Tag: cowboys news

Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy compares RB Tony Pollard to old EF Hutton TV commercial

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy showed his age when he compared RB Tony Pollard to an EF Hutton TV commercial from the 1970s.

Mike McCarthy knew he was showing his age, but there was no better way to describe the leadership style of his Pro Bowl running back.

McCarthy fielded questions on Wednesday during the second day of mandatory minicamp, and the Dallas Cowboys coach went deep into the vault of TV commercials from the 1970s to find an apt comparison for Tony Pollard.

“I’ll tell you what,” McCarthy said. “He’s a little like E.F. Hutton — showing my age here — the commercial.”

Put simply, when Pollard talks in the meeting room or on the field, his teammates are listening, particularly the younger running backs.

Aside from Ronald Jones, all of the backs on the roster aren’t as tenured in the NFL as Pollard. Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, and sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn are all looking up to Pollard.

“Now watching him assert himself more, he has a commanding presence and I think he’s done an excellent job with the younger players,” said McCarthy. “You could see how they look up to him.”

Pollard sets an example for the younger players with his actions as well. The former 2019 fourth-rounder is now the lead back in Dallas’ offense with the departure of running back Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard will be quarterback Dak Prescott’s new pass protector.

Said McCarthy: “Tony always asks excellent questions because we’re doing some things differently protection wise, a little different as far as our coursework and things in the run game. And Tony has a really good feel of how things fit together, and he’s a great, great example for our young players.”

Pollard generated 1,378 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns en route to his first career Pro Bowl selection last season. As long as the former Memphis product is keeping up his end of the bargain production wise while setting a good example for the younger backs, the Cowboys offense should be able to handle the loss of Elliott.

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3 Cowboys free agents who could follow OC Kellen Moore to Chargers

Here is a look at three realistic options Kellen Moore could bring from Dallas to Los Angeles.

With Kellen Moore joining the Chargers as their new offensive coordinator, they could look to bring in some of his former players when free agency begins next month.

While they’re not in a favorable position with spending money at the moment, Los Angeles will likely make some moves to free up some salary cap space so they can add some.

That being said, here is a look at three realistic options that Moore could bring to L.A.

WR Noah Brown

The main element that the Chargers need at wide receiver is speed, which I believe will be added via the draft. Still, they could remodel the position group, especially if Keenan Allen is a cap causality. Brown is coming off his productive season as a pro, where he amassed 43 catches on 74 targets (12.9 yards per catch) for 555 yards and three touchdowns. Brown was a go-to target when the Cowboys needed to move the chains, as more than half of his receptions went for first down. Brown has a strong, well-proportioned frame with the catch radius, body control, adjustment skills and hands to win down the field and in contested situations. Additionally, he is an insistent blocker, which would greatly benefit the run game.

QB Cooper Rush

Chase Daniel and Easton Stick are set to be free agents in March, and it’s difficult to see a scenario where they are brought back. Instead, it would make sense for the Chargers to bring someone well-versed in Moore’s system. This season, Rush was 4-1 as Dallas’ starter in place of an injured Dak Prescott. Rush has 125 of 212 passing (59 completion percentage) for 1,475 yards and eight touchdowns, to four interceptions.

OL Connor McGovern

Matt Feiler is the most likely cut casualty after a rough 2022 season. Starting Jamaree Salyer at left guard next season is viewed as the likeliest option, but filling that void with someone who has starting experience at the position, like McGovern, could be more appealing. McGovern was efficient as a pass blocker, allowing 22 pressures and two sacks on 486 pass-blocking snaps in 2022. McGovern was also a fixture in the Cowboys’ rushing attack. He had his own wrinkle as a fullback, tight end and even out as a wide receiver. Additionally, McGovern can play center in a pinch.

Highlights from Day 1 of Chargers-Cowboys joint practices

Check out all the best moments from the Los Angeles Chargers first joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.

The Chargers and Cowboys took the field together for the first of two days of practice at Jack Hammett Sports Complex ahead of their preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Check out all the best highlights from Wednesday’s practice in Costa Mesa, CA.

Is Cowboys’ Tyron Smith still a top-10 tackle in the league? ESPN thinks so

Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith may not be the league’s top tackle anymore, but he’s still one of the very best. | From @AsaHenry_55

For the last decade Tyron Smith has had a legitimate claim to the throne of best offensive tackle in the NFL. As recently as last year, NFL personnel decided Smith was still the “Gold Standard” for offensive tackle play.

Recently, ESPN once again asked over 50 players, coaches, scouts and executives to grade players at each position heading into the 2021 season. Smith, while not at his accustomed top spot, remained in the top 10, coming in at ninth.

