Cowboys News: Assessing free agent market, best backup QBs, OL ranks
If the Cowboys are going to add any veteran depth with a free agent signing or two, now is the time. The coaches have seen enough early work that they know where the roster’s real thin spots are, and there are experienced players who can come in for the right price and be a Band-Aid. We’ll look at several options in all the right positions.
Elsewhere, we’re ranking the league’s backup quarterbacks and offensive lines; where the Cowboys fall on each list may surprise. Speaking of surprises, T.J. Vasher may have unexpectedly made a name for himself in OTAs. We’ll look at where the Cowboys’ WR room, once a money pit for the team’s finances, sits now that Amari Cooper is gone. We’re talking the importance of Jayron Kearse, why the home of the Cowboys won’t help kick off the college football season this year, and what former Dallas defender Greg Ellis will be doing on Saturdays this fall. All that, plus the USFL will be back for more in 2023. Here’s the News and Notes.
Veteran free-agent contracts Cowboys must consider before training camp :: Bleacher Report
After taking it easy in the first wave of free agency, the Cowboys could still swoop in and grab a few strategic pieces to help with positional depth at key spots. Offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga has history under head coach Mike McCarthy and is dependable when healthy. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh can still bring pressure and wreak havoc against the run. And linebacker Anthony Hitchens could come back to finish his career in Dallas as part of a strong group that includes Micah Parsons and Leighton Vander Esch.
ESPN names T.J. Vasher surprise offseason standout for Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
Vasher sat out last season with a knee injury, but the undrafted free agent has impressed so far in spring work. Insider Todd Archer lists him as the team’s surprise offseason standout and even projected him to make the final roster over last year’s draft-day darling Simi Fehoko.
Signing Will Fuller makes sense for Cowboys :: Inside the Star
The former Texans and Dolphins wide receiver is still very quick and uses his speed to create separation and be a downfield threat. He’s just 28, but has a history of getting hurt. Then again, Dallas wouldn’t need him to start 17 games. He could be a low-cost, low-risk option to help give the Cowboys’ WR corps some sorely-needed experience and depth.
The Cowboys have the least invested at WR in terms of draft capital and salary of all NFC East teams :: Blogging the Boys
With Amari Cooper’s $20 million salary off the books, the Cowboys now have less cash tied up in their three starting wide receivers than any of their divisional rivals. The trio of CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and James Washington may not be the best in the East, but can they outperform the pricier groups?
NFL offensive line rankings 2022: Eagles, Buccaneers, and Chiefs have the best front fives in football :: Pro Football Network
Gone are the days when Dallas was the undisputed leader atop this list. Still, being the only team in the NFL with two surefire future Hall of Fame offensive linemen counts for something. The Cowboys land at No. 4 here, but they have to hope that Tyron Smith and Zack Martin stay healthy in 2022.
Russell Wilson, Tyreek Hill and the best offseason move for all 32 NFL teams :: The Athletic
Link (paywall)
They admittedly didn’t do much in the offseason, but the Cowboys were smart to get safety Jayron Kearse re-signed to a two-year, $10 million deal. Kearse was Dallas’s leading tackler a year ago and a key piece in the one-year turnaround on defense. By locking him up, they kept a valuable playmaker in the prime of his career and brought stability to a position that for too long had been arguably the club’s biggest weakness.
Ranking the best backup NFL QBs of 2022: 49ers' Jimmy Garoppolo headlines list of veteran No. 2s :: CBS Sports
There are the youngsters, drafted since 2020, who are waiting their turn. There are the true veteran understudies hoping for one more shot. And then there are “the leftovers,” the rest of the backup quarterbacks, who aren’t separated by much and whom fans are hopeful won’t see extended action. And toward the very bottom of that list is the Cowboys’ QB2, Cooper Rush.
Former Cowboys DE Greg Ellis takes over college program as head coach :: Cowboys Wire
After a 12-year career (11 seasons with Dallas), Ellis produced a movie and wrote two stage plays. Now he’s back on the gridiron sidelines as head coach at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas. He takes over a Lions program that went 9-3 last season (and beat the Texas College team he was coaching in 2021 by a 63-0 score).
Why AT&T Stadium won’t be hosting a ‘Cowboys Kickoff Classic’ this CFB season :: Dallas Morning News
Link (paywall)
The Cowboys’ home stadium won’t host a college football game on kickoff weekend this year, as neutral-site matchups seem to have lost their luster for a lot of marquee programs. Last year’s edition, Kansas State-versus-Stanford, drew under 30,000 people. With several top schools off the market for a DFW trip and others unwilling to give up a lucrative home date in their own venue, the Cowboys’ business team “just didn’t find the right game that was a fit for the stadium this year.”
Fox will bring USFL back for a second season :: ProFootballTalk
The CEO of Fox Sports has confirmed that there will be Year Two for the USFL. The league will stay at eight teams, with a hope to expand in 2024. Those squads will spread out in two to four markets next season, as opposed to this year, when all action took place in Birmingham. The schedule will be the same as this year’s, going from late April to July 4.
