The Dallas Cowboys‘ search for offensive firepower for Dak Prescott is taking an unexpected turn, shifting focus from the usual suspects to a prospect with rare physical gifts. With CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens locking down the receiver spots, Dallas’s next big-bodied target for Prescott might be coming from an entirely different position group.

A seven-foot wingspan isn’t something you typically find at the tight end position, but it’s exactly what has the Cowboys taking a closer look at Michael Trigg.

This picked up momentum after the Baylor Bears’ Pro Day over the weekend. Trigg stood out, and more importantly, the Cowboys were watching closely. Tight ends coach Lunda Wells and college scouting coordinator Chris Hall were both in attendance, which usually isn’t a coincidence.

Now, the production is one part of it, and Trigg has been solid there. But what really pushed him into the spotlight was his measurables.

His arm length came in at 34 and a quarter inches, placing him in the 91st percentile among tight end prospects since 2011, according to mockdraftable.com. His hand size, measured at 10 and a half inches, lands in that same percentile range.

But the part that truly stands out is his wingspan, which puts him in the 99th percentile among tight ends in that same span.

The comparison to Inspector Gadget and the whole “go-go-gadget” arms label is not random. It fits.

For a broader context, mockdraftable.com lists the average arm length for tight ends at 32.9 inches and wingspan around 6 feet 5 inches. Trigg, at 6 feet 4 inches, clearing seven feet in wingspan, is operating well above that baseline. That’s a big reason why he’s viewed as one of the more intriguing tight ends in the 2026 class.

So yes, Lamb and Pickens are still set to be Prescott’s primary targets heading into the 2026 season. However, the Cowboys’ link to Trigg suggests they’re also looking to strengthen the tight end room.

Whether that turns into an actual draft pick is something we’ll find out in the 2026 NFL draft. But based on his elite measurables and the Cowboys’ high-level presence at his Pro Day, it’s clear Dallas is doing serious homework on Trigg ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.

“He’s very funny; a very personable guy,” Trigg said of Wells. “He pretty much followed me the whole way around, critiquing everything I was doing, but I like stuff like that, so it was pretty good.”

During the 2025 season, Trigg showed he can be a reliable route runner for a quarterback like Dak Prescott, finishing with 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns.

At Baylor Pro Day, he essentially reinforced the same impression. Running routes for quarterback Sawyer Robertson, Trigg repeatedly extended and reached out for passes in a way that matched what his measurables suggest.

From here, it really comes down to the Cowboys and how serious they are about turning this interest into a move. At the same time, they have already made a decision elsewhere on offense.

The Cowboys signed a 25-year-old quarterback behind Dak Prescott

The Cowboys made major changes on the defensive side of the roster after fielding one of the league’s worst defensive units in 2025. But the needs don’t stop there. The offense still has its own gaps, and Dallas made its first notable move on that side by signing Sam Howell as Prescott’s backup, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

With that move, Howell now steps into a competition with Joe Milton III for the backup role behind Prescott. A former fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Howell began his career with the Washington Commanders.

He spent most of his rookie season on the bench before getting his first start in Week 18, which, interestingly, came against Dallas.

Howell’s rookie season ended on a high note with a 26-6 win over the Cowboys, where he went 11 of 19 for 169 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Despite that promising start, being handed the starting job in 2023 proved to be a trial by fire, as he led the league with 21 interceptions and was sacked 65 times, culminating in a dismal 4-13 team record.

Since then, Howell’s path has been anything but settled. He’s spent time moving around the league with the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles. Now, he lands in Dallas, a team he grew up watching.

“My dad grew up a big Cowboys fan. He said, ‘When you were growing up, you were either kind of a Cowboys fan or Steelers fan,’ so I was a Cowboys fan,” he said. “Unfortunately, not too many good memories when I was growing up. But I was a big fan of the Cowboys.”

“I loved Tony Romo. I love watching Romo play. Even when I was in college, watching Dak play. Big fan of Dak and (a) big fan of all the players I watched growing up. Definitely some good memories. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to win it all, but hopefully we can change that.”

The Cowboys haven’t decided his exact role yet, but that will sort itself out soon, whether he locks in as Prescott’s primary backup or slides into a third-string spot.