Tag: Dak Presccott

5 Cowboys make NFLPA All-Pro list, but 2 best players miss out

5 Cowboys players made the NFLPA list but left off quarterback Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The NFLPA released its second annual All-Pro roster on Wednesday. It’s not to be confused with the AP All-Pro list that comes out later. This year’s selections included five members of the Dallas Cowboys.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, right guard Zack Martin and left guard Tyler Smith made the team on offense while cornerback DaRon Bland and kicker Brandon Aubrey made the list on their sides of the ball. Smith ended up in a tie with Cleveland guard Joel Bitoni, even though Smith did not make the initial Pro Bowl Roster.

As those players celebrate a great achievement, Cowboys fans will find it puzzling that their two most important players did not get selected. Quarterback Dak Prescott led the league in almost every statistical passing category yet was left off the first-team in favor of Lamar Jackson who threw for 12 fewer touchdowns and 841 fewer yards.

Jackson earning the best record in the NFL is apparently more of an indication of greatness than statistics are for an individual award.

Equally as puzzling was the decision to leave pass rusher Micah Parsons off the list as well. While it would be hard to argue against the case for Clevelands’ Myles Garrett, placing the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby over Parsons seems a bit questionable.

While Crosby registered 14.5 sacks compared to Parsons’s 14, the Dallas defender led the league in pressures with 103 compared to Crosby’s 94. According to PFF, Parsons had a higher overall grade, a higher pass rush grade, more quarterback hits and more quarterback hurries.

While a better record appears enough to overtake the quarterback discussion, it does nothing for a tightly-contested comparison among defenders.

Emmitt Smith, holdout legend, thinks Prescott should cave for Cowboys benefit

Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith gives opinion on Dak Prescott contract situation. Suggests taking team friendly deal

There seems to be a new opinion surfacing daily as to what Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott should do when it comes to his next contract. These opinions range from credible members of the Dallas media all the way to diehard Cowboys fans across all social media platforms. Now the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith gave his thoughts on the Prescott contract situation on The Lefkoe Show and it seems to have caused a stir.

“Dak has to understand and maybe take another perspective. The perspective may not be all the money that you get. It may be how much of the money you willing to leave on the table. Because the Cowboys is a marketable organization. So if you are the face of the franchise would it not, instead of taking 35, would you take 28? And leave some for Amari and pick up the other 35 through endorsements?” Smith expressed to Adam Lefkoe.

This may come as somewhat of a surprise to Cowboys fans everywhere considering Smith’s history with his very own contract situation with the team in 1993. The Cowboys started off with two straight losses largely in part to Smith holding out for a new contract himself. After that rough start for the team, Smith signed his deal and the Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl. All was great at that point and each party was happy. However now, when it comes to salaries in the NFL, a lot has changed in the last 27 years.

The idea that a quarterback taking up a large percentage of the salary cap being a detriment to team building was  deconstructed recently in an article by Bob Sturm of The Athletic (pay wall).

Smith was a strong advocate for running back Ezekiel Elliott to get his big pay day just last summer.

“If he doesn’t do it now when the league it talking about devaluing the running back position and he’s proven he can carry the ball 350 plus times on a consistent basis, there aren’t many backs in the National Football League that can do that,” Smith said. “We have one on our team and there’s another one up in New York (Saquon Barkley) and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone else. When you have those caliber of backs on your squad, they’re unique individuals … He deserves to be paid like that.”

Within the same year, Smith has gone on record from supporting Elliott in getting the highest of contracts possible to now saying the franchise quarterback should be taking a “team friendly” deal. Some could wonder if he has a bias for running backs.

In any event, the March 10 franchise tag deadline is rapidly approaching and if the Cowboys want to get a long term deal signed with their franchise QB, then one of the two sides will have to budge just a little. Smith clearly suggests it should be Prescott.

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News: Smith, Dorsett familiar with Jason Witten’s plight as long-time Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys will have plenty of decisions to make in free agency in 2020. Jason Witten’s future still undecided. Early 2020 MVP Odds

In just over a month, America’s Team will be faced with plenty of big decisions in pursuit of their sixth Super Bowl. The decisions are and will be polarizing but pivotal to success in 2020.

If defense wins championships, the Dallas Cowboys may have to brace themselves to enter 2020 without one of their key members of the secondary. NFL.com ranks the 2019 rookie groups in the NFC East. Legends Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith weigh in on the big decision Jason Witten will face. Everyone knows that you need plenty of salary cap space to make significant moves in the off-season. Is the team ready to free Blake Jarwin? All this and more in this edition of News and Notes.

CB overview: How it might look without Jones :: The Mothership

The team’s website takes on a position-by-position breakdown of the Dallas roster, including one of 2020’s major question marks. Al Harris, one of the Cowboys’ two new defensive backs coaches, will likely work with cornerbacks and says he is focused on looking for “football players.”

