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Cowboys To Consider Franchise Tag For RB Tony Pollard?

January 22nd, 2023 at 2:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys are one of three remaining teams in the NFC in no small part due to the success of their rushing attack. Both of the team’s top tailbacks will be the subject of plenty of speculation this offseason, with a number of questions to be answered from a financial standpoint.

Tony Pollard has established himself not only as an effective compliment to Ezekiel Elliott over the past two seasons in particular, but rather a highly productive option in the backfield in his own right. The 25-year-old is scheduled to hit free agency this March, and made a case for himself to earn a sizeable payday either from Dallas or another team.

Pollard totaled 890 yards on 187 carries during his first two campaigns, good for an average of 4.75 yards per rush. That, coupled with his production as a pass-catcher and returner, has led to increased calls for him to take on a larger offensive workload. He has seen an uptick in snap share since 2021, including a 53% mark in 2022 as his efficiency continued to be visible. The former fourth-rounder eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time this season, showing an ability to handle a starter’s load during Elliott’s absence in Weeks 8 and 10.

That production made Pollard a Pro Bowler this year, and sets him up well to hit the open market. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the franchise tag is in consideration from Dallas’ perspective to keep him in the fold for at least one more year (video link). The 2023 tag is projected to cost just over $10MM for running backs, which would represent a considerable bump in compensation for Pollard.

Given the presence of Elliott, however, that would also make the RB position a highly expensive one for the Cowboys. Elliott has four more years remaining on his deal, with scheduled cap hits ranging from $14.3MM to $17.1MM. The fact that no guaranteed money is outstanding, however, has led to a widespread expectation that the former No. 4 pick will either be cut or subject to signing a new contract aimed at lowering his cap hit.

On the other hand, owner Jerry Jones has reiterated on multiple occasions how much he and the team value Elliott as the lead back. Dallas is currently slated to be in worse shape than most teams financially this offseason, so significant maneuvering will be needed to keep Pollard and Elliott together. What steps the team takes to achieve that goal will be a key storyline once their season comes to an end.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/21/23

January 21st, 2023 at 5:51pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor moves and standard gameday elevations for the final two games of the divisional round:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers

Cardinals To Interview Dan Quinn For HC Job

January 21st, 2023 at 8:54am CST by Ben Levine

Dan Quinn continues to prepare for tomorrow’s showdown against the 49ers, but the Cowboys defensive coordinator is becoming one of the most popular names in the head coaching carousel. The latest addition to the list of potential Quinn suitors is the Cardinals. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have requested permission to interview Quinn for their head coaching vacancy. Pelissero tweets that a virtual interview will take place today.

[RELATED: Cardinals Hire Monti Ossenfort As GM]

Quinn has already crammed in a pair of interview this week; he interviewed in-person with the Broncos last night and then met virtually with the Colts this morning. Quinn was a popular name last year, as well. He was a finalist for the Broncos job, and he also garnered interest from the Bears, Jaguars, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants before ultimately deciding to stick in Dallas.

Quinn started his NFL coaching career with the 49ers. Following stints with the Dolphins and Jets, he joined Seattle in 2009 and eventually worked his way up to Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. He coached the NFL’s best defense in 2013 en route to a Super Bowl championship, and following another successful year in 2014, he was hired as the Falcons head coach prior to the 2015 campaign.

In Atlanta, Quinn had a pair of winning seasons and three others that saw him finish a combined 22-26. His most successful season came in 2016 when he coached the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. Of course, Atlanta ended up surrendering the biggest lead in Super Bowl history in that game, and the team would make only one more playoff appearance before Quinn was ousted five games into the 2020 campaign. He joined Dallas as their defensive coordinator prior to the 2021 season.

With the Cardinals having hired Monti Ossenfort as their new GM, the team continues to add to their list of head coaching candidates. The continually growing list also includes:

Colts Request HC Interview With Dan Quinn

January 21st, 2023 at 8:35am CST by Sam Robinson

TODAY, 8:35am: Quinn completed his interview with the Colts this morning, the team announced via Twitter.

JANUARY 17, 3:30pm: On the heels of a dominant Cowboys performance against the Buccaneers, Dan Quinn could soon see his interview count double. The Colts requested a meeting with the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.

Conducting what has become this year’s most expansive search, the Colts have already interviewed or requested summits with 11 candidates. Quinn, in his second season as Dallas’ DC, is set to interview for Denver’s HC position Friday.

Until Tuesday, only the Broncos had contacted Quinn. That is fairly surprising, given the Cowboys’ performance on defense over the past two seasons. The Cowboys set a franchise record for most points allowed in a season in 2020, but Quinn’s arrival coincided with a major performance increase last season. Dallas ended the 2022 regular season with DVOA’s No. 2-ranked defense.

Quinn, 52, interviewed for the Broncos’ HC position last year. He was a finalist for the position, and having previously worked with Denver GM George Paton, the former Atlanta HC was somewhat surprisingly turned away. The Broncos’ Nathaniel Hackett whiff put Quinn back on the team’s radar, but Paton is not making the final call this time. New CEO Greg Penner will do so, muddying the Quinn waters to a degree. That said, Jim Harbaugh‘s decision to stay at Michigan figures to increase Quinn’s chances in Denver this time around. The Broncos are meeting with Sean Payton on Tuesday and have held the ex-Saints HC as the favorite for a while, but Quinn has been viewed as the top candidate beyond the Payton-Harbaugh duo.

The Seahawks’ DC during their back-to-back Super Bowl years, Quinn began his stay in the NFL in 2001. Quinn’s Dallas defenses have performed much better than his Atlanta units, though Quinn’s six-season Falcons stay did include two playoff berths and a Super Bowl LI appearance (as ignominious as that night became for the team). The Cowboys stay, which included an Assistant Coach of the Year honor in 2021, has rebuilt Quinn’s value following an early-season firing in 2020. Here is how the Colts’ HC search looks as of Tuesday afternoon:

Cowboys To Sign Tristan Vizcaino, Plan To Keep Brett Maher

January 18th, 2023 at 2:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys once waived Brett Maher late in a season, but they are not planning to repeat that transaction right now. Despite Maher becoming the first player since 1932 to miss four extra points in a game, Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said the team is sticking by its kicker.

That said, insurance is coming. The Cowboys are adding Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Vizcaino kicked in three games for the Cardinals and Patriots this season.

Maher, whom the Cowboys cut late in the 2019 season, rejoined the team late this summer after the NFC East squad’s fielded an uninspired kicking competition. The former CFL kicker, who holds the NFL record for most 60-plus-yard makes in a career (four), connected on a career-high 90.6% of his field goals this season. But he will head to San Francisco coming off the worst game of his career.

“I believe in the hot hand, and I believe in the yips, absolutely,” Fassel said, via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “And you know, you wonder sometimes how you get into the yips, and you wonder sometimes how you get back into the hot hand. I think it’s keep stepping up to the line and shooting that thing. We missed a couple of free throws [Monday] … He had a hot hand. Let’s face it, he only missed [six] kicks all season. The yips happen, so I expect a hot hand coming up.”

Mike McCarthy also eschewed a late field goal opportunity, keeping Maher sidelined after his PAT nightmare. Maher, 33, did make his final extra point during the Cowboys’ blowout win over the Buccaneers. While Maher will certainly be scrutinized ahead of the Cowboys’ divisional-round matchup, he has submitted a strong enough season to warrant another chance. And, to be fair, kickers only had to attempt tries from the 15-yard line beginning in 2015. PATs were much easier in previous eras, though Maher will struggle to live down his historically bad wild-card outing.

Vizcaino, who spent time with Dallas during the 2020 offseason, made both his field goals and was 3 of 3 on extra points with New England and Arizona this season. For his career, the ex-Charger is 11-for-12 on field goals and 15-for-20 on PATs.

Cowboys Activate NT Johnathan Hankins

January 16th, 2023 at 5:53pm CST by Ben Levine

JANUARY 16: Hankins is back in uniform for the Cowboys. The team activated the veteran defensive tackle from IR ahead of its Monday wild-card matchup. Hankins, whom the Cowboys acquired from the Raiders days before the trade deadline, has been out since Week 14.

JANUARY 11: The Cowboys could be getting some defensive reinforcement in time for their showdown with the Buccaneers. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports (via Twitter) that nose tackle Johnathan Hankins was designated for return today.

That means Hankins’ 21-day practice window officially started today. Of course, there’s no guarantee that the Cowboys are still in the postseason in 21 days. So, most likely, the Cowboys are preparing for the nose tackle to be on the field for Monday’s game against the Buccaneers, a sentiment that Gehlken echoes.

A pectoral strain forced Hankins to the injured reserve in December, but assuming he’s back this season, he’ll ultimately have missed the minimum four required games.

“I feel good. I feel like I could’ve been back sooner but, with the [IR] rules, I had to be out four weeks,” Hankins said today (via the team’s website). “But I’m not mad about it, it just gave me more time to get my body right and ready for the playoffs…The time is now.”

In October, Hankins was traded with a seventh-round pick from the Raiders to the Cowboys for a sixth-round selection. The 30-year-old got into five games (three starts) for his new squad, collecting 10 tackles. Hankins previously spent time with the Giants, Colts, and Raiders, including an eight-year stretch where he started 116 of his 117 games.

The Cowboys got some more positive injury news today. Gehlken passes along that center Tyler Biadasz and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch both returned to practice today.

Sean Payton Prefers Broncos Job To Other HC Vacancies?

January 13th, 2023 at 10:23am CST by Sam Robinson

Russell Wilson‘s first Broncos season sounded alarm bells about his future, calling into question the team’s decision to trade for the nine-time Pro Bowler and hand him a five-year extension before the season began. Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett never seemed a match, but even as the 34-year-old quarterback fared better upon the latter’s dismissal, the veteran passer’s presence certainly affects the Broncos’ coaching search.

But Sean Payton may still view Wilson as an asset. The high-profile coaching free agent would sign off on working with Wilson, according to the Washington Post’s Mark Maske (on Twitter). The Broncos are believed to be the early frontrunners for Payton, Maske adds.

The Saints have granted permission for the Broncos, Cardinals and Texans to speak with Payton. But Payton’s view of this year’s available jobs remains unclear. He is set to meet with the Broncos on Tuesday in Los Angeles; no other known meetings have been scheduled. Payton, 58, is believed to be intrigued by the Broncos’ new ownership group, Maske adds. Fronted by Rob Walton and new CEO Greg Penner, this contingent is running the Broncos’ latest HC search — with help from GM George Paton — and has a clear advantage when it comes to dollars.

Wilson finished this season 27th in QBR, plunging off a cliff from even an injury-marred 2021 season (10th). One of the NFL’s top quarterbacks from this era has either seen his prime come to a screeching halt much earlier than expected, or the Hackett union and the offense he designed for Wilson (with input from Wilson) caused considerable damage. Wilson put the Saints on his radar during the 2021 offseason, listing New Orleans (along with the Chicago, Dallas and Las Vegas) as an acceptable trade destination. The Seahawks did not trade Wilson in 2021, pulling the trigger in 2022 for a compensation package fronted by two first-round picks. Considering how poorly Wilson’s 2022 season went, Payton selecting the Broncos would be a bit of a gamble. For Wilson, however, the longtime Saints HC’s arrival could be tremendously beneficial.

Payton viewing Wilson as an asset comes shortly after a report surfaced indicating the quarterback might deter the former Super Bowl-winning HC from picking the Broncos. Some around the league are skeptical Payton would sign up to fix Wilson, but the Broncos are likely to offer their next coach the chance to have final say on personnel matters. Denver’s next HC will report to Penner and not Paton, a change from the team’s 2021 and ’22 setup. While such an arrangement can lead to incongruity, it should appeal to HC candidates.

The Broncos are believed to have Payton as their 1-A candidate, with Jim Harbaugh at 1-B. Michigan, however, is — as should be expected, given Harbaugh’s track record — trying to retain its longtime HC. Michigan president Santa Ono confirmed (via Twitter) conversations with Harbaugh are ongoing. Harbaugh then offered some words of support for Ono’s overtures, opening the door to a scenario where the NFL interest — including a Monday Broncos interview — leads to another new Harbaugh contract with Michigan.

Payton could also opt to pass on this year’s collection of jobs and wait for 2024. The Chargers and Cowboys’ wild-card games figure to be of interest as well. Both were on Payton’s early list of possible destinations — well before the Wilson-Hackett partnership created the Denver opening. This Broncos job could have similar appeal at this point, with Maske adding (via Twitter) Payton may still hold the Denver gig in high regard even if the Dallas position opened up.

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