9 Cowboys who could follow Dan Quinn to Washington in next 2 years

It’s common practice for players to follow a coach to a new venue. Which defenders could trail Quinn to the east coast? | From @KDDrummondNFL

One would imagine that a ton of Cowboys defenders enjoyed their time under Dan Quinn’s leadership. His ability to motivate and lead is often cited as his best quality, and that’s for a defensive coordinator who has had three straight top-five defenses in Dallas on top of back-to-back No. 1 defenses in Seattle. In between was a stint as head coach of Atlanta that included a trip to the Super Bowl without having a top defense.

So it stands to reason, with a new franchise QB incoming and a ton of cap space, Washington is going to be an intriguing destination for Quinn’s disciples. Some will be able to join him this year, others will have to wait a year until their contracts expire. Here’s a look at two years worth of Cowboys free agents who could end up following Quinn to the nation’s capital.

 

3 Cowboys defenders likely to follow Dan Quinn if he leaves Dallas

If Dan Quinn leaves the Cowboys in the offseason here are three defenders who are likely to follow him out of Dallas. | From @ReidDHanson

Over the past three seasons Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has enjoyed celebrity status in Dallas. The former Super Bowl head coach transformed a fledging defense under Mike Nolan into a one of the NFL’s best, almost overnight.

Leading the NFL in turnovers for two consecutive seasons was said to be impossible, yet Quinn achieved it in 2021 and 2022. He was able to lure veteran players into rotational roles. Dallas retained up-and-comers on affordable deals. Quinn moved players to new roles and positions with shocking success. His proficiency in Dallas has earned him top status around the NFL. He’s been an annual name on head coaching interview lists each offseason and each season the Cowboys have felt generally blessed to somehow retain him.

That might change in 2024.

Upheaval is expected following the Cowboys’ 48-32 loss to the Packers in the wild card round of the playoffs. Dallas was humiliated at home and Quinn’s defense played a significant role in that loss. He’s already been linked to vacancies around the NFL and given his tenuous status in Dallas, may see 2024 as the perfect time to jump ship.

But Quinn is a player’s coach. His guys love him and based on the players who’ve come to Dallas to work with him over the years, his players also follow him. So, if/when Quinn leaves the Cowboys, who can be expected to follow him out of town?

Jourdan Lewis has regained form at a critical time for the Cowboys

Jourdan Lewis had a long and hard road back from injury but entering the postseason, he’s playing at peak levels and key to Cowboys success, finds @ReidDHanson

Jourdan Lewis’ 2023 season, in many ways, had been a season to forget for the 28-year-old veteran. After suffering a potentially career-ending foot injury roughly 15 months ago, 2023 marked a year of recovery, rehab, and grueling training for the Cowboys nickel CB.

Up until the injury, Lewis had been an ironman of sorts. He played 15 or more games in each of the five seasons prior and wasn’t familiar with the rigors of overcoming serious injury. Listed as a Lisfranc but described as something far more catastrophic, Lewis had to start at square one. It wasn’t just physically taxing but it was mentally difficult as well.

“There was doubt at the beginning that he would ever play again,” Britt Brown, Dallas longtime athletic trainer said of Lewis. “This was not a normal foot injury. This was like a car crash, where you crush your foot and it’s never the same.”

Lewis didn’t just need to get his foot back in football shape, but he essentially needed to learn to walk again with his surgically repaired foot. The laborious process understandably trickled into the new season, landing Lewis on the Cowboys PUP (physically unable to perform) list heading into training camp and buying the veteran time in his bid for a fantastic comeback.

At a cost of $6,137,244 against the cap, Lewis was Dallas’ tenth-largest cap cost in 2023. That’s a lot of money dedicated to a player who registered no higher than CB4 on the depth chart. But the Cowboys believed in Lewis. They saw how injuries in the secondary can sink an otherwise stellar defense and valued his ability to add depth across the ranks.