Byron Jones fits that bill, but his future with the club is in doubt. It’s looking increasingly probable that Jones will test the waters of free agency, and while the team would like to retain the Pro Bowler, they probably won’t break the bank to do it. Letting Jones walk might bump cornerback up the priority list come draft day.

–TB

32 NFL players who could use a fresh start this offseason, from QBS to injured stars :: ESPN

The Worldwide Leader asked its NFL Nation reporters to toss out one name from each roster of a player who could benefit from a change of scenery. Maybe it’s a big name in need of a second act, maybe it’s a diamond in the rough who’s lost in the wrong system, maybe it’s in the best financial interest of the team or the player to move on.

For Dallas, it’s lack of production. Todd Archer says wide receiver Tavon Austin simply hasn’t contributed much over two seasons as a Cowboy. With only so many touches on offense to go around, Austin needed to make his mark on special teams. Thus far, he hasn’t. Archer speculates that the team could find someone younger or cheaper (or both) to do so moving forward.

–TB

NFC East rookie grades: QBs power Giants’, Redskins’ classes :: NFL.com

Final grades have been handed out for each 2019 rookie group in the NFL. The Cowboys finished at the bottom of the class in the NFC East.

From the disappointing first year of Trysten Hill, the injuries that kept Connor McGovern and Jalen Jelks off the field entirely, and Mike Jackson and Mike Weber ending up with new clubs, the Cowboys’ 2019 draft class earned a collective C-minus. That mark ranked Dallas well below all their divisional mates.

The lone bright spots? The promise shown by Tony Pollard in a light-duty role and the free agent signing of undrafted offensive lineman Brandon Knight, who was the only Cowboys rookie to start a game last season.

–TB

If Jason Witten moves on, Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett know the feeling :: ESPN

Todd Archer caught up to past legendary Cowboys to see how they felt about leaving the silver and blue after years of historic status. Former Cowboys Hall of Fame running backs Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith chimed in on why they left and how they felt after the fact.

“I thought I had more in the tank,” Smith said from Super Bowl LIV during a promotion for Marriott. “I felt like I still was a 1,000- to 1,200-yard back, and I felt like I could continue [to] do that.” Smith and Jerry Jones mutually parted ways after Bill Parcells was brought in and clearly wanted to go in a different direction.

Witten is about to go face to face with a very similar situation in just a few weeks.

–DS

Deep Dive into the Dallas Cowboys 2020 Salary Cap :: Inside the Star

There have been a lot of narratives as to what the Cowboys could, should and will do with their near $80 million dollars in cap space in the 2020 off-season.

It’s no secret that Dallas has three players at the top of their “to-do” list in quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Amari Cooper, and corner back Byron Jones. John Williams of Inside the Star breaks down a plethora of moves the Cowboys can make to free up space.

–DS

TE Overview: Are Cowboys Ready To See Jarwin? :: The Mothership

On March 18 the Cowboys will be faced with nearly 25 unrestricted free agents to make decisions about. One player that they won’t have to worry about, contract wise, is tight end Blake Jarwin. However, with the looming decision to be made about Cowboys legendary tight end Jason Witten, it could be time to give Jarwin more of a role.

–DS

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Cowboys with plenty free agency questions to be answered before draft

While many conversations of late have been about the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys cannot look ahead just yet with the in house issues that remain at the top of the docket. When Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News asked about …

While many conversations of late have been about the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys cannot look ahead just yet with the in house issues that remain at the top of the docket.

When Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News asked about some of these issues to Senior Vice President of Player Personnel, Will McClay, he said “It’s going to be a tough deal” when it comes to paying everyone of the 30 pending free agents the club has.

“It’s the NFL. You’ve got your quarterback you’ve got to pay. You have a receiver. You have good players. When you have good players, you have to figure out how to pay them or how to survive. So, that’s what we do in the front office is try to figure how to work those contracts and get the best possible team with those guys. We’ve got to go through that whole process.” McClay continued.

Free agency, in recent years, has never been a time for the Cowboys to make big splashes. This is due to the fact that the Cowboys have drafted extremely well and have built their core from within. They’ve built their entire starting offensive line in the draft. They have drafted their starting quarterback (Dak Prescott), running back (Ezekiel Elliott), and No. 2 wide receiver (Michael Gallup) just over the last 4 years alone.  The Cowboys have also worked in some valuable trades in acquiring starting wide receiver Amari Cooper, and starting defensive end Robert Quinn.

Stephen Jones labeled Prescott and Cooper deals as No.s 1 and 2 on the priority list.

Coming in at a possible No. 3 on this list would be cornerback Byron Jones, who also is in need of a new deal.

Jon Machota of The Athletic also spoke to Will McClay about a possible new deal for Jones. “He’s a starting caliber NFL corner. He’s a really good player. We have to figure out his financial value and if it fits for us.” McClay said.

While Prescott, Cooper, and Jones seem to be at the top priorities, unfortunately this list is quite long for the 2020 Cowboys.

