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Andy Jones

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Prescott, Redskins

August 8th, 2016 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to downplay the team’s desire to sign or trade for a backup quarterback. On Sunday, Jones spoke highly of fourth-round pick Dak Prescott and second-year QB Jameill Showers.

“I’m more encouraged after this about holding our pat hand on a veteran than before this,” Jones told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of The Star-Telegram. “As we go along and if we continue to see this kind of improvement and this kind of instinctive play, I can really get comfortable back there. Both of those guys played well. It was what you wanted to see. They looked comfortable and they reacted well when you got a little pressure. It was a good outing. It was good for everyone to see. To me that was one of the pluses.”

Jones isn’t the only one who thinks that Prescott could handle the pace of the NFL this year. Recently, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas profiled Prescott and other members of the Cowboys’ rookie class for PFR.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • Undrafted rookie Andy Jones is making a strong bid to make the Cowboys‘ 53-man roster, Drew Davison of the Star Telegram writes. Both owner Jerry Jones and VP Stephen Jones have sung the praises of the FCS wide receiver. “He’s had a great camp,” Stephen Jones said. “He’s one of those that you look at in a uniform and go, ‘Wow,’ that’s pretty good. Then he goes and plays and it’s still really good. He’s certainly making a big effort here and I think he has a real chance to compete for a spot on this team. Recently, Devin Street suffered a back injury and Jones seems to be making the most of the opportunity. The Cowboys obviously think highly of Jones as they gave him the highest signing bonus ($15K) of any of their UDFAs this year.
  • Redskins coach Jay Gruden says Trent Murphy will focus more on the outside linebacker position than defensive end thanks to the Junior Galette injury (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com). With Murphy at outside linebacker, the Redskins ostensibly will not be scouring the market for reinforcements at OLB. Meanwhile, Murphy will have to keep his weight down since he’ll be playing more at OLB than defensive end. For a more detailed look at the Redskins’ depth chart with Murphy at OLB, check out their page on Roster Resource.
  • The Eagles are discussing a deal with free agent linebacker Stephen Tulloch. Tulloch’s 108 tackles led the way for Detroit last season.
  • Last week, the Giants added one of the biggest names left on the free agent market when they signed cornerback Leon Hall.

East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Brady, Bills

July 5th, 2016 at 10:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Although Jason Peters continued his upper-echelon play for the Eagles in 2015 and overall under Chip Kelly the past three seasons, he did not enjoy the offense’s frenetic pace in this period, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. The belief within the Eagles is Peters, who will be one of the oldest offensive linemen in the league at age 34, can deliver superior production in Doug Pederson‘s more methodical attack in which the 13th-year player thrived previously.

Peters has booked eight Pro Bowls in his past eight healthy seasons and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 overall tackle last season on the strength of his run-blocking efforts. Shorr-Parks points out, however, the Eagles will need to find an heir apparent quickly if Peters looks slower or struggles with injuries in camp.

As Roster Resource shows, the Eagles are fairly deep at their interior-line spots but thin at tackle, so Peters continuing to play at a high level in ’16 looks imperative for the Birds.

Here’s more from the Eagles, as well as the latest from other eastern locales.

  • Leodis McKelvin‘s Philadelphia emergence appears to be quite real, with Shorr-Parks writing the former Bills return specialist is expected to be the Eagles’ No. 1 corner. Nolan Carroll and Ron Brooks look like the primary contenders to start opposite McKelvin in Jim Schwartz‘s system. Carroll started 11 games for the Eagles last season, with Brooks being yet another Schwartz disciple from Buffalo.
  • The Cowboys gave wide receiver Andy Jones their biggest signing bonus among their UDFA contingent this offseason at $15K, Rob Phillips of Cowboys.com notes. Dallas placed a draftable grade on Jones, whom Phillips opines could snare a roster spot as a backup. A Jacksonville University cog, Jones caught 144 passes for 2,120 yards at the Division I-FCS level and ventures into a Cowboys wideout corps largely unchanged from 2015.
  • Tom Brady has contended he intends to play well into his 40s, and James Walker of ESPN.com envisions that likely based on what the Patriots 17th-year quarterback has shown as he’s moved into his late 30s. Walker sees the now-39-year-old Brady playing three more seasons at a high level but offers he won’t make it much farther if he continues to absorb the kind of punishment he took last season. New England permitted its franchise icon to be sacked 38 times in 2015 after allowing just 21 in ’14.
  • Missing the Bills‘ offseason program in order to train for a potential Olympic bid hurt Marquise Goodwin‘s chances of making the team for a fourth season, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News writes. The backup wide receiver candidate who finished seventh in a loaded long jump competition at the U.S. Olympic Trials attended Bills minicamp but only as an observer. Carucci notes that Rex Ryan‘s previous speed preferences may not give the 25-year-old the edge against wideouts like Leonard Hankerson or Greg Salas who spent time developing a rapport with Tyrod Taylor.

Cowboys Cut Five Players, Add 13 UDFAs

May 6th, 2016 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys announced today that they’ve added 13 rookie free agents to their roster, but in order to squeeze all those players in under the 90-man roster limit, a handful of cuts were required. As Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, five players were waived by the team, including a pair with a failed physical designation. The following five veterans were cut:

With enough roster space to accommodate their full UDFA class, the Cowboys subsequently signed the following 13 players: