Cowboys News: Tuesday Night Football? RB options not named Bijan; more pre-draft visits
With Wednesday’s news of Johnathan Hankins’s re-signing, the Cowboys’ last big priority is checked, and their draft-day strategy becomes a little more wide open. There are areas of the roster they’d like to address with college talent, but the front office can now work their big board and basically take the best player available throughout. We’re mocking our choices and looking carefully today at running backs both named and not named Bijan Robinson… and maybe even one named Ezekiel Elliott?
Elsewhere, the team has a workout set with an ex-Jets wide receiver, but they haven’t given up on second-year man Jalen Tolbert. Another LSU defender is on the books for a pre-draft visit, Mike McCarthy has a 20-game plan for Dak Prescott, the coaching staff focuses on ball distribution in 2023, and Cowboys Nation is gearing up to hear the rest of the league debate a scheduling problem our team deals with seemingly every year. That’s all up in News and Notes.
More TNF? Yes, but it should be on Tuesdays :: Catch This Fade
The league has expanded their Thursday Night Football reach and will likely go even further before the season even starts. There’s a simple solution that works for everyone, but will they listen?
Cowboys used to multiple Thursday games; others rip NFL's flex proposal :: Cowboys Wire
America’s Team is well-versed in short prep weeks leading to Thursday games; they’ve done it multiple times per season for years. But now the league wants to allow flex scheduling that would give clubs just 15 days notice before moving up a game by three full days. Expect much debate about player safety and fan travel considerations to take place before a May vote that could implement the new rule for this season.
7-Round Cowboys mock draft with athleticism profiles, roles for each prospect :: Cowboys Wire
This mock sees Dallas grab Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks in the first round to apprentice behind Stephon Gilmore for a year. Massive Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Tippmann is the second-round pick, and Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. somehow falls to the Cowboys in the third. Fresh legs at running back, a small-school nose tackle, an Alabama guard, a backup quarterback, and a Deion Sanders product at linebacker round out the haul, complete with a trade up and a trade down to get them.
If Cowboys don't draft Bijan Robinson, keep an eye on these 5 running backs :: Fox Sports
The Texas Longhorn will only go to one team on draft day. The Cowboys might also look at big backs like UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, Mississippi’s Zach Evans, Auburn’s Tank Bigbsy, Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda, or UAB’s DeWayne McBride to help fill the Elliott-sized hole in the Dallas backfield.
Cowboys draft analysis: Expert Dane Brugler on Bijan Robinson, other possible targets :: The Athletic
The draft expert says if the Texas running back is there when the Cowboys go on the clock, you don’t pass on him. A guard like TCU’s Steve Avila in the second makes sense, or Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence in the first if he’s there and Robinson is gone. There’s also good interior defensive line help in Pitt’s Calijah Kancey or Michigan’s Mazi Smith. And don’t be shocked if Wolverines kicker Jake Moody gets drafted by somebody (and the Cowboys do need kicking help) on Day 3.
'Where do those touches go?': Cowboys' McCarthy focused on ball distribution in new-look offense :: Cowboys Wire
“How we play this year will be similar to how we played last year,” McCarthy said Tuesday. But Ezekiel Elliott, Dalton Schultz, and Noah Brown accounted for 38.7% of the team’s total opportunities for touches in 2022. That’s a lot of football pie to divvy up differently in 2023.
Ezekiel Elliott could still be in Cowboys' future plans :: Cowboys Wire
Jerry Jones is reluctant to close the door on a possible reunion with one of his favorite players, but there are important issues of money and playing time that would have to be ironed out. If Elliott were to return, it would be in a purely complementary role.
Cowboys, Johnathan Hankins agree to run it back for 2023 :: Cowboys Wire
The nose tackle, Dallas’s biggest remaining offseason priority, will return to the team on a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. Hankins turns 31 on Thursday, but his run-stuffing presence on the defensive line will be a gift for Cowboys fans all year long.
Speedy DT prospect set for Cowboys visit :: Mike Garafolo (Twitter)
LSU DT Jaquelin Roy met with the #Jaguars following his proday today, He’s scheduled to visit the the #Cowboys and #Eagles next week. Roy today ran a 5.13 40, which would have ranked among the fastest for nose tackles at the Combine.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 30, 2023
Mike McCarthy wants Cowboys QB Dak Prescott to reduce turnovers, play 20 games in 2023 :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Do the math; if Prescott plays 20 games this upcoming season, it means the Cowboys will be in the Super Bowl (or at least the conference title game). But after not missing a game through the first four years of his career, Prescott has missed 17 games the past three years combined. McCarthy hopes to reduce Prescott’s pre-snap responsibilities and let him make faster and cleaner decisions with the ball.
Progress Report: Moving past Tolbert's tough 2022 :: The Mothership
The Cowboys expected big things from the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Too big, it turns out. He got just one start and caught two balls for 12 yards as a rookie as he adjusted to life in the pros. But with more reps and the experience that comes with a year spent in the league, there’s still hope that the third-round pick will justify the team’s early faith in him.
Former Jets WR to work out for Cowboys :: Jane Slater (Twitter)
Sources tell me WR D.J Montgomery working out for the #Cowboys Friday. He will be taking part in their annual “Dallas Day” workout
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 29, 2023