Smith’s drop is understandable; the four-time All-Pro had never missed more than three games in a season before missing a total of 14 games in 2020 after surgery on his neck, an issue that has plagued Smith for a few seasons now.

Injury issues for offensive lineman that have played a decade in the league are sometimes the sign of the end for said player.

However, Smith is amazingly still just 30-years old, and if his recent surgery is a success, meaning he is able stay healthy there is reason to believe he can continue excel at protecting Dak Prescott’s blindside for at least a few more years.

News out of the Cowboys spring and summer practices was certainly positive regarding the former USC Trojan and his attempt to return to form.

“They both look in great shape,” head coach Mike McCarthy said about both Cowboys tackles, Smith and La’el Collins in late May. McCarthy would add, “They both have been here the whole time through phases one, two and three. They’re where they need to be.”

The Cowboys are an entirely different team with Smith operating at full force, and the stats back that up, as noted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler,

“Dallas is 11-12 without Smith since 2017, and the offense’s total QBR dips from 67.3 to 60.3 when he’s not in the lineup, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Cowboys allow pressure on 29% of their offensive snaps without him, 24.6% with him. The sack rate balloons from 5.5% to 7.3% when he’s on the sideline.”

Whether Smith is the top tackle or just a top-10 tackle doesn’t necessarily mean too much, as his presence in the lineup alone will undoubtedly give the offense a boost.

The aforementioned Collins was an honorable mention on ESPN’s top tackle list entering 2020, before missing the entire season with a hip injury. If the 27-year old Collins can stay healthy and build upon his impressive 2019, he could easily play his way into next year’s top 10 rankings.

The return of Smith and Collins may be overshadowed by Prescott’s campaign for Comeback Player of the Year, but the health of the Cowboys’ tackles will be absolutely crucial toward the club achieving their postseason goals in 2021.

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2 Cowboys ranked as best 1st-round picks per slot in last 15 years

Two Dallas Cowboys made PFF’s list of best draft picks at their respective draft slot in the last 15 seasons.

Pro Football Focus recently named the best player at each draft slot in the last 15 NFL drafts. While they may not have reaped much playoff success off their hauls, right near the top of the list sit the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys had three clear candidates for this experiment with Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin, all who are Hall of fame Caliber players. Ultimately, Frederick and Martin were the two that made the cut for their draft slots of 31 and 16, respectively.

Smith was noted as an honorable mention for the best No. 9 pick, behind former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, but had Smith’s health been better in recent seasons he may have been the third Cowboy selected to the list.

Earlier in the week PFF conducted a similar demonstration but in reverse, as they found the worst draft picks from each first-round slot in the last 15 seasons. Thankfully, the Cowboys were not featured there, avoiding catastrophic picks. That being said, let’s take a look at PFF’s reasoning for the two Cowboys that made the positive version of the list.

Center of Attenion: Tyler Biadasz appears ready to ascend to Cowboys throne

After a strong offseason Cowboys second-year center Tyler Biadasz is looking to become the full-time anchor for the Dallas offensive line.

The Dallas Cowboys concluded their offseason work this past week, and outside of the rookie class, the players are off until training camp. The OTAs and veteran minicamp allowed observers to see who has stepped up their game since last season. One of those players was center Tyler Biadasz, who by all accounts is primed to take the starting center role and run with it.

Biadasz had a few specific goals for the 2021 offseason that he noted in his exit interviews from the previous year, one of which was to get more in sync with the man who helps him start each play, Dak Prescott.

The second-year center is doing everything he can to achieve that goal. From attending extra sessions with the quarterbacks and wide outs to help establish that familiarity, to getting the majority of the first team offensive reps, Biadasz is happy with the progress he and Prescott have made.

“We are on the same page.” Biadasz told the media, before exclaiming that he’s focused on becoming the best version of himself possible.

It’s hard for one to become the best version of themselves. They must build healthy habits by sacrificing things they once loved.

“I was a big french toast guy.” Biadasz told USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “It is one of my favorite breakfasts. I don’t eat it anymore.”

Biadasz path to improvement is far more than just giving up some of his favorite meals, as he added that he’s picked up yoga and he’s stretching more, not to mention attending the aforementioned offensive workout sessions to further his connection with Prescott, and much more.

Teammates are starting to take notice of Biadasz’ hard work as well. Just this week left tackle Tyron Smith commented on the growth of the Wisconsin native, stating,

“He’s grown quick. Ever since his first year, he came with a mature attitude. Very high energy, and we love it. You’d think the kid has been playing for four years.”

