Tag: Jabril Cox

Cowboys rookie LB Jabril Cox exits game with knee injury

Rookie linebacker Jabril Cox is out for the rest of the game after injuring his right knee on a Vikings punt in the third quarter. | From @CDBurnett7

The Dallas Cowboys are slugging it out with the Vikings and linebacker Jabril Cox injured his ankle during a Minnesota punt. The rookie from LSU has been a special teams piece in his young career, a unit that has been much improved from the 2020 blunders.

Since the release of Jaylon Smith, Cox has seen a jump in snaps. The rookie made his presence felt with a huge hit on Daniel Jones at the goal line in Week 5 and has trended upward for Dallas.

Cox’s status is another blow for a Cowboys’ defense that has seen its fair share of injuries in 2021.

Cowboys’ Kazee fined for push vs Giants; no punishments for Cox, Kearse

Damontae Kazee was fined $6,264 for the fight with a Giants WR; no evidence could be found of Jayron Kearse’s alleged punch at Evan Engram. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The NFL has handed down decisions on several unfortunate moments from the Cowboys’ Week 5 blowout win over the New York Giants. By and large, the Dallas players involved (or, in one case, alleged to have been involved) came out relatively unscathed.

Safety Damontae Kazee will be a little lighter in the wallet for his shove of Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney. Toney was ejected for throwing a punch at Kazee during the fourth quarter of last week’s game; he has now been fined $12,875 by the league, as per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. He apologized for the incident and avoided a suspension by the league.

Kazee received a $6,264 fine, it was announced Saturday. He was penalized during the game for unnecessary roughness.

Rookie linebacker Jabril Cox made a key stop of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on a quarterback keeper near the end zone. His tackle of Jones prevented a touchdown on the play, but it resulted in Jones leaving the game on a cart and entering concussion protocol. The hit did not result in a penalty, though, and the league has now determined that Cox will not be fined for a helmet-to-helmet hit. Most observers felt it was actually Jones who lowered his helmet to initiate contact.

Finally, Giants tight end Evan Engram made allegations during the week that Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse threw a punch at him during postgame handshakes. Kearse will not be fined, though, as no clear video evidence could be found to prove Engram’s claim, reported Pelissero.

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NFLSU: How to watch former LSU Tigers for the NFL’s first game of the season

How to watch, stream the season opener between Dallas and Tampa Bay. Five former Tigers to play in this game.

With college football entering week three, it is time for the NFL to get underway. This year teams will play 17 regular-season games after adding a game to the typical 16 game schedules of the past. The first game features the Dallas Cowboys traveling to the Sunshine State to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The game features a total of five former LSU Tigers making their season debuts on Thursday night from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Two players for the Cowboys including a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Jabril Cox.

Dallas Cowboys

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

OT: La’el Collins

LB: Jabril Cox

The defending champs currently have four former LSU Tigers on the team with Cyril Grayson being the only one not on the active 53-man roster. The recent LSU graduate Devin White will look to lead the defense to yet another championship.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

RB: Leonard Fournette

LB: Kevin Minter

LB: Devin White

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Game Information

Dallas Cowboys (0-0) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-0)

When: 7:20 p.m. CT, Thursday, September 9

Where: Raymond James Stadium-Tampa, Florida

TV: NBC Network

Stream: Peacock TV

Lucky 7: CB Trevon Diggs, several other Cowboys get new jersey numbers

Trevon Diggs reverts to his old college number, while ‘Hard Knocks’ favorite Azur Kamara steps into a jersey full of rich Cowboys history. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans at home may well need a program come next Thursday night just to tell who’s who when the team takes the field in Tampa to kick off the 2021 season. Several jersey number changes were announced on Thursday.

Second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs will revert back to the No. 7 he wore at Alabama, taking advantage of the league’s new relaxed rule concerning single-digit jersey numbers. The No. 7 has been popular lately in Dallas; Ben DiNucci wore it most recently, kicker Lirim Hajrullahu also wore it for his short stint, and ex-punter Hunter Niswander had it prior.

But Diggs’s old No. 27 isn’t being abandoned. Safety Jayron Kearse will don that number moving forward, ditching No. 32.

Draft picks who survive camp and make it onto the regular roster are often issued new numbers as digit combos open up after cuts. Rookie linebacker Jabril Cox moves from No. 48 to No. 14, the number worn last year by backup quarterback Andy Dalton. First-year cornerback Nahshon Wright goes from No. 40 to No. 25. And defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa swaps his No. 75 for No. 97.

Undrafted linebacker and current Hard Knocks favorite Azur Kamara steps into a number with some historical significance. Having worn No. 43 thus far in his Cowboys football journey, he’ll switch to No. 54. That number, of course, has long been associated with some of the franchise’s biggest defensive names: Chuck Howley, Randy White, and- most recently- Jaylon Smith.

As noted by the team website’s Kyle Youmans, newly-signed quarterback Will Grier will adopt No. 3, while new running back Corey Clement will wear No. 43.

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Jabril Cox learning from veterans in Cowboys LB group, carving out important role for 2021

Fourth-round pick Jabril Cox is making the most of his snaps thanks to help from veterans in the Cowboys linebacker room. | From @StarConscience

It’s important to have depth at every position due to how frequently injuries occur. The Dallas Cowboys made it a priority to beef up their linebacker corps entering the 2021 offeason, and it started with converting Keanu Neal from the safety position. However, April’s NFL draft is where the Cowboys made the biggest splash.

It began with drafting Micah Parsons No. 12 overall. The Cowboys are using him as a swiss-army knife in the preseason as he is not only playing the linebacker position but he’s rushing the passer from the edge and the interior. The second linebacker they snagged in the fourth round, Jabril Cox, is taking advantage of his opportunities as well, and he’s done so thanks to guidance from the veterans in front of him on the depth chart.

“We have a great veteran group ahead of me,” Cox said. “Leighton, J, Micah, Keanu – those guys, they’ve helped out tremendously, especially Luke (Gifford). So just learning from them. I know early on it’s a learning curve, but once I get my opportunity I try to make the most of it.”

Cox started with a solid performance in the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His five tackles led the team and his grade of 76.7 was second on the Cowboys behind Parsons according to Pro Football Focus. He racked up eight tackles against the Arizona Cardinals and four more against the Houston Texans last Saturday.

The former LSU Tiger leads the Cowboys with 17 tackles (14 solo) in the preseason with three coming behind the line of scrimmage. Also, per Pro Football Focus, his 76.2 run-defense grade is second for all rookie linebackers to Parsons (85.7). He’s either led the team or been tied for the lead in solo tackles in every preseason game so far.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has noticed the gradual progression in the talented youngster.

“I think he’s kind of on a normal plane for a young guy,” McCarthy said. “He picks it up really clean. I think his introduction to pro football was a little bumpy at the Hall of Fame Game when he first got in there, and I thought he responded very well. I think he’s definitely done that the last two weeks.

“He had a really good play out in space (against the Texans) and definitely you could see his range and his instincts, his awareness. I think he’s doing a nice job. He obviously has to do more on special teams because that’s always where the young guys make their first impact.”

Cox is currently fifth on the Cowboy’s linebacker depth chart. His ability to play the run, cover out in space, and rush the passer could change all of that and increase his snap count once the season gets rolling.

There will be one more chance for Cox to get significant playing time in the Cowboy’s final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, and he’s looking forward to continuing his productive preseason showing.

“Depending on if I’m getting one snap or 10 snaps, I’m trying to make the most of those opportunities,” Cox said.

It’s looking like the Cowboys got one of the steals of the draft on Day 3 in Cox is he’s slowly but surely carving out an important role in Dan Quinn’s defense for 2021.

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The NFL let Jabril Cox fall into the Cowboys’ laps; he projects to make them pay in short order

In an alternate reality, Cox could’ve been on Dallas’ roster by the draft’s second round. Now he has all the motivation along with talent. A look at his circumstances and backstory. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys drafted Jabril Cox in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, a spot almost no draft expert expected him to reach. When Cox was a just North Dakota State prospect, then maybe he could have been considered a Day 3 candidate due to his playing at a small school against lesser competition. Once Cox transferred to LSU to increase the competition level and then acquitted himself nicely, while losing almost no drop in play, he had catapulted his stock in most eyes to Day 2 pick.

At picks 75, 84, and 99 there were many people in the Cowboys draft room calling for Cox to be the pick at those points. Dallas went elsewhere at all three spots due to the drafting of Micah Parsons in the first round to fill their linebacker room. Cox, to everybody’s surprise, fell to Dallas at pick No. 115 and the club couldn’t resist pulling the trigger.

Initially Cox was seeing just third-team snaps in training camp and not getting much run on special teams, but he began making his mark in preseason games. Cox was already seen as the Cowboys’ best value pick and he has been making a case for the realization of his impact to be sooner than his draft pedigree calls for.

The next player in our 2021 player profile countdown is No. 48, linebacker Jabril Cox.

Former Tigers LB Jabril Cox standing out in preseason

This shouldn’t be a surprise but former LSU LB Jabril Cox is standing out in the preseason.

It should come as no surprise to LSU fans that Jabril Cox is among the top performers in the NFL preseason. As a member of the Tigers defense, Cox racked up 58 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, one sack, three interceptions with one going for a touchdown. Cox also had five passes defended and one fumble recovery.

As a senior, Jabril Cox was everywhere on defense. He provides help against the run and in the passing game. Last year PFF graded him at 72.8 overall but was second on the team in coverage with a grade of 83.5. Only cornerback Eli Ricks was better in the passing game.

Among rookie linebackers graded against the run, Cox is the No. 2 graded player at 76.2 according to PFF. His Dallas Cowboys teammate Micah Parsons coming in at No. 1 overall.

Cox finished his third preseason game with the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, where he once again led the team in total tackles. In three games, the former LSU linebacker has 15 total tackles and three TFLs. Something that the Cowboys should get used to seeing. He has a nose for the football when he is on the field.

Currently, Jabril Cox is behind both Keanu Neal and Jaylon Smith on the Cowboys depth chart posted on ESPN. However, it shouldn’t take long for the young linebacker to overtake Smith. Cox has the advantage of having no limitations in chasing down offensive players, plus he isn’t a liability when it comes to pass coverage.

Until the time comes, Jabril Cox will likely see time on special teams and some sub-packages as a rotational linebacker in 2021.

Cowboys end offseason with different outlooks than 2020

After a disastrous 2020, the Dallas Cowboys have made changes to ensure that this season is better than the last.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason is essentially over, with only a rookie developmental program remaining before players report to training camp in July. After a truncated offseason in Mike McCarthy’s first season, things returned to mostly normal for his second campaign.

McCarthy and his staff never had a chance to fully implement everything cleanly last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. With so much turnover on the staff, an already rough transition was compounded by a lack of in-person tutoring as the whole world went virtual.

A new year brings new hope. This offseason has gone much smoother, which even allowed McCarthy to cancel the final minicamp practice before the giving the team off until training camp.  As it’s a wrap on the organized team practices, let’s look at where the Cowboys stand now, as opposed to where they were when they ended a disappointing 2020 season. Here’s a look at what has changed.

News: Julio Jones slams Cowboys rumor, Dak Prescott makes return

Also in Cowboys news, Jabril Cox contract details and defensive preview, Randy White remembers, and is Ezekiel Elliott the most overpaid?

Falcons wideout Julio Jones being photographed wearing Cowboys gear caused a bit of a minor stir, prompting whispers that maybe he was being traded to- or at least lobbying for a trade to- Dallas. But a Monday phone call from Shannon Sharpe of Fox Sports 1 all but registered on the Richter scale around the league. In the span of 90 seconds, Jones not only confirmed that he wants out of Atlanta, but he also dismissed the Cowboys as losers, and stated for the record that he has no interest in wearing the star.

The Cowboys nevertheless added to the wide receiver room before the day was over, providing yet another pass-catching target for Dak Prescott, who made his first appearance in a helmet and game-speed action since last October’s injury. The quarterback looks to build on his return with Tuesday’s OTA session. Contract details have been revealed for linebacker Jabril Cox, who could be the key to fixing the team’s woeful pass defense. Ezekiel Elliott is part of one of the NFL’s best rushing duos, even as one outlet pegs him as grossly overpaid. Amari Cooper could be on the verge of something big, and Cowboys legend Randy White sits down with his college alma mater. That’s all ahead in the News and Notes.

‘Now it’s a job:’ Will McClay’s scouting report on all 11 Cowboys draft picks

The team’s VP of player personnel offers advice for the team’s rookies ahead of minicamp and gives his thoughts on each player.

Welcome to the NFL, rookies.

Friday marks the start of minicamp for 29 NFL teams, including the Cowboys. Drafted prospects, undrafted free agents, and others simply invited for tryouts- 31 players in all- will go through three days of initial evaluation at The Star in Frisco as they prepare to compete with the team’s veterans for a spot on the final roster.

Will McClay, the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel and the man who had a hand in each one of them being given the opportunity, had a final word of advice for the youngsters.

“This isn’t college anymore,” McClay said, in part. “Now it’s a job.”

ESPN’s Todd Archer got McClay’s scouting report on all 11 of the Cowboys’ draft picks as they prepare for their first day on the company payroll. Here are excerpts from his comments: