Tag: cowboys news

Cowboys’ Cam Erving placed on IR, Zack Martin, Luke Gifford returning?

The Cowboys injury woes continue, especially on the O-Line, as Cam Erving was added on the IR. Plus, will Zack Martin return this season?

One of the keys to success in football is stability on the offensive line, and the Dallas Cowboys have had just the opposite in 2020.

The team announced Friday that tackle Cam Erving is being placed on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. This is Erving’s second stint on the IR this year, meaning he is ineligible to return again this season.

Of the 10 offensive lineman on the initial Dallas roster in September, seven have spent time on the IR this season, and Erving is the fourth to be ruled out for the year.

Erving had been filling in at left tackle for Tyron Smith, who played just two games before heading to the season-ending IR with a neck injury.

Brandon Knight, who originally took over for Smith before meeting a knee scope, replaced Erving following his injury on Thanksgiving, and Knight will likely finish the year as the Cowboys left tackle. Barring injury.

Erving’s future in Dallas is uncertain, as he signed a one-year deal this past offseason.

There was a bit of potentially positive news regarding the offensive line. Mike McCarthy told the media the club isn’t ready to rule out right guard Zack Martin for the season. Martin injured his calf just three plays after Erving went out on Thanksgiving.

Martin did his best to keep the offensive front afloat this season. The All Pro began the season at his usual position but moved over to right tackle before the Cowboys Week 11 win in Minnesota, where he continued to play at an elite level.

When Martin landed on IR, some believed his season was over because of how few weeks are left. It remains to be seen how Martin’s rehab progresses, and if Dallas chooses to play him in the last few games of a lost season, as Martin being healthy next year should be a top priority for the Cowboys.

Luke Gifford has finished his two-game suspension for violating NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy, and the linebacker rejoined the team for practice Friday.

Cowboys News: Dez Bryant reunion nears, draft talk abounds

The latest news ahead of the Cowboys-Ravens game, injury reports and matchup previews, and more.

Just when it began to feel like the Dallas Cowboys had a chance to emerge from the NFC East and make the playoffs, that door was likely slammed shut with the Thanksgiving loss to the Washington Football Team. The loss potentially helped Dallas secure a top pick in next year’s draft, but who should the Cowboys target? Our own K.D. Drummond and CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker examine the top prospects who fit with Dallas, the Cowboys’ needs, and more in the latest edition of the Catch This Fade Podcast.

The Cowboys are set to take on the Ravens on Tuesday, after a string of COVID cases pushed the Baltimore game back in back-to-back weeks. Get the latest updates for both teams, an offensive and defensive preview of the Ravens. Plus, which players should Dallas re-sign in the offseason, and how can they improve the defense?

Saturday’s ‘Thursday’ Injury Report: Cowboys rule out Zack Martin, Ravens on mend

The latest injury updates for the Cowboys and Ravens ahead of their game this Tuesday.

No team has dealt with more complications from COVID-19 this season than the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys were originally scheduled to face the Ravens on Thursday Night Football, but the game was pushed back to Tuesday, allowing Baltimore to return a number of key contributors, including Lamar Jackson who is expected to suit up.

Saturday, DE Aldon Smith returned to practice and CB Anthony Brown was able to get in another practice. Offensive linemen Zack Martin and Cam Erving, S Steven Parker were non-participants, and S Donovan Wilson worked with athletic trainers off to the side at practice.

Smith (illness) had missed practices earlier in the week but was back in the action this weekend, and is game status is not in jeopardy.

Brown (ribs) missed Dallas’ Thanksgiving game against Washington, but the added rest has helped his recovery and he is questionable for Tuesday’s matchup.

The Dallas offensive line has struggled to continuity, and that trend will continue this week. Martin and Erving were the Cowboys starting tackles against Washington, but both were injured in the first quarter. Martin (calf) and Erving (knee) didn’t practice this week, and they are officially out

Wilson (groin) missed practice Friday, but worked on the side with trainers Saturday; his status is still in question for Tuesday Wilson had emerged as a bright spot in the Cowboys safety room over the last few weeks.

One of Wilson’s potential replacements, Parker (ankle), was absent from practice Saturday, leaving Dallas incredibly thin at the safety position if Parker can’t play. Both Wilson and Parker are listed as questionable, and Darian Thompson would be the likely beneficiary should Dallas be without Wilson or Parker.

Dallas’ upcoming opponent, Baltimore was hit with a whirlwind of COVID cases and injuries over the last two weeks, but a handful of the Ravens’ best players are set to return from the reserve list and face the Cowboys Tuesday.

On Friday and Saturday Baltimore activated a total of seven players from the COVID/Reserve list, including DT Calais Campbell, RB Mark Ingram, RB J.K. Dobbins, OLB Pernell McPhee, OL Matt Skura, OL Patrick Mekari, DE Jihad Ward.

Reigning MVP, QB Lamar Jackson, is eligible to be activated from the list on Sunday, and while Baltimore won’t confirm that as their plan, it is expected.

Despite te positive activations from the COVID list, Baltimore still has nine players with a questionable tag, and two listed as doubtful as we get closer to Tuesday.

The most notable questionable tags include Campbell, who was mentioned above, CB Jimmy Smith, DT Brandon Williams, and S Chuck Clark.

It will be important to monitor the Baltimore health situation before the Tuesday night showdown, especially at quarterback.

Cowboys News: CeeDee talks The Catch, club tributes Markus Paul

The Cowboys were supposed to play their second straight Thursday Night Football game, but with the Ravens recent COVID-19 complications the game is now being played on Tuesday. This delay has afforded Dallas extra rest, and the team is set to resume …

The Cowboys were supposed to play their second straight Thursday Night Football game, but with the Ravens recent COVID-19 complications the game is now being played on Tuesday. This delay has afforded Dallas extra rest, and the team is set to resume practice Friday. The team was in the facility however, as they watched film on the Ravens, and attended a virtual memorial service for their late coach Markus Paul.

Football fans are still in shock over CeeDee Lamb’s acrobatic touchdown against the Vikings, and the rookie gave some insight into how he learned his skills at a young age. Dallas has had to constantly shuffle the offensive line, but should they continue the shuffle to begin to try out Connor Williams at tackle? Who are the top five prospects in the upcoming draft class, and which are fits in Dallas? Plus, Ezekiel Elliott is the Cowboys Art Rooney Award finalist, the latest edition of the Catch This Fade Podcast, and more.

Ezekiel Elliott revealed as Cowboys’ nominee for Art Rooney Award

The Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott was one of 32 nominees for the Art Rooney Award.

The NFL recently announced the nominees for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. Every team selects one candidate, and for the Dallas Cowboys this year that candidate is running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Art Rooney Award was created just over five years ago, was named after the legendary Steelers owner, and honors a player whose impact is more than just statistical.

According to the NFL, “The award will be presented each year to an NFL player who demonstrates on the field the qualities of great sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for opponents, and integrity in competition.

“A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community — Warrick Dunn, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin, Karl Mecklenburg and Leonard Wheeler — will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote on Friday, Dec. 18.”

Recent nominees from the Cowboys include, Jason Witten, Sean Lee, Brandon Carr, Travis Frederick, Dak Prescott, Byron Jones in 2019, and now Elliott. A Dallas candidate has never been selected as the NFC East finalist.

The list of previous winners are all Hall of Fame caliber players on the field, and Hall of Fame caliber men off the field. Larry Fitzgerald took home the inaugural award, followed by Charles Woodson, Frank Gore, Luke Keuchly, Drew Brees, and Adrian Peterson last season. Joining any list with the likes of those names is something every player should strive for.

The full list of the 32 nominees can be found here at this link.

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Cowboys News: Who would trade up for Cowboys pick, Jerry hearts Dez

Jerry Jones praised former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant on Tuesday. With no team over four wins, the Cowboys can still win the NFC East.

Dez Bryant had a stellar career during his eight years with the Dallas Cowboys and formed a great bond with team owner Jerry Jones. The boss of America’s Team spoke highly of his former receiver on Tuesday ahead of the Cowboys matchup with Bryant’s new team, the Baltimore Ravens next week. The Cowboys suffered a humiliating loss on Thanksgiving, but with no NFC East team over four wins, the division is still winnable.