According to Over The Cap, the Cowboys have just over $81 million in cap space.

This seems like such a high number right? Well, not so much when you have three possible players who can potentially take up most of it. This is why the Cowboys have to be very careful when deciding just how much to pay these top three. Can they? Yes. The numbers don’t lie. There is indeed money available. Will they? That remains to be the question mark.

Robert Quinn, Randall Cobb, Jason Witten, Sean Lee, Michael Bennett, Jeff Heath, Tavon Austin, Antwaun Woods are just eight noteworthy players of the 30 pending unrestricted and restricted free agents.

“Every year is a challenge,” Will McClay said. “That’s the way the NFL is made with the salary cap… We go through and find out what’s valuable for us, who will fit within our parameters. We want to try to fill the holes in free agency and draft free.”

Within the next few months, a lot of these questions should be answered.

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News: Cowboys hire assistant head coach who has never coached

There is optimism in the air over the last week for the Dallas Cowboys after finalizing more coaching staff positions, but there’s an interesting wrinkle in the latest hire… Rob Davis has never actually been a coach before. Adam Rank of NFL.com put …

There is optimism in the air over the last week for the Dallas Cowboys after finalizing more coaching staff positions, but there’s an interesting wrinkle in the latest hire… Rob Davis has never actually been a coach before.

Adam Rank of NFL.com put together an unsung hero list of the 2019 season. He chose one representative for each of the 32 NFL Teams. Find out why quarterback Dak Prescott was his choice and why RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys has a different take. For the first time since the 2018 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have a first-round pick. Todd Archer of ESPN explains how this year, it will come with some sizzle. With the NFL Pro Bowl Sunday, Jaylon Smith embraces his first shot after quite the journey to get there. This is today’s News and Notes.

Cowboys hire Rob Davis as assistant head coach :: ESPN

There’s not much information in the snippet from Rob Demovsky, but the crux of this is that Davis is a former player, who spent time in the Green Bay front office before moving to private business, where he was senior director of people and culture for Pierce Manufacturing.

He’s never spent time actually on the field as a coach, which makes this the most interesting hire of all of McCarthy’s staff.

What an interesting look training camp will be in Oxnard.

Here’s a full listing of the Cowboys coaching staff as it stands now.

HC Mike McCarthy
Asst HC Rob Davis
OC Kellen Moore
DC Mike Nolan
Senior Defensive Asst George Edwards
ST John Fassel
Asst ST Matt Daniels
OL Joe Philbin
OL Asst Jeff Blasko
DL Jim Tomsula
DL Asst Leon Lett
QB Doug Nussmeier
RB Skip Peete
WR Coach Adam Henry
TE Coach Lunda Wells
LB Coach Scott McCurley
DB Coach Maurice Linguist
DB Coach Al Harris
Strength/Conditioning Markus Paul
Off. Quality Control Chase Haslett
Ddef. Quality
Cannon Matthews

NFL.com names Dak Prescott “unsung hero” of 2019 season :: Blogging The Boys

RJ Ochoa questions Adam Rank when he decided to list starting quarterback Dak Prescott as the Dallas Cowboys representative when it came to “unsung heroes” of the 2019 season.

The Cowboys relied heavily on Prescott’s production to be competitive this past year but Ochoa thinks when it comes to being unsung he would have considered right tackle La’el Collins or defensive end Robert Quinn as candidates who really contributed heavily with a little less spotlight. When you are the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, it’s pretty hard to not be the center of attention when it comes to being a huge factor in the teams success.

Cowboys have first-round pick this year (unlike last year), it’s sure to have some sizzle :: ESPN

Archer explains that the 2019 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t very appealing. This due in part to the fact that the Cowboys did not even have a first round pick because of the trade to acquire wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders. Sure that worked out well but after the first round, the Cowboys missed on a few and hit on a few less. That can change quite easily being that they hold the No. 17 selection in the 2020 NFL draft.

Defensive tackle Tristen Hill was inactive for more games than he actually played in. Due to a torn pectoral muscle, the Cowboys missed their chance to see anything from offensive lineman Connor McGovern. In the fourth round the Cowboys drafted Tony Pollard who showed glimpses of hope that he can be a true contributor to the offense but after that, nothing to get too excited about.

This year, the Cowboys hold the 17th overall pick in the first round and can go multiple directions.

–DS

After long road to Pro Bowl, Jaylon Smith calls the game a “Blessing” :: Pro Football Talk

Many NFL players don’t take the Pro Bowl seriously. Smith told the Dallas Morning News he considered this game a blessing.

The first-time Pro Bowler embraces this game whole heartedly considering the story he’s lived just to get here. Smith missed his entire rookie campaign due to his horrific knee injury he suffered in his final game at Notre Dame. After battling back to full health, and having quite the productive season, Smith was chosen to participate in the 2020 Pro Bowl when Luke Kuechly dropped out of the game via early retirement.

–DS

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