Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/16/23

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

There’s some long snapper news to pass along! Cardona will be returning to New England for his ninth season with the organization, making him the Patriots’ second-longest tenured player (behind Matthew Slater). Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter), Cardona got a four-year deal with a $1MM signing bonus, with that latter value being “an important marker” for the veteran to clear.

Meanwhile, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic tweets that Moore will be getting a two-year, $2.5MM deal. The long snapper was non-tendered by Baltimore yesterday but ultimately re-upped with the team on a multiyear deal. Per Zrebiec, Moore received interest from other teams but wanted to stick around Baltimore. The 30-year-old has been with the Ravens since 2020 and earned a second-team All-Pro nod in 2022.

Restructure Details: Cousins, Bills, Cowboys, Saints, Warner, Jets, Texans

Facing a Kirk Cousins cap crunch last year, the Vikings worked out a third contract with their starting quarterback. They did not take that path this year. Minnesota instead agreed to a restructure, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The reworking frees up $16MM in cap space for the Vikings, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweets. The Vikes look to have tacked on two more void years to Cousins’ deal. While the void years — for cap-reducing purposes — run through 2027, Cousins’ contract expires after the 2023 season. No extension is imminent.

The 34-year-old passer has enjoyed leverage throughout his Vikings relationship — via his free agency in 2018, ahead of his 2020 contract year on that fully guaranteed deal, and in 2022 as his second Vikes pact was set to produce a historic cap hit — but Minnesota’s new regime may now be looking toward moving on after the season. This will be a situation to monitor moving forward; Cousins has not played in a contract year since his 2017 Washington finale.

Here is the latest on teams’ restructures:

  • The Bills moved close to the 2023 league year in a cap hole, but they restructured the deals of their two highest-profile players to create considerable space. Buffalo reworked Josh Allen and Von Miller‘s contracts to create approximately $32MM in space, ESPN’s Field Yates tweets. The Bills have moved their way up past $8MM in cap room.
  • Per usual, the Saints have been hard at work on restructures. They adjusted the deals of Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore to create cap space, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Katherine Terrell (all Twitter links). The Jordan move created more than $10MM in cap space for New Orleans, which was back to being north of $20MM over the cap following its Derek Carr signing. As the league year begins, New Orleans made it under the cap by just more than $300K.
  • In addition to restructuring Tyron Smith‘s deal to ensure the All-Decade tackle plays a 13th season with the team, the Cowboys adjusted the contracts of DeMarcus Lawrence and Michael Gallup, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes (Twitter links). Between them, the Lawrence and Gallup restructures freed up around $16MM for Dallas, which had already created more than $30MM in space by redoing Dak Prescott and Zack Martin‘s deals last week.
  • The 49ers restructured Fred Warner‘s extension, according to Yates (on Twitter). The move created nearly $9MM in cap space for San Francisco, which gave Javon Hargrave a four-year, $84MM deal to start the legal tampering period. A void year now exists in Warner’s contract, which runs through 2026 (with the void year coming in 2027). Warner’s cap number drops to $9MM but spikes past $24MM in 2024, which will probably prompt more maneuvering from the 49ers. They currently hold just more than $12MM in cap space.
  • Circling back to the Vikings, Jordan Hicks agreed to a restructure that will keep him in Minnesota this season, Insidethebirds.com’s Adam Caplan tweets. Hicks signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Vikings last year.
  • Amid their Aaron Rodgers pursuit, the Jets created $4.8MM in cap space by restructuring John Franklin-Myers‘ contract, Yates tweets. Two void years are attached to the defensive lineman’s pact, which runs through 2025.
  • Texans safety Eric Murray agreed to a restructured deal as well, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes. Attached to a two-year, $10MM deal he signed in 2022, Murray remains on a Texans team that has seen its roster become crowded at safety. The team has added Jimmie Ward and re-signed M.J. Stewart this week. Murray played 17 games for the Texans last season but did not start any. This sounds like a pay-cut agreement, with Wilson adding Murray can make up to $4MM this season.

Cowboys Reach Restructure Agreement With Tyron Smith

MARCH 15: The Cowboys have reached a restructure agreement with Smith, according to the team. This move, which Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) will involve converting part of the All-Decade-teamer’s $13.6MM base salary into incentives, will reduce his $17.6MM cap number.

FEBRUARY 28: Tyron Smith remains attached to the NFL’s longest-standing contract, an extension he agreed to back in 2014. The All-Decade tackle has finally reached a contract year.

The Cowboys drafted Tyler Smith in the 2022 first round and plugged him in at Tyron’s longtime spot, after the elder Smith suffered a significant hamstring injury that kept him off the field for most of the season. But the Cowboys look to envision the Smith-Smith setup persisting for at least one more season.

