It's back to the classroom for the spring session for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.
The two clubs kicked off their voluntary offseason workout programs on Monday, joining the five other teams with new head coaches that began workouts last week -- the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
Teams with first-year head coaches kick off the voluntary portion of their workouts earlier than the rest of the league -- the other 25 clubs begin next week. Phase One runs the first two weeks of the program. Activities during this phase are limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation.
The workout program is voluntary outside of a mandatory minicamp in June. Both the Cowboys and Saints will hold their minicamps June 10-12.
The spotlight will shine on new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore as each deals with newsy items as they open Phase One.
The lingering Micah Parsons questions will hover over Schottenheimer until the club locks down the star pass rusher with a massive contract. But at least one question was answered on Monday when Parsons reported for the start of voluntary workouts.
In New Orleans, Friday's news from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport that quarterback Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that could jeopardize his 2025 season thrusts even more uncertainty onto Moore's plate. The Saints were already one team that might have considered drafting a first-round quarterback (New Orleans currently holds the No. 9 overall pick). The Carr news heightens that potential expectation. How the first-time head coach manages that situation this week is worth monitoring.
The start of the offseason program is a baby step toward the ultimate goal of lifting a Lombardi Trophy on Feb. 8, 2026. For the Cowboys and Saints, that infant-sized stride is accompanied by big questions that will color the offseason process.
