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Cowboys Rumors: Davis, Ferguson, Tolbert

June 24th, 2023 at 3:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys have a number of depth chart battles to deal with heading into the 2023 season, including a left guard starting role that we touched on earlier this month. Another battle they’re currently dealing with, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic, is the backup running back gig.

Tony Pollard returns as the obvious starter at running back in Dallas. He’ll finally get a chance to take on a lion’s share of the teams carries after spending the first four years of his career splitting touches with Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys are now tasked with figuring out who will be the primary backup taking snaps behind Pollard.

One of the favorites for the job is second year back Malik Davis. As an undrafted rookie out of Florida, Davis appeared in 12 games last season, carrying the ball 38 times for 161 yards and a touchdown and catching six passes for 63 yards. He was the only running back not named Pollard or Elliott to contribute to the Cowboys’ offense last year, giving him the advantage of experience in Dallas’s system.

In order to earn the role, Davis will have to fight off offseason additions Ronald Jones and Deuce Vaughn. Jones is the most experienced of the three after winning Super Bowl rings with both the Buccaneers and the Chiefs. He has plenty of experience in both of his previous situations dealing with the demands of a backup running back, as well. Jones brings the experience of adapting to a new system from last year but still will need to catch up to Davis’s current familiarity with the team. Vaughn is coming off two stellar seasons at Kansas State and brings a different element to the game with his style and stature. He will have to quickly adjust to the NFL-level of play, though, in order to sneak past Davis and Jones on the depth chart.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Texas:

  • With Dalton Schultz now in Houston, the Cowboys will also have to figure out who takes the first snaps at tight end. They’re likely to utilize a number of tight ends in different situations, but right now, second year tight end Jake Ferguson is the favorite to start, according to Machota. The former fourth-round pick started eight games as a rookie and has the most experience playing in the Cowboys’ system. This year’s second-round rookie Luke Schoonmaker is sure to push Ferguson for playing time at some point, but currently, he’s still dealing with a plantar fascia issue that’s kept him from pushing for the top of the depth chart.
  • After a disappointing rookie season for last year’s third-round receiver Jalen Tolbert that saw him only appear in eight games and make two catches for 12 yards, the Cowboys are hoping for much more in Year 2. The team reportedly had enough confidence in the South Alabama product that they considered drafting him in the second round last year, according to Machota. Tolbert will have every opportunity to win the WR4 job in Dallas.

Cowboys Preparing To Move LB Damone Clark Into Starting Role

June 21st, 2023 at 12:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Micah Parsons having become primarily an edge rusher — though, the team is not ready to label its star sack artist a pure defensive end yet — the Cowboys have needed to make adjustments at their off-ball linebacker positions. Last year, a chunk of the playing time went to veteran Anthony Barr. But the longtime Viking is no longer on the team.

Although he arrived in Dallas late in the summer, Barr played 609 defensive snaps last season and started 10 games. The Cowboys have some big-ticket payments to authorize going forward, having deals for CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs on the radar. Parsons is not yet extension-eligible, but by the time he is, the All-Pro talent will almost definitely be in the running for a defender-record contract. As such, the team is keeping its linebacker payments low.

Dallas re-signed Leighton Vander Esch this offseason, greenlighting a raise — a two-year, $11MM deal — to keep the former first-round pick away from other suitors. The Steelers and Texans showed interest. While Vander Esch has extensive staring experience, the Cowboys are planning an in-house promotion for the three-down linebacking role alongside the sixth-year defender. Damone Clark is firmly on track to work as the Cowboys’ No. 2 linebacker, Jon Machota of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

The Cowboys used a fifth-round pick on Clark last year, doing so despite the LSU product coming off spinal fusion surgery. Clark was not expected to play much last season, but he suited up for 10 games and made five starts. Clark played 398 defensive snaps, making 47 tackles and forcing two fumbles. Dallas confined Clark to a special teams-only role during its two playoff games, however. Pro Football Focus viewed Clark’s rookie season as a promising one, slotting him 38th among off-ball ‘backers. Clark’s rookie deal runs through 2025, giving the Cowboys an opportunity to deploy low-cost option as a long-term starter on their defensive second level.

