Category: News and Notes

Michael Gallup is locked in. News of the wideout’s new contract with the Cowboys will have ripple effects on how the team drafts, approaches free agency, and handles its other players waiting for a decision and/or deal. We’ll look at that, including which college prospects might make the most sense after a weekend of serious shuffling in the WR room in Dallas.

Also, we’ve got eyes on La’el Collins and what looks to be his imminent departure from the team, a mock draft that throws a new name into the mix and addresses an old problem for the Cowboys, and a detailed look at just how the most valuable franchise on the planet found themselves having to make nickel-and-dime decisions when it comes to some of its biggest playmakers.

All that, plus America’s Team will get another crack at beating the G.O.A.T. after all, and Herschel Walker’s latest run has him running into serious questions. But this edition of News and Notes starts with an encouraging note from one of the Cowboys’ most well-informed sources about one of the team’s best-loved defensive stars.

Amari Cooper’s time as a Dallas Cowboy is over. Facing a potential release, Dallas found a suitor in the Browns as Cleveland was willing to give a draft pick and swap spots. The loss puts the Cowboys in a precarious position, though.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb will now have the spotlight and need to step up into the top role after a disappointing end to his 2021 season. Dallas continues talks with Michael Gallup but will the Cowboys end up overpaying and nullifying the Cooper deal?

Dallas has been shopping right tackle La’el Collins, with general manager Stephen Jones clamoring for extra cap space. A break down of how the Cowboys could keep clearing house is in order.

In a top 100 ranking for 2022 free agents, Dallas has five on the list and two who are suspected to be overpaid during this cycle. Guard Connor Williams and defensive end Randy Gregory both have growing markets where the Cowboys could slowly fade out of the picture.

With free agency just around the corner, the Cowboys have numerous tough decisions to make regarding their own free agents, as well as some of their players still under contract. How many of their impending free agents can Dallas keep? And are the Cowboys really in the running for former Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner? Those two questions will be greatly influenced by the future of Amari Cooper. Once expected to be released, the Cleveland Browns, among other teams, are reportedly showing interest in acquiring the 27-year old.

On Friday, the club got a few of those decisions out of the way as they as they released five players, most notably kicker Greg Zeurlein and tight end Blake Jarwin. Strapped for cap space, it feels like more contributors are set to leave Dallas then stay with them. Luckily one of the most important defenders on the team, Demarcus Lawrence, may no longer be a cap causality.

With draft season fully upon us, get to know two Day 2 prospects who fit for the Cowboys to add in late April. The first is a top tight end who could help shore up the position for the foreseeable future. the other a versatile lineman who could address arguably the biggest need.

More what-ifs today out of Dallas, where the Cowboys are reportedly fielding calls from other teams about acquiring offensive tackle La’el Collins via a trade. With his pricey salary and the solid play of Terence Steele behind him, the notion of shopping Collins shouldn’t come as a total shock. But where might Collins eventually land if the Cowboys are indeed selling? We look at potential fits and, coincidentally, find fresh OL help in the latest mock draft.

Fans are reminded that the front office has a plan for free agency, even if it’s not an obvious one (not that it should be). But maybe that plan should include doing whatever it takes to keep both of the team’s starting edge rushers. Elsewhere, we have Trevon Diggs’s reaction to getting Carson Wentz twice a year again, and Troy Aikman’s surprising revelation about what Fox offered him to stay in their broadcast booth. Plus, the latest on the paternity lawsuit levied against team owner Jerry Jones, from a recap of the bombshell report to a strange twist involving his daughter Charlotte. And Deion Sanders shares the terrifying doctor’s diagnosis that put his life in jeopardy and put him on a road to recovery that he says he’s fortunate to walk. That’s all up in News and Notes.

The NFL is still reeling from the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson from Seattle to Denver, but how does it compare to other legendary player swaps? Turns out the Cowboys are still the gold standard when it comes to deals of the century. The Colts and Commanders did their own bit of business Wednesday, and it sends a former rival passer back to the Cowboys’ division for twice-a-year meetings. And Dallas could be working the phone lines on their own trade; one insider reports that Amari Cooper is getting some inquiries.

Elsewhere, it’s mock madness as two major outlets zero in on the same college prospect to potentially replace Cooper in Dallas. But a draft guru sees Big D going defense and pairing Micah Parsons with a former conference mate. All that, plus details on Noah Brown’s new contract, what the Cowboys plan to do at punter, and a chance to see some Cowboys legends compete on a different kind of field. News and Notes, coming right up.

It’s down to the wire now. The Cowboys will need to start putting pieces into place, even though each one is subject to change at a moment’s notice based on all the others. The league has announced the official salary cap number for 2022, which determines actual dollar figures for franchise tagged players. Now Dallas knows how much it will cost to use the tag on Dalton Schultz, as is speculated. That makes Randy Gregory’s return dependent on a new deal. That becomes more important if DeMarcus Lawrence is cut. The Cowboys do suddenly have more money to work with, perhaps for players like Jayron Kearse, as they’ve reworked Dak Prescott’s deal. But additional funds still may not save Amari Cooper’s spot on the roster. And if Cooper leaves, retaining Michael Gallup becomes an even higher priority. It’s all connected.

All that, plus combine wrapups, a college broadcaster goes pro, one Cowboys quarterback is still following in the footsteps of another, and what the history of the green dot tells us about the future of NFL defenses. News and Notes, coming right up.

Doomsday defense? More like Doomscroll defense. Dan Quinn’s unit was in the headlines as the weekend came to a close, and none of it was very encouraging for Cowboys fans. DeMarcus Lawrence, the unit’s most obvious veteran leader, has been approached by the front office about taking a pay cut to help the team get below the salary cap. But balancing the books isn’t Lawrence’s job; his reported refusal could end up triggering a bunch of other moves across the roster. On the opposite end of the D-line, Randy Gregory is expected by some to stay in Dallas, though that’s far from certain. Even a role player like Tarell Basham could find himself a cap casualty despite a very modest salary. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Same goes for the offense, where experts around the league are lining up ideal fits for Amari Cooper as if he’s already gone. And other outlets are looking for guys to move in to Dalton Schultz’s locker before he’s even cleared it out. We’re using the financial ledgers to maker roster cuts based on savings, and we’re singing the praises of a multi-talented wideout who may well be taking his talents elsewhere. But there’s always the draft. So we’re shopping in Indianapolis to find the gems… and even sniffing around to see how the Cowboys could play host at next year’s combine. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.

Tight ends did their thing at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Thursday, and the Cowboys may have been paying extra attention. It was revealed that Blake Jarwin is staring down a six- to eight-month rehab time from an “uncommon” hip surgery, meaning he likely won’t be ready for the start of the season. With Dalton Schultz scheduled to hit free agency, the plans in Dallas may have just shifted. We look at the options for the front office, plus we sneak a peek at one of the prospects who may have just inched a little further up the Cowboys’ big board with the news.

But it was an Ohio State wide receiver who stole the show in the 40-yard dash; his is a name Cowboys fans may want to have circled, too. Hand size was the topic du jour for the QB watchers; we’ll look at how Dak Prescott measures up (and why it may not really matter). We’ve also got the best all-time performances in the big combine drills and a dive into how luck of the draw played a factor in all those Cowboys penalties last year. All that, plus a long-awaited development on the league’s COVID front, Micah Parsons and Drew Pearson team up to welcome a show that’s even bigger then they are, and the most hated individuals in the league are called out. Here’s the News and Notes.

With the annual scouting combine usually comes a chance for the Dallas media to get some one-on-one time with a member of the Jones family. On Monday, it was Stephen holding court. He had plenty to say, including making a guarantee about one polarizing superstar’s future. He also hinted at the front office’s offseason spending strategy, but got noncommittal about one receiver widely thought to be on the proverbial bubble.

We’re taking a look at names and positions that the scouts should be scanning in Indianapolis, and also kicking the tires on a few free agents, too. Dallas has several players expected to draw heavy interest on the open market; we’re forecasting who’ll be the subject of a bidding war. Speaking of payday, a Cowboys icon is all but admitting he’s got a new job… and his salary stats put his playing days in a whole new perspective. All that, plus recalculating the odds that America’s Team will head overseas for a game in 2022 now that half of the participants for this year’s international games have been announced. That’s all up next in News and Notes.