray. Now, as the rookie minicamp opened at The Star, those 11 names are locked and loaded.
The Dallas Cowboys
Public Relations page announced the move on X. The full list of UDFAs now signed with Dallas is: WR Camden Brown, DT Tommy Dunn, T Sidney Fugar, DT Kelvin Gilliam, WR Joran Hudson, LB Langston Patterson, OT Shiyazh Pete, RB Dominic Richardson, TE DJ Rogers, TE Michael Trigg, and DT DJ Withers.
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Cowboys
EVP Stephen Jones had targeted 10 to 12 UDFAs after the draft, and they’ve now officially hit 11. Moreover, Dallas hadn’t drafted a tight end or a running back, with just one receiver – East Carolina’s Anthony Smith – in the seventh round. But the UDFA class rounded off all three rooms and added defensive line competition on top.
The most interesting bet out of the lot is Michael Trigg. The Baylor produced First-Team All-Big 12 numbers in 2025 – 50 catches, 694 yards, six touchdowns – and still went undrafted because of seven drops on 85 catches. Every team saw that tape. But Dallas decided that a 6’4”, 240-pound tight end with a 99th percentile wingspan was worth the risk at zero draft cost.
RB Dominic Richardson is the other name worth watching. He ran for 1,065 yards on 212 carries last season at Tulsa. Dallas’ running back room heading into camp features Javonte Williams
, Jaydon Blue
, and Phil Mafah
– all on short or rookie deals. Richardson will be competing for a spot, not a starting job, but the depth chart has plenty of room if he impresses on the practice field.
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The UDFA pipeline has paid huge dividends for owner/general manager Jerry Jones
before. Last season, 24 players began their Cowboys journey as UDFAs and appeared in multiple games. What’s more, Dallas also has a proven history of finding gold in the undrafted class.
Tony Romo
went undrafted out of Eastern Illinois in 2003 and still holds the single-season passing yards franchise record (4,903 yards), beating out current franchise quarterback Dak Prescott
by just one yard. Offensive tackle Terence Steele
also went undrafted in 2020, but has since started 91 games for Dallas. Every name on the new UDFA list knows exactly where they’re trying to go.
Dallas also brought in two players on a tryout basis. Zach Switzer
, grandson of former Cowboys head coach and Hall of Famer Barry Switzer, earned the invite on production, not the last name. At Presbyterian in 2024, he produced 1,250 all-purpose yards, the most by any Presbyterian player since 2017, and earned All-PFL First Team honors as a return specialist with a 27-yard kick return average.
Western Kentucky quarterback Maverick McIvor also earned a tryout. He went 5-2 as a starter last season, completing 67% of his passes for 2,062 yards with 12 touchdowns against six picks. Across 4 college seasons, he has already thrown over 10,000 yards and 73 touchdowns. The Chicago Bears
have also extended him a similar invitation.
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However, the singing that mattered most at The Star was already done and dusted before Dallas brought in the UDFAs.
Jerry Jones’ $28.9 million bet on Caleb Downs
The new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, didn’t wait for the draft night to make his case. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay was constantly being sent pictures of Caleb Downs, Malachi Lawrence (Dallas’ 23rd overall pick), and other players Parker liked. While the front office jokes about it later, Jerry Jones had received the message loud and clear.
Dallas’ defense had allowed a franchise-record 511 points last season and recorded just six interceptions. Parker needed a player who could change how the back end functioned to fix that 2025 disaster. Downs was that player.
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To get Downs at No. 11 overall, Dallas traded their No. 12 pick along with two fifth-rounders to move up one spot for the Ohio State safety. The 2025 Loft Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award winner is now locked into his rookie deal: four years, $28.9 million, fully guaranteed, with a $17.5 million signing bonus.
To get to No. 11, Dallas traded No. 12 plus two fifth-rounders — moving up one spot for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award winner. His rookie contract is now signed: four years, $28.9 million, fully guaranteed, per NFL insider Ari Meirov. And when Downs arrived at the Star – visibly in awe of the five Lombardi Trophies on full display – he was already thinking about the playbook. And he followed it up by building a connection with Christian Parker right away.
“I asked him (Parker), first thing, where’s the playbook at?” Downs said. “Where’s the playbook, and when can I get it? Just because I am all about ball, and that’s what I am looking forward to doing. So, he has been genuine since the moment I met him, and I am glad he got to meet my parents and my sister.”
Meanwhile, Parker’s response when he first met Downs also set the tone for what’s coming.
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“Let’s get to it baby,” Parker said. “We’re going to make it happen. We’re going to make each other great. Let’s get it done.”
Edge rusher Malachi Lawrence – the UCF star who logged seven sacks and 11 TFLs in 2025 – is the one name from the draft class still without a contract. Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, it’s a timing issue: deals at his pick range are still being finalized. But Archer also notes that there’s “nothing to worry about” for Lawrence. His deal will get done very soon, too.
Parker spent weeks lobbying for this draft class by text. Jerry Jones even called it brainwashing.
Caleb Downs asked for the playbook before he’d even unpacked. Altogether, the defense Dallas has been missing for three years may finally be in the building.
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