Tag: Chauncey Golston

Decisions on these in-house contributors will be most significant part of Cowboys offseason

The most significant in-house free agents Dallas has to decide what to do with this offseason. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys were unhappy with how the 2023 season ended but did little to help change things in 2024. To fix it in 2025, They will need to hit on their draft picks and bring in outside contributors in free agency, but it all begins with how they handle their own players on expiring contracts.

Dallas has 20 unrestricted free agents, and they won’t be able to fill all those losses with undrafted free agents and the 2025 draft class. Who returns and who they move on from will depend on a multitude of factors. A trio of free agents played significant snaps and had productive seasons.

Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa has been an excellent player for the price of a third-round pick, but in a weak defensive tackle market, his price could skyrocket. Odighizuwa is slightly less productive than Nnamdi Madubuike of the Baltimore Ravens, but his projected market is in that same range. At $20 to $25 million, Odighizuwa won’t be worth the cost for Dallas, and the team will need to use an early draft selection for his replacement.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis might have priced himself out of Dallas with his play in 2024, but the injury to Treven Diggs might be enough to force the Cowboys’ hand. A multiyear contract will be necessary, and a cap hit of under three million isn’t enough this time. Lewis has shown an ability to perform in multiple defensive schemes, and Jerry Jones will find a way to keep him on the roster, if necessary, as Diggs insurance.

Rico Dowdle was given the role of top running back in Week 12 against the Washington Commanders. In the next six contests, he accumulated 605 yards on 120 attempts, an average of over five yards per carry. Being a 1,000-yard rusher without a ton of tread on his tires could give Dowdle a market, but he isn’t an explosive runner, and he has a lengthy injury history, so his market is unlikely to explode.

Dallas will probably bring him back on a deal similar to what Zack Moss signed last offseason for the Cincinnati Bengals, four to five million a season.

Chauncey Golston has had a breakout season, and while he doesn’t have the gaudy statistics, his play was invaluable for the injury-riddled Cowboys. His ability to stop the run as an edge defender helped the team improve defensively as the season progressed.

Golston is in the top 12 among defensive ends in run defense snaps, solo tackles, assisted tackles, and batted passes. He is in the top 20 in total snaps and run stops. His lack of pass rush will keep him from a huge payday, so if the defensive end market is down some, then it is possible the Cowboys can get him to return. A trade-off of losing Odighizuwa but keeping Lewis and Golston could be the plan for this front office.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social

Former Cowboys 3rd-round pick projected to replace $21 million free agent with Texans

Could Chauncey Golston turn his extended snaps into a free agency payday?

The Dallas Cowboys have had to endure a ton of attrition on the defensive line in 2024. Things started off bad in the offseason, worsened in training camp and hit rock bottom during the first month of the season. After losing DL guru and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Washington, the Commanders new head coach took two free agent defensive ends with him. Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler moved to the nation’s capital, making way for some new blood in Dallas.

Only Sam Williams, the third-year DE predicted to breakout with the increased snap allocation, was lost for the season in training camp to an ACL. Then, just four games into the season, Dallas lost four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence for what is now the rest of the season to a foot injury. In that same game, All-Pro monster Micah Parsons was lost for five weeks to a high-ankle sprain.

The following week, rookie Marshawn Kneeland went out with his own knee injury and the barrel was barren. Except for one player, fourth-year pro Chauncey Golston was still around.

After being an afterthought through his first three seasons, Golston has stepped up. Entering 2024 with just 3.5 career sacks, Golston has four on the year. His size and skillset allows him to have a role on the end of the line or on the interior.

Golston has proven in 2024 that he’s capable of being an integral part of a defense’s plans, not just should lead to some interest on the open market once free agency hit.

Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department identified the fourth-year defensive end as someone who could follow in the footsteps of a former teammate and travel down I-45 to land in Houston with the Texans.

The Texans have looked to the Dallas Cowboys to fill needs before. They signed Dalton Schultz to become the team’s starting tight end in 2023. It might be time to look to The Star to fill another need in free agency.

