Category: 2021 season

On Inauguration Day, Cowboys executive orders, promise made to fans ring hollow

As a new President gets sworn in, the Dallas Cowboys can learn from fulfilling their promises to the fans of Cowboys Nation.

It’s a big day in the United States of America as a new President takes office. No matter which side one resides on politically, all of Cowboys Nation agrees the 61st version of the franchise needs to bring change. It’s been 25 long years since Dallas has seen itself in a Conference Championship game, which means 25 years of frustration.

There won’t be any amendment at the top of the organization, where Jerry and Stephen Jones remain for future terms, but here’s what they can do if they want to fulfill their promises to the fans of Cowboys Nation.

It’s the state of the union for the Dallas Cowboys as they fight to get back some respect and campaign for their sixth Super Bowl.

Jerry Jones would like to open by letting us know he’s in it to win it. He’s been telling the fans this for years, but when he brags about the Cowboys leading the league in attendance during a pandemic, it doesn’t inspire confidence that he cares more about winning games than making money.

However, Jones continues to promise that he’s all about trying to win Super Bowls and that’s the most important thing on his mind.

If Jones is for the people he represents in the fan base, the owner might need to step in and take some control back from his son Stephen Jones. Jerry might say every decision starts and ends with him as the President, but it appears to be that (Executive) Vice President Stephen is making more of the determinations on contracts and in player acquisition recently.

It hasn’t worked out under Stephen’s regime.

The Cowboys used to spend every dollar they could to bring in top tier talent, but that hasn’t been the case since Stephen’s become more involved in the organization. The salary cap is in place, but there are ways to work around bringing the best players possible inside those cap restraints, the Cowboys just haven’t been as aggressive in acquiring the best players.

Instead, the team has been more intent on signing their own players instead of adding higher priced free agents. That has become one of the staples from Stephen’s term.

Except when he hasn’t followed his own executive orders.

Letting stud CB Byron Jones go and failing to secure QB Dak Prescott on a long-term deal before he got ridiculously expensive have been massive failures from Stephen’s time in office. The Cowboys need to fulfill their promise of making Prescott the quarterback of the team for a long time. It’s something the President and VP of the Cowboys continue to say, but still haven’t delivered on.

Without a quarterback, the team doesn’t stand a chance. The Cowboys know what they have in Prescott and don’t need to go looking for another candidate to lead the team. Two years of stalling has cost the team money that could’ve been spent elsewhere, especially on the defense budget. It’s time to get the long-term deal done this time around, starting with at least four more years with Prescott.

The Cowboys also continue to pledge they’ll look at every position in terms of getting better each offseason. That hasn’t been the case as the team has neglected safety for far too long and they’ve been resistant to change. Even when they do address the position, it’s with band aids that don’t work and it took the team forever to elect a new starter.

Donovan Wilson made an immediate impact on the defense but it took too long for the team to see him as an option. With new Ministry of Defense coordinator Dan Quinn, who believes a policy of dominant defenses includes great safety play, the Cowboys might finally be addressing the safety issue.

Even with Wilson, the Cowboys need to address safety and continue to build a stronger secondary. Getting better on the backend of the defense is essential for the unit to be successful. That should be something they learned after the previous regime, which had one of the worst defenses in franchise history.

If the Cowboys are to going to be better in the future and put to rest a quarter decade of futility, they need to fulfill the promises they’ve been selling to the fans. We’ll see if America’s Team can live up to their oaths starting in 2021.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi.

[listicle id=662199][vertical-gallery id=661889][lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys OC Kellen Moore interviewed with Eagles, what’s next?

The Dallas Cowboys ended the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2020 season in Week 16, 37-17. It was a combined effort of all three phases, but the offense’s efforts under backup quarterback Andy Dalton was on full display. Dallas managed to have two 100-yard …

The Dallas Cowboys ended the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2020 season in Week 16, 37-17. It was a combined effort of all three phases, but the offense’s efforts under backup quarterback Andy Dalton was on full display. Dallas managed to have two 100-yard receivers and a 100-yard rusher behind a makeshift line that no longer had any of their three elite-level protectors.

It was the second time in two seasons the Cowboys had put 37 points up against Philadelphia, and hardly the only time that offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s ability to command an arsenal was on full display. So it should be surprising that the Eagles, floundering in trying to find a head coach replacement for the fired Doug Pederson, were interested in speaking to Moore about their opening. On Tuesday, that meeting happened.

Moore, 32, has been an OC for just two seasons and a coach for just three, spending a year as QB coach before moving up. When his initial three-year contract was over this spring, he flirted with taking the head coach job at his alma mater Boise State. He decided against it, to maintain a direct line to a head coaching gig in the NFL. Dallas signed him for another three years, in what looks like establishing a possible line of succession to head coach Mike McCarthy.

But Moore’s opportunity may come before that. The Eagles have interviewed countless candidates as other vacancies across the league have been filled. Their ownership is hell bent on saving the career of Carson Wentz, drafted in 2016 and given a fat contract in 2019 but who has fallen on hard times and was one of the league’s worst QBs in 2020. Seeing the work Moore has done with Dak Prescott and his development, it makes perfect sense why they’d want to listen to Moore’s ideas.

And it makes perfect sense why Moore would take the interview. There are only 32 head coaching jobs in the league, and only a handful open up every year. It would behoove Moore to get as much experience in the interview process as possible, and if there’s a marriage to be made it’s not on him to worry about fan rivalries.

But it would leave Dallas in a position to try and replace him as the play caller.

McCarthy, of course, has called plays in his past as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He did it for years and could easily resume that role with Dallas. A betting man would probably lean to that being the case if Moore left, but that is not a guarantee.

The team has several candidates from within the staff to move up to OC if Moore departed. That includes current OL coach Joe Philbin, who was McCarthy’s OC in Green Bay in two different stints. It also could be Doug Nussmeier, who has been on the Cowboys staff for three years across two regimes and went from tight ends coach to QB coach this past season.

Nussmeier was the offensive coordinator across four different college stops before coming to the NFL in 2018.

All of these, as well as outside hires would be on the table were Moore to leave the fold, but the Eagles may have just been doing due diligence, and picking the brain of a rival coach. They continue their search into Day 9.

[listicle id=662199][listicle id=657402][listicle id=662134][lawrence-newsletter]

Report: Cowboys to hire Aden Durde as DL coach

The Dallas Cowboys continue to round out their coaching staff for the 2021 season, and it continues to be men who coached under Dan Quinn with the Atlanta Falcons. This time, outside linebackers coach Aden Durde is the hire, but in a different …

The Dallas Cowboys continue to round out their coaching staff for the 2021 season, and it continues to be men who coached under Dan Quinn with the Atlanta Falcons. This time, outside linebackers coach Aden Durde is the hire, but in a different capacity than how he served in Georgia.

Durde is being named the defensive line coach, a position that was vacated when Jim Tomsula was fired along with Mike Nolan earlier in the month.

The Cowboys’ interest in Durde was first reported by Brianna Dix (@DixBrianna) of D210 Sports.

From Cowboys Wire’s report by Asa Henry:

Durde was born in Middlesex, England, where he would go on to play for the London Olympians in the British American Football Association. Durde would win a championship in London, before moving to a more respected league, NFL Europe, where he played linebacker for the Scottish Claymores.

Durde’s European success would lead him to two different NFL practice squad stints, first with the Panthers in 2005, and then with the Chiefs in 2008.

His playing career would end shortly after his time with the Chiefs, but Durde returned to London and immediately became the defensive coordinator for six seasons with his hometown London Warriors.

Durde’s next step in coaching was sparked by a moment of chance, or fate perhaps. Jason Butt of Atlanta Journal-Constitution details what happened whenever Durde visited America in 2014,

“After taking some international players to a workout in Dallas, he happened to bump into a coaching contact he knew, who helped set him up with an interview with the Cowboys. Not long after, Durde became a coaching intern for the Cowboys.”

So this week’s meeting wasn’t the first time the former linebacker has dealt with Dallas, as he was on the staff as an intern roughly five years ago.

Following that internship opportunity, Durde became the head of football development for NFL UK, where he helped lead the International Pathway Program, which links talented european football players with NFL squads.

In 2016, Durde was gifted the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship by Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons. After two seasons with Atlanta, Durde was hired to be the Falcons Defensive Quality Control Coach, making him officially the first ever British NFL coach. That lead Durde to becoming the Falcons linebackers coach this past offseason.

[listicle id=662199][listicle id=662227][lawrence-newsletter]

David Carr says the Bears should pursue QB Deshaun Watson

NFL.com’s David Carr believes the Bears are one of four teams that should pursue Deshaun Watson, if the Texans are willing to trade him.

[jwplayer Lv6Sj38b]

The NFL world has been buzzing with rumors about Deshaun Watson potentially being traded due to his frustrations with the Houston Texans franchise. While it’s been nothing but speculation, that hasn’t stopped many from speculating about potential landing spots for Watson.

Bears fans have welcomed the conversation with open arms, especially considering general manager Ryan Pace already made the mistake of letting Watson get away in the 2017 NFL Draft.

NFL.com’s David Carr believes the Bears are one of four teams that should pursue Watson — that is assuming the Texans would actually go through with trading their franchise quarterback.

It certainly feels like the Bears’ chances of retaining Allen Robinson, who’s set to become a free agent, grow slimmer by the day. And while Robinson may want a fresh start, the Bears need to do everything in their power to keep the stud receiver in Chicago. Trading for a player like Watson could be the answer. The Bears made the playoffs this season with an uninspiring offense (ranked 26th overall) that was also without a viable quarterback. Plug Watson into this team, and it immediately gets a whole lot better.

The Bears would likely get maximum production from Robinson, presuming he resigned to play with Watson, and the rest of their receiving corps; he’d also make the rushing attack a bigger threat, which would provide the defense a break. The Bears wouldn’t be quite as dynamic or intricate as Kansas City, but Matt Nagy’s system and his ability as a play-caller (though his performance on that front was a bit iffy in 2020) makes this a great scheme fit for the quarterback.

While it would be nice to see Watson in navy and orange — and have him erase decades of struggle at the quarterback position — it’s not likely. Even if the Texans were to part ways with Watson, it would have to be for the right price.

Three first-round picks, two second-round picks and a Pro-Bowl caliber player have been speculated as an asking price from Houston. And the Bears don’t have an attractive draft standing at 20th.

Still, with the offseason just beginning, expect to hear plenty more conversation about the possibly of Watson being traded and the Bears to be linked in those discussions. Even if nothing comes from it.

[listicle id=466491]

Here are the Bears’ top options to fix their QB problem in free agency

A look at the free-agent quarterbacks the Chicago Bears can target this offseason.

The Chicago Bears have a quarterback problem. Rinse. Repeat.

It’ll be another offseason focused on the guy behind center, and for a Bears team that’s just about maxed out against the salary cap and in possession of a first-round pick — No. 20 overall — that rarely produces a high-end quarterback, the options to fix the game’s most important position appear limited.

Still, there will be some options, including free agents on the open market this March.

Here is the list of the top quarterbacks who are scheduled to become free agents. Remember: some of these guys will be franchised or signed to a long-term deal before the free-agency bell goes off, so don’t get your hopes up.

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Tier 1:

Dak Prescott, Cowboys

Note: Don’t expect Prescott to hit the open market. He’s going to get paid by Dallas. If the Cowboys are silly enough to let him walk, the Bears should pounce.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

New 2021 mock draft has Bears making aggressive trade for QB

In this new 2021 NFL Mock Draft, the Chicago Bears mortgage the future on a quarterback with an unproven resume.

Get used to this, Bears fans. The narrative surrounding Chicago during the run-up to the 2021 NFL draft will focus on quarterback, and for good reason.

The expected departure of Mitch Trubisky and the failed trade for Nick Foles has QB as the team’s top need, and with a few first-round-worthy passers in this year’s class, it’s logical to connect the Bears to at least one of them.

Here’s the problem: Chicago picks 20th overall, which usually means they’ll be outside the strike zone for any of this year’s top names. Or will they?

According to the latest 2021 mock draft from The Draft Network, the Bears make an aggressive trade to No. 8 overall to acquire North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.

The mock’s author, Ben Solak, has GM Ryan Pace parting with the 20th pick this year and a first- and third-round pick in 2022 to swap spots with the Panthers for Lance, the toolsy yet raw FCS signal-caller.

You can’t win without a quarterback, and the Bears currently don’t have one. So Pace takes out another mortgage against their future picks, this time moving up in the first round to grab their quarterback: Trey Lance. Lance is an uncertain bet because he only has one year of starting experience, and it was at the FCS level—but don’t confuse that with being a “raw” prospect. Lance makes mature decisions and is impressively risk-averse for a young player—0 interceptions don’t happen by accident! He’ll be good for the Bears, though the status of their OL and WR room are both up for deliberation.

This is quite the leap of faith with Lance, who has just one season of starter’s experience at a lower level of college ball. Sure, Lance has all the traits required from a first-round pick, but he also screams of the kind of prospect who will get a general manager fired in a year or two.

Buyer beware with Lance, and considering the blazing hot seat that both Pace and coach Matt Nagy are on, I’d imagine they’ll look elsewhere for their quarterback fix.

In Round 2, Solak sends the Bears Lance’s college teammate in offensive tackle Dillon Radunz. This is a selection that would qualify as a home run on my scale, considering I believe Radunz has borderline first-round ability. The only thing preventing him from receiving a surefire first-round grade is the level of competition he faced at North Dakota State.

Radunz will participate in the 2021 Senior Bowl where he’ll have an opportunity to showcase his skill set against top competition. If he holds up in Mobile, Alabama, he’ll elevate his stock into that first-round range.

The Bears need help along the offensive line and can especially use an upgrade at tackle, where both Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie’s best days may be behind them.

Enter Radunz, who’d be an immediate upgrade in athleticism at the position and would likely earn a starting role early in his Bears career, should this pick come to fruition.

Bears interviewed James Bettcher for defensive coordinator

Chicago continued its search for a new defensive coordinator, taking a look at former Giants and Cardinals DC James Bettcher.

The Chicago Bears have an offseason faced with several important decisions, which includes with finding a replacement for defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, who retired at season’s end.

The Bears interviewed former New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher for their vacant defensive coordinator position, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

There have been reports that Chicago has requested interviews with the likes of Dallas Cowboys defensive assistant George Edwards and Indianapolis Colts defensive backs coach Jonathan Gannon for the position.

Chicago has also looked internally for Pagano’s replacement, where defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai are among the favorites.

[listicle id=466479]

Report: Ryan Nielsen to remain with Saints, promoted to assistant head coach

The LSU Tigers weren’t able to pry Ryan Nielsen away from the New Orleans Saints, with whom he signed an extension and earned a promotion.

[jwplayer ky8ONMVC-ThvAeFxT]

Well, this is stunning. Multiple reports linked New Orleans Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen to the LSU Tigers as a favorite to land their open coordinator job, but on Thursday it was widely reported that he would be staying in New Orleans.

Initially, it appeared the Saints wouldn’t allow Nielsen out of his contract so that he could return to the college ranks (he was first hired out of N.C. State, having coaching their defensive line and worked as recruiting coordinator). And then ESPN’s Mike Triplett reported that the negotiations resulted in Nielsen inking a three-year contract extension with the Saints as well as the title of assistant head coach.

That’s the same title New Orleans previously issued to tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who is expected to become the next Detroit Lions head coach. His prominent role on Sean Payton’s staff catapulted him onto the NFL’s radar, and it appears Nielsen is poised to follow a similar path.

