Former Cowboys quarterback and current radio color commentator Babe Laufenberg (via the The Dallas Morning News) watched the Cowboys’ practice on Wednesday and wasn’t sure what to make of the defense. Ultimately, the unit he saw today will not be the same one fans see in Week 1 against the Giants. Greg Hardy could be suspended, Demarcus Lawrence and Rolando McClain could be sidelined, and it remains to be seen where Randy Gregory‘s head is at. Here’s more out of the NFC East..
- Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones has not talked recently with Dez Bryant’s agents but he remains hopeful something can be worked out. At the same time, he does not feel pressured to do a deal by the deadline, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. “We know he will be a Cowboy this year,” Jones said. “If he ends up playing this year under the tag we will go right back to work again next year. Now would we like to get a long term deal on him? Of course we would. We’ll work hard to do that and I’m sure we’ll make a push at some point and see if we can make it work. If not, hopefully he will understand it’s difficult to make a deal at this point and he’ll come in and get ready to play.” When and if Bryant signs his tender, he’ll be guaranteed a $12.823MM salary. The deadline to hammer out a long-term pact is July 15th.
- In a chat with reporters, Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn’t go into detail on what kept him away from OTAs last week, but he did mention his reality TV show on BET and that he is preparing for the birth of a child, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. Team president Bruce Allen on Monday said he wasn’t concerned with Jackson’s absence. “I had personal things I had to do back home,” Jackson said. “I’m a veteran in this league, going on my eighth year. Communication with my head coach and the guys here, they knew about it. Like I said, I had things I had to do, I was obligated to do back home in California. I’m here now, and I’m happy to be here with my teammates, and they’ve been putting in some great work, so I’m just trying to catch up and get back in the swing of things. But I had things I had to handle.”
- The Eagles announced that they have finalized their scouting department overhaul, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes. The most significant move is the promotion of Trey Brown from West Coast scout to assistant director of college scouting. Brown, entering his third season with the organization after three with the Patriots, will essentially assume the responsibilities held by former director of college scouting Anthony Patch, who was fired recently.