As fate would have it, a season-ending ACL injury to Trevon Diggs bumped DaRon Bland up to a boundary role opposite Stephon Gilmore, and vacated the nickel spot for Lewis to reclaim. As one could expect, Lewis did not exactly hit the ground running in his historic comeback bid. 2023 graded as his second-worst season as a pro as he struggled to regain form.

“I wouldn’t say I’m back to 100, but I understand how to manage my foot and what helps me perform better,” Lewis said in a January 5 interview with Nick Eatman. “Just getting my rehab in and keeping my diet and making sure I can perform at my best. I’m just in a better routine than I was earlier in the season. Just in a better place right now. I’m glad I’m able to get out there and contribute to the team.”

Announced as the Cowboys 2023 winner of the Ed Block Courage Award, Lewis is starting to see all of that hard work pay off. His Week 17 performance against the Lions and Week 18 performance against the Commanders marked his best games of the season. He showed intelligence in coverage, savvy in his playmaking and grit in his run defense. He’s playing at peak levels and he’s doing it with preparedness, discipline and toughness.

Playing in the slot is an almost impossible task in the NFL. Without the benefit of the sideline, nickel CBs are susceptible to a 180-degree release. Separation is almost unavoidable and oftentimes nickel CB is about keeping windows as narrow as possible and limiting damage more than it is about denying passes.

Lewis has shown throughout the season, nothing will come easy against him and while passes may be completed, he’s going to contest everything possible. His toughness and demeaner has been instrumental in the Cowboys ability to hold up against the run and his character embodies the spirit of a championship level defense.

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Referee Brad Allen’s crew blew two more crucial calls late in Lions-Cowboys game

Referee Brad Allen didn’t just blow the Lions’ two-point conversion — he got two more calls wrong late in the game. Why is Allen still in the NFL?

NFL Referee Brad Allen had already been at the center of more controversy this season than any NFL referee should want. Then, there was the illegal touch pass called on the Detroit Lions with 27 seconds left in Saturday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. The two-point conversion that wasn’t likely came about because Allen and his crew got the offensive tackle reporting eligible wrong between Taylor Decker and Dan Skipper. Had Decker’s catch been legal as it should have been, the Lions would have had a 21-20 lead instead of a 20-19 deficit.

But we’ve already gone full Zapruder on that one.

Referee Brad Allen may have cost the Detroit Lions a win against the Dallas Cowboys

Now, let’s get into two more crucial calls Allen’s crew blew late in the game.

With 2:05 left in the game, Cowboys running back Tony Pollard hit a seven-yard gain on first-and-10 from the Detroit 29-yard line. This was the play after Jared Goff’s interception to safety Donovan Wilson, and at this point, the Cowboys could run the clock down and seal a victory up 17-13.

But Allen called tight end Peyton Hendershot for tripping, which negated the run and put the ball 15 yards back at the Detroit 44-yard line. Mike McCarthy’s three-play passing sequence, which took just 11 seconds off the clock, followed, and that was its own disaster. But let’s focus on the tripping call.

Here’s the All-22.

Hendershot was facing Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson on the play, and there was an attempt at tripping. But the overhead and end zone angles show that it was Hutchinson who made the attempt. On the overhead view, you can dee down judge Sarah Thomas throw the flag from the lower sideline. How Allen managed to extrapolate tripping on Hendershot is a mystery. Could Hendershot been busted for a hold? Maybe… but had this been called correctly, the worst that would have happened for the Cowboys was offsetting penalties and replaying the down. Not a 15-yard deficit that changed the complexion of the Cowboys’ drive.

Then, with 48 seconds left in the game, the Lions had second-and-10 at the Dallas 26-yard line. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown ran a seam route from the left slot, and he was clearly impeded by cornerback Jourdan Lewis — that’s a nice way of saying that Lewis was all over St. Brown before the ball got there. There was no call for pass interference. The Lions converted on the next play with a Goff pass to tight end Sam LaPorta which took the ball to the Dallas 11-yard line, but this was about as obvious a pass interference as you’ll ever see.

Now, go back to Allen’s performance in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-19 Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Allen’s crew clearly missed an obvious pass interference on Green Bay cornerback Carrington Valentine with 19 seconds left in the game, so we’ve seen these late-game issues before.

Referee Brad Allen embarrassed the NFL on Sunday night, and nothing will be done about it

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in early December, Allen’s crew was already under scrutiny for a no-call the week before.

With 4:07 remaining in the second quarter, on second-and-9 at the Falcons’ 23-yard line, Saints quarterback Derek Carr threw a pass to running back Alvin Kamara, who was being defended by linebacker Kaden Elliss. The pass fell incomplete on a play in which Elliss never turned around to defend the ball, but Allen’s crew did not call pass interference.

The Superdome and the Saints organization were furious at the lack of a pass interference call on the play, which prompted the Saints to kick a field goal and trim their deficit to 14-9 with 3:54 remaining in the first half. The Saints (5-7) ultimately lost the game 24-15 and trail the first-place Falcons (6-6) in the NFC South.

Here’s that play, where you can see that Elliss was face-guarding Kamara and did not have his head turned to the ball. At the end of the overhead film, you can also see that this happened about five yards away from one of Allen’s officials.

Whatever this “increased scrutiny” was supposed to be, it certainly hasn’t helped matters.

So, we’re left with the larger discussion here. It’s time to focus out from which team Brad Allen may or may not have screwed in the Cowboys-Lions game. It’s time to ask whether Brad Allen is competent to officiate NFL games.

And the answer, clearly, is no.

WATCH: Cowboys slot corner Jourdan Lewis picks off a screen pass

The Cowboys thid corner is at the top of his game at the moment. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Jourdan Lewis is having himself a great first half. After missing the last half of 2022 with a serious foot injury that kept him sidelined through the entire offseason, Lewis started off the 2023 season slowly. Things have really picked up for him in recent weeks. Last week, in the loss to the Miami Dolphins, Lewis was the club’s best defender, crashing down and stifling both ball carries and receivers.

He’s picked up where he left off in Week 17 against the Lions. After a four-tackle first quarter, Lewis added a fifth. His big play though came a little after. Dallas got ridiculous pressure on a designed screen, but Jared Goff got the toss off. He probably wishes he didn’t because Lewis made an insane break on the ball and dove for the interception.

Lewis had an interception against his hometown Lions last season as well. He’s showing out.

Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis looks to stay perfect against hometown Lions that passed on drafting him

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Detroit native will host his family Saturday night; most of them are still Lions fans. “It’d be sweet to beat those guys,” he said.

The Detroit Lions have a special place in the heart of Jourdan Lewis, but that won’t keep him from doing all he can to shut down their high-flying passing attack on Saturday night.

The Cowboys cornerback is a Motown native who won back-to-back high school championships at Cass Technical and then starred for the Wolverines at Michigan. So of course, he dreamed about suiting up in Honolulu blue as the 2017 NFL draft approached. But the Lions had other plans, selecting Florida cornerback Teez Tabor in the second round and leaving Lewis for Dallas to grab in the third.

It still hurts, just a little bit.

“When you look at the team that drafted a corner when you were coming up, too, when you were in their backyard,” the seven-year veteran explained this week, “it kind of stings.”

Things have worked out for the 28-year-old as a Cowboy, but getting to face his childhood team always makes things interesting. Lewis says he’s arranged for tickets to this weekend’s game at AT&T Stadium for a rather large contingent of the Lewis family.

“All of them,” he joked. “In multiple sections.”

But surprisingly few of them will be pulling for his Dallas team to win.

“All of them are rooting for the Lions, pretty much. My mother-in law roots for me, my wife, and my mom. That’s probably about it. Everybody else is Detroit fans,” he said. “They were Detroit fans before I was born, so I can’t be mad.”

Having a personal career record of 3-0 against the Lions certainly helps Lewis maintain that attitude.

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But this week, he’ll have to contend with the strongest Detroit squad he’s faced yet. Quarterback Jared Goff leads an air attack that ranks fifth in the league in passing yards and boasts a top-5 receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown. And fresh off securing their first divisional crown in three decades, the Lions would love nothing more than to prove themselves worthy of contender status by knocking off the Cowboys in Dallas in primetime.

“It’s good to see them doing well and one of the NFC challengers, but we’ve definitely got to get a win,” Lewis said. “It’d be sweet to beat those guys.”

It would be doubly sweet for Lewis. who had to overcome a very difficult Lisfranc foot injury just to make the active roster this season. (He suffered the injury making his first pick of 2022, in Week 7… against Detroit.) And although he hasn’t snagged an interception yet in 2023, he’s played in every game, to the tune of two-thirds of the defense’s snaps thus far, and he ranks top-10 in team tackles.

And now that he’s set to become a free agent this offseason, every rep matters all the more.

Even if those reps require him to punish the hometown team that passed on him once upon a time, the team his family will still be cheering for Saturday night.

Maybe Lewis should have made his extended clan pay for their own game tickets?

“I’m not going to do them like that,” Lewis smiled. “Seeing them lose is good enough for me.”

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Cowboys-Panthers key matchups for Week 11: Lewis, Gallup must step up

In order for the Cowboys to avoid an upset and better prepare for future games, they should focus on kickstarting these parts of their team, says @ReidDHanson.

Much like the week prior, the Cowboys matchup with Carolina looks like an easy win on paper. The 1-8 Panthers rank at the bottom of the league in most major categories and are outclassed in nearly every major way this week against Dallas. But a few key matchups could go a long way in swinging the balance and ultimately deciding the game.

The Cowboys’ Week 3 matchup with Arizona serves as a painful reminder that things can snowball quickly, and easy wins can become embarrassing losses, in an instant. Dallas must remain mindful of this on Sunday and come out focused on the task. If the Cowboys offense can stay on their current tear, the defense should have no trouble keeping Carolina in check.

Report: Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis to be activated from PUP, placed on 53-man roster

From @ToddBrock24f7: The veteran CB would be eligible to return before Week 5, but his addition to the 53-man roster would mean someone else has to go.

For all the guessing and prognosticating about who won’t be on the Cowboys’ initial 53-man roster at the end of the day, one name who apparently will be there may come as a pleasant surprise.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis will be moved off the Physically Unable to Perform list and placed on the 53-man roster by Tuesday’s deadline, as first reported by NFL insider Josina Anderson.

Lewis has been sidelined since last season’s Week 7 with a foot injury suffered in a win over the Lions. The seventh-year veteran out of Michigan was told by doctors that his Lisfranc injury- one that displaces one or more bones in the midfoot and results in ligament tearing- was one of the worst cases they had seen in 35 years. Lewis had screws, nuts, and bolts installed to stabilize the foot and had to wear a boot until almost April.

He still has not yet been cleared to practice with the team, but being activated off of PUP would signal that he is close. Starting the season on the list would require Lewis to miss the first four games of the schedule; the Cowboys using a roster spot on him can only mean that they believe he’ll be ready to go before then.

“We don’t want to be on the PUP list,” Lewis said back in June. “I’m going to be rehabbing crazy to make sure I’m not on the PUP list.”

It appears he’s achieved that goal, just the latest in what has been a long comeback.

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Lewis’s presence on the 53-man roster naturally sparks questions about the other Cowboys cornerbacks, most notably 2021’s second-round draft pick, Kelvin Joseph.

The Kentucky product, by many accounts, had his best training camp yet this summer, but the improvements made may have been too little, too late as the Cowboys continue to thin their ranks to the top 53 players.

Check back with Cowboys Wire’s cut tracker for updates throughout the day on the team’s roster moves.

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7 Cowboys veterans who could be on the trade block

A look at several veterans who could command a quality return in trade talks after this weekend’s exhibition finales. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Are the Dallas Cowboys a top-heavy team, or do they have the necessary depth to survive the regular-season gauntlet? It appears on paper the club has several positions where the talent is overflowing, but there are a handful where injuries could cause a major downgrade in performance. The loss of rookies DeMarvion Overshown and John Stephens in Saturday’s exhibition against Seattle proved that point.

Linebacker and tight end are two of the club’s unproven spots and thus losses there seem to be catastrophic to the club’s talent level. Still, other positions seem well prepared for the 17-week grind as long as calamity stays at bay. It feels like Dallas has the ability to move some pieces at certain positions and potentially get plug-and-play returns at other spots of need.

Dallas needs veteran depth on the offensive line, so maybe there’s a chance to flip an asset for a team looking to save cap space there and allow younger, cheaper options to ascend. Maybe there’s some veteran help for Dallas to have as a backup to the youngsters at tight end and linebacker as well. Dallas can use future draft capital to acquire said help, but player-for-player swaps can be more enticing when feasible.

Here’s a look at several players who could be on the trade block following this weekend’s preseason finale against the Raiders.

Jourdan Lewis’ future with the Cowboys appears in doubt

Given the severity of his injury, his cost against the cap and the depth of the position, Jourdan Lewis’ time may be over with the Cowboys. | From @ReidDHanson

It wasn’t unexpected to see Jourdan Lewis’ name pop up on the Cowboys PUP list this week. The seventh-year cornerback suffered a Lisfranc injury in late October which required surgery and a brutal rehab period that was predicted to extend into training camp.

Lisfranc, a midfoot injury that impacts both bone and ligament, is a difficult injury to overcome. As David Moore of the Dallas Morning News described, it required the insertion of screws, nuts and bolts for Lewis, which kept him in a walking boot through March.

Earlier in the summer Lewis spoke of his grueling rehab and how the foot injury essentially requires him to re-learn how to walk. Lewis only started running recently and even that has been restricted by his rehab team.

Even though Lewis suffered a particularly bad Lisfranc injury, it’s not uncommon for the rehab to last as long as it has. Per the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, the median time to return for NFL players was 11.1 months from the time of the injury. Lewis would be lucky to make the median time (mid-September).

This all assumes Lewis returns to the Cowboys.

After struggling significantly with depth at the CB position throughout most of 2022, Dallas has built up quite the unit in 2023. Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore have the top-two spots locked down while players like DaRon Bland, Eric Scott, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Myles Brooks and even hybrid DB Israel Mukuamu duke it out for coverage roles behind and alongside them.

Bland was particularly impressive in 2022, leading the Cowboys in interceptions (five) and showing he could be a long-term answer at CB. Even if Lewis bounces back to his pre-injury self, Bland is the favorite to claim Lewis’ spot as the top nickel CB (provided Bland can pick up where he left off in his rookie season).

Mukuamu was also impressive playing in the nickel role last postseason. But since he’s shown the ability to effectively play a deep safety role as well, his role in 2023 may be more fluid or needs-based.

The rest of the bunch are fighting for roster spots and roles. They are all younger, cheaper and healthier than Lewis, so it stands to reason if they show they can be decent solutions, they will get the benefit of the doubt.

Lewis is on the books for $5,872,550. If he doesn’t fit in as a top-three CB, Dallas may not be able to justify his cost. The Cowboys aren’t in need of creating cap space for this season, but they aren’t known to needlessly spend either.

Lewis’ future is likely to be as tied to the field of competition as it is his own health. If young players step up and show they can be viable solutions, Lewis may not have a place on the roster waiting for him.

Lewis’ time on the PUP list could even extend into the regular season to bide the Cowboys time. They saw firsthand how quickly depth can evaporate at CB and may want to have an ace up their sleeve like Lewis in the background in case of emergency. A PUP designation into the regular season guarantees his salary, though.

How this all plays out is anyone’s guess but there is a very real possibility Lewis never plays a snap again for the Cowboys.

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