The Cowboys have notable backups at this spot as well, having used a third-round pick on DeMarvion Overshown. They also have 2021 fourth-rounder Jabril Cox on their roster. Cox sustained a torn ACL as a rookie and has only played 45 career snaps on defense, but Machota adds the team is anticipating its other LSU linebacker product will be better two seasons removed from the knee setback. The Cowboys chose Overshown 90th overall out of Texas.

Deion Sanders Has No Desire To Coach In NFL

June 20th, 2023 at 9:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has seen success on the sidelines in recent years, transforming Jackson State into a Division I Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse. Sanders parlayed that success into a Division I FBS job at Colorado, leading some pundits to wonder about his coaching ceiling. However, Prime Time is making it clear that he has no interest into ascending into the NFL coaching ranks.

In a conversation with Bri Amaranthus of SI.com, Sanders admitted that he doesn’t have “any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL.” Sanders specifically points to Dallas, where he won a championship and earned three All-Pro nods during a five-year stint. While he acknowledged that he loves Jerry Jones and “that whole family,” he also believes he’s “cut a little different” when it comes to dealing with today’s players.

“I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs,” Sanders said. “I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes.”

While it isn’t unheard of for a college coach to take the leap directly to an NFL head coaching job, there have only been 12 such hirings since 2000, and many of those coaches had some NFL assistant coaching experience before earning college HC gigs. The most recent hiring — Urban Meyer is Jacksonville — ended in disaster, and we’ve seen Matt Rhule and Kliff Kingsbury also lose their jobs over the past year. Jim Harbaugh is one of the lone successes in that 12-man grouping (other than Harbaugh, Bill O’Brien and Chip Kelly are the only other two coaches with positive records), so it’ll probably be a bit before we see a similar hiring.

As a result, even if Sanders was interested in an NFL gig, he’d likely have to take the assistant-coaching route. However, that kind of gig doesn’t interest the 55-year-old.

“I’m not an assistant coach. That is not me,” said Sanders. “I am a head coach … I don’t settle for mediocrity whatsoever. You are going to do it this way, we are going to work our butts off, we are going to be a team. The only thing that is individual about you is the way you play.”

Sanders started his coaching career about a decade ago at Prime Prep Academy, a school that he co-founded. He later coached his sons at Trinity Christian High School before taking the Jackson State job in 2020. After going 4-3 during the shortened 2020 campaign, Sanders helped guide the school to a 23-3 record across the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Sanders also made headlines when he recruited defensive back Travis Hunter, making the player the first five-star recruit to join an FCS program.

Latest On Cowboys’ CB Situation

June 16th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys finished last season without two veteran cornerbacks, losing Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown to major injuries. Brown’s contract expired, and the seven-year vet is a free agent. Lewis remains on the team but is not a lock to be ready for the season.

Lewis was told he suffered a severe Lisfranc fracture, per the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore, and he acknowledged the battle will be avoiding the reserve/PUP list. That designation would sideline him for four games to start the season. But Lewis is a near-certainty to begin training camp on the shelf. With Lewis ticketed for the active/PUP list next month, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) a cornerback addition will probably be considered.

Jones noted that such a move might be for depth purposes, and the Cowboys already made their splashy corner addition in March. They sent a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Colts for Stephon Gilmore. The former Defensive Player of the Year will join Trevon Diggs as Dallas’ outside cornerbacks. Lewis may become a factor in the slot again, but for the time being, the former third-round pick is not in the picture.

Lewis’ primary replacement following his October injury, DaRon Bland, worked in the slot at minicamp. After beginning last season as a backup and special-teamer, Bland started eight games and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 48 overall corner. Bland intercepted four passes in the Cowboys’ final six games and played every defensive snap for the team in the playoffs. That grade aside, the 6-foot-2 corner still allowed five touchdown passes as the closest defender in coverage.

