Cowboys News: Prescott extension talk, Jerry Jones on if combine will survive
The NFL’s franchise tag deadline spurred several teams to make last-minute deals on Tuesday. Among them, the New York Giants inked quarterback Daniel Jones to the same deal that Dak Prescott got from Dallas two years ago. But these two passers are not the same. Prescott, meanwhile, shared his thoughts on the extension that’s almost surely coming his way. And one outlet wonders if Prescott will go the “team-friendly” route with this one in order to help surround himself with more talent and cement his place with the Cowboys fanbase for doing so.
Elsewhere, we’re looking at the Cowboys’ risky gambit to bank on a stout defense yet again, Mike McCarthy talks about the changes to his coaching staff, and Jerry Jones weighs in on whether the annual scouting combine can survive the current calls for its death. We’ve got details on a new salary cap number, we’re mocking Leighton Vander Esch 2.0 to Dallas, we’re looking for draft clues in who the Cowboys interviewed in Indianapolis, and we’re watching to see what happens with a former Cowboy who’s about to embark on a very uncertain football future. That’s all up in News and Notes.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn’t see NFL combine as demeaning, calls it business :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Amid calls from the NFLPA to scrap the annual combine over accusations that teams engage in intrusive employment actions and demeaning interview questions that aren’t acceptable anywhere else in the real world, the Cowboys owner believes it’s good for the league. “Players really should, in my mind, appreciate the promotion,” he said. But he admitted, “I think we can make it just exactly like you would if you were interviewing for a major company or something like that and ask those kinds of questions.”
Here's why the list of Cowboys' combine meetings matters so much :: Cowboys Wire
Of the team’s meeting with players in Indianapolis, the greatest number were with cornerbacks. Good thing, as it’s a deep year and Anthony Brown’s status is up in the air. Safeties came in second, and receivers were third. That’s no guarantee they’ll target those positions in Rounds 1 though 3 of the draft, but it shows where they’re doing their due diligence in building their big board.
Daniel Jones is now making Dak Prescott money; what a time to be alive :: Cowboys Wire
The Giants quarterback signed an extension identical in terms to the one that fans howled over when Prescott got it in 2021. But a side-by-side look at each passer’s stats at the time of signing show one team having gotten a lot more bang from their $160 million man.
Cowboys' Prescott ready for contract extension 'when that time comes' :: Cowboys Wire
Two years into his four-year deal, Prescott knows it’ll soon be time to talk about another extension. But he admits he’s fine with the business end of things being worked out minus all the drama he went through in 2020 and 2021. “I’m with Stephen [Jones]; it may just happen overnight,” Prescott said Tuesday. “But when it happens, it happens. It’ll be great.”
Cowboys and free agency: Tags and pay cuts on their minds — what’s next? :: The Athletic
Link (paywall)
Bob Sturm weighs in on why the media continues to hang on Jerry Jones’s every rambling word and the ethics around waiting out the first wave of free agency just to do business at a discount with players who have far fewer options. He also muses on the idea of Prescott going the “team-first” route with his next extension and wonders if tagging Pollard is really just starting the one-year countdown on his inevitable exit while they ramp up his replacement.
Here's why the Cowboys adjusted salary cap is $230.3M in 2023 :: Cowboys Wire
After all the year-end adjustments, the Cowboys gained an additional $5.5 million of cap space beyond what was originally projected. But they’re still over. After franchising Tony Pollard, Dallas needs to create $16 million worth of space before the league year starts, just to avoid the league cancelling some of their contracts.
McCarthy explains Cowboys coaching staff moves :: The Mothership
McCarthy is a rabid fan of coaching continuity but was faced with needing to find new voices in new roles to finally turn the corner toward ending the team’s Super Bowl drought. The Cowboys moved on from nearly 10 assistant and positional coaches and promoted several from within. “This is a lot of change in one year for a coaching staff,” McCarthy admitted. “The opportunity to promote some guys from within was important and, personally, it feels good to give a young guy [that opportunity]. I wouldn’t be here if someone didn’t give me an opportunity, so that’s definitely played into it.”
Lance Zierlein 2023 NFL mock draft 2.1: Raiders go up for C.J. Stroud; Colts select Anthony Richardson :: NFL.com
The mock got tweaked after Lamar Jackson got tagged by Baltimore on Tuesday, but didn’t affect Dallas’s selection at No. 26. This simulation has the Cowboys taking Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders toward the end of the first round. A Leighton Vander Esch clone who can rush the passer wouldn’t be the worst thing…
Against the odds, Cowboys gambling defense can maintain excellence :: Cowboys Wire
Mike McCarthy plans to lean on his defense, yet team defense is a notoriously unstable variable year-to-year in the NFL. Defenses that rely on turnovers and big plays are especially unstable; hitching the team’s wagon to that star is undoubtedly risky. Looks like Dan Quinn could be feeling the pressure this season, too.
Sources: Dolphins to release Byron Jones in cost-cutting move :: ESPN
The former Cowboys cornerback will be released by Miami next week and enter free agency. It’s unclear what his market might look like, after he reported recently that he “can’t run or jump” because of injuries and the alleged mismanagement of them. It sounded like a farewell, though he said he wasn’t retiring. Some nonetheless believe Jones’s playing days are over.
