Tag: Reggie Robinson

Cowboys News: Will Aldon Smith return? Will Dan Quinn’s mojo?

Discussed are ideas on the possible returns of both Gerald McCoy and Aldon Smith as well as Dan Quinn’s impact as new Defensive Coordinator.

Free agency is just around the corner and the Cowboys are definitely in need of some help. Not only is Dallas negotiating with quarterback Dak Prescott but there’s a possibility of resigning Gerald McCoy after his season-ending injury last year. Another name being discussed to return is Aldon Smith. Pass rushers don’t come cheap though and Smith could be an important keepsake for the team.

How will Dan Quinn end up helping Dallas improve their defense? Will a change from safety back to cornerback ignite Reggie Robinson’s career? How can Demarcus Lawrence help the Cowboys pay Prescott?

Here’s Friday’s News and Notes.

Cowboys News: Best and Worst from 2020, takeaway review

The Cowboys have a number of former players finding success in the NFL, as players or coaches. Plus, names to remember for the NFL draft

With the Dallas Cowboys watching the playoffs from home, more attention is being paid to former Cowboys, at least for this weekend. Saturday night, Dez Bryant has a chance to get farther in the playoffs than he ever did in Dallas, as does Cole Beasley. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is the leading man to run Urban Meyer’s offense in Jacksonville, and former Cowboys TE Dan Campbell might potentially land his first head coaching gig with the Lions.

The Cowboys draft needs are abundant and clear, and the theme of the needs is defense. Get familiar with names of potential defensive prospects that Dallas could add come late April. A pair of young defensive backs were a bright spot for the Cowboys this season. The Cowboys staff writers going over their best and worst events from the 2020 season. Plus, is it already time for this young Dallas defender to switch positions again?

Winners & Losers: Donovan Wilson separates balls from foes, himself from rest of Cowboys secondary

Winners and losers from the first win for the Dallas Cowboys in over 40 days.

Before Sunday, the last time the Dallas Cowboys had won a game was 42 days ago. The four-game schneid was the team’s longest since 2015 when they suffered not one, but two losing streaks that were actually worse. Still, it ranks among the darker times this franchise has ever seen, so despite people pining for a continued tank, it’s a breath of fresh air to not be abject failures for one day.

As always, there are winners and losers from Sunday’s game. Though today’s recap will be more rosy than most in recent memory, there’s plenty of room for improvement despite the Cowboys looking like a functional football team the last two times they stepped onto the field.

Week 11 Inactives and Captains: Lawrence, Gregory good to go

The captains and inactive lists for Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been what anyone would describe as the picture of health throughout the 2020 season. Still, time stops for no team and never has that been more true than now as they begin a brutal slate of three games in just 11 days. Here’s a depressing thought: this Sunday may be the healthiest the Cowboys will be for the rest of the season.

With kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings just an hour away, the official inactive lists are available for both teams. The good news for the Cowboys is both DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory will be available despite an illness keeping them out of practice for most of the week. Here’s the official list:

A who’s who of rookies are inactive for Dallas today, including the perennially benched Reggie Robinson, who has yet to suit up for a single snap all season. Defensive end Bradlee Anae is apparently incapable of beating out Dorance Armstrong for playing time will join him as will Ron’Dell Carter who was just brought back from the Indianapolis Colts.

For the Vikings, their most visible inactive player that will have an affect on the day’s outcome is rookie tackle Ezra Cleveland. He had been ruled out of action on Friday, so this doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s worth noting that he hadn’t missed a snap since returning to the lineup in Week 6.

Their other inactives have played few snaps on the season. Here is the list in its entirety:

Center Joe Looney who remains the starting center in lieu of injured rookie Tyler Biadasz has been named captain for the week. Joining him is crafty veteran Sean Lee and running back and kick returner Tony Pollard.

News: Cowboys staff enters bubble, Colombo fired in NY, Emmitt’s salute to service

Also, the Cowboys get two off the Reserve/COVID list, and DeMarcus Lawrence promises a better showing than the team gave a month ago.

COVID-19 dominates the Cowboys’ headlines just days before their Week 11 trip to Minnesota. Just as two players come off the virus watch list, the Dallas coaching staff takes up residence in the posh hotel next to the team’s headquarters. This comes as the league announces that all teams will operate under stricter protocols for the rest of 2020. But those measures only help player and coach safety; now eight fans who have tested positive report that they had recently been in attendance at AT&T Stadium for Cowboys home games. Uncertain times indeed as the league heads into the home stretch of this surreal season.

On the field, DeMarcus Lawrence is promising better things than the team showed even last month. The Cowboys’ injury report shows only two players not participating in the Wednesday session, and Chidobe Awuzie is set to finally make his anticipated return to action. A former Cowboy gets his pink slip from Big Blue, a team icon reaches out to salute a retired serviceman, and there’s still a decent chance that the 2-7 Cowboys could be leading the NFC East in less than two weeks’ time. Here’s the News and Notes.

Jerry Jones backs playing younger Cowboys: ‘Overall in the best interest of the team’

The Dallas owner weighed the pros and cons of putting inexperienced players on the field during what has become a lost cause of a season.

“This is a time to sharpen your pencil.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke to 105.3 The Fan on Friday about using the team’s Week 10 bye as an opportunity for the organization to do some self-examination, some hardcore evaluation. Of everything.

Just past the halfway mark in what has become a train wreck of a season, though, it’s the other end of that pencil that’s been getting a heavy-duty workout.

While Dallas is still mathematically alive for a postseason berth, cold hard reality says it’s time to erase those playoff dreams and start scribbling out a plan for how to keep the high draft pick the team is currently in line for… and what to do with it come April.

Cowboys Wire has broached the topic of backdoor tanking. They’re not trying to lose games, per se. But, as managing editor K.D. Drummond put it in this week’s podcast, “Maybe the Cowboys aren’t doing everything that they can in order to win these games out there.”

For the back half of the season, that could mean increased playing time for lesser-known commodities up and down the Dallas roster. In addition to protecting the team’s bona fide superstars from needless injury when the season’s fate is more or less sealed, it gives the younger players valuable in-game experience.

Jones confirmed that this has already been happening out of sheer necessity throughout the first nine games of 2020. And it’s a good thing.

“What you’re seeing is real, legitimate, positive confidence and enthusiasm. It happens with young players. And you’re seeing that,” Jones said on-air. “These young offensive linemen, those reps… I just can’t tell you how precious and how important they are for our future. And these reps that players like [Terence] Steele are getting or [Tyler] Biadasz… these guys, especially in these fronts, are getting reps that will pay off for us next time we go to the field.”

Jones isn’t ready to go too crazy and shelve key players outright. For example, he stressed that he doesn’t believe Ezekiel Elliott’s sizable (and expensive) workload should be diminished simply as a way to give more touches to backup Tony Pollard.

But the bye does provide a natural break during which the coaching staff may look at other players who could benefit from being pressed into service. In our look at at ten changes the Cowboys should make during the off week, Cowboys Wire spotlights guys like defensive end Bradlee Anae, linebacker Francis Bernard, newly-reacquired defensive end Ron’Dell Carter, linebacker Luke Gifford, and rookie cornerback Reggie Robinson.

Robinson’s name came up during Jones’s radio interview, as the sudden loss of Trevon Diggs would sure seem to provide an obvious chance to get the highly-touted Robinson his first NFL action… and give the coaches a chance to see exactly what they have in the fourth-round pick.

“Sure, that’s what the loss of Diggs- the spot, the number coming available- that’s what it does to you. And you play those guys, and those guys all of a sudden are just better for having played the game,” Jones explained.

Jones intimated that coaches are often- rightfully- so locked in on winning the game in front of them that younger players can be overlooked. But from his vantage point in a season that’s ultimately going nowhere, the savvy businessman seems open to using the remaining games on the schedule as live-fire tests for a few of his other lower-dollar investments.

“Why it doesn’t happen is because usually you think that a situation is just not worthy of the mistakes that a young guy makes. So you go to the experience side. It’s overall in the best interest of the team to play the inexperience, overall. But you want the inexperience to not screw it up.”

Upping the playing time for the inexperienced members of the Cowboys roster is, at this point, a win-win scenario… even though it means the team and its fans will likely be staring down the barrel of additional losses. The sad truth is, they probably are anyway, no matter what.

Maybe it’s the bye week and the short break it provides from the neverending win-right-now grind of the season. Maybe the pause has allowed Jones and the front office to step back and see the 2020 campaign for the lost cause it has become. Whatever the impetus, there may suddenly be an underground youth movement afoot in Dallas. And the 78-year-old team owner may be the one leading the charge.

“We’re really being encouraged how many of these younger players- let’s say players that weren’t necessarily getting the reps early for whatever reason; injury or just where they were in the pecking order- they’re getting more play time. And it’s all over our roster, whether it be the offensive or defensive line, secondary, all over,” Jones said. “This time does call for us to really emphasize our direction, our attention, our focus on getting those guys on the field and getting them prepared. Our coaches will take this time to get that done.”

[listicle id=657883]

[listicle id=657741]

[lawrence-newsletter]

News: Elliott keeps chopping for Cowboys, Aldon Smith shows up on injury report

Plus, the latest on who will start at QB in Week 9, Trevon Diggs is making his mark, 3 names to watch, and Dez Bryant rocks his new uniform.

Admittedly, very few Dallas fans had “quarterback controversy” on their 2020 bingo cards. But it’s a guarantee that nobody could have guessed Cowboys Nation would be passionately choosing sides between Cooper Rush, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert at the season’s midway point.

Read on to see what Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had to say about prepping his defense for an unknown QB in Week 9. Ezekiel Elliott and Zack Martin also share their perspectives on the avalanche of unforeseen circumstances that have all but buried the Cowboys thus far. There’s injury news, as punter Chris Jones schedules a long-overdue surgery and defensive end Aldon Smith is suddenly bothered by a knee he tweaked in Philadelphia. The latest power rankings don’t hold much to be hopeful about, but Trevon Diggs is proving to be one to watch for the future. All that, plus three names to keep an eye on in the back half of the season, and a former Cowboys stud looks like a horse of a different color in his new uniform. Here’s your News and Notes.

ESPN reveals Cowboys’ weakness, but coaching staff has a plan

Dallas didn’t land an elite safety and lost its Pro Bowl cornerback, but the new DB coach says all his guys will be able to multitask.

Sizing up the Cowboys roster is still largely a speculative effort. A lack of preseason games and a shortened training camp with tight controls on revealing what’s happening behind those practice field doors has left fans and experts alike with very little information to work with, making for lots of guesswork when it comes to grading players.

Thanks to Sunday night’s not-ready-for-primetime televised practice that barely televised any actual football, judging the 2020 Cowboys- or any NFL team- still comes down to how they look on paper. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has done just that, attempting to identify the biggest Achilles heel for each squad as the season draws nearer.

In Dallas, he sees the secondary as the club’s primary deficiency. But it’s not at the position viewed as most troublesome when the 2019 season ended.

Barnwell’s list looks at the 20 teams deemed most likely to make the 2020 postseason, and spotlights the weakest link, whether it’s an injury that’s left one unit severely depleted, a COVID-19 opt-out that’s exposed a shallow depth chart, a less-than-ideal contractual entanglement, or plain and simple bad roster makeup.

In Dallas, he says, the Achilles heel is… cornerback, not safety. High-profile flirtings with Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams have made it pretty clear to the rest of the league that the Cowboys felt their back end was exposed, so to speak. And while many expected the club to shore up the safety spot with Xavier McKinney or Grant Delpit (or even Antoine Winfield Jr. or Jeremy Chinn) in the 2020 draft, the team elected to sit tight with Xavier Woods, Darian Thompson, Donovan Wilson, and the newly-acquired HaHa Clinton-Dix.

The team was able to land Alabama corner Trevon Diggs in the second round, though, and also brought in Reggie Robinson, a potential diamond in the rough at the position. So what gives Barnwell pause about the CB state in Dallas?

“[I]t took a step back at cornerback after losing Byron Jones to the Dolphins in free agency,” he writes. “The Cowboys re-signed Anthony Brown, who should start in the slot, and Chidobe Awuzie will likely return as a starter on one side, but they’re hoping to replace Jones by having someone emerge from a committee.

“[Jourdan] Lewis is the favorite on paper to emerge as the starter, but minor injuries to Lewis and Awuzie have created an opportunity” for someone else, he points out.

That someone else could be Diggs, who has, by all accounts, had a very impressive camp. In fact, Barnwell notes, “he has the most upside of the bunch and figures to be a regular by the end of the season.”

Robinson and veteran Daryl Worley also figure to factor in as well, along with cornerbacks Chris Westry, Saivion Smith, C.J. Goodwin, and Deante Burton.

But new Cowboys defensive backs coach Maurice Linguist has hinted recently that outsiders should stop drawing such a sharp distinction between safeties and cornerbacks. Because he’s not. In fact. he’s expecting everyone in both groups to do both jobs.

“I’ll tell you what I told all the DBs: ‘Hey guys, you guys play DB,'” Linguist said Saturday, according to the team website. “Don’t lock yourself into a position or lock yourself into thinking you’re any one thing. Learn them all. There’s multiple spots back there.”

Besides the aforementioned minor injuries to Lewis and Awuzie, Woods has also joined the list of the walking wounded. The Louisiana Tech product left Sunday’s practice session with a groin injury and did not return, although head coach Mike McCarthy said he wasn’t concerned about Woods’ status.

Still, a high attrition rate among the defensive backs may mean more chances for all of them to do some cross-training.

“By no means are you just one position for us,” Linguist said. “You play defensive back, and we all know how this thing kind of goes throughout the season. We’ll see multiple people at multiple different positions.

“If I know exactly where the safety is and I’m a corner, well, that’s going to help me better understand what my technique is at corner,” he continued. “If I know exactly what a corner is doing at the safety position, it can help me move six inches to the left or six inches to the right and be successful.”

“I think one of the worst things you can do is say ‘This is what I am,'” Linguist said. “Because what it’s going to allow us to do is plug and play the next best person, the next best player – not necessarily just the ‘backup’ of the position. How can we find the best spots – six, seven, eight DBs – and get them on the field together in a rotation.”

It sounds great on paper. Right now, though, that’s all fans have to go on. The multitasking strategy will have its chance to play out in the real world soon enough.

[vertical-gallery id=653101]

[vertical-gallery id=653320]

[vertical-gallery id=644692]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys 4th round pick Reggie Robinson moved to safety

CB Reggie Robinson has spent a lot of time in training camp at cornerback. Is a full-time position switch coming?

Noticeable during the second week of Cowboys training camp was the amount of time 2020 fourth rounder Reggie Robinson reportedly spent at safety. Is a full-time position switch forthcoming for the rookie, or does this reflect the overall philosophy of the new defensive coaching staff?

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Robinson played cornerback at Tulsa, but the Cowboys think his skillset also translates. Robinson did spend time there in high school, and the zone-heavy scheme Tulsa ran gave Robinson a lot of time to look into the opponent’s backfield. Dallas is relatively deep at CB, with 2019 starter Chidobe Awuzie alongside rookie second rounder Trevon Diggs, and veterans Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Daryl Worley and special teamer C.J. Goodwin. Their listed safeties are Xavier Woods, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Darian Thompson and Donovan Wilson.

Whispers about a position change for someone among Cowboys secondary group have surrounded the team for most of the offseason. As camp progresses, those rumors appear to be coming to fruition, with both Worley and Robinson taking reps at safety.

Of the two players, Robinson’s change is being reported as more permanent.

From a logistical standpoint, the move makes sense. But is committing Robinson to safety the best investment, given his ultimate upside at cornerback? Also unknown is just how Dallas is planning on using their additional safeties – or defensive backs, according to coach Maurice Lingusit.

Recently, Linguist clarified how the Cowboys view their secondary, in that they’re all defensive backs. Versatility has been a running offseason theme for the entire defense, with players capable of “being multiple” at each level. The same is true for the secondary, as players are seemingly expected to play both CB and safety. Said Linguist:

“By no means are you just one position for us. You play defensive back . . . If I know exactly where the safety is and I’m a corner, well that’s going to help me better understand what my technique is at corner. If I know exactly what a corner is doing at the safety position, it can help me move six inches to the left or six inches to the right and be successful.”

Whether Robinson’s time at safety is more permanent or situational remains to be seen, but having an interchangeable secondary should benefit the team in 2020. Having players capable of playing multiple positions helps protect against injury, as well as ensures the best group of players is on the field at once. Dallas can utilize additional DBs as slot corners, hybrid linebackers, or additional back-end support, helping Linguist and DC Mike Nolan combat modern NFL offenses and schemes.

However Robinson will be deployed this season, it bodes well that he seems to be in their immediate defensive plans. Given that Darian Thompson somewhat surprisingly seems to have the inside track to a starting safety spot, perhaps more roles are up for grabs than previously thought. For a young player like Robinson, this training camp is crucial toward determining the player he ultimately is at the NFL level.

[vertical-gallery id=653101][vertical-gallery id=652002][lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys News: Prescott’s $31.4M at risk, QB vocal in support of condemned man

Dallas Cowboys news and notes for August 6, 2020.

If the off season had went according to plan, the Dallas Cowboys would have faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame game on national television Thursday night, but a football-like substance was nowhere to be found. The deadline has passed for players to opt-out of the 2020 season, and the Cowboys finished with three total withdrawals. DeMarcus Lawrence had reportedly given opting-out a thought, but the Pro Bowl defensive end will remain with the team for training camp.

Are there any Cowboys on the roster who can make a historic leap from undrafted to star the way Tony Romo did years ago? Dak Prescott followed Romo in succession, but is forging his own path financially and off the field. Did the NFL pull the wool over franchise tagged players eyes when it comes to Covid protocols?

Tank Lawrence opts in, Cowboys Covid list stops at 3 :: Cowboys Wire

The deadline for NFL players to opt-out of the upcoming season was today August 6. Find out which three players the Cowboys will be without in 2020, and how that impacts the roster.

Franchise-tagged players have no real guarantee that they’ll get their guaranteed money :: Pro Football Talk

Guaranteed salaries count for however long a contract is for. While players with multiyear deals will see their guaranteed money secured if the NFL shortens the 2020 season, without future years to recoup the guaranteed dough, Prescott and other tagged players may end up losing out on part of their salary.

Exclusive: Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott Calls for Release of Black Death Row Inmate Julius Jones :: Time

Prescott broke a multiyear silence on divisive issues earlier in the summer when he came out in support of the end of police brutality and racial injustice. Now he’s joined the fight to right a perceived wrong with questionable evidence sentencing an Oklahoman man to his death.

 

2020 NFL predictions: Cowboys, Steelers among 2019 non-playoff teams who will make it in this year :: CBS Sports

Every year multiple non-playoff teams from the previous year go on to make the playoffs. Follow the link to learn why the Cowboys are one of the most popular picks to bounce back and make the postseason in 2020.

Reggie Robinson perfect fit as Cowboys secondary works to figure out identity :: Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys 2020 draft class was loaded with talent and value. One of the more overlooked draft picks, Reggie Robinson, has a serious chance to contribute as a rookie and beyond. Learn more about the Cowboys new defensive back from Tulsa.

Being next Tony Romo will be difficult for Cowboys’ undrafted rookies :: ESPN

Tony Romo is one of the greatest undrafted rookies in NFL history. Hear from Romo, as well as other famous undrafted Cowboys, on their experiences early in their career, and how they think this unique off season will impact these new players.

Mailbag: Dividing Up The Touches On Offense? :: The Mothership

In the latest edition of mailbag, Cowboys writers answer fan questions that revolve around the offense. Can there be too much talent on one offense? Does CeeDee Lamb need to bulk up to have success against NFL corners? Nick Eatman & Jonny Auping do their best to answer each question.

The Cowboys and the NFL lost more than just a sloppy exhibition game :: Blogging the Boys

It seems unthinkable that the Cowboys and the Steelers were supposed to already have a preseason game under their belt. For the Cowboys and all the changes they endured, this preseason would have been more beneficial than usual.

Coaching turnover could attract turnover-magnet Donovan Wilson to Cowboys rotation :: Cowboys Wire

Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson hasn’t gotten much opportunity yet at the pro level, but the former Aggie is hungry to make his mark on the Cowboys this season.

[vertical-gallery id=651761][vertical-gallery id=650773][lawrence-newsletter]