It's difficult to dispute that the Dallas Cowboys upgraded their linebacker room during the NFL Draft. That's not saying much, of course, but the current unit could at least take the field if Dallas had a game tomorrow and put forth a commendable effort.
While trading for Dee Winters and drafting Jaishawn Barham raised the unit's floor, it's still anyone's guess who will wear the green dot to be the nerve center of Christian Parker's defense. As such, fans want the front office to trade for Jordyn Brooks or sign future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner, two grizzled vets who have experience in the field general role.
While Parker has been coy about the green dot, Brian Schottenheimer at least listed off some candidates when speaking with reporters at The Ford Center following minicamp practice.
"The biggest thing I wanna say about that is we're going to train so many people in the green dot, that we're going to find out who's comfortable doing it," Schottenheimer said. "It might be D-Mo (DeMarvion Overshown). It might be Jalen Thompson. It might be Dee Winters. It might be whoever."
New Dallas Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson is in consideration to wear the green dot
Jalen Thompson, you say? That makes things very interesting.
After initially leaning toward a linebacker for the green dot, Schottenheimer and Co. appear to be expanding their horizons, potentially opening the door to a linebacker-safety competition.
Cowboys fans can all but rule out DeMarvion Overshown here. He’s far more likely to be deployed as a chase-and-pursue weakside linebacker. And if you’re reading between the lines, the player a coach mentions first in a competition rarely ends up winning it.
Winters, meanwhile, only wore the green dot in a few practices with the San Francisco 49ers last season. In his introductory presser with the Cowboys, he said the coaching staff wants him playing in space to "run and hit." That job description rarely overlaps with green-dot responsibilities, but stranger things have happened.
All of that makes Schottenheimer's mention of Thompson so interesting. And yes, he does have some green-dot experience. During the 2022 offseason, Thompson was one of a select few players the Arizona Cardinals trained to quarterback the defense.
Why is that notable? Because former Cardinals cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith is now the Cowboys' secondary coach. He has all the intel Parker and Schottenheimer need to determine if Thompson is cut out for the role.
We'll know soon enough, as Dallas takes the field on June 1 for mandatory OTAs. What those sessions will lack in physicality, they'll make up for in providing insight into players' roles.
Thompson's responsibilities will be a storyline to watch.
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