FRISCO – With several NFL draft prospects getting prank calls from strangers, Cowboys ’ fifth-round pick Shemar James wasn’t one of them. Well not before he was drafted. James did get a call after the draft.

Prank calls were an unfortunate theme during the 2025 draft, with Shedeur Sanders the most notable victim of the practice. Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich later apologized after it was uncovered his 21-year-old son, Jax Ulbrich, found Sanders' number off his father's open iPad and prank-called him.

Shedeur Sanders wasn’t the only rookie prank-called on draft night. New Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty shared a surprising twist that he also got pranked in a call that said he’d been traded to the Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys failed to exercise the fifth-year option on one of the team's offseason acquisitions in the secondary.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys will not be picking up the fifth-year team option for CB Kaiir Elam, whom they acquired from the Buffalo Bills in March. This move was “largely expected,

The Bills effectively admitted a mistake on Kaiir Elam, trading the former first-rounder in a pick-swap deal that only produced a 2025 fifth. The Cowboys took a flier on the fourth-year cornerback, but they will not authorize an eight-figure guarantee to conduct an extended evaluation.