Right tackle La’el Collins joined in on the praise for the youngster.

“He’s just figured out everything that he needs to know being the center of the offensive line — making the calls. He’s speaking with more confidence. He’s asking the questions that you want a center to ask against certain different things, adjustments, and everything like that, what to do.”

Collins would go on to deliver Biadasz biggest compliment yet when he compared him to recent Cowboys center Travis Frederick.

“He reminds me a lot of Trav [Frederick]. He’s got a lot of Travis in him. He’s great to see because we all know how great Travis was.”

Biadasz even shares the same affinity for cargo shorts as Frederick, something his teammates poked fun at, and one of the many similarities between the two bearded-Wisconsinites.

Frederick was one of the best offensive lineman in Dallas’ history. The former Wisconsin product anchored the Cowboys line for the better part of the last decade before retiring in March of 2020. Some might say it is fitting that Frederick’s retirement ultimately helped paved the path in Dallas for his fellow Badger, Biadasz.

Biadasz now seems to have a firm grasp on the starting center job, but only time will tell if the Cowboys young center will live up to the lofty comparisons that his teammates have placed on him.

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Cowboys to hold joint training camp practices with Los Angeles Rams

The Dallas Cowboys have found a training camp practice partner in the Los Aneles Rams.

Though only May, it is already evident how drastically different the NFL offseason program will be this year compared to a season ago. Last year the pandemic caused clubs to go without practicing on the field until just weeks before the season began. This year teams will not only be allowed to fully work amongst themselves, they will also once again be allowed to take place in joint training camp practices with other squads.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean Mcvay confirmed this week that his club will work with Mike McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys at some point this summer, according to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.

Jerry Jones had made it known his club intends to return to Oxnard, CA, the site of Cowboys training camp every year from 2011 through 2019. This news of a joint-practice with the Rams all but confirms Dallas’ return to California.

Jones was surely happy to hear that fans are expected to be in attendance for most training camps, as fan participation this summer will depend on the state and local COVID-19 guidelines. Many states are beginning to ease restrictions, as all but two NFL franchises are set to have full capacity stadiums for regular season games.

The majority of franchises will begin training camp on July 27. The Cowboys, however, are able to start camp a week earlier on July 21, as they take on the Steelers in the earliest preseason game of the year, the Hall of Fame game.

Full-speed NFL training camp with fans in the stands will be a sight for sore eyes after the chaos that surrounded last offseason.

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Prescott 7th-best QB in 2021 per PFF, other NFCE QBs in his dust

PFF released its quarterback rankings entering the 2021 NFL season, and the Cowboys Dak Prescott came in at no. 7 .

It is hard to overstate the importance of a quarterback in the NFL. Whenever a club has a great player at the position, they should do whatever in their power to retain his services, and that is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys did when they agreed to a record-breaking deal with Dak Prescott in the offseason.

It’s clear Prescott has become one of the league’s top signal callers, but where exactly he ranks amongst his peers has become a point of contention in some NFL circles. Pro Football Focus has emerged as arguably the leading player grading system, and the site recently released their quarterback rankings entering the 2021 season, where they ranked Prescott as the seventh-best quarterback in the NFL.

To provide some context the ranking, former NFL quarterback and current PFF analyst Bruce Gradkowski elaborated on PFF’s criteria for the list, stating,

“PFF’s quarterback rankings are based on grading every player on every play and tapping into multiple years of data to project future performance. We go beyond just last season’s performances, and the grading works to isolate each quarterback’s performance from that of his supporting cast, making for more effective projections.”

Prescott has steadily improved as a passer since entering the league as a fourth-round pick in 2016. Two years ago Prescott was second in passing in the league with over 4,900 yards, and last year was on pace for over 6,000 yards before his season ending ankle injury. While he may not have kept that pace and broke the record for passing yards, the former Mississippi State Bulldog more than proved that he can be the driving force of an elite offense in the NFL.

Gradkowski had this to say about the Cowboys recently re-signed leader,

“Dak is back. Prescott was on pace for the best season of his career before going down to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5 last year. For the second straight season, the Cowboys’ offense was moving the ball effectively through the air. But will the unit pick up where it left off before Prescott got injured?

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Prescott are going on seven years together — two as a player and the rest as a coach. They know what each other likes and how to make this offense roll. In Prescott’s four full NFL seasons, he’s had two top-10 finishes in PFF grade but also two finishes closer to the 20s. With Dallas’ bevy of playmakers on the outside, I would expect this offense to again find its footing once Prescott dusts off the cobwebs.”