Chauncey Golston isn’t as well-known as Schultz, but he fills an important role. He has the size to play at both defensive end and defensive tackle, offering flexibility for the Cowboys up front.

The Texans could use some of that as they don’t really have a lot of young depth at tackle or end. Signing Golston would help alleviate that issue as he could take over Denico Autry’s role.

Autry signed last offseason to a two-year deal worth $21.5 million. The 34-year old has played in just eight games in 2024. Golston was a third-round pick in 2021 out of UCLA. He had started just three games in his career prior to this season.

Cowboys already spending 13% of cap on depleted edge rusher group

The defense end group makes up a big portion of the teams salary cap and will only get pricier. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The defensive side of the ball for the Dallas Cowboys doesn’t boast the type of contract numbers dedicated to the offense. The large cap hits defensive ends command rings true, but the available options behind them are slim. A sneaky need for this team is that a counterpart opposite of star pass rusher Micah Parsons must be found.

But Dallas has been known to be frugal and overspending on a single position group doesn’t fit their approach to team building.

Dallas was built to put pressure on the quarterback to allow their ballhawk-type secondary to cash in on the disruption. No matter the changes this defense will undergo with Mike Zimmer taking the baton from Dan Quinn, applying pressure on the opposing quarterback is something all teams want to accomplish. The remaining pass-rush production behind Parsons needs attention, but at what cost?

7 Cowboys veterans who could be on the trade block

A look at several veterans who could command a quality return in trade talks after this weekend’s exhibition finales. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Are the Dallas Cowboys a top-heavy team, or do they have the necessary depth to survive the regular-season gauntlet? It appears on paper the club has several positions where the talent is overflowing, but there are a handful where injuries could cause a major downgrade in performance. The loss of rookies DeMarvion Overshown and John Stephens in Saturday’s exhibition against Seattle proved that point.

Linebacker and tight end are two of the club’s unproven spots and thus losses there seem to be catastrophic to the club’s talent level. Still, other positions seem well prepared for the 17-week grind as long as calamity stays at bay. It feels like Dallas has the ability to move some pieces at certain positions and potentially get plug-and-play returns at other spots of need.

Dallas needs veteran depth on the offensive line, so maybe there’s a chance to flip an asset for a team looking to save cap space there and allow younger, cheaper options to ascend. Maybe there’s some veteran help for Dallas to have as a backup to the youngsters at tight end and linebacker as well. Dallas can use future draft capital to acquire said help, but player-for-player swaps can be more enticing when feasible.

Here’s a look at several players who could be on the trade block following this weekend’s preseason finale against the Raiders.

Practice report: Collins, Prescott, Goodwin, Wilson among Cowboys’ full participants

Dallas saw several key players participate fully in what coach Mike McCarthy dubbed the team’s “heaviest workload” before the season opener. | From @ToddBrock24f7

“Today is huge for us,” said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday morning, in advance of the day’s practice session. With Dallas slated to kick off the 2021 season Thursday night, McCarthy and the team are several days ahead of their typical weekly workflow. That made the Labor Day practice a significant one, especially following the news that All-Pro right guard Zack Martin had tested positive for COVID over the weekend and would almost assuredly miss the season opener versus the Buccaneers.

But Monday’s practice- which McCarthy referred to as “our heaviest workload of the whole preparation” for Thursday’s game in Tampa- brought huge news indeed for several Cowboys players who are making their way back to game readiness.

Offensive tackle La’el Collins was a full participant on the day, as were quarterback Dak Prescott, cornerback C.J. Goodwin, edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, and safety Donovan Wilson.

Defensive end Chauncey Golston was at first listed as a full participant; the club later released a correction reclassifying the Iowa product as “limited.” Offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe was also limited in the day’s work.

Collins missed all of last season with hip issues and then was forced out of two separate practices in recent weeks with a neck stinger. His return to form will help an offensive line that will have its hands full Thursday, minus their best player and going against the defending Super Bowl champs, who just activated Ndamukong Suh off their Reserve/COVID list.

