Tag: Joe Looney

Cesar Ruiz would be definitive answer to Cowboys questions at center

While most NFL Mock Drafts have the Cowboys going defense, offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz could be the man to fill the Travis Fredrick void

The Dallas Cowboys have major needs on defense but writers across the board have seemingly ignored their need to replace All-Pro center, Travis Fredrick. Hundreds of mock drafts over the last few months focus on beefing up their defense either by adding some depth to the defensive line, or helping out their secondary by drafting a cornerback or safety.

Fredrick shocked Cowboys Nation on March 23 when he announced his retirement from the NFL after just seven seasons in the league. A five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro walking away leaves big shoes to fill.  The Cowboys currently have Joe Looney who started in 2018 while Frederick was out, and 2019 third-round pick Connor McGovern played center at Penn State in 2017, but if the Cowboys steer away from defense at No. 17, Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz would instantly fill that void.

Ruiz comes into the 2020 NFL Draft as one of the top interior offensive lineman. He stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at just about 320 pounds. At just 20 years old, there is plenty of room to grow both physically and mentally as he joins the NFL.

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Ruiz recently sat down (virtually) with NFL Network reporter and producer Jane Slater and Bobby Belt on The Boys and Girl Podcast.  

Asked about what he’s dealt with so far when it came to pre-draft meetings. He said that things definitely had a different feel to them and wasn’t what he had expected but that you can get the same info out of a player in a face-to-face interview or a Zoom interview virtually.

Ruiz told the hosts he’s seen up to 12 teams already, including Dallas. He only spoke to new Cowboys offensive line coach Joe Philbin in which he got to know him a bit and tested Ruiz’s football knowledge.

Included in the dozen teams were the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, two division rivals of the Cowboys.

Ruiz acknowledged most interviews lasted anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes but some longer ones could go past the hour mark.

Ruiz said he’s watched plenty of Travis Fredrick film coming up as a center at Michigan. As big of shoes that they are to fill, he welcomes the challenge and hopes to make the shoes “even bigger”.

Since the age of 10, all Ruiz has ever wanted to do was play football. He’s a goal-orientated young man with the versatility to not only play center but anywhere on the interior offensive line. There are plenty of teams in the NFL seeking a dynamic player like Ruiz but in that first round it typically comes down to need. The Dallas Cowboys have a starting caliber center on their current roster in Joe Looney, but there’s never been a team in the history of the league who complained about having too many good offensive lineman on the depth chart.

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Connor Williams recovery, progress now Cowboys most important OL factor in 2020

How well are the Cowboys prepared at the interior offensive linemen spots?

Connor Williams showed up at 2019 training camp bigger and bulkier than he looked as a rookie in 2018. The problem was, he wasn’t all that much better. The second-round pick out of Texas was clearly not strong enough when he entered the league. Anyone looking at him during his draft press conference could tell that he wasn’t yet filled out to where he will eventually end up and that facing the interior linemen of the NFL was going to be a bit of a problem for the Dallas Cowboys latest addition to the second iteration of the Great Wall of Dallas.

After showing up for 2019 noticeably bigger, an ACL tear ended Williams second campaign early, playing just 11 games. Now, with the sudden-to-the-public retirement of Travis Frederick, Williams’ recovery is paramount to the Cowboys continued offensive line success. His improvement is a necessity, too, because he’s the domino that sets in motion Dallas’ ability to still sport one of the leagues’ premiere OL units.

Best Laid Plans

If Williams is healthy, and better, than that allows second-year and redshirt interior OL Connor McGovern to compete at the center position. Drafted in the 2019 third round, McGovern was a center at Penn State for his sophomore season before moving back to guard in 2018. He is likely the heir apparent to Frederick’s throne that is currently on the roster, but if he has to play left guard because Williams isn’t recovered or isn’t very good, than the dominoes start falling.

Joe Looney substituted for Frederick the entire 2018 season. He physically fared ok, but the Cowboys clearly lost a lot of Frederick’s offensive line leadership. The ability of a center to relay what he’s reading from the defensive front and linebackers is paramount and is a great aid to quarterback Dak Prescott. Without it, the fifth-year QB bears more of the responsibility to do so, and although he’s started 64 of 64 games since coming into the league, that’s part of what makes long-time veterans so great.

QBs have a lot to process when at the line of scrimmage and if they know the line will see the same things they do out of a defensive pass rush, that means they can spend more time dissecting what the coverage is going to try to do to stop them. It wasn’t as heralded as the impact of Kellen Moore on the stale offense they’d been running, but having Frederick back to take that responsibility likely had a huge impact on Prescott’s progression in 2019.