While some Cowboys fans may justifiably argue that seven is too low for Prescott, the names above him on the list have all proven to be top-tier quarterbacks as well.

  1. Patrick Mahomes
  2. Tom Brady
  3. Aaron Rodgers
  4. Russell Wilson
  5. Deshaun Watson
  6. Josh Allen
  7. Dak Prescott
  8. Lamar Jackson
  9. Matt Ryan
  10. Baker Mayfield
  11. Matthew Stafford
  12. Ryan Tannehill
  13. Derek Carr
  14. Kirk Cousins
  15. Justin Herbert

Washington’s Ryan Fitzpatrick, the second-ranked NFC East quarterback, came in at the no. 19 spot, while New York’s Daniel Jones was one lower to no. 20, and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts was ranked no. 31, or the second-worst starter in the league. This clear advantage at the most important position is the reason the Cowboys are the odds on favorite to win the division.

Prescott should continue to climb in these rankings, as players like Tom Brady (age 43) and Aaron Rodgers (age 37) are in the twilight of their careers, and even Russell Wilson (ages 32) has five years on Prescott.

It remains to be seen how Prescott will fair following the most significant injury of his career, but by all accounts Prescott is well ahead of schedule ands should be a full participant in the Cowboys offseason programs.

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Report: George Edwards finally taking lead in coaching Cowboys LBs

The Dallas Cowboys have had George Edwards coaching the linebackers during rookie minicamp.

One of the biggest disappointments of the 2020 season was the play of the linebackers in Dallas. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan came in as a supposed linebacker specialist, having coached them for several seasons in New Orleans. However his best-laid plans were silenced when Leighton Vander Esch was lost for multiple weeks in the season opener and everything the club worked on in the truncated offseason was thrown away, moving Jaylon Smith back to the Mike. A season of ineptitude followed and Nolan was replaced by Dan Quinn in the offseason.

Now, the 2021 rookie minicamp is underway and the majority of eyes are back on the defense as the club added eight defenders with their eleven selections in an attempt to improve their bottom-five returns from a year ago. Quinn is focused on the defensive line as his specialty and now the LBs have a new leader as well.  George Edwards is now in charge according to the Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr.

Edwards joined the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy’s staff during the 2020 offseason, when he was brought in to be a senior defensive assistant.

Edwards is no stranger to coaching defense, and more specifically linebackers, at the NFL level. In fact, this isn’t even Edwards first stint as the Cowboys linebacker coach, as he manned the role for Dallas from 1998 through 2001.

Edwards was an All-ACC honorable mention linebacker while at Duke University in 1989. The former Blue-Devil quickly found his way into coaching. In total, Edwards has 22 years of NFL experience and 13 of those seasons featured Edwards in a linebacker coach role.

The Cowboys linebacker room is full of young players that will be pivotal to Dallas’ success over the next few seasons. It is crucial that the Cowboys have the right coach working with the likes of Micah Parsons, Jabril Cox, and even Leighton Vander Esch, who is still on his rookie contract. Edwards’ experience could be vital in helping these talented players reach their potential.

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Cowboys trying out QBs, DiNucci not allowed at rookie minicamp

The Cowboys brought in two QBs for tryouts, and Ben DiNucci is getting another shot at some of the rookie programs he missed a year ago.

The Dallas Cowboys do not have many holes on the offensive side of their roster, however the club is actively in the market for a backup quarterback.

Last week Dallas brought in Jeff Driskel for a visit. Driskel departed without a deal, and now two more quarterbacks are visiting with the Cowboys. Former Ohio Sate QB J.T. Barrett and former Illinois State QB Brady Davis are both set to tryout with Dallas, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Following an extremely successful collegiate career, Barrett has yet to find an NFL home, although he spent time with the Saints, Seahawks, and Steelers’ practice squads.

Davis is an undrafted rookie who spent the last two seasons as the started for Illinois State after transferring from Memphis. Davis did enough to get on the radar of draft guru Dane Brugler, who said this about the former Red Bird signal caller, “Davis is an athletic competitor who can rip the ball, but inconsistencies as a passer (timing, placement, balance) will be tough to overcome vs. NFL speed.”

As far as quarterbacks behind Dak Prescott that are currently under contract, the Cowboys have Garrett Gilbert, Cooper Rush, and Ben DiNucci.

It looked like DiNucci was going to participate in this weekend’s rookie minicamp, as last year the rookies were never given the chance, but Archer reported that DiNucci was ineligible for this weekends rookie minicamp. However,  Archer did note that DiNucci can still take part in the Rookie Football Development Program that begins next week.

It remains to be seen how the Cowboys will handle deciding on the backups for Prescott.

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