The Cowboys experience tragedy last week when strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul passed away, and their grieving process is only in its infant stage. Zack Martin and Cam Erving will both miss multiple weeks with injuries, which has forced Joe Looney to be the centerpiece of the offensive line. The coaching staff’s biggest issue, what’s caused Washington to run wild on the Cowboys defense, and a list of teams that could trade up with the Cowboys for a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, and more are covered in this edition of the news notes.

Weekend News: O-line woes continue, Cowboys-Ravens pushed back as Jerry defends Elliott, Smith

The Dallas Cowboys will be without Zack Martin and Cam Erving for multiple weeks. Cowboys-Ravens game pushed back to December 7.

The Dallas Cowboys have once again taken a major blow to their offensive line. Zack Martin and Cam Erving will miss multiple weeks with calf and knee injuries, leaving an already porous offensive line in further disarray. The Baltimore Ravens, along with a number of other NFL teams have recently been bombarded with COVID cases, which has forced the NFL to make a number of changes, including rescheduling the matchup between the Cowboys and Baltimore from next Thursday to Monday, December 7.

If there was any speculation team owner Jerry Jones regrets paying Ezekiel Elliott or Jaylon Smith he put it to rest on 105.3 The Fan on Friday, saying those coins were spent in the right place. Randy Gregory, who hadn’t recorded a sack since December of 2018, had his first multi-sack game against the Washington Football Team on Thursday. The Cowboy’s five most important free agents in 2021, how Amari Cooper was the only noteworthy player on Thanksgiving, and 10 truths about the Cowboys’ loss to Washington, and more are covered in this edition of the news and notes.

Cowboys’ Randy Gregory notches first sacks since reinstatement

One of the bright spots of the Cowboys Thanksgiving Day loss was the impressive two-sack performance by DE Randy Gregory.

Cowboys fans might have a tough time finding things to be excited about following their Thanksgiving Day loss, and that’s understandable. Dallas had a chance to build on their success in recent weeks, and enter first place in the NFC East, but instead suffered a 25-point home loss at the hands of their newly named but longtime rival, the Washington Football Team.

The score doesn’t quite tell the story of the game, as Dallas was down four with the ball to start the fourth quarter, and the contest wasn’t completely void of positive performances from players in a Cowboys uniform. Perhaps the most notable of said performances came from defensive end Randy Gregory.

Gregory was reinstated to the NFL early in the 2020 offseason, following a string of violations of the league’s substance abuse policy that caused him to be suspended for all of 2019. The 28-year old defensive end first returned to action in Week 7 against Washington, but began seeing significant number of snaps the next week versus the Eagles, and his impact was immediately noticeable.

Gregory compiled five pressures in his first three full outings and provided a needed boost to the Cowboys pass rush that was being held above water by All-Pro defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.

During Thursday’s Thanksgiving showdown, the former top talent out of Nebraska played what could be considered his best game as a Cowboy, as he recorded two sacks in just 29 snaps. The two sacks were Gregory’s first since his reinstatement, and the game was Gregory’s first ever two-sack game in his short NFL career.

The first of the two sacks came on 3rd and 7 on the very first Washington drive.

On this play, Dallas put Gregory and the defensive tackle, Aldon Smith, in a stunt (sometimes called a twist), where Gregory loops towards the inside after Smith crosses the guard’s face and slams into the tackle. DeMarcus Lawrence deserves a ton of credit here as well, as he blew past the right tackle, forcing Alex Smith to step up in the pocket and into the grasp of Gregory who had just used his speed and explosiveness to get by the left guard.

The following sack was less about a called defensive maneuver, or a teammate driving the QB his way, and more about Gregory using his natural abilities to quickly win the pass rush snap.

Gregory lines up on the outside shoulder of the Washington left guard Wes Schweitzer. Gregory initial step is towards the outside, but he quickly redirects to Schweitzer’s inside gap, and utilizes a swim move to then get by Schweitzer, and reach the quarterback before he can find an open option.

Dallas Morning News’ John Owning broke down the play, and noted, “Schweitzer is a good enough guard — he’s allowed just 14 total pressures and one sack this season — but most guards just aren’t used to the blend of speed, quickness and explosiveness Gregory brings to the table rushing the passer.”

