3 Cowboys who have to step up with Gallup missing from passing game

The Dallas Cowboys will be without Michael Gallup early in the year and there are some options to have an expanded role in the passing game. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the NFL last season, finishing first in total yards and points scored. Soaring to the top of the offensive leaderboard was spurred by quarterback Dak Prescott’s return after a gruesome ankle injury ended his 2020 season.

Prescott helped turn around a passing game that churned out 282.4 yards a game, ranking second in the league. For a unit that likes to run the ball more than most teams, that’s an impressive feat by the Cowboys.

It also helped that Dallas had one of the best receiving groups in the game. Wide receivers Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup were meant to be an elite trio, but Gallup’s injuries paved the way for a bigger role from Cedrick Wilson, who cashed in with a career year. Add in Dalton Schultz’s stellar season at tight end and it’s easy to see why the offense was so successful through the air.

Much of that has changed heading into the new season. Cooper, who commanded the constant attention of defenses, is gone, as is Wilson. Lamb is now the the No. 1 WR in Dallas, but Gallup suffered a torn ACL injury in December and his status for the first part of the season is unknown. No Cooper or Gallup, at least for the early part of the schedule, means the offense is missing two 1,000-yard-capable receivers.

That leaves just Lamb and Schultz as familiar options in the passing game. The Cowboys need players to step up until Gallup is ready to return to full capacity, which might be later than his return to the field of play. Here are some of the options that could be a big part of the aerial attack early on in the season.

In uncertain WR room, Simi Fehoko eyes bigger role in Cowboys offense in 2022

The second-year Stanford star hopes to pack on a few pounds and work a hybridized role in what could be a very different Cowboys WR room. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Simi Fehoko took a bit of an extended path just to get to the NFL. And while some first-year players like Micah Parsons fast-track their way to superstardom right out of the gate in their rookie season, the fifth-rounder is taking the same kind of slow and steady learning curve that made him a first-team All Pac-12 receiver at Stanford.

Fehoko was on the field for just under a third of the Cowboys’ special teams plays in 2021. He saw a grand total of seven offensive snaps. He logged no official stats.

But doing his job as a piece of a larger machine instead of being “the guy” is all part of the learning process for the 6-foot-3-inch Utah native.

“At Stanford, we had a fairly complex playbook. But coming here, it’s more concept-driven,” Fehoko said last week in a sit-down interview with 105.3 The Fan’s Nosebleed Seats Podcast. “Like, for me in college, they were going to call, ‘You’re going deep. This is your play.’ Here, it’s more like, ‘Okay, this is the whole concept and if you happen to get the read that we’re looking for, then that’s where we’re going.’ So it was more conceptual learning rather than specific player-oriented calls.”

Fehoko got an early wake-up call that life as an NFL receiver would require a different set of tools.

“First day or second day in camp, I lined up one-on-one against Tre[von] Diggs,” Fehoko explained. “Ran a fade. He just full-on, OBJ-one-hand-intercepted. And then I was like, ‘Wow. He’s the man. Welcome to the NFL.'”

But he also got a warm welcome from someone who’s been there. Four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper took it upon himself to show Fehoko the ropes of life catching balls at the pro level.

“Coop is my guy. He was the first one, sort of, as the top guy, to take me under his wing. Us being a little bigger- he’s 220, normally, and I came in at 225, 227- he was one of those guys that took me under his wing and helped me out with one-on-one routes, or any routes in general. He was like, ‘Okay, sink your hips here,’ or, ‘As a DB, I see this and you would do this.’ I was like, ‘Okay, whatever you say, you’re right. I got you. I’ll just follow you any way you tell me to do.’ Obviously, it was awesome for me to have him as a mentor, and obviously, I’ll continue, hopefully, to have him as a mentor.”

Fehoko, like the rest of Cowboys Nation, can’t be sure that Cooper will be in Dallas next season. His high-dollar contract makes him a potential cut or trade target as the team looks to balance the budget. And with fellow receivers Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner also set to become free agents, Fehoko could theoretically be catapulted up the depth chart in very short order.

It’s something Fehoko hopes happens anyway, simply by virtue of having a full season under his belt. He’s already more mature than most returning rookies. Fehoko will turn 25 years old in just his second pro season, the result of him taking a two-year LDS mission trip to Korea before college.