The Cowboys are not planning to reduce Bland’s role, with Machota noting he is expected to be a top-three corner alongside Diggs and Gilmore to start his sophomore NFL slate (subscription required). This plan extending into the regular season stands to complicate matters for Lewis and Kelvin Joseph. The team tried the former second-rounder in the slot during its offseason program. Despite Joseph’s draft pedigree, he has not carved out much of a role in Dallas. He has played 330 defensive snaps in 26 career games. Bland looks to be firmly ahead of the former No. 44 overall pick exiting minicamp.

Lewis, who will turn 28 later this summer, is entering the final season of a three-year, $13.5MM deal. The 43-game starter is due a $4.5MM base salary and counts $5.9MM against the Cowboys’ cap. The Cowboys drafted a corner — Eric Scott Jr. — in the sixth round and still have 2021 third-rounder Nahshon Wright on the roster. Lewis, who was on crutches during part of the spring, has been running since May, per Moore. In order to position himself for a notable third contract, the Michigan product will need to show he has recovered from this injury this season.

Cowboys Rumors: LG, Elliott, Turpin

June 11th, 2023 at 7:53pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys fielded a revolving door at left guard last year and, for now, it looks like it may continue revolving through the summer. According to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News, Dallas is looking into multiple possibilities to replace Connor McGovern, who departed for Buffalo in free agency back in March.

The favorite to man the newly open starting spot is Tyler Smith, who manned the position at times last season when he wasn’t at left tackle. With Tyron Smith back to healthy, Tyler can shift inside for good this season. The younger Smith embraced the opportunity to work at guard recently, asserting that being elite at both positions will ultimately help the team the most.

The Cowboys haven’t limited the versatility training to Smith. Gehlken reports that multiple other linemen have received time at both guard and tackle this offseason. Matt Farniok, who has worked mostly at interior line positions so far in Dallas, has been working outside. Chuma Edoga has worked at right tackle and left guard, as well. Even second-year lineman Matt Waletzko was approached by offensive line coach Mike Solari to work at guard for the first time in his life.

As of right now, it looks to be a starting lineup of Tyron Smith at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at right guard, and Terence Steele at right tackle. With Steele still coming back from a late season-ending ACL and MCL tear, many in the building would like to see Tyler Smith continue to develop at tackle. In the meantime, it seems that Dallas is keeping its options open for both positions.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Arlington:

  • Rookie second-round tight end out of Michigan Luke Schoonmaker has been dealing with a plantar fascia issue, reportedly wearing a walking boot on his right foot last week. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Schoonmaker was out of the boot this week but was still limited to just sideline work. The injury isn’t considered serious, as he’s expected to be ready for the start of training camp, according to head coach Mike McCarthy.
  • Owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones continues to leave the door open for a reunion with veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to Machota. His son, and team CEO, Stephen Jones says that the team is looking into adding a bigger back. They signed fullback Hunter Luepke undrafted out of North Dakota State and signed the stout Ronald Jones in free agency, but Elliott could always find his way back to Dallas despite both parties continuing to explore their options.
  • Lastly, another report from Machota claims confidence that wide receiver and return specialist KaVontae Turpin should find a spot on the Cowboys’ eventual 53-man roster. While rookie running back Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis got some opportunities to handle return duties in recent weeks, Turpin is a much more explosive and proven option. It also doesn’t hurt that Turpin has been getting some serious run with the second-team wide receiver group.

NFL Front Office Rumors: Bears, Panthers, Falcons, Titans, Cowboys

June 9th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

A number of teams have made some recent adjustments to their front office staff. The Bears are one of those teams, making adjustments to both their scouting and analytics staffs, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.

On the scouting side, Chicago named Drew Raucina as an area scout and Ryan Weese as a combine scout. Raucina was previously the team’s combine scout. He’s been with the Bears since 2018, starting as a scouting assistant and working his way up. Weese moves into the newly open combine scout role after joining the staff last year as a scouting assistant. Before coming to Chicago, Weese held a role at Montana State.

In analytics, the Bears announced Ryan Hubley as a football research analyst. Hubley joined the team last year as a football systems developer working under director of football analytics Krithi Chandrakasan. It sounds like he’ll remain in that department in an adjusted role.

Here are a few other front office changes from around the league:

  • The Panthers are another one of the above-mentioned teams, making several adjustments to their scouting staff, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt. After coming to Carolina two years ago from Washington as the new director of college scouting, Cole Spencer has been promoted to director of player personnel, where he’ll work alongside recently hired vice president of player personnel Adrian Wilson, who will focus on pro scouting while Spencer retains his focus on college scouting. Former assistant director of college scouting Jared Kirksey will fill Spencer’s old role as college scouting director. Kirksey joined the team in 2021 as an area scout. Formerly the Southwest scout, Eli Montague will now cover the Southeast area, with Corey Fuller moving from the West area to cover the Southwest. Scouting intern Caden McCloughan and scouting assistant Jordan Trgovac have been promoted to area scouts, and former safety Juston Burris will be a scouting intern for the team this year. McCloughan will cover the West and Trgovac the Mid-Atlantic.
  • Two Falcons scouts will be changing roles this year, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Former player personnel coordinator Rushell Harvey will now serve as the team’s Northeast area scout. Additionally, Ben Martinez, who has worked as a scout for the BLESTO service, will now be a pro scout for Atlanta. Both joined the Falcons in 2021. Lastly, Stratton also informs us that the team has parted ways with Peniel Jean, Atlanta’s former pro scout. Jean joined the team in 2017 and had served his most recent role for four years.
  • The Titans will have a new name atop their analytics department after hiring Sarah Bailey as director of football research and development. Bailey comes over from Los Angeles, where she started in 2017 as a football analyst for the Rams before being promoted to manager – football analytics in 2020.
  • Lastly, the Cowboys have added a new name to their front office, as well. After serving as director of football research for the Colts since 2016, John Park heads to Dallas to serve as director of strategic football operations, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder.

Cowboys Release DE Takk McKinley

June 9th, 2023 at 5:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after signing a Cowboys deal, Takkarist McKinley is once again in need of a new home. The Cowboys announced on Friday that they have released the journeyman edge rusher.

McKinley finished the 2022 season on Dallas’ practice squad, and he inked a contract with the team in March. Given the team’s depth on the edge, the 27-year-old faced a steep road to a 53-man roster spot, but the Cowboys made another move at the position earlier this week. The addition of Ben Banogu has resulted in McKinley being let go.

The latter began his career with the Falcons in 2017, and he faced high expectations as a first-round pick. After four seasons in Atlanta (during which he recorded 17.5 sacks in 49 games), however, he has bounced around the league for several years. McKinley briefly found himself with the Bengals, 49ers and Raiders before seeing time with the Browns in 2021.

The UCLA product logged a healthy 43% snap share in Cleveland, and he recorded 2.5 sacks in 11 contests. A torn Achilles ended his campaign that year, though, and sparked another round of deals sending him on and off active rosters and practice squads. McKinley was with the Rams to begin 2022, making four appearances in a very limited capacity before winding up in Dallas.

He will now aim to find a new opportunity deep into free agency, although more accomplished edge rushers like Markus Golden, Leonard Floyd and Frank Clark have not landed deals of their own until very recently. Amidst a group of other veterans still on the market, McKinley may have a lengthy wait on the open market as he searches for an opportunity which could provide some much-needed career stability.

Cowboys Likely To Add Kicker Before Training Camp

June 8th, 2023 at 9:14pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys will have a new kicker this season, but that player might not yet be on the roster. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, owner Jerry Jones acknowledged while “nothing is imminent,” the Cowboys will “likely” add a kicker before training camp (per the team’s website).

Jones added that the front office has “a lot of options and are looking for more” as they navigate the position going forward. The team turned back to Brett Maher in 2022 following two years with Greg Zuerlein at the position. Maher was more than serviceable during the regular season, connecting on 90.6 percent of his field goal attempts (29 of 32) and 94.3 percent of his extra point tries (50 of 53).

However, the wheels fell off during the postseason. Maher missed four XP tries during the Cowboys’ win over the Buccaneers, and he missed another during the team’s loss to Tampa Bay. The Cowboys didn’t re-sign Maher, who remains a free agent.

At the moment, the team’s only kicker is Tristan Vizcaino. The journeyman has reportedly looked good during OTAs but has a limited track record. Vizcaino has appeared in 10 games in stints with the 49ers, Chargers, Cardinals, and Patriots, connecting on 11 of his 12 FG attempts and 15 of his 20 XP attempts.

While the free agent options at kicker are limited, Stephen Jones noted that the Cowboys could look to alternative sources to fill the hole on the depth chart.

“That’s one of the great things about these leagues (XFL, USFL),” Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic), “it gives you an opportunity to watch these kickers, just like we found (KaVontae) Turpin last year. Certainly (vice president of player personnel) Will (McClay) and his staff are doing a great job of evaluating the guys. Got a couple guys that we think are of interest, and see where we end up. … Whoever is not on a team that we can look at, we’re looking at to improve.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/23

June 7th, 2023 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Banogu is a local product for Dallas, even playing for the nearby Horned Frogs in Fort Worth for college. While at TCU, Banogu totaled 8.5 sacks in each season while racking up a combined 34.5 tackles for loss. His ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage factored into the Colts selecting him in the second round in 2019. After a disappointing first three seasons, we considered him a likely release candidate, but he was able to finish out his rookie contract and hit free agency instead.

In Dallas, Banogu has a long line to work through to earn snaps. The Cowboys have quite a bit of depth at defensive end with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, last year’s second-round pick Sam Williams, Dante Fowler, Takkarist McKinley, Chauncey Golston, and more on the roster. Banogu will have to live up to his second-round draft stock in order to break onto the field in Dallas.

Cowboys Sign WR Tyron Johnson, Cut WR Antonio Callaway

June 5th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tyron Johnson has now found a home with a ninth NFL team. The fifth-year wide receiver received a Cowboys workout opportunity Monday, and the team announced an agreement is in place.

In a corresponding move, the Cowboys cut wideout Antonio Callaway. The former Browns draftee has joined Johnson in bouncing around the league, but his latest opportunity may be coming to an end because of an off-field matter. Callaway was arrested Saturday in Miami for driving with a suspended license, Andy Slater of Fox Sports 640 tweets.

The Cowboys had signed Callaway to a reserve/futures contract in January, doing so despite the Florida alum having not played in a regular-season NFL game since 2020. Callaway, who also spent time in the XFL during the league’s initial relaunch in 2020, emerged with a promising rookie season in Cleveland (43 catches, 586 yards, five touchdowns) but has been unable to come particularly close to replicating that.

Dallas is the fourth team to sign Callaway, who spent time in Miami and Kansas City since the Browns waived him midway through the 2019 season. Callaway received a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy — a harsher standard prior to the 2020 CBA being ratified — and has only played in five games since.

Originally a 2019 Texans UDFA, Johnson has since bounced to the Bills, Panthers, Chargers, Jaguars, Raiders, Bengals and 49ers. The Texans reacquired Johnson, who finished his college career at Oklahoma State, on multiple occasions. The 49ers waived him last month. Johnson, 27, played in four games — with the Chargers and Texans — last season. His most notable NFL work has come as a kick returner. The Cowboys have that role covered, with ex-USFLer-turned-All-Pro KaVontae Turpin going into his second season.

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