Dak Prescott

NFC Notes: Eagles, Linehan, Bradford

December 18th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have fallen into a tailspin after an exciting start to the season, and that has led to some speculation as to whether the team will make any major changes this offseason. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Philadelphia will not make any such changes, which means that head coach Doug Pederson will be back for a second year at the helm. Per Rapoport, the front office knew going into 2016 that the club was at least a year away from being a legitimate playoff contender, and while the Eagles’ 3-0 start helped to hide some of the weaknesses on the roster, the team knew that fixing those weaknesses would not be an overnight process.

Now for more notes from the NFC:

Despite Dak Prescott‘s recent struggles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that things would have to get much worse for the Cowboys to consider switching to Tony Romo. But Rapoport adds that Dallas OC Scott Linehan will be a sought-after head coaching candidate this offseason, and his departure could have a major impact on Prescott moving forward (Twitter link).
As the Ezekiel Elliott domestic violence investigation drags on, Tim Rohan of TheMMQB wonders why it’s taking so long, and if the league is just prolonging the process to keep up appearances. Rohan lays out in excellent detail the steps that the league’s investigative team takes in a post-Ray Rice world, and how that process could explain the lengthy delay in the NFL’s issuing a final word on the Cowboys‘ star running back.
Su’a Cravens may miss the rest of the season with a biceps injury, but that has not stopped speculation surrounding the young defensive playmaker and how he will fit in with the Redskins moving forward. Thus far, Cravens has worked exclusively as an inside linebacker, but given his strength in the passing game, JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com believes he may ultimately be better-suited as a safety, especially since the Redskins do not have a long-term answer at strong safety.
As Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports observes, the Vikings have two high-profile players who are due for big roster bonuses in March: Sam Bradford and Adrian Peterson. Per Pelissero, Minnesota plans to bring back Bradford, but as we have heard for a long time, the Vikings will likely not pay Peterson’s $6MM roster bonus and instead will approach him about a pay cut prior to the bonus coming due.
We learned earlier today that the Saints could look to trade Sean Payton in the offseason.

East Notes: Cowboys, Dak, Romo, Eagles, Pats

December 15th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys expect defensive end Randy Gregory to return to practice on Monday, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Reports last week also indicated the Gregory was close to to returning to the field, but the NFL subsequently informed the Cowboys that Gregory would not be allowed to practice. Still appealing a one-year ban, Gregory’s status for Dallas’ Week 16 game Lions is still unclear, but his being allowed to practice is clearly a good first step.

Here’s more from the NFC’s two East divisions:

Despite Dak Prescott‘s struggles against the Giants in a close loss in Week 14, the Cowboys are insistent that they won’t be turning things over to veteran Tony Romo any time soon, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. “You can make it as simple or complex as you want to make it,” head coach Jason Garrett said this week. “It’s pretty simple for us: Dak’s going to play quarterback as we go forward.” Meanwhile, a debate is reportedly raging with the Cowboys organization, as some decision-makers believe Romo should be given live game snaps in order to prepare him if Prescott is injured, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Pass rusher Connor Barwin was a better fit in the Eagles‘ 3-4 scheme of years past than the club’s current 4-3 look, opines Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. For his part, Barwin realizes that he hasn’t played up to his contract, and understands that he could be released at season’s end (a move that would save the Eagles $7.75MM in cap space). “He’s too smart for that defense,” an NFL personnel director told McLAne. “That’s a defense for . . . linemen that can just pin their ears back and not think. He’s neither athletic nor strong enough to consistently win battles against the best left tackles.”
The Patriots are dealing with injuries at wide receiver in the short-term, and while those issues likely played a role in New England claiming Michael Floyd off waivers today, the club is likely looking taking a long-term view in assessing Floyd’s fit with the team, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. While the Pats will pay a relatively high price tag for a three-game regular season audition, that time will allow the team to see how Floyd meshes with the organization, and determine if he could be part of the franchise going forward.

East Notes: Taylor, Cowboys, D-Jax

December 11th, 2016 at 9:38am CST by Rory Parks

We heard several days ago that Bills GM Doug Whaley was unwilling to commit to Tyrod Taylor as the team’s starting quarterback of the future until after the season, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that no talks regarding who will be the team’s 2017 quarterback have taken place. The Bills’ decision-makers appreciate that Taylor has just 26 career starts to his name, and they will evaluate his entire body of work–including the final four or more games of 2016–with that in mind.