The team expects Tyron Smith back in the fold in 2023. The final year of Smith’s contract calls for a $17.6MM cap number and $13.6MM base salary. Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones did not rule out another restructure, a well the Cowboys have gone to a few times with the Hall of Fame-caliber blocker.

I mean, we always do reworks and things of that nature. That could come up with him,” Jones said, via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). “We have the ability to do that and, but right now, we’re comfortable where we are.”

The Cowboys restructured Smith’s deal in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021. It remains interesting Smith’s eight-year, $97.6MM extension has lasted this long. The 6-foot-8 blocker, however, ran into a host of injury issues over the course of this contract. The most notable setbacks came during the 2020s, with a neck malady sidelining him for almost all of the 2020 season and last year’s avulsion fracture shelving him for 13 games. Smith also underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason. The injuries notwithstanding, Smith has piled up Pro Bowls to assemble a quality Canton case.

Where Tyron Smith lines up next year will be one of the key Cowboys storylines coming out of the offseason. The team still has Terence Steele in its plans. The team’s post-La’el Collins solution at right tackle, Steele is recovering from ACL and MCL tears. The young blocker is ahead of schedule in his rehab, Archer tweets, and on track for training camp. The Cowboys have not determined which RFA tender will be applied to the former UDFA, but Archer adds the rarely used first-round tender ($6MM this year) is in play. The second-round tender is set to cost $4.3MM.

Steele, 25, certainly could generate interest if a second-round tender is applied. The Cowboys would collect a second-round pick if they failed to match an offer sheet for the 40-game starter. Steele returning would restore the uncertainty regarding the Smiths’ positions. Rather than slot Tyron Smith at his blindside post, the Cowboys used the 12-year veteran to replace Steele. Moving Tyler Smith back to guard, his position during training camp, could stunt his growth. The Cowboys expect Tyler Smith to be their long-term left tackle, potentially pointing to Steele or Tyron Smith needing to move off right tackle.

Cowboys To Release Ezekiel Elliott

2:21pm: Elliott will be designated as a post-June 1 cut, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). This will create summer savings for the Cowboys, who used this distinction on La’el Collins last year. The Cowboys have since informed Elliott he will be released.

8:52am: The Cowboys are planning to move on from their two-time rushing champion. After a seven-season run, the team is expected to release Ezekiel Elliott, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

While designating Elliott as a post-June 1 cut would save the team $10.1MM, a standard release would free up $4.9MM in funds immediately. The move could take place Wednesday, Hill adds. A post-June 1 distinction will allow the Cowboys to avoid an $11.8MM dead-money charge as a result of this release.

With Tony Pollard receiving the franchise tag, Elliott has loomed as a release candidate. Although Jerry Jones has continually praised the former No. 4 overall pick, Elliott’s play has declined in recent years. Pollard’s Pro Bowl nod last year displayed what has taken place during that time; the former fourth-round pick has overtaken Elliott in Dallas’ backfield.

Jones said at the Combine he wanted to find a way for the team to retain Elliott, but after placing the $10.1MM tag on Pollard, it looks like the Cowboys are not planning to devote much more money to their running back room.

Elliott said he would be amenable to a pay cut that would allow him to remain with the team. It is unclear how far along the sides progressed on this front. The Ohio State product is tied to a $10.9MM base salary and an untenable $16.72MM cap number in 2023. The Cowboys already adjusted the contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, freeing up money to make multiple big moves Tuesday, but they have not touched Elliott’s. It appears that $15MM-per-year deal will come off Dallas’ books nearly four years after the parties agreed to terms.

Elliott is still just 27 and only one year removed from his most recent 1,000-yard rushing season. Following that 1,002-yard showing in 2021, a season in which the veteran back played through a PCL tear, Zeke matched Pollard with 12 touchdowns in ’22. He has 80 for his career. But Elliott averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry in 2022, showing signs of the high-mileage workloads the Cowboys saddled him with in the past. Elliott’s 2,186 touches lead all active running backs. He missed two games last year, hyperextending the same knee he hurt in 2021. Elliott dubbed that injury an MCL tear, though Hill adds surgery is not expected.

The Cowboys’ Elliott pick led to a stretch in which the team saw multiple backs — DeMarco Murray and Elliott — combine for three rushing titles from 2014-18. Running behind Dallas’ three-Pro Bowler O-line, Elliott flourished on his rookie contract and joined Prescott in leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 record in 2016 and a divisional-round run two years later. The Cowboys rewarded Elliott with a six-year, $90MM extension, locking him down for eight seasons. That contract remains tied for second among running backs, with only Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM-per-year pact topping it. The Giants are not prepared to match Zeke’s AAV for Saquon Barkley, despite nearly four years passing since the Cowboys accord came to pass.

