5 Cowboys Who Could Be Playing Last Season-Opener With Dallas in Week 1

Week 1 against the New York Giants be the final season-opener with the Dallas Cowboys for these five players.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) catches the ball at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After what has seemed like an eternity, the Dallas Cowboys will finally begin their 2026 season against the New York Giants on Sunday, Sept. 13.

A lot has changed since the Cowboys last left the football field after a regular season contest, with the team pulling off a significant overhaul of the defense in just one offseason.

That's was another reminder of how much things can change in an offseason, which got us thinking about which players might be playing their final season-opener with the Cowboys in Week 1.

Here's the five most notable players.

George Pickens

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) looks on before the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pickens is locked in on the franchise tag for the 2026 season, but all bets are off when it comes to 2027.

Pickens could very well get tagged again, but it's hard to imagine the Cowboys will want to keep him on the more expensive tag or give him the long-term deal he'll once again be seeking because having a chunk of the salary cap taken up by two wideouts will greatly limit Dallas' ability to improve the roster elsewhere.

Even Stephen Jones has questioned the Cowboys' ability to pay Pickens and Dallas' other highly-paid receiver, CeeDee Lamb, at the same time for another season.

"The situation we have with George Pickens going alongside CeeDee," Jones said. "I don't know of any teams that really can pay two top receivers top of the market. So, yeah. That's going to be a real difficult situation as we move forward. We've managed to figure out how we can do it for this year."

The most likely scenario will be a tag-and-trade situation, unless the Cowboys feel they can get a better pick through the compensatory pick formula.

Either way, it would be surprising to see Pickens in Dallas next season, barring a disastrous year that brings his price down significantly.

Malik Hooker

Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker (24) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hooker was someone many pegged to be on the chopping block going into this offseason, and that belief was reinforced once Dallas completely overhauled its safeties room by adding P.J. Locke, Jalen Thompson and Caleb Downs.

Hooker has not played up to snuff in recent years, and with the veteran being in the final year of his contract, also, it's hard to envision a scenario that has him staying with the Cowboys in 2027.

Luke Schoonmaker

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker (86) at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Schoonmaker has been a disappointment since being a second-round pick of the Cowboys in 2023, and now he has fallen to the third spot on the depth chart behind Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford.

We pegged Schoonmaker as a cut or trade candidate earlier this offseason, and especially after the team signed highly-touted UDFA Michael Trigg.

However, Trigg failed to do enough to unseat Schoonmaker as the third tight end and was instead kept on the practice squad.

It appears Schoonmaker is staying in Dallas for one more season, but we suspect he'll be playing elsewhere in 2027, when he'll be a free agent.

DeMarvion Overshown

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (0) during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The jury is still out on Overshown. We've seen the talent, but he has also had issues staying healthy. Now, Overshown is facing a make-or-break season for his career as he prepares to hit free agency next offseason.

The biggest problem we can see with Overshown's future with the Cowboys is the fact that he has David Mulugheta as an agent. The veteran linebacker made the switch to Mulugheta during the offseason.

We know the bad history between Jerry Jones and Mulugheta from the Micah Parsons debacle and it's logical to assume the tense relationship between Jones and Mulugheta could be a problem in negotiations if Overshown earns a big deal.

For the Cowboys to even consider handing over a large sum of money to Overshown, he has to stay healthy and have a strong showing this season, but even then that might not be enough because Overshown will still have a small sample size.

DaRon Bland

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland (26) carries the ball after an interception for a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the third quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bland has been plagued by injuries and has been ineffective over the past two seasons, but with the way his contract is structured, cutting him this offseason just wasn't feasible.

The Cowboys made it tougher on themselves to cut him in 2027 when they restructured his contract, but there is still an out next year with a post-June 1 cut that would incur $6.4 million in dead money but would still save $13 million, according to Over the Cap.

If Bland struggles with injury and/or poor play once again in 2026, Dallas might just take that out.

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —