After three seasons in Dallas, Daniel Ross is headed to Las Vegas to reunite with Rod Marinelli on the Raiders’ defensive line.
Another Dallas player has defected to the Las Vegas desert. Following in the footsteps of Jason Witten, Maliek Collins, and Jeff Heath, defensive tackle Daniel Ross is the fourth ex-Cowboy expected to sign with coach Jon Gruden and the Raiders.
Ross will be reunited with the Raiders’ new defensive line coach, Rod Marinelli. It will be the 70-year-old Marinelli’s first year in Las Vegas after seven years on the sidelines in Dallas.
Ross, who went undrafted out of Northeast Mississippi Community College, spent two seasons in the Canadian Football League before bouncing around the practice squads in Houston, Detroit, and Kansas City. He joined the Cowboys in November 2017, when Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension opened up a spot on Dallas’s active roster.
In 16 games as a Cowboy in 2017 and 2018, the 27-year-old Ross logged 19 combined tackles, two sacks, two fumbles recoveries, and a forced fumble. He sat out 2019 on injured reserve with a shoulder ailment. In November, Ross was arrested for possession of marijuana and a weapons charge.
Ross did not receive a restricted tender offer from the Cowboys, as the team’s revamping of the interior defensive line continues. Free agent nose tackle Dontari Poe and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, both most recently with the Panthers, were signed by the club in recent days.
Dallas has lost a few big-name players, but recent acquisitions have helped put them on the doorstep of the Top 10 in the new rankings.
It’s all theoretical at this point. There’s no actual football happening anywhere. Guys are coming and going, the roster is evolving, some holes are being created, others are getting filled. But the 2020 Dallas Cowboys exist only on paper right now, and while fans can like or dislike the moves that have been made thus far this offseason, no one can yet say with any certainty if those changes have made the team better or worse on the field, where it matters.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying. ESPN has tasked its NFL Nation reporters and a “power panel” made up of writers, editors, and TV personalities with sorting all 32 teams based on where they sit right now. After weighing recent personnel losses with free agency acquisitions, the Cowboys have climbed a spot since Super Bowl Sunday. As Todd Archer writes, they’re poised on the doorstep of a Top 10 ranking.
11. Dallas Cowboys
“The Cowboys’ top goal was to keep quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper, and they did that with the exclusive franchise tag and a five-year contract, respectively. They have suffered some losses, such as Byron Jones, Randall Cobb, Robert Quinn and the retired Travis Frederick, but they knew they could not pay big money to everyone. They added Gerald McCoy and kept Sean Lee, Anthony Brown and Joe Looney — which takes on added significance after Frederick’s retirement — but are they better now than last season’s 8-8 finish? It’s difficult to say yes, but there is the draft to consider.”
Dallas occupied the No. 12 slot in the network’s “Way-too-early rankings” following the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win on February 2. The watchword for the club then was “hope.” The hiring of coach Mike McCarthy had Archer feeling optimistic about the Cowboys’ chances for improvement. Now, despite those big-name losses in the locker room, they have climbed the ladder by a single rung.
For what it’s worth, the Cowboys also occupy 11th place in NFL.com’s latest power rankings, up two spots from No. 13 in the previous version.
Mike McCarthy initial moves in free agency all seem to address positions long neglected under Jason Garrett’s watch.
The 2020 Cowboys continue to take shape under Mike McCarthy. If each move the team makes at this early offseason stage reflects the new staff’s immediate thoughts of the roster they inherited from Jason Garrett, the external free agents so far signed by Dallas seem to address areas many perceived as roster holes continually carried by recent Cowboys teams.
In some regards, it’s been a typical offseason in Dallas. They’ve once again stayed out of headline-stealing free agent moves, but also have been involved with several high-profile contracts, mostly with their own players. The Cowboys have retained 12 members of last season’s roster (notably Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper), yet also lost CB Byron Jones and DE Robert Quinn to big money deals elsewhere. Coupled with the sudden retirement of Travis Frederick, McCarthy is juggling many factors out of his control in constructing the team’s upcoming roster. Much more within his control however, is the team’s own aggressiveness in pursuing roster additions with the offseason now in full swing.
The Cowboys were somewhat resistant to bringing in outside players under Garrett, often forgoing spending until the second and third-wave of free agency. With McCarthy now installed, he brings his own preferences and past relationships, and has chosen to supplement the roster at specific positions that’ve long-been identified as lacking. It’s not a coincidence and perhaps expected to experience this with any head coaching change, but Dallas’s recent additions should be promising to anyone who has wished for a fresh eye and perspective when constructing Cowboys teams.
Interior Defensive Line
Immediately noticeable is the additions Dallas has made to the interior of its defensive line, adding a significant amount of beef to both defensive tackle positions. Last offseason signaled a departure in strategy for the Cowboys, when they spent a second round pick on DT Trysten Hill. The draft selection represented a much richer investment than the team made previously made in the position, but one that unfortunately didn’t provide much value during the regular season. The additions of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe will hopefully do more than offset the loss of Maliek Collins, and provide a stabilizing force in the center of the defense.
Look for the Cowboys to use Gerald McCoy (93) and Dontari Poe (95) together on the inside on passing downs like they did last year in Carolina. McCoy has the ability to rush from the outside. Poe also has plenty of experience as a 3-4 nose tackle pic.twitter.com/gGjQ4M7kk3
A potential cap casualty target last year, McCoy eventually found his way to Dallas, and stands to be a valuable chess piece for Mike Nolan’s defense. McCoy may no longer be a perennial Pro Bowl candidate or one of the game’s most unsung pass rushers, he’s still plenty capable of providing high quality snaps from the 3-tech position. He can also lineup as a defensive end, and help absorb some of the loss of Quinn opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. He’s a plug-and-play player that makes a ton of sense for the Cowboys DL unit looking for consistency and playmaking as they move into 2020.
The same can practically be said for Poe, the 6-4, 346 pound nose tackle who was McCoy’s teammate last year in Carolina. For too long, Dallas was content with spending the bare minimum at the 1-tech position, utilizing stopgaps and out-of-position players Collins and Hill to take reps at nose tackle. Poe may be a mercenary himself, but he’s a space eater with a successful track record that the team likely would’ve avoided under Garrett. There’s also chance under McCarthy that Dallas will actually draft a NT prospect before Day 3 of the 2020 draft, adding even more mass to a stable that includes McCoy, Poe, Antwaun Woods, and Hill.
Safety
Another position seemingly neglected under Garrett was safety, a hot-button topic amongst circles less than thrilled with the coverage skills of players like Jeff Heath and Barry Church. Dallas almost had an aversion to signing safeties in free agency and upgrading the position, even despite their very public flirtations with Earl Thomas that stretched over two seasons.
HaHa Clinton-Dix has his own flaws, but bringing him on represents another shift in priorities, and he’s coming off a very solid season as a member of Chicago’s strong secondary. A free-roaming ballhawk, Clinton-Dix owns 16 career interceptions over his first six seasons, a welcome sign for a team that continually ranks near the bottom each year in terms of total interceptions. The signing reunites Clinton-Dix with McCarthy, who coached him in Green Bay from 2014 – 2018, and also with Amari Cooper, who were both members on Alabama’s 2012 National Championship winning team.
Despite bringing back K Kai Forbath, who was perfect on field goal attempts down the stretch in 2019, the Cowboys set up an intriguing competition this upcoming training camp between him and Greg Zurelein, the longtime Rams kicker who was recently signed. Many were essentially begging the Cowboys to bring on competition for Brett Maher during his time in Dallas, a frustrating run that maybe best highlights how Garrett’s insistence on sticking with certain players eventually costs the team.
While the optics of rostering two kickers seems puzzling, the Cowboys will surely only keep one come the start of the regular season. The minimal guaranteed money involved with both deals makes it easy to walk away from either player, and signals that Dallas is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to rectifying last season’s special teams debacles.
Compared to last season’s external free agency class (Randall Cobb, Kerry Hyder, Christian Covington, and George Iloka), the players already brought in by the Cowboys represent significantly greater investments, and will likely be counted on for bigger roles for 2020. Whether or not the moves ultimately pan out remains to be seen, but it’s still encouraging to see the new staff open to improving areas many have clamored for as needing help.
Gil Brandt of NFL.com reimagines the 2012 NFL draft and has the Bucs finding someone to play alongside Gerald McCoy.
The NFL draft is next month, and after posting a 7-9 record in 2019, the Buccaneers find themselves sitting near the middle of the first round with the 14th pick.
It remains to be seen whether or not the Bucs will use that pick to take an offensive tackle to help their O-line and protect six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, who chose to leave the Patriots after 20 years and set up shop in Tampa. Whoever Tampa Bay picks in round one, let’s hope they have as big an impact as last year’s first-round pick Devin White, who came on strong at the end of the season and proved to be the franchise cornerstone the team was hoping for.
But, even a prospect that seems like a future star can turn into a bust. Take former Bucs first-round pick Mark Barron, who many people, including current Raiders GM Mike Mayock, who was a draft analyst for NFL Network at the time, thought was a perennial Pro Bowler in the making. Barron was traded midway through his third season after never turning into the defender the Bucs envisioned.
And, in his redo of the 2012 NFL draft, Gil Brandt has the Bucs passing on Barron at the No. 7 spot in favor of defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who ended up getting drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 12.
Here’s why Brandt loves the thought of Cox joining the Bucs:
“Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy made the Pro Bowl six times in his nine Bucs seasons, but can you imagine how much more he would have flourished if he’d been playing alongside a defensive lineman of Cox’s caliber instead of the rotating cast of characters Tampa fielded?”
For what it’s worth, Cox has been named a Pro Bowler the past five seasons and even earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2018 following his 10.5-sack season. Hindsight is always 20/20, and at the time the Barron selection seemed like a slam dunk. But, as we’ve come to find out, there’s no such thing when it comes to the NFL draft.
As for who Brandt reimagines the Eagles taking now that Cox is a Buc, well, he has some linebacker named Lavonte David going to Philly at No. 12. David, of course, was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of that year’s draft.
Plus, Dallas signs a new kicker, DeMarcus Lawrence may improve in 2020, Connor Williams is ahead of schedule, and Sean Lee on Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys have locked up the deal with their new defensive tackle and announced the signing of a new kicker. Talks with the starting quarterback are ongoing, but the veteran linebacker isn’t concerned. The special teams coordinator has a new approach, the young offensive lineman has a health update, and the superstar edge rusher may be in line for a bounceback season.
All that, plus scoop from the former cornerback, greetings from the new big man in the middle, and new fan gear honoring the retired center and his facial hair. Oh, and a bizarre threat issued to teams… from the league commissioner. That’s on deck in this edition of News and Notes.
Specific terms and financial figures took a while to be released, but the team has officially finalized their contract with defensive tackle Dontari Poe. All that’s left is his physical and for him to actually put pen to paper.
An update: It's actually a two-year deal worth up to $10.5 million, according to a source. https://t.co/ug3y3olpxK
The General says he and his Cowboys teammates have no reason to worry about whether Prescott will be there when offseason work starts. Lee tells SiriusXM NFL Radio that he believes owner Jerry Jones will “take care” of Prescott with a new contract.
Kai Forbath will have some competition in camp this year, as the team has signed veteran kicker Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein to a three-year deal that will reunite him with Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel.
Take a deep dive into the so-called “third phase” of the game and check out what the coordinator of the best unit in the league plans to bring to Dallas. Like, for example, no playbooks.
a fact: all of the Cowboys’ major free agent additions (McCoy, Clinton-Dix, Poe, Zuerlein) have made the Pro Bowl
Dollars-and-cents watchers have pointed out that Crawford currently locks up $8 million of salary cap money, but the club is apparently not looking at trimming that number. It may be the clearest indication yet that the team is counting on him to help anchor the right edge of the defensive line in 2020.
Offensive guard Connor Williams says he is ahead of schedule on his recovery from a torn ACL suffered on Thanksgiving Day. The second-round draft pick from 2018 credits recently-retired Travis Frederick with helping him transition from tackle to guard after going pro.
While opposing quarterbacks should definitely be concerned about the Cowboys’ recent acquisitions of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, what they may need to fear most is a direct cause-and-effect resurgence to DeMarcus Lawrence’s game.
The Cowboys let Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones leave because “they have a whole bunch of good corners on that team,” he says, refuting the theory held by some that the team simply couldn’t afford him due to other players’ megadeals.
The 2020 NFL Draft will go on as scheduled April 23-25, with the league saying that “there is no assurance that we can select a different date and be confident that conditions will be significantly more favorable than they are today.” The commissioner’s memo to teams also specifies that “public discussion of issues relating to the Draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action.” Not a good look for the league here in the current climate.
A company called BreakingT is offering a limited-run ultra-soft t-shirt paying homage to new retiree Travis Frederick with some cool artwork showcasing Fredbeard’s glorious facial hair.
If you liked the Panthers’ defensive line this past season, odds are you’ll dig the Cowboys’ in 2020.
The #Cowboys have agreed to basic terms on a deal for free agent DT Dontari Poe, source said. They are finalizing the language on the deal, but it will get done. Another big-name former #Panthers DT in free agency.
If you liked the Panthers’ defensive line this past season, odds are you’ll dig the Cowboys’ in 2020. According to a report by Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, former Carolina defensive tackle Dontari Poe has agreed to basic terms with Dallas and the deal is being finalized.
Poe is the second interior defensive lineman to join them this offseason. Gerald McCoy has also agreed to a three-year deal with Dallas.
Poe was a two-time Pro Bowler early in his career, but he hasn’t been back since the 2014 season. After a five-year run with the Chiefs, Poe has made stops in Atlanta and Carolina. In 121 regular season games, he’s totaled 278 combined tackles (31 for a loss), 20.5 sacks and 49 quarterback hits.
When he’s healthy Poe is still a quality 3-4 nose tackle and the Cowboys are expected to switch to that scheme next season. Meanwhile, the Panthers are going back to a 4-3 under Matt Rhule.
The team is reportedly closing in on a deal with free agent Dontari Poe, who brings a unique skill set to the defensive tackle position.
The Cowboys continue to explore new building blocks for their defensive line as the free agency shopping spree goes on. While the signing of six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy certainly softens the blow of losing Maliek Collins, uncertainty about Antwaun Woods’s future with the team and question marks surrounding Trysten Hill’s development leaves Dallas in a precarious spot when it comes to reliable defensive tackle depth.
While a few recognizable names- including Damon Harrison and Ndamukong Suh- have been linked to the Cowboys as legitimate options, NFL insider Ian Rapaport tweeted Monday morning that the club is in talks with free agent Dontari Poe, most recently a member of the Carolina Panthers.
The #Cowboys are in talks with FA DT Dontari Poe, source said. It’s not done yet, but could be by the end of today if all goes well. Another potential big-name DT who spent last year with the #Panthers. https://t.co/uP7W5kBaEQ
A first-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2012, Poe spent five seasons in Kansas City, where he earned two Pro Bowl nods. He played in Atlanta on a one-year deal with the Falcons after that, and then joined Carolina in 2018. He finished the 2019 season on injured reserve after suffering a torn quad in Week 12, marking the first time Poe missed more than a single game in a season. The Panthers declined his third-year option for 2020.
With 278 tackles and 20.5 sacks over eight NFL seasons, the durable Poe may actually be better known for his touchdown-scoring prowess out of the backfield on trick plays for the Chiefs. In 2015, the 346-pounder rushed for a score, becoming the heaviest NFL player ever to do so. (William “The Refrigerator” Perry tipped the scales at about 335 when he rushed for two during his rookie 1985 season in Chicago.) The following season, Poe did it again, on a lateral pass play called “Hungry Pig Right.” On Christmas Day 2016, Poe entered the league record books as the heaviest player to ever throw a touchdown: a jump pass after a direct snap and fake rush out of the Wildcat formation.
The point is, if Kellen Moore really wants to get nuts, Poe could be Secret Weapon X. (Or maybe Secret Weapon XXL.)
Even if a deal with Poe is, as Rapoport suggests, imminent, the Cowboys are maintaining their interest in Harrison, too. The player called “Snacks” is considered by many to be the best free agent left on the market after four years with the Jets, three with the Giants, and the past two in Detroit.
The Cowboys-Harrison mutual courtship became social media fodder after he announced that he already owns a residence in the Metroplex.
Ezekiel Elliott was smart in contract negotiations. Why Did Gerald McCoy choose Dallas? Will the Cowboys sign Everson Griffen?
Ezekiel Elliott stood his ground last summer when he was in pursuit of a long-term deal with the Cowboys. With Todd Gurley being released by the Los Angeles Rams earlier this week although he still had years remaining on his deal makes Elliott’s decision to do so look even smarter. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy signed a three-year deal with the Cowboys earlier this week, and he has a specific reason why he put his signature on the dotted line. The Cowboys may not be done adding pieces to the interior defensive line, as reportedly they’re open to the idea of acquiring free-agent defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison.
For the past few days, free-agent defensive ends Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney have been linked as possible additions bolster the Cowboys pass rush. There have been some solid players added to the Cowboys roster during the early wave of free agency, however, their philosophy in the NFL Draft should remain the same. Who are the best available free agents after the first week, the possibility of adding defensive tackle Dontari Poe at a bargain, and how the Cowboys got creative in re-signing Joe Looney are covered in the News and Notes.
Don’t let the quarantine get you down. There’s plenty of Dallas Cowboys football available for free on NFL Game Pass! Free!
🚨 Update: Excited to announce we are finalizing a food truck “pop-up” at a centralized area to provide 500 meals to those on the front lines of this pandemic helping our sick & keeping our community safe. Best part, the food trucks will be those who reached out for help!🤘🏿
The NFL 2020 league year is underway, and the Cowboys, present and former, are front and center.
The Dallas Cowboys have been busy during the first three days of the NFL’s 2020 free agency, including Wednesday which was the official start of the league year. What free agents have signed? How does it impact the salary cap? Where does the club stand on 2021 compensatory draft picks?
The NFL is not allowing teams to officially announce their moves until contracts are inked, but the reports are everywhere and teams are being savvy in letting the public know. Technically, the Cowboys have signed only two players, WR Amari Cooper and S Darian Thompson, but they’ve agreed in principle with many others.
The club started the offseason with 30 players who were free agents. According to our tracking, only 11 remain without jobs currently. That list is below.
The long and short of all the moves? Dallas has retained two of the five biggest free agents in Dak Prescott and Cooper, and has yet to replace the losses of CB Byron Jones and DE Robert Quinn.
Here, we’ll keep track of all of the comings and goings, and the most interesting associations that may or may not ever come to fruition for the Dallas Cowboys. Later, we’ll place all of the actual moves in perspective of the 2021 compensatory picks, as Dallas stands to make their most massive haul in years based on who they have and will continue to see sign elsewhere.
Tagged
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 15: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
QB Dak Prescott – received franchise tag, amount TBD expected between $30 million and $33 million.
Re-signed
WR Amari Cooper– 5 years, $100 million (100% accuracy for our Offseason Manifesto prediction)
S Jeff Heath – Agreed with Raiders, two years, max $8 million
OL Xavier Su’a-Filo – Agreed with Bengals, three years, $10 million
Salary Cap Update – $25 million
Using Over the Cap salary amounts, the Cowboys have a projected $25 million of cap space remaining after their series of moves. Out of the 30 free agents they had at the start of free agency, 11 remain without jobs as of March 18.
Player Associations
Robert Quinn #58 of the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DE Robert Quinn – Cowboys hope to get a chance to make final offer. Two 30+ pass rushers (Jason Pierre-Paul, Calais Campbell signed deals worth $13.5 million)
CB Chris Harris, Jr. – Cowboys one of four teams listed as having interest in former Broncos CB
S Anthony Harris – Not officially linked, but Vikings franchise tagged and then said they would accept mid-to-late round pick in trade
WR Emmanuel Sanders – Reported mutual interest between parties to become Randall Cobb replacement
WR Tavon Austin
DL Michael Bennett
DT Christian Covington
DL Kerry Hyder
DT Daniel Ross (RFA)
LB Joe Thomas
LB Justin March
LB Malcolm Smith
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
CB C.J. Goodwin
S Kavon Frazier
The six-time Pro Bowler has come to terms with Dallas for just over $20 million for three years, a steal if McCoy performs as usual.
The dollars and cents are in on the Cowboys’ signing of defensive lineman Gerald McCoy. By all accounts, the team is getting a shockingly good deal on the six-time Pro Bowler and the third overall draft pick from 2010.
“Gerald McCoy’s contract details, pending a physical: Three years, max of $20.25 million. Signing bonus: $3 million. 2020 base: $2.5 million (fully guaranteed). 2021 base: $5 million ($1.5 million fully guaranteed). 2022 base: $5.25 million. Active roster bonus: Max of $750,000 each season. He can also earn up to $750,000 each season in incentives. An additional $2 million of his 2021 base salary is guaranteed for injury and becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2021 league year.”
Archer later amended his tweet to include $100,000 in annual incentives driving the cost up to $20.55 million.
McCoy will be expected to replace the production of Maliek Collins, the 2016 draft pick who recently signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Dallas has lost two starters from their defensive line, including DE Robert Quinn who led the squad with 11.5 sacks in 2019.
The newest Cowboys and longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneer turned 32 late last month and comes off a one-year stint with Carolina, where he notched five sacks, seven tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, and was in on 37 tackles over 16 games. It was the first time McCoy played a full season since 2013.
McCoy’s health for the entirety of the 2019 campaign, coincidentally or not, happened to come after the Oklahoma alum made a significant off-the-field lifestyle change.
New Cowboys DT Gerald McCoy became vegan last year in hopes of extending his career. It began after attending the Super Bowl as NFL Man of the Year candidate. “I said to myself, you need to do everything in your power to be able to feel that feeling” of playing in the Super Bowl.
Shortly after his release in January, McCoy emphasized his desire to play for a playoff-caliber team in 2020. In his ten NFL seasons, he’s never appeared in a postseason game.
Now he may get a legitimate chance… and if he helps lead them there, the Cowboys may have gotten a legitimate bargain.