Elliott’s 8,262 rushing yards rank third in Cowboys history, trailing only Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. It will be interesting to see if another team brings him aboard as part of a committee. There are still several starter-caliber backs available, however, and Elliott has not been especially productive in the passing game for a while. Last season, he totaled 92 receiving yards.

Despite Pollard’s increased production and involvement, Jones said last season Elliott would remain Dallas’ starter and cited his myriad contributions. But the Cowboys are preparing to make Pollard their starter in 2023. The team rosters former UDFAs Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle but now should be considered in the market for a running back addition — presumably via the draft.

Cowboys Considered Darius Slay As Trade Option

The Cowboys made a splash in their secondary today when they acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. Before they acquired the cornerback from the Colts, Dallas pondered making a call to a division rival.

[RELATED: Colts To Trade Stephon Gilmore To Cowboys]

While an initial report indicated the Cowboys discussed Darius Slay with the Eagles, these proceedings might not have progressed that far. ESPN’s Todd Archer clarifies on Twitter that the Eagles did not reach out to Dallas, so the Cowboys were clearly sniffing around at CB options. But the team had Slay on the radar. Jane Slater of the NFL Network tweets that the Cowboys indeed kicked around the idea of acquiring Slay.

While the Cowboys could theoretically carve out enough room to afford a pair of pricey cornerbacks, there’s a better chance the two potential moves were mutually exclusive, meaning Dallas preferred Gilmore.

Slay was recently granted permission to seek a trade out of Philly. It’s uncertain which side opted for a divorce; there were reports that the Eagles wanted to keep the cornerback around and that Slay wanted to stay in Philadelphia. The most likely explanation is that the Eagles wanted Slay to take a pay cut, and both sides may be exhausting their options before the player gives in to a reduced contract or is cut.

One year remains on Slay’s Eagles extension, a three-year pact worth $50MM. The 11th-year veteran is attached to a $17MM base salary in 2023 and a lofty $26.1MM cap number thanks to restructures in 2021 and 2022. No guaranteed money remains on the deal. The team could open up $17.5MM in cap space by making Slay a post-June 1 cut.

Addressing the trade topic on his latest podcast, Slay said he still wants to finish his career with the Eagles. That said, he confirmed he will continue his career elsewhere if that is what the Eagles end up deciding. The team locked up James Bradberry earlier today.

I know what’s going on. I hear the rumors; I hear everything,” Slay said (h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia). “I see everything all over the globe, all over the internet and I just want my fans to know Slay did not ask to be traded. But this is part of the business. There’s no bad blood against neither one of us, me or Howie [Roseman]. None of that. We all good, great understanding. It’s just the business part of it. A lot of guys go up for trades, you know, they got a lot of money involved in this situation so it’s nothing big, nothing too serious. It’s just part of the business, man.

I do want to finish my career as an Eagle but we’ll see. We be looking forward to it, man. Got time here. But best believe, I do want to be an Eagle. But if my job requires me to go elsewhere, then I’ll go.”

Since joining the Eagles in 2020, the cornerback has earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods. This past season, Slay finished with 55 tackles, 14 passes defended, and three interceptions. He ended up landing at 21st among 118 qualifying cornerbacks in 2022, per Pro Football Focus…a considerable drop from his fourth-place finish in 2021 but a significant jump from his grades in 2019 and 2020. For comparison’s sake, Gilmore finished this past season as PFF’s ninth-best CB.

Cowboys To Re-Sign Leighton Vander Esch

The Cowboys have brought back Donovan Wilson and agreed to acquire Stephon Gilmore from the Colts. They have not forgotten about Leighton Vander Esch, it appears.

Dallas is close to re-signing the former first-round pick, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports a deal is expected. Vander Esch and the Cowboys are on the verge of completing a two-year, $11MM agreement, Rapoport adds (Twitter link). The first year will be guaranteed, Jane Slater of ESPN.com tweets.

This marks one of a few off-ball linebacker deals to commence Tuesday. While Dallas has been connected to Bobby Wagner for a second straight offseason, the team liked what it saw from Vander Esch in 2022. This contract matches the deal the Dolphins gave David Long on Monday. Wagner is unlikely to be in the picture any longer, per Slater, now that Vander Esch has agreed to terms (Twitter link).

The Steelers and Texans also pursued Vander Esch, Slater adds (on Twitter). But the Cowboys are bringing back the former Pro Bowler for a sixth season. They will give him a raise to return; the Boise State product signed for just $2MM in 2022.

Although Vander Esch has not matched his rookie-year form, as injuries intervened early in his career, he is still just 27 and should have some prime seasons remaining. Pro Football Focus viewed Vander Esch as a top-12 coverage linebacker last season. The 749 defensive snaps LVE logged were the most since his standout rookie season. He reached that total despite missing three games. Vander Esch totaled 90 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble during his 14-game run, and he added two pass deflections in Dallas’ blowout playoff win in Tampa.

The Buccaneers performance may well have helped Vander Esch secure this contract, as he came back after a shoulder injury sidelined him for the final three regular-season games. Concerns about Vander Esch’s past with neck injuries resurfaced, but this Cowboys agreement shows the team remains confident in his availability going forward.

The Cowboys have used Micah Parsons more as an edge rusher, leaving more snaps available at linebacker. The team also rosters Damone Clark and Jabril Cox but lost Luke Gifford to the Titans on Tuesday. Anthony Barr is also a free agent, after having signed a one-year deal last summer.

Colts To Trade Stephon Gilmore To Cowboys

The Cowboys plan to pick up the second year of Stephon Gilmore‘s Colts-constructed contract. Indianapolis has agreed on a trade that will send the former Defensive Player of the Year to Dallas, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

In exchange, the Colts will receive a fifth-round Cowboys compensatory pick in this year’s draft. Gilmore is going into his age-33 season, but he played well in 2022. He will pair with Trevon Diggs in Dallas, which lost multiple cornerback regulars last season.

While Gilmore went through two rocky years following his dominant 2019 campaign, he bounced back with the Colts. Despite Indy’s chaotic season, Gilmore again proved to be a reliable defender. Pro Football Focus ranked the 6-foot-1 defender ninth among corners, and he allowed a 56.2% completion rate and 74.0 passer rating as the closest defender — both his best marks since that 2019 DPOY performance.

This will give the Cowboys a veteran boundary complement to Diggs, who lacked reliable presences opposite the risk-taking All-Pro to close last season. Both Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis suffered season-ending injuries, limiting the Cowboys’ upper-echelon defense in coverage. The team still has Lewis under contract, though Brown is a free agent, and plans to re-sign safety Donovan Wilson. Adding Gilmore will give the Cowboys a veteran-laden secondary without a top-tier contract on the books.

Gilmore angled for a new Patriots contract in 2021, doing so after the Pats gave him a one-year pay bump in 2020. But after the quadriceps injury that ended his ’20 campaign early, New England stood down. Gilmore landed on the Pats’ reserve/PUP list to start that season and never played another game with New England, which traded the former first-round pick to Carolina for a late-round selection. Gilmore underwent meniscus surgery during the 2022 offseason, Rapoport adds (on Twitter), and he looked closer to his peak form with the Colts.

Few modern corners have enjoyed seasons on the level of Gilmore’s 2019. The then-30-year-old outside corner rolled to Defensive Player of the Year acclaim during a season in which he intercepted six passes and limited quarterbacks to a collective 44.1 passer rating while in coverage. Gilmore enhanced his reputation considerably in New England, earning two first-team All-Pro nods and helping the team to its sixth Super Bowl title. The Cowboys will call on him to help them negotiate this decades-long hurdle.

After losing yet another divisional-round game, the Cowboys went to work creating cap space by restructuring the deals of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin. The Prescott restructure will provide the veteran QB with more leverage down the road, but it also equipped Jerry Jones’ team with more than $30MM in additional cap space.

One season remains on Gilmore’s two-year, $20MM deal. The Cowboys will take on the former Bills draftee’s $7.96MM salary, and they will count on the 12th-year veteran displaying the form he showed as a Colt last year. The Colts will take on $2MM in dead money by making this trade. They have moved on from multiple starting corners in recent years, trading Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in 2022 and now unloading the player they acquired to replace him. Slot staple Kenny Moore remains as Indianapolis’ top cornerback, but the team will need replacements on the outside.

Cowboys To Re-Sign S Donovan Wilson

Donovan Wilson was considered one of the Cowboys’ top priorities heading into the free agent period. After a quiet start to the frenzy yesterday, they have retained the safety on a three-year deal worth up to $24MM (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). $13.5MM in compensation across the first two years is fully guaranteed.

The 28-year-old had been expected to hit the open market, after little progress had recently been made concerning contract talks. That pointed to Wilson, like fellow notable free-agents-to-be Dalton Schultz and Leighton Vander Esch, fielding offers from outside teams and quite possibly pricing themselves out of Dallas. Instead, Wilson will remain in place as a key member of the team’s safety group.

Wilson saw a major increase in his snap share in 2020 compared to his rookie year, but his playing time dropped the following season. He was utilized on 84% of defensive plays in 2022, though, allowing him to put together the most productive season of his career. The former sixth-rounder racked up 101 tackles, five sacks, an interception and a pair of forced fumbles while starting every regular season and playoff game.

The Cowboys used Wilson, along with fellow safeties Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker, on a near-permanent basis in 2022. That made keeping the trio intact a key priority for a defense which enjoyed plenty of success in the secondary. Each of the latter two have one year remaining on their current deals, so this news means continuity will be ensured for at least the 2023 season on the backend.

Wilson was set to be one of several members of this year’s safety class which was relatively unheralded after Jessie Bates. His AAV, along with two years’ worth of guaranteed money, speaks to how highly valued he is on the Cowboys’ part, and the potential market remaining for other pending free agents at the position. In any case, Wilson has a pact in place which will comfortably exceed his career earnings in each year, and allow the Cowboys to maintain a strong safety corps.

Cowboys Eyeing Bobby Wagner, Want To Bring Back Dante Fowler Jr.

The Cowboys continued to pursue some big names on the defensive side of the ball. Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports (via Twitter) that the organization has talked to linebacker Bobby Wagner. Meanwhile, Josina Anderson tweets that the Cowboys “still have to get an agreement to the finish line” with defensive end Dante Fowler Jr..

As Watkins notes, the Cowboys are continuing to monitor the market before making a definitive move on Wagner, but it sounds like the organization definitely has interest in bringing in the veteran. The former Seahawks star spent the 2022 season with the Rams, appearing in all 17 games. While his eight-season Pro Bowl streak came to an end, the 32-year-old was still plenty productive, finishing with 140 tackles and a career-high six sacks.

Fowler spent the 2022 season in Dallas, and while he mostly served in a situational role, he proved to be plenty effective. The former third-overall pick finished the year with six sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in 17 games. Pro Football Focus wasn’t particularly fond of his performance, ranking him 82nd among 120 qualifying edge rushers, although the site did give him solid grades for pass rush and coverage.

Per Anderson (on Twitter), the Cowboys are working hard to sign Fowler to a new deal and “want him back” next season. There’s also a belief that the player “wants to be back” in Dallas next year. Fowler is one of several notable Cowboys defensive free agents, with the list headlined by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and safety Donovan Wilson.

Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.

9:05pm: In the aftermath of Beckham’s workout, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the three-time Pro Bowler is seeking a deal worth up to $20MM per season, as was the case at one point during the 2022 campaign. His injury absence makes that ask one which is highly unlikely to be met, though the attendance at yesterday’s showing points to a number of suitors still being keenly interested in signing him.

1:38pm: The rare free agent to skip a season and still be expected to generate extensive interest on the following year’s market, Odell Beckham Jr. is believed to be fully recovered from the ACL tear that altered his 2022 hopes.

Beckham is now 100%, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. He attempted to showcase that form in a workout attended by nearly half the league. OBJ did not work out for teams during his late-season push to land a multiyear deal — evidently contingent upon a playoff-only role with a contender last season — but he attracted a nice audience Friday.

Twelve to 14 teams attended the workout, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Representatives from the 49ers, Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chiefs, Giants, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, Rams, Ravens and Vikings were at the event, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes (Twitter links). Perhaps the most notable Beckham suitor, the Cowboys, were not believed to be one of the teams observing Beckham’s form.

The Cowboys certainly should not be described as out of the Beckham mix, and the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes the team remains comfortable signing the eight-year veteran if his health and price demands are right (Twitter link). They are widely expected to revisit the pursuit they scrapped in December. The Rams and Giants are also among the teams expected to go after OBJ again. Sean McVay confirmed, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, the Rams are “absolutely” monitoring their former receiver. Before falling out of contention, the Rams were viewed as the favorites to land him last year. But Beckham’s knee ended up needing more time to heal.

Beckham, 30, missing last season means he can sign with a team at any point. Though, every unrestricted free agent wideout can begin talking to teams at 3pm CT Monday, when the legal tampering period starts. The former Giants, Browns and Rams pass catcher is now nearly 13 months removed from his second ACL tear. He returned to action 10 months after his first and ended up making an impact for the Rams, a stretch that concluded with a Super Bowl LVI touchdown.

This year’s iffy wide receiver market should help Beckham’s value, but because of his age and the injury-induced full-season absence, this stands to be one of the more unusual free agencies for a player in recent memory.