Tag: Aldon Smith

Cowboys News: Road opener against Rams anticipated, PI challenges on way out

As two Cowboys are honored for their outstanding play over years, the NFL’s All-Decade team was announced amid changes to the draft process.

There are only 16 days until the 2020 NFL draft is upon the world and it will be remarkably different than any draft before it. Coaches and executives are tasked with finding new methods of communication during one of the biggest weekends of the NFL season. How will trades be made without 20-line phones at GMs disposal? How will player value be debated when one has to use a Zoom conference to discuss things with their coaches and scouts? The time between picks still hasn’t been altered, yet.

Meanwhile, two Cowboys lineman made the 2010’s All-Decade team. While Zack Martin and Tyron Smith were easy selections to the team, should Travis Frederick have joined his comrades on the team?

All that and much more in our Cowboys News and Notes.

Tyron Smith, Zack Martin named to NFL’s 2010 All-Decade team :: Cowboys Wire

The NFL released their all decade team of the 2010’s. Two current Cowboys made the cut, and a recently former Cowboy should have joined them.

2020 NFL Draft will proceed in fully virtual format :: NFL

It is official; the NFL Draft will be held virtually, and the coaches/executives will draft from the comfort of their own home. Learn more about this unprecedented decision.

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Why April 6 Once Was A Key Date For Cowboys :: The Mothership

Teams with new head coaches, like the Dallas Cowboys are usually rewarded two more weeks of practice than teams with returning coaches, starting on April 6. Now, with the season even in question due to the pandemic, April 6 is just an afterthought for teams.

NFL Rumors: Cowboys vs. Rams Season Opener at SoFi Stadium Anticipated :: Bleacher Report

In what is possibility the biggest stadium opener since the Cowboys’ debuted “Jerry World” the Cowboys have found a way to get involved. Dallas is reportedly scheduled to face the Los Angeles Rams Week 1 this season to debut the new SoFI stadium. The schedule will be released no later than May 9.

Bucky Brooks: Scouting Report on Aldon Smith :: The Mothership

Coming off of four full seasons without playing a snap, it is difficult to evaluate the signing of Aldon Smith. NFL Network scout Bucky Brooks breaks down the game of the Cowboys newest defensive lineman. See how he can help the Cowboys, and where he needs to improve.

Cowboys 2020 free agent news: Jay Glazer reveals some exciting details about Aldon Smith :: Blogging the Boys

Speaking of Aldon Smith, here are some interesting notes regarding Smith’s journey back into the NFL, and why people close to him believe he’ll make the most of this chance.

Sean Lee Helps Feed Boys and Girls Club Kids in North Texas :: NBC DFW

Sean Lee throughout his career has consistently proved the man he is off field. Lee added to his long list of charitable acts recently.

Dak Prescott And Dez Bryant Work Out Together For Second Time :: CBS DFW

Dez Bryant has made it clear he wants to play in Dallas. Does a 2nd workout with the Cowboys QB mean big things for these two in the future?

2020 NFL Draft: Cowboys 7-round mock after quality free agency signings :: WithTheFirstPick

The Cowboys are able to dress multiple needs on defense early in this recent 7 round mock draft. See how this compares to the players you want the Cowboys to select.

Report: NFL’s Competition Committee Unlikely to Renew Pass Interference Review :: BleacherReport

Many fans, coaches, and players alike had a problem with last year’s rule that allowed pass interferences to be challenged. The disgust with the lack of officials taking the baton seems to have resonated.

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Cowboys News: Aldon Smith so, so cheap, NFL wants mini-war

Cowboys News, April 2, 2020. Aldon Smith’s journey back to the NFL and the Cowboys. Dez Bryant works out with Dak Prescott. Draft strategies

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has taken plenty of chances on NFL stars with troubled pasts. In 2015, Jones took a chance on troubled defensive end Greg Hardy. In 2008, the Cowboys signed frequently suspended cornerback, Adam “Pacman” Jones. Jones has also taken gambles on players who were considered “distractions” to their previous teams. Dallas acquired wide receiver Terrell Owens after it went south in Philadelphia in 2006. The list can go on and on but one thing is for sure, is that Jerry Jones believes in second chances. Some pay off, and some do not.

The signing of free agent defensive end Aldon Smith is just another example of this. Take a look at what the work load for running back Ezekiel Elliot might look like under first year head coach Mike McCarthy. After the NFL discussed plenty of ways to produce this year’s NFL draft, a memo was sent to all 32 teams. Dez Bryant breaks twitter once again by telling the world he worked out with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. More draft strategies surface as the draft is less than three weeks away. All this, and so much more in today’s news.