Lawrence continued his stellar play on Thanksgiving as well, but it wasn’t quite as surprising as the recently reinstated Gregory’s career high sack game. Dallas re-signed Gregory to a one-year deal in September, a move that looks increasingly good for the Cowboys as Gregory has a ton of football left in the tank and is still just scratching the surface of his potential as a pass rusher.

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Cowboys sign Adam Redmond, elevate two CBs ahead Thanksgiving

The Dallas Cowboys a number of minor roster moves, including signing C Adam Redmond, and promoting CB’s Deante Burton and Rashard Robinson.

The Dallas Cowboys made a few roster maneuvers ahead of Thursday’s crucial Thanksgiving showdown with the Washington Football Team. The club had to address their continued issues with depth along the offensive line and in the secondary. Using the league’s roster rules to their fullest, they have a bit more solid footing going into the game on a short week.

After being elevated from the practice squad the previous two games, the Cowboys signed Center Adam Redmond to the 53-man roster. With Tyler Biadasz hitting IR last week, Redmond will continue to backup Joe Looney.

Every week each team can promote two practice squad players the day before that club’s game starts, and Dallas used both of these two extra roster spots this week to add depth to the defensive backfield, as CB Anthony Brown is not expected to suit up at this point, even though Brown is listed as questionable.

Cornerbacks Deante Burton and Rashard Robinson were both elevated to the active roster on Wednesday.

Burton saw 13 special teams snaps in his lone call up this season during Dallas’ Week 3 loss to Seattle. Robinson, a fourth-round pick by the 49ers in 2016, played his first snaps of the year in the Cowboys recent win over Minnesota.

Linebacker Luke Gifford was officially placed on the Reserve/Suspended list on Tuesday after violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The loss of Gifford cleared the roster space that was used to sign Redmond.[listicle id=656934][lawrence-newsletter]

Final Injury Report: Cowboys Anthony Brown, Greg Zuerlein questionable

The latest injury reports ahead of Dallas and Washington’s Thanksgiving showdown.

With both teams sitting at 3-7, it seems impossible the Thanksgiving game will decide who moves into first place, but somehow that is the reality of the NFC East in 2020. If first place in the division isn’t enough motivation, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to exact revenge on the Football Team, after Washington rolled up the Cowboys 25-3 in their first meeting.

The Thursday game means the two clubs are both on short weeks, and health could be an X-factor in this pivotal matchup. Based on the injury reports from Wednesday’s practice, the Cowboys might be without just one player on the active roster, cornerback Anthony Brown.

Brown was limited in practice Wednesday with an injury to his ribs sustained in the team’s Week 11 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Brown was listed as a nonparticipant during Monday and Tuesday’s team activities, so his limited status on Thursday is encouraging. However, Dallas used both of their two weekly roster promotions to bring cornerbacks to the game day roster, which isn’t a great sign for Brown’s availability.

According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, the club is preparing to be without Brown on Thursday evening.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein is the second Cowboys that was given the questionable tag, as he has been limited with a back injury all week. While both Zuerlein and Brown are questionable, Zuerlein’s game status seems less up in the air, as head coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday that he is not worried about the former Rams availability for Thursday.

TE Blake Bell, T Brandon Knight, LB Joe Thomas, and RB Ezekiel Elliott were all able to practice in full, and appear good to go. Dallas Cowboys staff writers reported that Elliott, along with LB Sean Lee, “were working on the resistance cords with the athletic training staff during the open portion (of practice)”.

For the Washington Football team, there are a number of players already ruled out, and a few key contributors that are questionable.

Starting safety Deshazor Everett is out, as well as defensive end Ryan Anderson, and linebacker Jared Norris.

Tackle Cornelius Lucas is questionable with an ankle injury. Lucas started at tackle for Washington each of their last three outings. Kicker Dustin Hopkins is another game-time decision with a groin issue.

The biggest name on the Football Team’s injury report this week is WR Terry McLaurin, who in his second season has emerged as a budding star in Washington. McLaurin (ankle) is officially listed as questionable, and his status will be closely monitored.

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