Tag: Eric Scott Jr.

Pair of Cowboys DBs claimed off waivers, headed to AFC

From @ToddBrock24f7: Eric Scott Jr. and Julius Wood both flashed with their preseason play but failed to survive roster cuts. Now they’re on new 53-man rosters.

As NFL teams look to finalize their rosters for the 2024 season, many clubs are scouring the week’s cut lists to do so.

The Cowboys have seen two of their promising defensive back prospects claimed off waivers by AFC opponents ahead of Wednesday’s midday deadline.

Cornerback Eric Scott Jr., a sixth-round draft pick just last year out of Southern Mississippi, has been awarded to the Kansas City Chiefs. While he didn’t appear in any games for Dallas as a rookie, he did have a productive preseason, logging an interception versus the Rams and showing flashes during training camp with multiple pass breakups in practice.

Safety Julius Wood has been claimed by the Tennessee Titans. Wood joined the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina this spring. Wood also impressed during the three exhibition contests, notching a pair of picks and recording 11 tackles.

As waiver wire pickups, Scott and Wood will go immediately to the 53-man rosters for their new teams. The Chiefs and Titans will each have to make a corresponding roster move- cut a player who survived Tuesday’s releases- in order to make room.

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The Cowboys were not awarded any players via waivers; it was not immediately known if they submitted any claims.

Several of the players initially released by Dallas– including Josh Ball, Jalen Cropper, Malik Davis, and Carl Lawson- were brought back after they officially cleared waivers for a spot on the Cowboys’ 2024 practice squad.

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Cowboys have cornered the market at just under 8% of 2024 salary cap

The Cowboys are top heavy in their cornerback room, opening the door to help in free agency or the draft. | From @ArmyChiefW3

For a long time, the Cowboys were a struggling secondary when it came to getting interceptions. From 2015 through 2020, they never picked off more than 10 passes in a single season, and doing that only twice in the span. Then, in 2021, All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs did that by himself with his his league-leading 11 picks while the team totaled an amazing 26. 17 of those turnovers came from the cornerback room that season. In 2022, Dallas had 16 interceptions as a team while 2023 added another 17 making it three straight seasons in which Dallas ranked in the top 10 in total interceptions.

Wondering if Dallas can do it again under a new scheme is a valid question with Dan Quinn in Washington and Mike Zimmer taking over the defense and changing the playbook. Another question ishow much depth Dallas really has looking beyond their two projected starters. Five players under contract means the Cowboys have a sneaky need at the position and questions linger after the top two guys. Nonetheless, the current corners in Dallas rival another group for the best-managed room on the roster.

Former draft pick Eric Scott could find new life under Cowboys’ Mike Zimmer

Eric Scott didn’t contribute for the Cowboys as a rookie, but with roster changes and Mike Zimmer on board, he could break through in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

The 2023 NFL draft was full of surprises for Cowboys fans. From the selection of a defensive tackle in the first round, to the seemingly panic-driven over-drafting of a TE in the second, to the c ‘est la vie approach to the RB position, Dallas did much to spark heated discussions across the fanbase.

But for as unpredictable and controversial as many of their decisions were that fateful weekend, one selection stood out amongst the rest as particularly puzzling: sixth round pick Eric Scott Jr. from Southern Miss.

When the Cowboys picked Scott, draft analysts went scrambling. Franticly flipping through notes, sharing panicked looks, and filling the broadcast with enough empty words and sound fillers to make even the most hardened speech teacher cringe.

Dane Brugler, the benchmark in all things draft, had Scott listed as his 60th ranked CB in the class. He only profiled the top 46. Many were at a loss for words, especially because the Cowboys didn’t just sit back and settle for Scott, they aggressively pursued him.

Trading a 2024 fifth-round pick to Kansas City, the Cowboys jumped into the top of the sixth and selected a hardly-known CB just nine spots after selecting Asim Richards in the fifth. It’s possible a spirited discussion at the Richards pick led to an “ok then, let’s try to pick them both” type of situation.

Regardless, it was clear the Cowboys wanted Scott and saw something most draft experts did not. It made him a fun storyline to follow in minicamps and the preseason and will likely make him a fun one again in 2024, even if he is seen as the forgotten draft pick from the 2023 class.

Scott graded out as a big, strong, athletically gifted prospect in the draft process. But a reported quad injury tanked his 40-time, causing him to fall on many boards. The Cowboys saw him as one of the most explosive players in the draft. That explosiveness, a trait they value greatly, was seen from Scott early in his offseason work in Dallas.

The 6-foot-1, 204-pound CB, was a standout in OTAs. With Trevon Diggs and Nahshon Wright sitting out, Scott got first-team reps and showed many in attendance why the Cowboys moved up for him. Eventually the logjam at CB and his rawness as a prospect caught up for him and Scott’s rookie season essentially served as a redshirt year for the 25-year-old prospect.

In 2024 the scene has changed considerably. Stephon Gilmore and Jourdan Lewis are both free agents and Dan Quinn has been replaced by Mike Zimmer. Opportunities on the roster should be there for Scott and the scheme of Zimmer should work to Scott’s advantage as well.

Zimmer loves big physical CBs who can play man, play the ball, and make tackles in space. That’s Scott. A full year in the Cowboys program and a full offseason to absorb Zimmer’s schemes will allow Scott to start on a level playing field with the other supportive DBs on the roster.

It’s likely Scott won’t be challenging for a top-3 spot anytime soon, but a strong presence on special teams will go a long way in carving out a depth role in 2024. Scott played predominantly on the boundary in college, taking 499 snaps outside, compared to just 48 as a slot/box player in 2022. But if he can prove capable of inside/outside versatility it could be all he needs to jump to the top of the reserve pecking order.

He’s a fun player to think about in Zimmer’s defense and someone everyone should have an eye on over the summer.

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Where does the Cowboys’ draft class stand ahead of cutdown day?

Questions surrounded the 2023 class yet as cutdown day approaches things look promising for each member’s chances. From @ArmyChiefW3

It has been said one must wait three years in order to properly gauge how well a team’s draft class fared. Growth is part of the process, but immediate impact by special players reinvigorates fanbases and quickly changes the season’s outlook. Take the rookie seasons of QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott for obvious examples.

While the three-year mark is a nice guideline, it is far from a rule and honestly, a lot less fun. Gauging a player with draft grades sets a baseline of expectations which are fun to track throughout a player’s career.

While immediate impact is always desired, having the patience to trust the developmental program may be the most beneficial support a young player can have. So where do the players from the Cowboys 2023 draft class currently stand before rosters are trimmed to 53?

Small-school rookie listed as Cowboys’ surprise standout

From @BenGrimaldi: Rookie cornerback Eric Scott Jr. was named as the surprise standout for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. Here’s why he made the list.

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the top defenses in the NFL. They have youth and depth at nearly every position. Add in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn being one of the best assistant coaches in the league, and it’s easy to see why the Cowboys have a bright outlook for the 2023 season.

Quinn gets the most out of his best guys, but it’s also a testament to the kind of players the Cowboys acquire when they routinely have surprise performers among their lesser-known players. ESPN took a look at each teams ‘surprise standout’ for the offseason and rookie CB Eric Scott Jr. took the honors for the Cowboys.

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