If they decide Taylor is their man, the Bills could pick up his 2017 option, thereby kickstarting a new five-year, $80MM+ deal, or they could redo his contract to make it more palatable, which Rapoport believes is the more likely option. If Buffalo moves on, Rapoport expects the team to be active in the veteran quarterback market with a possible eye on Tony Romo. Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick also could be on the Bills’ radar.

Now for more from the league’s east divisions:

We learned last night that the Cowboys would be without return specialist Lucky Whitehead for tonight’s game against the Giants, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Whitehead was indeed left home in Dallas for missing a team meeting, which has been a recurring issue for him.
Even if the Cowboys reach a point in the regular season when they have nothing to play for, they do not plan to rest their starters, according to Rapoport. Dak Prescott would be a logical exception to that rule, though Tony Romo may not be the replacement if Prescott comes off the field. As Rapoport writes, Dallas would want to keep Romo safe in case Prescott should suffer an injury in the playoffs (Twitter links).
Despite recent reports that the Eagles will pursue Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson at season’s end, and despite reports that the interest is mutual, Jackson himself says that free agency is not on his mind at the moment, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Jackson said, “Who knows what happens in free agency? If I’m a free agent, I might seek some options and wherever it takes me, it takes me. It’s not my focus now. We have four games left here. Whatever happens, happens at the end of the season.”
Jets wideout Devin Smith is expected to finally get back on the field Sunday, and as Mark Cannizarro of the New York Post writes, the embattled former second-round pick is embracing a new beginning even in the midst of a lost season for the Jets. Smith said, “I just have to continue to [prepare] and we’ll see come Sunday. I’m going to continue to keep working hard and my chance is going to come.’’
We learned earlier today that Jets head coach Todd Bowles is expected to keep his job, but that Chan Gailey might not be so lucky, Nick Mangold may be considering retirement, and that Woody Johnson might not be the one in charge of the team’s day-to-day operations in 2017.

Cowboys Organization Torn On Romo, Prescott

November 16th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Tony Romo has graciously accepted his new role as the Cowboys’ backup quarterback, and some in the organization are now hoping he steps aside for good at the end of the season, reports Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Even though injuries limited Romo to four games in 2015 and sidelined him for the Cowboys’ first nine contests this season, there’s no indication that the soon-to-be 37-year-old is considering retirement.

Longtime teammate and Hall of Fame-bound tight end Jason Witten indicated Wednesday that Romo’s nowhere near done, saying, “I don’t think he’s planning on retiring anytime soon. I wouldn’t bet against him” (Twitter links via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News).

Witten added that “it hasn’t entered anyone’s mind” that Romo has taken his last snap as a Cowboy, but it’s a possibility with the way rookie Dak Prescott has fared. Dallas has gone an NFL-best 8-1 with the fourth-rounder at the helm, and Prescott has been one of the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks in the process.

In the first action of his pro career, Prescott has accounted for 18 touchdowns (14 passing, four rushing) against two interceptions and completed 66.8 percent of his 280 aerial attempts. Moreover, Prescott ranks third in the league in yards per attempt (8.35) and fourth in passer rating (106.2), yet some on the Cowboys’ staff still expect the team to need Romo this season, according to Robinson. A team source told Robinson that four of the Cowboys’ wins this year could have been losses, implying that luck has been on Prescott’s side. While the Cowboys have gone 4-1 in one-score games this year, the source’s critique would hold more weight if the Prescott-led club didn’t have the league’s best point differential (plus-88) and third-ranked DVOA backing up its record.

In the event Romo does take the reins back sometime this year – whether through an injury to Prescott or a dip in the 23-year-old’s performance – it would provide much-needed closure to the organization, Robinson writes. By returning to the helm, Romo would answer on the field whether he or Prescott is the better man for the job at present.

Of course, if Prescott continues to thrive, Romo’s playing days in Dallas could indeed be finished. The Cowboys reportedly aren’t considering a Romo trade, but if they do shop him during the offseason and don’t find a taker, releasing him to collect $5.1MM in cap savings would become a possibility. If that happens, it’s conceivable Romo could remain in the state and sign with the Texans, tweets Robinson (links here). However, Robinson notes that the Texans’ cap situation would likely require Romo to take a significant pay cut compared to the $14MM salary he’s scheduled to rake in next season.

