Category: News and Notes

The team is in Denver, and we’re starting to get an idea of which Cowboys will be doing what during their visit. The club announced on Wednesday how they’ll handle both the Thursday joint practice and the Saturday preseason game with the Broncos from a personnel standpoint. One question mark, though, is safety Jayron Kearse as he battles back tightness; we have an update on that as well as backup quarterback Will Grier, who would stand to see plenty of action if he can get past a groin issue.

Elsewhere, we’re checking in on a former Cowboy who’ll now suit up in the orange and blue, we’re getting to know a cool and collected rookie, and we’re taking stock of the team’s many talented youngsters. We’re watching stocks rise and fall in camp, eyeing the latest power rankings, and thinking ahead to a possible first-round pick in 2023. All that, plus Dez Bryant still wants to contribute, an unlikely veteran shows up Micah Parsons… and the Cowboys announce that they’re putting on their own awards show for themselves. (Because of course they are.) Here’s all the News and Notes.

Tuesday’s practice saw fists flying in Oxnard as the players are getting eager to hit guys in different colors for a change. While tempers flared on the field, fans got a first glimpse of how the team views the overall role sort with the release of the depth chart as it stands now. The kicker competition has booted one contestant to the curb and brought a familiar face back to the locker room. And an assistant coach has to take a step back for medical reasons.

Meanwhile, a veteran safety steps into a leadership role, the young wide receivers are making their cases, and Micah Parsons shares what he’s most looking forward to with the addition of Anthony Barr. All that, plus not everyone in Dallas was apparently sold on their first-round draft pick, the team stumbles slightly in the preseason power rankings, and an A-list Cowboys fan makes an appearance on the last day of training camp open to the public. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.

Public practices in Oxnard are winding down as the offseason heats up. Several Cowboys made their way back to the field on Monday, even as a couple players sat out with various ailments. There’s a glimmer of hope that one playmaker is closer to a comeback than previously thought, and the team is opening up the competition at one key position with a quartet of tryouts. The team’s defensive coordinator shows his work ethic, and a superstar’s young son steals the show at a press conference.

Meanwhile, word comes that the third running back on the team’s depth chart could be in for a sizable workload this year, a former Cowboy won’t face his old team in the preseason this weekend, and the club sets a practice schedule for the fans back home. All that, plus one cornerback gets a boost from Cowboys coaches even as another swears off social media due to a “toxic” environment online. Bill Parcells shares the early lesson he learned from Tom Landry about dealing with rookies, and Oxnard locals dish on what it’s like to live overlooking the Cowboys training camp practice fields. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.

For all the talk about the bare-bones skeleton crew catching passes for the Cowboys, Dak Prescott is taking a glass-half-full approach. He voiced confidence in his young receivers on Thursday and put on another stellar practice performance. He’s proclaimed CeeDee Lamb to be “that dude,” but one outlet says there’s still a solid veteran leader out there on the streets who could be a huge no-brainer boost for the Dallas air game.

Elsewhere, Dan Quinn shares exactly how he’d like to repeat as the league’s takeaway champs, an undrafted free agent could be Quinn’s new project for 2022, and there’s a strategy for helping newly-signed linebacker Anthony Barr ramp up with his new unit. COVID and injuries hit the RB room hard enough to cause a ripple throughout several other positions, Jason Garrett makes his new-crew debut in Canton, Bill Parcells shares his secrets for grading players, and the home of the Cowboys will host a college championship for several more seasons. That’s all up next in News and Notes.

Wednesday didn’t bring much on-the-field excitement for the Cowboys, as the Oxnard schedule featured a “mock game,” or- in most teams’ parlance- a non-padded, half-speed walkthrough. But there was big roster news as the team announced the signing of a free agent veteran linebacker. To make room, someone had to go; another linebacker was waived.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott opened up about his own personal goals as he enters his seventh season. He also had glowing words for the rookie offensive lineman who’ll be opening up holes for him this year. But he didn’t have much to say about the Deshaun Watson suspension, a matter that his name has been tied to as the sports world debates what constitutes an appropriate punishment for the Browns quarterback. There’s early eyes on Tony Pollard’s own contract, more on the Elliott/Pollard timeshare question, and soundbites from the Cowboys coordinators. Kellen Moore previews a busy year from CeeDee Lamb, John Fassel talks about his potential new punt return specialist, and Dan Quinn shuts down head coaching speculation with the coolest quote possible. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn wasn’t interested in any of the head coaching job offers he got in the offseason. But it turns out he would have left Dallas anyway if Mike McCarthy had only said the word. Quinn not wanting to be a distraction to his head coach is just part of the story leading today’s News and Notes.

Elsewhere, a recap of Tuesday’s practice in Oxnard, including an injury report, the apparent scrapping of any plans to bring in wide receiver help, and the kicker competition that can’t get off on the right foot. Trysten Hill may finally prove the Cowboys right for being patient with him, Cole Beasley doesn’t figure to be in the Cowboys’ plans for a reason you may not expect, and a top-tier defensive talent would still make a fine match for the Dallas line. All that, plus a new PR man for the front office, and Cowboys Wire goes one-on-one with linebacker Leighton Vander Esch as he preps for just his fifth season while juggling the responsibility of already being one of the locker room mentors.

The pads went on Monday in Oxnard, and there’s already been a toll on the Cowboys’ roster. We have the latest on the injury to wideout James Washington, including a prognosis for how much time he’ll miss and a list of possible replacement pass-catchers the team should be investigating.

In addition, Monday’s session brought out some good work from CeeDee Lamb, a slew of bad snaps, a bona fide kicking competition, and an absolute monster pancake from the team’s highly-touted first-round draft pick. One of the defensive leaders got a scare to start the week, but was able to return to practice, much to the relief of onlookers. All that, plus an update on Matt Waletzko’s shoulder, Emmitt Smith speaks out on the Cowboys’ current RB timeshare split, and the Jimmy Johnson-Jerry Jones feud gets nasty regarding the Ring of Honor. The Deshaun Watson suspension has a Cowboys connection that has many fans seeing red, and the team ownership sees green over the latest valuation numbers. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.