This is hardly welcome news for the many LSU fans within the Who Dat Nation, though. Nielsen had a well-established history with Tigers coach Ed Orgeron as one of his former players (at USC) and past assistants (at Ole Miss), and Nielsen might have been a solid replacement for short-lived coordinator Bo Pelini. But LSU will have to go in a different direction now that Nielsen is staying in New Orleans to continue developing the Saints defensive front.

[vertical-gallery id=33835]

Report: Several teams considering Saints assistant Aaron Glenn for DC openings

New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn is a popular candidate for defensive coordinator openings around the NFL, per reports.

[jwplayer ky8ONMVC-ThvAeFxT]

NFL head coaching vacancies are being filled quickly around the league, and it appears New Orleans Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn won’t get one of those opportunities just yet. Instead, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Glenn is a favored candidate for the open defensive coordinator job in several different spots.

Now, which teams those may be are anyone’s guess. But it makes sense that Glenn could be connected to other Saints alums leaving town, like Dan Campbell — the next Detroit Lions head coach who has worked with tight ends in New Orleans the last few years. Like Campbell, Glenn finished his playing career with the Saints before pivoting to coaching. He and Campbell could team up together again in Detroit given their shared history on Sean Payton’s staff.

Another option could be the Atlanta Falcons, where longtime Saints personnel executive Terry Fontenot is the new general manager. But first-year Falcons coach Arthur Smith may have other candidates in mind. It’s less likely that Glenn could join the New York Jets, who plan to run new head coach Robert Saleh’s scheme, which he isn’t as familiar with. Glenn has been linked to the Jets often (his first non-playing job was in the Jets scouting department), so who knows. We’ll just have to wait and see.

One factor worth noting: the NFL’s new incentive for minority candidate hires only applies to head coach and general managers. If another team hires Glenn, who is Black, as their defensive coordinator then the Saints would not receive any compensatory draft picks, unlike the hiring of Fontenot.

[vertical-gallery id=42682]

Allen Robinson to the Ravens? A-Rob likes the idea

All signs point to Allen Robinson leaving Chicago in free agency, and he’s even liking tweets suggesting he’s gone.

The Bears are set to begin an offseason that’s familiar to fans of this team. The quest to find a quarterback continues, and it feels very much like the answer won’t be coming anytime soon.

Unless, of course, GM Ryan Pace figures out a way to trade for Deshaun Watson.

And while all of the team’s attention will likely be spent on quarterback, a critically important decision looms large over Halas Hall: Re-sign Allen Robinson or let him walk.

At this point, it seems like the Bears’ only option is to franchise A-Rob, who enjoyed his best season in Chicago in 2020. It was the first year in his career that he eclipsed 100 catches (102), the most yards he’s gained since 2015 (1,250), and impressive six touchdown catches, considering who was throwing to him.

The Bears have exhausted the one advantage they had in re-signing Robinson: time. They no longer have that on their side. Robinson finished the year healthy, he produced, and now he’s in control. Time is on his side, all the bargaining power has shifted to him.

And he knows it.

I offered a suggestion on Twitter during the AFC divisional playoff round that drew an interesting response from A-Rob:

There were a lot of likes to this tweet, but if you dig deep you’ll see that one of them came from Robinson.

He knows what’s up. He knows the Ravens are a dominant wide receiver away from completing their offense, and that he’s on a very short list of potential free agents who can make that happen for them.

And that means a massive payday that the Bears probably can’t match.

I think it’s time to stop asking whether Chicago will bring Robinson back. Instead, it’s time to wonder whether he wants to come back. And even if he does, whether the Bears can afford him at this point.

Pace played chicken with Robinson and he lost. Maybe the Bears pony up and pay the man. But at this point, and with the questions that loom at quarterback, why would he even consider a return?

Robinson was one of the few (if not the only) reasons to watch the Bears’ offense over the last few seasons. It’ll be a sad day in Chicago if he leaves town. Unfortunately, the Bears won’t have anyone to blame but themselves.