Wilson was pulled from practice on August 25th with a groin injury, and will be important to a defensive back rotation aiming to shut down Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Tom Brady’s cast of lethal pass-catchers.

Prescott, of course, is coming off last season’s horrific ankle injury and a muscle strain in his throwing shoulder that kept him out of preseason action entirely and limited for much of camp. It is no understatement to suggest that, as Prescott goes, so go the Cowboys.

Recovery from back surgery caused Lawrence to miss all of the team’s spring work and most of training camp. He was on the PUP list until August 3rd. He, too, was held out of preseason games and is eager to return to live action.

Special teams ace Goodwin missed four weeks with a bad hamstring and returned to practice just last Thursday.

Golston remains a mystery to anyone not inside the Cowboys’ facility. The rookie was selected in the third round of the draft, but started training camp on the PUP list with a hamstring malady.

Nsekhe has been bothered by a foot issue. His availability in Tampa will be important, given the focus on the offensive line and questions about whether the starters will be able to remain healthy.

[listicle id=677690]

[listicle id=673251]

[listicle id=673241]

[lawrence-newsletter]

News: Some Cowboys still on roster bubble, another COVID add, considering Cam?

Several will have survived “final” cuts only temporarily to make room for returning COVID players; will the Saints use Cowboys’ home field? | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans ended their Tuesday night with another episode of the reality series Hard Knocks, but several players lived it in true living color just hours earlier. So-called “final” roster cuts were the big story of the day, with two dozen players either released or waived. Some were axed only as a technicality and will be back within days; others made it onto the 53-man roster only as a temporary stay. We’re analyzing every move at every position as the true 2021 roster continues to take shape.

Within that, several interesting subplots. What- if anything at all- should Cam Newton’s release by the Patriots mean for the Cowboys’ backup quarterback situation? Which injured Cowboys will have to give up their roster spots to players coming off the COVID watchlist? And who just got put on that list?  The ’21 draft class continues an impressive streak in Dallas, an undrafted reality show winner gets the leading-man treatment in the incredible true story of his life, the Cowboys’ next big defensive star hooks up with one of the club’s past greats, our player profiles focus on the rising secondary, and Dez Bryant makes another clutch catch. That’s all on tap in this edition of News and Notes.

News: COVID forced late shakeup for Cowboys before Texans game, Dak’s progress, game coverage

The Cowboys were a mixed bag in the Houston loss, while COVID concerns caused a late swap for a key coach, and Dak Prescott aced pregame. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys were calling their preseason meeting with Houston a “dress rehearsal” for the regular season. Saturday night showed that some of the cast in Dallas isn’t quite ready for the curtain to go up on this show. The first half provided some encouraging moments from Cooper Rush, Tony Pollard, Cedrick Wilson, and the Cowboys defense, but Ben DiNucci’s poor performance throughout the second half overshadowed the good stuff in a 20-14 loss.

The best bit of news from Saturday night? Dak Prescott’s warmup workout should give Cowboys fans a boost. The quarterback was nearly perfect, despite reports floating around from one notable insider who is questioning his health. Speaking of health, Dan Quinn and Carlos Watkins are suddenly in the COVID-19 spotlight in what will be a developing story over the next few days and weeks. All that, plus a profile on perhaps the most mysterious Cowboys player currently on the roster, clues from Stephen Jones about the backup quarterback situation, Jason Witten kicks off his Friday night football gig, and Emmitt Smith looks to help others lead the field in his latest sporting venture. Here are the News and Notes from a busy Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys 2021 player profile: Chauncey Golston

Drafted a round earlier than most thought, Golston has some work to do to fill the envisioned role he’ll play on the defensive line. His injury isn’t making that quest easier for the rookie. | From @CDPiglet

Length, effort, hand usage, motor, leadership and versatility were all examples of words used to describe Iowa DE Chauncey Golston going into the NFL draft. Golston was a three-star recruit out of high school who didn’t get much attention from a lot of big colleges despite tallying 96 tackles and 22 sacks in his final two years of high school. The Iowa Hawkeyes were the only team to offer Golston a scholarship. After basically being red shirted for two seasons in order to add bulk to his frame, Golston started to pay dividends for the Hawkeyes as a redshirt sophomore.

Golston was extremely consistent his final three seasons at Iowa. He put up 35, 47 and 45 tackles respectively, nine for a loss as a sophomore, 9.5 as a junior, and 8.5 as a senior. He also added 3.5 sacks, three sacks, and 5.5 sacks in those final three years too. Golston wasn’t graded out as a top pick in the draft, he was more of a run-stopping edge setter, without top-tier pass rush traits. That combination isn’t look upon positively for defensive ends going into the draft, and the Dallas Cowboys were criticized in some quarters for the pick being too early for Golston even though he wasn’t drafted until the third round at pick No. 84.

The next player up in the Cowboys 2021 player profile countdown is No. 59, rookie DE Chauncey Golston.

Dan Quinn talks Parsons, Cowboys’ front 7 through first phase of training camp

Dan Quinn had good things to say about many of the Cowboys defenders in a post training camp media session. We go through the quotes on the linebackers and linemen at the top of the depth chart. | From @AsaHenry_55

From the moment Dan Quinn arrived in Dallas he has been commended by those close to the team for his infectious passion for football and clear plan for fixing one of the league’s worst defenses. The good news for Quinn is that he doesn’t need to get the Cowboys to the top of the defensive ranks, as just getting to league average would be a massive improvement upon 2020.

Quinn has been very hands-on while installing the defensive scheme and teaching new techniques, which has allowed him to get a good gauge of his new players and their progress this offseason. During Friday’s  media session the former Atlanta Falcons’ head coach gave positive reports on numerous defenders who will need to have solid seasons for Dallas to achieve its goals.

Linebacker continued to be a main topic of conversation, which was expected as many viewed the position as Dallas’ most competitive and intriguing entering training camp. The other group that will play a massive role in improving the rush defense, the defensive line, received the second-most attention.

Cowboys sign last two rookies on 1st day of 2021 training camp

A quirk in the CBA leaves most 3rd-rounders unsigned until right before camp. Here’s why two of Dallas’ three picks that round waited until the last, last minute.

The roster is complete. The Dallas Cowboys trimmed the group down on Saturday, but the core of the 90-man offseason roster has been known for months now.

Following the 2021 draft, the club agreed to terms with a series of undrafted free agents and while the rookie pool pretty much outlined the parameters of each selection’s deal, the third rounders were slow to put ink to paper. That’s to be expected, as the third rounders have the most wiggle room within the collective bargaining agreement’s rookie wage scale. As is often the case, the Cowboys and their third rounder went to the deadline as camp approached. Well, two of their three third rounders. On Wednesday morning, prior to the training camp pressers, it was announced Nahshon Wright and Chauncey Golston were finally under contract.

What took them so long? There’s a little bit of wiggle room for third-round draft picks when it comes to negotiating their rookie deals. While the first round draft picks get fully guaranteed deals, the second rounders get partially guaranteed base salaries, the third rounders do not. The only thing guaranteed is there signing bonus.

More to the point, third rounders fall in the sweet spot of the 25% rule. This rule maxes out the year-to-year raise players can get.

Each year of a CBA has a minimum salary associated with it based on years of service in the league. Third-round draft picks can increase their salary year-to-year up to the 25% rule, meaning they can make more than minimum base salary. Because of this, they are the only draft picks whose contracts aren’t already set in stone. There’s room to negotiate, and negotiate the players and teams do.

The difference can amount to as much as $500,000 over the course of the four years, and for players with no guarantees outside the initial bonus, this is a big deal.

What made things even crazier is that year by year, the average third round is getting closer and closer to making the maximum amount. Until this year, when Houston’s Nico Collins got the full 100% of the maximum. Naturally, players drafted earlier in the round than Collins’ No. 26, wanted this deal if they hadn’t signed yet.

It should be assumed the reps for Wright and Golston waged war on this level as well.

Regardless, the Cowboys entire draft class is now under contract and ready to start practice on Thursday.

[vertical-gallery id=673788][lawrence-newsletter]