Whether it be the veteran Looney or the redshirt rookie McGovern, Prescott will have to be able to manage that aspect better than he did as a third-year starter in 2018 when the Cowboys QB was sacked 58 times.

Sacks taken, fundamentally, is a quarterback stat and a scheme stat. When the play breaks down, quality quarterbacks who can see the rush develop know which direction to step to, up or side to side, whether the play can be salvaged or its best to take off and run. Indecision in this area leads to sacks. Ask David Carr.

But certainly there is an aspect of offensive line play and whether they can keep defenders off for at least 2.5 seconds, the benchmark of the pass block win rate metric. Dropping from 58 to 23 with the same quarterback but a different line general is noteworthy.

McGovern has more raw talent than Looney, but it’s unknown whether any of that will translate into a solid NFL career. Dallas normally hits on their offensive line draft evaluations, so it will be an interesting litmus test whether Will McClay’s picks of Williams and McGovern measure up. It’s a lot to ask for McGovern to mimic what Frederick brought to the table as far as defensive line scheme-and-stunt recognition though, which means even though he didn’t do so on Frederick’s level, Looney might be the best answer, simply from seeing it all before.

Current Depth Guys

Aside from Looney and McGovern, the Cowboys seem to have some faith in center/guard Adam Redmond. The team also has Cody Wichmann and Marcus Henry on the offseason roster.

Redmond (6-foot-6, 300 pounds) was a Colts UDFA in 2016 appearing in four games before spending time in the Bills and and Cowboys practice squads the next two seasons. Last year, he was inactive for 9 games and then placed on IR in November. He was an Exclusive Rights free agent who the team tendered in March.

Wichmann (6-foot-5, 319 pounds) has a year and a half of starting experience at guard, beginning in 2015 with the Rams, but has been on the Titans and Cowboys’ practice squads the next two years before hitting IR coming out of Cowboys camp in 2019. Henry stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 300 pounds. He was a UDFA out of Boise State in 2018 who latched on with Seattle.

Coach’s Decision

Of course, the elephant in the room is whether or not Mike McCarthy and new offensive line coach Joe Philbin want to change anything about how the offensive line is constructed. While Philbin has demonstrated flexibility, he still runs primarily the zone-blocking scheme that has become the staple in Dallas over the last decade. But what about the prototype interior lineman?

Here’s a look at all of the players at guard or center who was drafted during McCarthy’s tenure in Green Bay. The two centers both hovered near 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, while the guard ranged between 300 and 330 pounds.

Both Williams and McGovern stand 6-foot-5, which is the high-end of players McCarthy have drafted. Looney is a bit heavier than the centers McCarthy has, coming into the league at 315 eight years ago and proudly promoting his girth in his famously funny Ezekiel Elliott impressions.

It will be interesting to see whether or not McCarthy wants to roll with what remains in the cupboard following Frederick’s retirement, or if interior lineman has shot up the needs board of the Cowboys. There are a handful of interesting centers in the draft, though the guard position is generally regarded as one of the weaker in recent years.

It’s highly unlikely that there’s a candidate chosen early enough to be an instant starter, considering the remaining needs elsewhere for the Cowboys.

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Report: Cowboys ‘love’ Michigan C Cesar Ruiz; is he Frederick’s replacement?

Cesar Ruiz is a top interior offensive lineman in the 2020 draft class; Dallas may try to get him the way they got Travis Frederick in 2013.

Everyone thinks they know what the Dallas Cowboys need. But past drafts have proven that almost no one ever knows what the owner of the Dallas Cowboys will actually do once he’s on the clock.

2013 is a prime example. Dallas held the 18th overall selection. But when the time came to make a pick, the Cowboys made a trade instead. They gave the 18th pick to the defending NFC champion 49ers, who took safety Eric Reid. The Cowboys slid to 31st with an extra third-round selection in their back pocket.

They used their late first-round pick on center Travis Frederick. With Frederick now retired from football and the Cowboys holding the 17th pick in this year’s draft, Sports Illustrated‘s Peter King says that the Cowboys may be looking at using a similar strategy to nab his long-range replacement.

From King’s “Football Morning in America” column this Monday:

“[The 17th pick]’s too high for a center,” said one personnel wag, “but they love the Michigan center (Cesar Ruiz), and they could trade down a few spots and still be sure of getting him.” Interesting: a plug-and-play heir to Travis Frederick.

Ruiz is universally considered one of the best interior offensive linemen in the Class of 2020. As King notes, taking him with the 17th pick would be seen as a reach. But so was taking Frederick in the first round in 2013.