The Broncos would also be in the mix for Romo, adds Robinson, though the Texans clearly have the bigger need. While Broncos starter Trevor Siemian has been mediocre in 2016, former Denver passer and current Texan Brock Osweiler has been an abject disaster in his first year in Houston. Osweiler, who received $37MM in guarantees from the Texans during the offseason, ranks last among 33 qualifying QBs in yards per attempt (5.61) and 31st in passer rating (74.1). The Texans have gone 6-3 in spite of Osweiler, which makes one wonder how much better they’d perform with a healthy Romo (not to mention J.J. Watt) in 2017.

Jerry Jones: Tony Romo To Serve As Backup

November 15th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Over the weekend, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that Dak Prescott will start for the Cowboys in Week 11 while Tony Romo serves as the backup. Jones stopped short saying that the rookie will start for the remainder of the season, but in an interview this morning he implied that the job belongs to Prescott and he will not be on a short leash. Prescott “won’t be looking over his shoulder,” Jones said (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Star Telegram).

Jones also told 105.3 The Fan that he has had the conversation with Romo about dressing and being the backup (Twitter link). Romo, we’ve heard, is not overly pleased with the situation. Jones said that he thinks Romo will make a great offensive coordinator when his playing days are through, and that’s likely not much of a consolation for the 36-year-old.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Romo, but the Cowboys would be hard-pressed to make any other choice as they sit atop the NFL with an 8-1 record.

Cowboys Going With Prescott Over Romo

November 13th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tony Romo will suit up for the Cowboys next week for the first time this season, but the longtime starter will do so as the backup, Jerry Jones said Sunday night (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).

Dak Prescott will start in Week 11 for the Cowboys against the Ravens, with the owner pointing out the obvious after the rookie led Dallas to its eighth straight victory on Sunday.

“We’re going to let this decision in this case make itself,” Jones said. “Dak’s got a hot hand, and we’re going to go with it. It’s not hard at all,” he added. “Tony would make the same decision. That’s what you do.”

These updates and non-updates have become commonplace in the NFL news cycle over the past few weeks, with the 36-year-old Romo nearly ready to return to action after suffering a severe back injury in the preseason. Jones previously said the team was going to ride the hot hand, and with the Cowboys having won eight straight regular-season games for the first time since their 1977 Super Bowl championship season, Prescott has it. The Mississippi State product completed 22-of-32 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 35-30 win over the Steelers.

Sunday represented Prescott’s first 300-yard passing game as a pro, and although Ezekiel Elliott again played the lead role for Dallas, its fourth-round rookie proved capable in a big spot.

We heard earlier today Romo was going to serve as the backup going forward, and the Pro Bowl passer has “taken it hard.” While probably a more reliable passer at this point in the quarterbacks’ respective careers, Romo has become a major injury risk in his mid-30s, having missed 21 of the Cowboys’ past 25 games. The organization’s decision obviously doesn’t make the Cowboys’ 10-year starter a full-time backup, but it certainly gives Prescott the upper hand.

Latest On Tony Romo, Dak Prescott

November 13th, 2016 at 9:35am CST by Rory Parks

On the latest installment of “The Young and the Romo,” we learn that, although Tony Romo will not be in uniform for this week’s matchup against the Steelers, his return is imminent. As David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes, Romo was a full participant in practice for three days this past week for the first time this season. If he continues on that trajectory, there is a good chance that Romo will be active as Dak Prescott‘s backup against the Ravens next week.

The key word there, of course, is “backup.” With Romo so close to being activated, ESPN’s Ed Werder hears from a team source that, although Prescott himself continues to handle the situation professionally and diplomatically, Romo’s impending availability and the chance that he could usurp Prescott could have a negative impact on Dallas’ team chemistry (Twitter links). After all, Romo surely has his supporters in the locker room who would like to see him return to action as soon as he is ready, but it would be difficult to justify such a move considering how well the team is performing under Prescott’s young but steady hand.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that, once activated, Romo will indeed serve as Prescott’s backup, but that Prescott must continue to perform in order to keep his job. Rapoport adds that the entire situation has been difficult for Romo, who has “taken it hard.” Nonetheless, Rapoport says that the veteran signal-caller will be a “good team guy” and will bide his time as the Cowboys’ backup until he is called upon (Twitter links).

With Prescott running the show, the Cowboys have jumped out to a 7-1 record and a two-game lead in the NFC East. The Cowboys are increasingly viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and their rookie quarterback is one of the biggest reasons why.

Latest On Cowboys’ Quarterbacks

November 8th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys are an NFC-best 7-1 under rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, but that doesn’t mean he’ll keep the starting job ffor the rest of the year. Prescott only took the reins in the first place because of the broken bone Tony Romo suffered in his back in an Aug. 25 preseason game. Now, with Romo’s return perhaps drawing closer, owner Jerry Jones isn’t willing to commit to either signal-caller.

“What we are going to do — play by play, series by series and game by game – is (consider) what’s in the best interest of winning the game,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday (via A.J. Perez of USA Today).

Jones’ comments are a departure from his assertion last month that Romo would take over upon coming back, but he has still left the door open for the four-time Pro Bowler to usurp the starting job from Prescott at some point. Dallas would first have to activate Romo, who Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Sunday isn’t close to returning. Jones seems somewhat more confident, saying Tuesday that Romo will step up his work in practice this week in advance of the Cowboys’ game in Pittsburgh.

“He has to absolutely get ready to play at his top level,” Jones stated.

While Romo has a laundry list of accomplishments in his 14-year career and still expects to reclaim his longtime role, it’s difficult to imagine the Cowboys turning away from Prescott barring a collapse. As evidenced by the Cowboys’ record – not to mention their third-ranked passing DVOA and NFC-leading point differential – they’ve been resoundingly successful this year, and Prescott hasn’t merely been a passenger. The fourth-round pick from Mississippi State is toward the top of the NFL in yards per attempt (8.15) and passer rating (104.2). Prescott has also completed 66.5 percent of aerial attempts and added 16 touchdown (12 passing, four rushing) against a meager two interceptions. Despite his statistical brilliance, it seems the 23-year-old will have to continue making a weekly case to remain Dallas’ top option under center.

Extra Points: Romo, Cousins, Giants, Browns

November 4th, 2016 at 9:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s possible rookie sensation Dak Prescott has permanently taken Tony Romo‘s job as the Cowboys’ No. 1 quarterback, but the injured veteran still expects to start when he’s healthy enough. At the same time, he’s pleased with Prescott’s success. “Tony wants the organization to be left in good hands when he’s finished playing, and he can see that Dak is going to be that guy,” one of Romo’s friends told Jason King of Bleacher Report. “They’ve found his successor, and Tony is happy about that.” Romo returned to practice last week from the broken bone he suffered in his back during the Cowboys’ penultimate preseason game on Aug. 25. That injury opened the door for Prescott, who has helped the Cowboys to an NFC-best 6-1 start while posting superb numbers.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Richardson, Penn

October 29th, 2016 at 12:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

Sheldon Richardson is hoping his versatility will pay off… literally. The Jets defender has contributed on the defensive line and at linebacker this season, and the 25-year-old is hoping other team’s will recognize his versatility when he reaches free agency after next season. “I think it’ll give me more money, just to be honest,” Richardson said (via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press). “My film don’t lie. You took a three-technique (lineman) that was drafted in the first round and put him at outside linebacker and he held his own…That’s just building up a resume for that.”
In 2014, left tackle Donald Penn saw his eight-year tenure with the Buccaneers come to an end after he was unceremoniously released. The 33-year-old, who now plays for the Raiders, will be making his return to Tampa Bay this weekend, and the veteran was adamant that he wants to stick it to his former team. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. It’s very huge,” Penn told Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “You know me, I’m a straight forward guy. That’s definitely in my mind. I mean that’s something I’m never going to forget, when they released me.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter details how the Cowboys ultimately landed rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, despite the fact that the team explored every other possibility at the position. The team brought in a whopping seven rookie quarterbacks for workouts (including Prescott, Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg, Jacoby Brissett, and Connor Cook), and the team also took a look at veterans Nick Foles and Josh McCown.
In case you missed it, we learned yesterday that a number of teams are eyeing reinforcement on their offensive lines.

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