“I’ll have a bigger role, I’d say, in the offense and in special teams. Talking with head coach McCarthy, he was saying, ‘Potentially, this year, you gain a little bit more weight and we can use you as more like a hybrid tight end-receiver-type body,’ which I have no problem doing. I played at a lot heavier weight in college. They made me lose weight here, so obviously gaining weight and playing at a higher weight isn’t a problem.”

An offseason in Texas could certainly help on that front. The self-professed steak fan has already paid visits to several well-known barbecue joints in the Metroplex. And while he admits to loving a good burger, the California college kid was too smart to get tricked into publicly declaring a favorite between cult rivals Whataburger and In-N-Out.

Packing on a few pounds before training camp may serve Fehoko well as he hopes to show off more of what many felt was his best trait coming out of Stanford: a knack for wrestling away balls in the air from more modestly-sized cornerbacks.

“That’s something that I’ve sort of loved, being a bigger frame, a bigger-body receiver, it sort of came a little more naturally,” he said. “DBs are not normally like Tre: a little taller, can jump out of the gym; they’re a little smaller, and obviously something that bigger bodies thrive on is contested catches.”

Fehoko and the Cowboys are hoping he’ll have more of a chance to thrive in 2022.

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Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis added to COVID list, Tyron Smith out vs WFT

Jourdan Lewis was a late Friday add to the COVID watchlist, along with WR Simi Fehoko. Tyron Smith is out for the Week 16 contest. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Not every Christmas Eve surprise is a good one.

The Cowboys added cornerback Jourdan Lewis to the Reserve/COVID list on Friday. He joins safety Malik Hooker, defensive tackle Trysten Hill, and running back JaQuan Hardy. Defensive line coach Aden Durde and special teams assistant Matt Daniels are in the protocol, too.

Rookie wide receiver Simi Fehoko was also placed on the virus watchlist to end the week.

Left tackle Tyron Smith has been declared out for Week 16, as he continues to nurse an ankle injury in hopes of being ready for the postseason.

Running backs Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and Corey Clement were all full participants during Friday’s session.

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was limited in Friday’s walkthrough with foot soreness. Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that it’s not an issue that will affect Lawrence’s availability Sunday night.

First-year cornerback Nahshon Wright was also given a “limited” designation Friday.

Rookie safety Israel Mukuamu is listed as questionable with an illness that held him out of practice Thursday and Friday.

The news is worse for Washington.

Safety Landon Collins is out, as is cornerback William Jackson III, and defensive end Daniel Wise. Safety and special teams player Deshazor Everett will not play following a Thursday car wreck that claimed the life of a passenger in his car and left Everett himself hospitalized.

Running back Antonio Gibson is questionable with a toe injury; wide receiver Curtis Samuel is questionable with a hamstring.

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Malik Turner, Simi Fehoko among WRs waiting for Cowboys roster decision

Two Cowboys WRs are among many who have done all they could do in training camp and preseason; now they wait to see if it was enough. | From @ToddBrock24f7

And now, the wait.

With training camp and the preseason schedule behind them, the Cowboys coaching staff embarks on two days of long meetings and difficult decisions about who they’ll take with them into the regular season. Some players will launch or extend their dream of an NFL career. Some players will miss the 53-man roster but find a spot on the practice squad, where they’ll keep one foot in the door. For some, Tuesday’s cuts will be the end of the road.

Wide receivers Malik Turner and Simi Fehoko are two of the Cowboys who don’t yet know where they’ll land. Both played well during camp, but both find themselves trying to break in to a position group already bursting with talent. Four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper is a lock, as are second-year phenom CeeDee Lamb and still-rising star Michael Gallup. Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown are proven Dallas veterans. There’s no guarantee the Cowboys will even take a sixth receiver into the season.

For players like Fehoko and Turner, Monday and Tuesday could prove to be the longest wait of their lives.

Fehoko is 23 years old, but it’s his first time with this unique brand of football uncertainty. A four-star recruit coming out of high school who went on to become one of the leading receivers in the history of Stanford’s storied program, the 6-foot-3-inch rookie has never experienced the possibility of not making a football team.

A fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in the spring, Fehoko finds himself on the proverbial bubble. So while the rest of the world viewed Sunday’s preseason finale against Jacksonville as a meaningless exhibition, for Fehoko, it was his last best chance to make an impression.

“For me, I try to make the best out of every opportunity that I get, and today was one of those days where I could just give everything I had,” the Utah native said after the loss. “I felt like I gave my 100 every single time, every time I was out there. The opportunities that I did get, I feel like I made the most of them.”

Fehoko caught just nine balls over the course of four preseason games. He was targeted four times on Sunday, logging three receptions for 21 yards. In-game opportunities are exceedingly rare; Fehoko knows his next chapter will likely be decided by something else. It’s how he looked in every practice, how hard he competed on every snap, how well he did all the unglamorous jobs he was asked to do.

“I had a couple more targets than I normally get, so for me, that’s huge as a receiver. Also, I got to play a little bit more on special teams, and that was awesome as well. Again, made the most of it.”

Turner, an undrafted free agent who’s on his third team and entering his fourth year in the league, knows that all too well. At this level, making it as a wide receiver often means fewer go routes and more grunt work.

“In college, you never expect to play special teams,” the Illinois product said Sunday. “But I kind of learned that if you’re on the bubble, this is what you’ve got to do.”

Turner caught his lone touchdown pass as a pro in 2019 when he started three games for the Seahawks at wide receiver. He was signed by Dallas last season and played in six contests, all on special teams. He snared three balls on Sunday out of five targets, giving him a total of ten catches on the 2021 preseason.

Like every other player on the bubble, he has no way of knowing if it was enough to earn a roster spot.

“I feel like if you ask any football player, they’re going to tell you no. There’s always more to be done,” Turner admitted. “But all I can say is I did the best I could do today and this entire training camp. Hopefully, in the eyes of the staff, it was enough for them.”

So for now, Fehoko and Smith wait, along with Brandon Smith, Aaron Parker, Osirus Mitchell, Johnnie Dixon, T.J. Vasher, and Stephen Guidry. Those wide receivers- and many other Cowboys players across nearly every position group- will learn their football fate by Tuesday afternoon.

“You never know what can happen,” Turner explained. “I’ve been in this situation a couple times. You don’t get too high, [or] too low. Whatever happens happens.”

Such is life on the NFL bubble.

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What We Learned: Cowboys rookie DT is ready, WR rotation tough to crack

If the dress rehearsal is to show how ready for the season a team is, the Cowboys stood to learn a few things about themselves in their third preseason tilt. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys are now 0-3 on the preseason after losing to the Houston Texans by the score of 20-14. They’ll have one more chance to get a win on their exhibition slate when they face off against the Jacksonville Jaguars before the regular season begins.

Losing isn’t fun, but the evaluations are more important than the team’s win-loss record in the preseason. The Cowboys did some good things in the loss, yet they still couldn’t come away with a win. Here’s what we learned in the latest preseason adventure for the Cowboys.

Simi Fehoko’s time to shine in Cowboys’ offense might be right around corner

Drafted as a big-play threat on Day 3, the time may not be too far off when Fehoko is filling a need within a potent Dallas offense. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys drafted WR Simi Fehoko in the fifth round out if Stanford to improve their overall depth at the position. Fehoko was the only offensive skill player the team drafted this year as they looked to improve upon one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history.

Fehoko is a big, strong prospect, who also has the speed to run away from defenders. After being a First-Team All-Pac 12 receiver during his junior season, Fehoko decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the draft. He’ll hope to provide big-play ability to the Cowboys’ offense.

Our profile countdown to the regular season continues with No. 81, WR Simi Fehoko.

WR Simi Fehoko will try to carve out role with Cowboys come camp

Simi Fehoko struggled during OTAs and will need a strong training camp to win the fifth receiver spot over Noah Brown. | From @StarConscience

The Dallas Cowboys 2021 season will unofficially begin next week in Oxnard, California once training camp commences. Several intriguing rookies will be fighting for early playing time, such as Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph, and Nahshon Wright. Those are all defensive guys, but there’s one on the offensive side of the ball that created quite a buzz when he was drafted in the fifth round in April.

