Bengals announce deals for free agents Brandon Allen, Tristan Vizcaino

The Cincinnati Bengals announced two moves.

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The Cincinnati Bengals made a pair of free-agent moves official Saturday, announcing the arrival of quarterback Brandon Allen and kicker Tristan Vizcaino.

Allen is the big name after Zac Taylor and Co. changed their tune about a veteran backup behind Joe Burrow as the team ponders whether to quarantine quarterbacks.

A prior report had already broken the Allen news. He’s familiar with Taylor due to some time they spent together on the Los Angeles Rams.

Tristan Vizcaino was a guy the Bengals brought on last year and he worked with the team through the preseason before getting released after the final exhibition. Given the unorthodox nature of the offseason and season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him stick around in some capacity for the long haul.

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News: Cowboys consider QB in 2020 draft, Jerry talks Jamal Adams

The final 2020 mock drafts, a flashback to the Johnny Manziel-to-Dallas near miss, and the trade value chart started by Jimmy Johnson.

NFL Draft Eve brought no shortage of eleventh-hour revelations and rumblings in Cowboys Nation. But it is the final opportunity for all the mock drafters to call their shots. What Jerry Jones and Company will do with the their seven picks is anybody’s guess, but there’s intel that suggests all of it is fair game, from secondary to linebacker… to, even, quarterback.

From ironing out last-minute technical issues to the all-important last press conference that may reveal the front office’s strategy, the Cowboys’ draft table is basically set. The club even cleared two more places with a pair of day-before cuts. Flashback to the draft that almost brought Johnny Football to Big D, and check out the pricing system that revolutionized how every team now approaches draft-pick trades, courtesy of Jimmy Johnson. And after all that draft-day appetite-whetting, find out why one business icon ultimately thinks the NFL won’t be getting down to business on the field any time soon.

Cowboys open to drafting quarterback in 2020, but it would have nothing to do with Dak Prescott :: CBS Sports

It’s no secret that the Cowboys have had communications with quarterback Jalen Hurts ahead of the the 2020 NFL Draft. Patrik Walker breaks down how this has nothing to do with QB1… and everything to do with QB2.


Cowboys pre-draft press conference glitchy, but telling :: Cowboys Wire

The annual pre-draft press conference with the Dallas Cowboys front office is usually an important sneak peek behind the curtain. Find out their philosophy and thoughts headed into the 2020 NFL Draft, including Jerry Jones’s own take on the chances of trading the team’s first-round pick for a veteran free agent.


Film room: 4 best-case scenarios for the Dallas Cowboys in Round 1 of the 2020 NFL draft :: The Dallas Morning News

John Owning takes a very deep look into some of the possible bigger scores of the first round for the Cowboys. Trade back? Premier corner? Multiple possibilities will be available to Dallas at 17.


Updates: Cowboys waive kicker Vizcaino :: The Mothership

And then there were two. The team has waived Tristan Vizcaino, who was signed to a futures deal in January. Since then, the club has signed veteran Greg Zuerlein and retained the services of Kai Forbath, setting up a two-man positional battle once camp begins.


Final 2020 Dallas Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft Prediction :: Inside The Star

The experts are making their final predictions for the 2020 NFL Draft and the Cowboys. Here, Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun is selected with pick number 17.



Cowboys to need return-man solution in draft after releasing WR :: Cowboys Wire

The Dallas wide receiver room is a little less populated with the club cutting Lance Lenoir. The 2017 undrafted free agent never really caught on with the Cowboys, with special teams play seeming to offer his most likely route to a gameday role. Clearly, the front office is now looking elsewhere for 2020.


NFL Draft trade value chart: What each 2020 pick is worth based on the Jimmy Johnson model :: Sporting News

It was revolutionary when the Cowboys coach came up with the idea, but now every team in the league uses (more or less) his system of assigning numerical values- price tags, almost- to draft picks. Here’s the cheat sheet for what every pick in 2020’s draft is worth, making putting together (or grading) trades a matter of basic math.


Cowboys feel like they have tackled the NFL draft challenges head-on :: ESPN

Amidst a world in flux, the Cowboys have adjusted admirably and taken care of plenty of needs headed into draft weekend. Take a look back at some of the big moves made, along with final preparations for the 2020 Draft.


Unforgettable NFL draft experiences, from Manning to Manziel :: NFL.com

NFL.com’s Judy Battista recounts the tense moments in 2014’s green room as Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel waited for his name to be called. Jerry Jones had wanted him at 16, and, depending on the version of the story, it took son Stephen actually snatching the card out of his father’s hand for the club to select Zack Martin instead.


B/R Staff’s Bold Predictions for 2020 NFL Draft :: Bleacher Report

Everybody likes predictions. But everybody loves bold predictions! Bleacher Report calls their shots: Jordan Love will go before Justin Herbert, Derek Carr will become a draft day trade victim, and wide receiver Tee Higgins will be the steal of the draft.


Bill Gates explains why most sports are going to be gone a lot longer than fans realize :: Insider

This weekend’s draft will be a nice appetizer, but fans may be waiting a while for the main meal when it comes to the NFL season. Microsoft’s co-founder says sporting events will be the last of the societal norms to return due to the high risk of close-range contagion.


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Final Leg: Cowboys bringing in kickers to tryout on Monday

For the second consecutive week, Brett Maher’s inaccuracies compounded the ineffectiveness of the Dallas Cowboys offense by missing kicks on the rare occassion they got into scoring range. In both the Thanksgiving loss to the Buffalo Bills and …

For the second consecutive week, Brett Maher’s inaccuracies compounded the ineffectiveness of the Dallas Cowboys offense by missing kicks on the rare occassion they got into scoring range. In both the Thanksgiving loss to the Buffalo Bills and Thursday’s loss in Chicago, Maher missed kicks that would have changed the complexion of each game and if made, would’ve had a direct impact on the Cowboys late-game strategies when attempting futile comebacks.

After the Bills’ loss, Dallas brought in a handful of names to work out, but did not sign anyone, just to have Maher burn them again by missing his league-leading 10th field goal of the season. Maher is actually suffering through the worst kicker season in the last four years across the entire NFL. To try and salvage something out of a 6-7 season where they still miraculously lead the NFC East, Dallas is working out kickers once again, according to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. This time, there’s a more familiar name included with some skins on the wall.

Kai Forbath is a career 85.8% kicker when it comes to field goals, but has struggled to find a permanent gig in the league. He kicked for New England in one game this season, making his only field goal but missing an extra point, leading to his release.

He missed eight extra points in 23 games for the Minnesota Vikings through 2016 and 2017.

Tristan Vizcaino, formerly of the Washington Huskies, spent some time with the Jets in the 2018 offseason and the Bengals in 2019, but has yet to appear in an NFL game. He does have a big leg, in addition to handling some punting duties in college, and that could be interesting to Dallas.

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