But Frederick was named the starter on the first day of OTAs, started every game as a rookie, and made the All-Rookie team. Oh, and the club got wide receiver Terrance Williams out of that draft-day deal, too.

Joe Looney looks to be the man in the middle with Frederick now gone (Adam Redmond and Connor McGovern are still there, too). But at nearly 6-foot-3, over 300 pounds, and not even 21 years old, many believe that Ruiz has “elite” status written all over him and could develop into one of the best centers in the game.

Frederick went to five Pro Bowls in the five seasons he played. It’s safe to say that trading back and over-reaching for the player the team wanted clearly worked out well. If Dallas could find a partner club to swap picks with, snagging Ruiz late in the first and picking up an extra selection later might be worth passing on the defensive back or wide receiver that so many in Cowboys Nation are clamoring for.

If Cesar Ruiz turns into a fraction of the player Travis Frederick was, it would be a absolute steal.

News: WR solutions, Madden takes over 2020 draft, Patrick Peterson possible?

Dallas Cowboys news for April 3 includes WR prospects, Dez Bryant’s workout with Dak Prescott, and how Robert Quinn chose his new team.

More and more pieces of everyday life are going virtual in the COVID-19 world, including how NFL prospects are interviewing with teams, and even how they’ll be virtually welcomed to the next level by commissioner Roger Goodell.

There’s also official odds on Ezekiel Elliott’s winning the 2020 MVP award, news on Dez Bryant’s latest step on the Cowboys comeback trail, and details on how Robert Quinn picked his new team. Plenty of draft-day options to mull over, including a heavy focus on wide receivers. The team’s cornerback conundrum gets some debate, Joe Looney gets another look, and get a load of which NBA legend almost became a Dallas Cowboy.

NFL, EA Sports to create virtual 2020 draft moments :: NFL.com

The draft-day commish hugs will live on for some NFL prospects, at least virtually. The company behind the NFL Madden video game series is working on a batch of virtual clips so that the incoming rookies can see their big selection moment play out on TV, even if they won’t be able to experience it for real.

Dez Bryant works with Prescott, fueling fans eager for a reunion :: Cowboys Wire

Dez Bryant has been vocal all offseason about re-joining the Cowboys. Yesterday, he took arguably the biggest step yet toward making that a possibility. Our own Dave Sturchio breaks down a workout between two Cowboys icons.

A perfect fit? One wide receiver from the draft who could solve the Cowboys slot issue :: Blogging the Boys

A lesser talked-about WR that the Cowboys wouldn’t have to spend their top pick on? Van Jefferson out of Florida is a potential replacement for Randall Cobb in the slot.

Penn State WR KJ Hamler Fits Slot Need for the Cowboys :: Inside The Star

Losing Randall Cobb in free agency is a blow to the Cowboys offense. Cobb worked well out of the slot, just like Cole Beasley had before him. KJ Hamler, though, has the skillset to replace Cobb’s production, and then some.

Baylor WR Denzel Mims on Cowboys radar for 2020 NFL Draft :: Cowboys Wire

Also in wide receiver news, one the NFL Combine’s winners has reportedly already met with the Dallas front office using quarantine-safe technology. The Baylor burner worked out privately for the Cardinals and Buccaneers prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, he’s FaceTimed with eight other clubs- including the Cowboys- with more virtual visits to come.

NFL Draft Is Approaching. Did You Know Pat Riley Was Almost A Dallas Cowboy? :: Forbes

In an interesting tidbit, this NBA legend almost made his name in a different sport. How would Pat Riley’s pro sports career been different had he joined the Cowboys?

Robert Quinn landed with Bears after ‘coin flip’ decision :: 670 The Score

The former Cowboy raised a few eyebrows when he said during a media conference call that his decision to sign with either the Bears or Falcons “boiled down to… a coin flip.” After several news outlets ran with the quote, the Bears had to come out later in the day to clarify that Quinn’s remark was not meant to be taken literally.

Doc of the Day: Quincy Carter & Tony Romo :: The Mothership

With the entire world staying home, people are looking for things to add to their viewing playlists. And what’s better than young Tony Romo? This Cowboys documentary details the earliest parts of his career.

Yahoo Sports’ top 2020 NFL draft prospects, No. 30: Alabama CB Trevon Diggs :: Yahoo Sports

It’s no secret that the Cowboys are in the market for a cornerback. Alabama’s Trevon Diggs is a prospect the Dallas staff will certainly do their homework on.

Dallas Cowboys: Is trading for CB Patrick Peterson an option? :: Sport DFW

Rather than drafting a collegiate cornerback based on need, the Cowboys may consider trading for an experienced one now. Arizona reportedly shopped their eight-time Pro Bowler last season. Maybe the Dallas front office makes an offer now that he’s entering the final year of his contract.

What’s Up: Is Jumbo Joe The Frontrunner? :: The Mothership

Replacing Travis Frederick is no small feat. But the Cowboys found themselves having to do that just two seasons ago. Will they try Joe Looney at center again? Or should the team look elsewhere?

Cowboys’ free-agency work needs better results than recent past :: ESPN

Dallas typically isn’t a big player in the annual free-agency frenzy… but 2020 has been anything but typical. The last time the Cowboys added as many free agents as they have this year? 2017. But that didn’t work out quite the way anyone hoped.

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Jerry Jones responds to Frederick’s retirement, how will McCarthy?

In a stunning move, Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick announced his retirement from football today.

Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick sent shockwaves through an entire fan base by retiring suddenly at the age of 29-years old.

His loss will be felt by the Cowboys, as well as in the community, as Jerry Jones expressed following the seven-year veteran’s announcement via social media.

Frederick entered the league as a first-round pick, and a source of consternation, after the Cowboys decided to trade down in the 2013 NFL Draft and selected Frederick out of the University of Wisconsin. As a player most draftniks, most notably Mike Mayock, had pegged for the third-round.

Frederick proved the Cowboys right.

All Frederick did was become an All-Pro player three times, including a first-team honor in 2016, and was named a Pro Bowler in five of his seven seasons in the league. Few centers in the league protected the quarterback better, while also leading the way for the NFL’s leading rusher, as Frederick did twice for two different players.

Frederick was remarkably durable as well, starting 96 games over the course of his career. The only time he missed was during the 2018 season when he dealt with the debilitating Gullain-Barre syndrome that shelved him for the season.

With Frederick retiring, the question becomes, how will the Cowboys replace him under center? Luckily for the team, they have options.

Breaking down salary cap impact of Frederick’s retirement

Veteran Joe Looney filled in admirably in 2018 and helped guide Ezekiel Elliott to a rushing title in Frederick’s absence. Looney was recently re-signed by the Cowboys and could be the answer again in the upcoming season.

However, last year’s third-round pick, Connor McGovern, also has experience at the position. McGovern played guard at Penn St. in his final season, but also played center in his first two years there. Although McGovern was brought in to compete with Connor Williams at left guard, the Cowboys might have to alter that course.

It’s a big blow to the Cowboys, but having two solid in-house options to take over for Frederick softens the fall. Dallas could also utilize the draft to fortify the position if necessary.

Frederick was huge part of the Cowboys’ offensive success in the last seven years. He was one of the top centers in the game and Frederick will not be easily replaced.

The Cowboys will miss having the stability and excellence of Travis Frederick under center.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi

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Cowboys News: Outside-the-box Prescott proposal more outside reality

Mock drafts resume as Combine concludes. Prescott contract talk gets hotter, Byron Jones departing but potential replacement in FA emerges

With the NFL Scouting Combine in the rearview mirror, mock drafts are adjusting to the new information of which prospects athletically project to power in the move up in competition.

While it seems inevitable Prescott is under center for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, it is still unclear as to who he will be throwing to. A few mock drafts have the Cowboys drafting wide receiver Amari Cooper’s possible replacement. Cooper isn’t the only one potentially departing, as Dallas fans everywhere prepare for life without cornerback Byron Jones. Some say a replacement can be found at the top of the cornerback class in free agency. Mike McCarthy brings some new juice to the Cowboys’ odds of winning the NFC East and even representing the NFC in the 2020 Super Bowl.

With Dak Prescott about to break the bank, here’s why an outside-the-box deal makes sense for both sides :: CBS Sports

This proposed contract for Prescott’s future mega-deal may qualify as malfeasance by his agent. The idea here is for Prescott to sign a 10-year-deal before the cap explodes and he’s left in the dust. With all signs pointing to a general explosion of the salary cap in the next several years, tying Prescott in to prices based on the current market makes little sense.

A Look at Every Team’s Cap Situation Heading into Start of NFL Free Agency :: Bleacher Report

A brief, if albeit incomplete look at where team’s stand in terms of the salary cap heading into the 2020 off-season.

In many respects, the $77 million and change the Dallas Cowboys have in cap space is a mirage. It’s fool’s gold.

Sure, over $75 million is a lot of wiggle room. But a quick look at the Cowboys who could be about to hit free agency causes that pile of money to shrink—quickly.