Former Standard wide receiver Simi Fehoko caught the eye of a lot of evaluators by clocking a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds. His rare combination of size, length, and speed being added to a receiver room that has Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb gives gives Kellen Moore another shiny toy to play with, but making the roster won’t be easy for him.

The fourth receiver spot will likely be occupied by Cedrick Wilson, whose breakout performance came against the Seattle Seahawks last season with five receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. The fifth spot is where Fehoko will have a chance to make his mark, however, another veteran will be standing in his way.

Noah Brown has been with the Cowboys since 2017. He’s virtually split his career snaps down the middle with 491 on offense (his 228 snaps last season equaled Wilson) and 461 on special teams. He had his best outing in 2020, much like Wilson, as he logged 14 receptions for 154 yards. His battle with Fehoko will be for more of a special team’s role in 2021, so he has the edge there over the rookie.

Fehoko has gotten off to a bit of a slow start as he didn’t seem to separate from defenders during OTAs according to the team’s website. However, training camp will provide a much larger body of work for him to impress the coaching staff.

The fifth-rounder knows his path to a roster won’t be easy, but he doesn’t lack confidence either.

“I’m still raw. I’m undeveloped. I really need one person to learn from,” Fehoko said after being drafted. “And I think that with my God-given abilities and gifts, there’s no reason that I can’t be the best WR in this draft class, if not the league.”

One of the best traits any young player can have is the willingness to learn and put in the necessary work it takes to perform on a high level in the NFL. That’s exactly what Fehoko is doing, which he mentioned back in May.

“All these guys are legitimate players in the NFL, sometimes arguably top five in the league,” Fehoko said. “Being able to work with them and around them is not only going to help me with my game, but I’m excited. I’m just excited to compete against them. We’re going to grow as a team and be a pretty solid wide receiver unit.”

It won’t just be Brown that Fehoko will have to battle in Oxnard. Undrafted free agents T.J. Vasher, Brennan Eagles and Brandon Smith will also be looking to secure one of the final roster spots, as will holdovers from last season such as Aaron Parker.

So, let the games begin. Fehoko has the tools to make the Cowboys roster and land a reserve role in camp. But, this won’t be in helmets and t-shirts, it’s time to get down in the dirt for real. Fehoko will have plenty of eyes on him before the season starts.

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News: Cowboys’ 2nd draft steal, Byron Jones 1 year later, longest 4th downs

Also examined, carrying just 2 QBs and RBs, Damontae Kazee’s upside, and why veteran Carlos Watkins could be fighting for a roster spot.

As the nation paused to commemorate Independence Day, news in NFL circles took a backseat. But plenty of good analysis and provoking food for thought from some of Cowboys Nation’s favorite sources provided topics of conversation for backyard barbecues and fireworks displays, even on the most non-football of holidays.

Among the items the fanbase is watching with just over two months until opening night: big expectations for newcomers Simi Fehoko and Damontae Kazee, and a lot on the line for veteran Carlos Watkins. Byron Jones’s departure is looking like a smart move one year removed, and keeping just two quarterbacks and two running backs on the roster may be the next bold decision by the team. There’s a difference of opinion on whether CeeDee Lamb should return punts, and a pair of nearly-forgotten Cowboys resurface on a list of the longest fourth-down conversions in history.

News: Cowboys’ 2nd draft steal, Byron Jones 1 year later, longest 4th downs

Also examined, carrying just 2 QBs and RBs, Damontae Kazee’s upside, and why veteran Carlos Watkins could be fighting for a roster spot.

As the nation paused to commemorate Independence Day, news in NFL circles took a backseat. But plenty of good analysis and provoking food for thought from some of Cowboys Nation’s favorite sources provided topics of conversation for backyard barbecues and fireworks displays, even on the most non-football of holidays.

Among the items the fanbase is watching with just over two months until opening night: big expectations for newcomers Simi Fehoko and Damontae Kazee, and a lot on the line for veteran Carlos Watkins. Byron Jones’s departure is looking like a smart move one year removed, and keeping just two quarterbacks and two running backs on the roster may be the next bold decision by the team. There’s a difference of opinion on whether CeeDee Lamb should return punts, and a pair of nearly-forgotten Cowboys resurface on a list of the longest fourth-down conversions in history.

‘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: