The Dallas Cowboys are running a full background check at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Three formal meetings in one night tell you exactly where owner and general manager Jerry Jones is heading into April.

The Cowboys formally met with Ohio State OLB Arvell Reese, Oklahoma LB Kendal Daniels, and UCF DE Malachi Lawrence on Wednesday night in Indianapolis. Three meetings, three defenders, one unmistakable message about Dallas’ defensive rebuild: they’re not window shopping, they’re building a shortlist.

Reese is the crown jewel of the trio. At 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, the consensus All-American posted 69 tackles, 10 for loss, and 6.5 sacks in 2025. Multiple analysts have ranked him in the range of 2nd to 6th best defender in the class. For a Cowboys team that traded Micah Parsons without a true replacement at the second level, Resse is the chess piece that could change the defense overnight.

Nick Harris of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram reported the meeting “went well.” Given Reese’s projection, that’s Cowboys-speak for very interested.

Meanwhile, Kendal Daniels brings a rare profile – a safety-turned-linebacker who mastered multiple alignments. At Oklahoma, Daniels logged a 71.6 pass-rush grade on PFF and 64 tackles last year. What’s more, he also led the team with a total of 715 defensive snaps. But the biggest upside is perhaps his attitude. When Dallas reps posed their toughest question: “Week 15, Saquon Barkley in the A gap, who wins?” Daniels didn’t blink.

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“I’m gonna show them the first day I get there,” Daniels said with a smile. “You don’t just hit somebody in the 15, people, without hitting them the first day.”

Lastly, Malachi Lawrence completes the trio. The UCF edge rusher closed last year with 7.0 sacks and an 83.1 PFF grade, the highest on his team. His 22.7% pressure rate matched potential No. 1 pick Rueben Bain Jr. If Lawrence slides even slightly, Dallas will be ready to snatch him away.

But while Dallas scouts linebackers, the question hanging over the entire offseason remains unanswered. What will happen to the man responsible for 155 of the Cowboys’ points last season?

Brandon Aubrey: the kicker nobody can agree on

Brandon Aubrey is the most productive kicker in football, both sides agree on that much. But the dispute remains over the price tag that kind of production brings. Per reports, Dallas offered him a deal surpassing Harrison Butker’s (Kansas City Chiefs kicker) $6.4 million-per-year benchmark.

But Aubrey’s agent, Todd France, clapped back, asking for $10 million annually for his client. Naturally, the negotiations with Jerry Jones & Co. came to a standstill. What makes this situation even more intriguing is that Dallas isn’t prepared to budge.

“The Cowboys don’t plan to up their offer and are comfortable placing the second round tender on him, which could result in a restricted free agent deal of $5.5 – $5.8 million and take their chances on getting a second round pick if he signs elsewhere,” Clarence Hill Jr. reported on X.

Meanwhile, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones has tried to be as diplomatic as possible, without giving away any details of their negotiations.

“We’ve been in talks with Aubrey [since] before the season started,” Jones said. “It’s been a journey, but we haven’t been able to get to a point where we can all agree, so it hasn’t gotten done, but we’d love to get him done.”

So, it appears that both sides are at an impasse with the free agency deadline fast approaching. And even amidst all this, speculations rage on about Dallas wanting Brandon to become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Meanwhile, Brandon Aubrey isn’t letting the narratives run unchallenged.

Under a 105.3 The Fan post recapping his salary speculation, Brandon has fired back with a single word: “Fake.” His wife, Jenn, has also followed suit with an equally sharp: “False.” Two words, zero ambiguity.

With March 11’s free agency opening inching close, Jerry Jones seems to be managing two high-stakes decisions simultaneously now. The first is finding a defensive cornerstone in the Draft that could plug their leaks instantly. The second is holding firm on a kicker who may be the most irreplaceable specialist in the league.