Report: Raiders expected to pursue cornerback Byron Jones in free agency :: Pro Football Talk

Reports already surfacing of the Philadelphia Eagles getting involved and now the Las Vegas Raiders have joined the party.

Cowboys’ McCarthy to scout Oxnard prior to first training camp :: CowboysWire

McCarthy plans on taking a trip to the Oxnard, California for a day or two to get the feel of where the Cowboys will host training camp for their 2020 season.

Odds to win the NFC East and NFC overall are somewhat favorable to the Dallas Cowboys :: Blogging The Boys

According to BetOnline, the Cowboys find themselves 7/5 to win the NFC East and 9/1 to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

Cowboys G/C Joe Looney Could be Tough Free Agent to Keep :: Inside The Star

The beloved big man may have some suiters in free agency.

RB Overview: How To Maximize Zeke’s Talent? :: The Mothership

The running backs are up today as DallasCowboys.com continues to break down position by position of players who are under contract for 2020 and how they will be utilized in Mike McCarthy’s system.

Here’s why the Dallas Cowboys must open their wallet and get Dak Prescott’s deal done :: Star-Telegram

Clarence Hill discusses that the talk has to end and Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have to blink first when it comes to quarterback Dak Prescott’s new contract.

Scouting Combine ratings up only three percent :: Pro Football Talk 

Looks like the move to primetime was for naught. Negligible gains in viewership calls into the question the results of having some players not run their 40-yard dashes until late into the night.

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NFLPA head seeks unity as expanded schedule, playoffs reach forefront of CBA talks

The head of the players’ union warns that “a two-year strike” may be required for NFL players to get what they want from owners.

The enormity of the NFL empire is never more obvious than Super Bowl Week. But buried within the star-studded parties and celebratory events hyping Sunday’s big game in Miami, there is a meeting scheduled that could have serious repercussions on the future of the sport, possibly bringing it all to an abrupt halt with a total shutdown of the league.

Player representatives are set to meet with NFL Players Association leaders on Thursday for an update on the union’s efforts to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with league owners. According to an ESPN report from Dan Graziano, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith says he is planning to tell players that “if they want to dig in their heels on any one issue — including the owners’ push for an expanded, 17-game regular season — they have to be willing to take it all the way.”

That could very well mean an NFL strike before the 2021 season.

“People need to understand that it’s really easy to call for a work stoppage; it’s really hard to win one,” Smith told reporters in Miami. “So that’s why I started notifying players four years ago about saving their checks, making changes to their debt structure, and the reality is that if we want to hold out and get everything we want, that’s probably going to mean a two-year strike.”

While the owners’ desire for a 17-game regular season will be a significant item on the docket in a new CBA, expanded playoffs and a shortened preseason are also up for debate. Further topics to be hashed out likely include changes to the league’s drug and discipline policies, improved benefits for current and retired players, changes to training camp rules, and ultimately, the percentage of revenue players would agree to receive.

Smith will meet this week with player reps from the 30 teams not playing in Super Bowl LIV. The meeting is not expected to feature a vote on any issues, but as Graziano points out, “the union hopes that everyone comes out of it with some idea of where things stand and what kind of action the players want to take going forward.”

Both sides know that “a two-year strike,” as referenced by Smith, would be catastrophic to the league and permanently alienate scores of advertisers, broadcasters, and fans worldwide.

The next key moment for movement will be the NFLPA’s anual meeting, held in Florida in March. Cornerback Byron Jones is the Cowboys’ current representative; offensive lineman Joe Looney is the alternate. Both are free agents this offseason.

The current CBA expires in March 2021; ongoing negotiations would not affect the next NFL season or postseason. But, Graziano says, “there are portions of the new deal that would benefit the players if they were in place in time for the 2020 season.”

There is still plenty of time for the two sides to come to an agreement that benefits everyone, and the pomp and circumstance surrounding Sunday’s Super Bowl- the culmination of the league’s centennial anniversary- should serve as good reminders to both players and owners that the NFL pie is plenty big enough for everyone to get a fair slice.

But it’s Smith’s job to remind players that they also need to be prepared to get up and leave the table- for the first time since 1987- if it comes to that.

“The job of the union is to engage in good-faith negotiations, make sure that our players are informed, but at no time take it for granted that what is really needed is the ability of players to withstand a work stoppage and win it so that they come out of it better than before they went into it,” Smith said. “And if we are prepared to do that, and the players vote to take that action, we’ll be fine. But anything less than being fully prepared is wishful thinking, and perhaps cheap and dangerous talk.”

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