McCarthy’s early career use of RBs suggest big 2020 for Elliott :: The CowboysWire

New Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will install his new offense in due time. Based off McCarthy’s history, it could mean some extra feedings for Ezekiel Elliot.

New NFL memo lays foundation for about-face on “small war rooms” :: Pro Football Talk

The NFL seemed to have been kicking around a few ideas on how to approach this years NFL Draft. With social distancing rules in effect due to Covid-19, the league sent out a memo today to all 32 NFL teams on how they plan to conduct business in late April.

Aldon Smith to the Cowboys: How it happened and what the former All-Pro has to say about signing with Dallas :: CBS Sports

There have been a lot of different opinions on the Cowboys signing of free agent edge rusher Aldon Smith. Take a look at the journey on how he got to signing the dotted line, and how he’s purely a tryout guy with no cap ramifications if it doesn’t work out.

Trade up, stand pat, or trade back – figuring which draft strategy makes the most sense for the Dallas Cowboys :: Blogging The Boys

The 2020 NFL Draft is now less than three weeks away. There are plenty of scenarios and directions the Cowboys can go in. Which way is the right way?

The Most Likely Week 1 Starters in the 2020 NFL Draft :: Bleacher Report

There are just a handful of college players to be drafted in the first round of this year’s draft that would be able to start for the team that drafts them by week one. A few players who have appeared on the Cowboys radar have landed on this short list by Bleacher Report.

Randy Gregory & Aldon Smith: Two-Pronged Approach to Replacing Robert Quinn :: Inside The Star

The Dallas Cowboys lost one of their better edge rushers in the off season. Find out how a combination of two players can equal the production of one.

How Good Were Aldon Smith’s First 3 Years? :: The Mothership

Take a look back at brand new Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith’s first few seasons in the NFL. The stats do not lie and it could pay off quite well for the Cowboys.

These are the 10 best Dallas Cowboys games of the last decade :: Blogging The Boys

With NFL Game Pass being offered free by the NFL, take a look at what RJ Ochoa thinks are the top 10 Dallas Cowboys games of the past decade. A few weeks ago, Todd Brock of CowboysWire compiled his own list. Plenty of watchable Cowboys football to ago around.

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11 things that have happened in the NFL since Aldon Smith last played

Aldon Smith is returning to the NFL as a Dallas Cowboy after being out of the league since 2015.

The Dallas Cowboys are attempting another reclamation project, having signed Aldon Smith. The defensive end last played in 2015 with the Oakland Raiders. A look at what has transpired in the NFL since he last took the field

The Raiders moved to Las Vegas

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

When Smith last played for the Raiders, they called Oakland home. That is changing with the 2020 season as the Silver and Black will move to Sin City, Las Vegas. Oh, and they also brought back Jon Gruden as their coach.

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Report: Former 49ers OLB Aldon Smith to sign with Cowboys

Aldon Smith will play for the Cowboys once he’s reinstated to the NFL.

Former 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith may have found his way back into the NFL. The Athletic’s Jay Glazer reported Smith is set to sign a one-year deal with the Cowboys after being out of the league since the 2015 season.

Smith was a first-round pick of the 49ers in the 2011 NFL draft and quickly made an impact on one of the NFL’s best defenses. His 33.5 sacks are the most ever for a player through two seasons.

He ran into off-field trouble with substance abuse that ultimately led to his release from San Francisco prior to the 2015 season. The Oakland Raiders signed him that year and he played just nine games before another suspension cut his season short. Smith hasn’t been in the NFL since.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has not yet reinstated Smith from his last suspension. His first attempt to return after his initial one-year ban was denied. The last time Smith made NFL headlines was when the Raiders officially cut him in 2018.

Now the Cowboys are giving Smith another chance, although there’s no indication he’s been reinstated. In nine games in 2015, Smith posted 3.5 sacks. He has 47.5 sacks in 59 games during his career. His lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods came during the 2012 season when he had a career-best 19.5 sacks.

Cowboys ink DE Aldon Smith to 1-year, $2M deal with incentives

The Dallas Cowboys are apparently in the reclamation business once again. While the team is waiting to get defensive end Randy Gregory back from a second year-long suspension, the team is still working to augment the edge spot opposite DeMarcus …

The Dallas Cowboys are apparently in the reclamation business once again. While the team is waiting to get defensive end Randy Gregory back from a second year-long suspension, the team is still working to augment the edge spot opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. While big names are being floated about and the possibility of a high-end draft pick coming aboard are very serious, the club still is looking to protect themselves in things don’t fall their way.

To that end, the team has agreed to terms with defensive end Aldon Smith. Yes, that Aldon Smith. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer broke the news.

Smith, 30, will have to be reinstated by the league, but it appears the Cowboys believe that is an inevitability. He has not played in the NFL since 2015 but notched 42 sacks in his first three seasons. He will reunite with his defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, who was brought in to coach under Mike Nolan on Mike McCarthy’s new staff.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The 6-foot-5, 255 pound edge rusher was an absolute terror when he broke into the league in 2011, posting 14 sacks as a rookie for San Francisco. He followed that up with a 19.5 sack campaign in 2012, however after a fast start to 2013, things went downhill in a hurry.

In between those seasons though, Smith was stabbed while trying to break up a fight at his home where two people were shot.

In 2013, Smith was in a car accident and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana possession. Soon after he checked himself into a rehab facility and was out for the next five games. He finished his 11-game season with 8.5 sacks.

In 2014 he was arrested at LAX for an alleged bomb threat but charges were dropped after it was determined he didn’t make one.

Two more DUI arrests followed, bookending a nine-game suspension for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy and he was released by San Francisco in 2015.

He played a few games for Oakland in 2015, but was suspended indefinitely. Unable to get himself back on track, he applied for reinstatement but still sat out the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In 2017 there were domestic violence allegations and he was arrested in both 2018 and 2019 for violations of a stay-away order and then again for driving under the influence.

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NFC East News: Cowboys agree to a 1-year, $4 millon deal with Aldon Smith

Cowboys sign Aldon Smith to a 1-year deal

In a move that could pay huge dividends for the Eagles’ biggest rival, Aldon Smith is returning to the NFL after signing a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys per Jay Glazer.

Many around the NFL are wondering if this is an April Fool’s joke after Smith spent the past four years embattled in off the field issues.

Smith will first need to be reinstated by the league, but it appears the Cowboys are confident that this situation will develop.

Smith was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers seventh overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.

A talented hybrid edge-rusher out of Missouri, Smith finished half a sack shy of tying the all-time rookie sack record held by Jevon Kearse despite not starting a single game in his rookie season.

Smith would go on to be named Defensive Rookie of the Year by Pro Football Writers of America and finished second to Von Miller for the Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Things would literally spiral out of control from there, as Smith battled alcoholism and problems in his personal life that would eventually see him out the league for four years.

He’ll now look to join DeMarcus Lawrence and a talented Cowboys pass rush that could get back Randy Gregory as well.

Jay Glazer says former Raiders DE Aldon Smith is clean and sober and ready to return to NFL

Jay Glazer says former Raiders DE Aldon Smith is clean and sober and ready to return to NFL

The last time we heard about Aldon Smith was June of last year with yet another alcohol-related arrest that served to keep him out of the NFL. It was his third DUI arrest. A year prior, he was arrested for domestic violence and checked himself into rehab. On that same day, the Raiders officially cut ties with Smith, who they had placed on their reserve suspended list. But clearly, that would not be his rock bottom.

The former All-Pro pass rusher was already serving an indefinite NFL ban and his inability to get clean and get his life right had it looking like he may never return.

Smith has been away from the spotlight the past six months, which in his case may be the best news considering the headlines he had been making the past couple years.

What Smith has been doing of late is working out at Jay Glazer’s Unbreakable gym. TMZ caught up with Glazer this week and asked him about Smith’s progress:

“Aldon has now been sober for a while and he’s been helping a lot of our vets with their sobriety. That’s the biggest thing you’ve got to do is be of service to other people and he got that. We’ve given a lot of guys second chances. He deserves it as much as anybody I’ve been around.”

It’s been a while since we saw Smith actually take a football field. The now 30-year-old played his last game for the Raiders in November of 2015 before Roger Goodell placed the indefinite suspension on him. Those suspensions are usually reviewed at the start of the next league year, but Smith had not shown he was able to get clean in that time so he was kept out. And obviously, it only got worse for Smith after that.

Glazer thinks Smith has turned the corner and is ready to return to the NFL:

“Yeah, I really do. Look, we’ve worked with a lot of guys and tried to give them their chance. A lot of them I worry about, a couple of guys I haven’t and he’s one of them. He’s like ‘hey, it’s not my life anymore, it’s not who I am… .’ The fact that he knows to that I’ve got to help out other people, that’s what I’m most proud about. I’m proud of Aldon Smith.”

Glazer went on to say that Smith is currently at around 285 pounds which is considerably larger than his playing weight when he was last in the NFL and said that he is “just shredded. He is a freak of nature.” This, of course, is something you’d expect the guy who runs the gym to say, but if NFL teams are interested in finding out for themselves, they could always have him in for a workout.

Gruden has spoken many times about giving guys second chances. He gave one to Darren Waller who was also to the point of being suspended for an entire year for substance abuse, and that paid off both for the Raiders and for Waller. Maybe get Aldon Smith in the room and see if it sounds like he is genuinely ready for his second shot.

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