News: Jerry Jones talks Cowboys culture and Gallup’s rehab; alleges extortion in paternity case
Jerry Jones speaks. After weeks of uncharacteristic silence from the Cowboys owner, Jones held court at the league meetings with Dallas beat reporters and covered plenty of ground. Over the course of a morning chat, he detailed the team’s draft-day strategy, pulled back the curtain on why the team traded Amari Cooper and how they lost Randy Gregory, updated Michael Gallup’s recovery from ACL surgery, and commented on the Cowboys culture in the wake of several off-the-field scandals. He also found time to ask a judge to throw out the paternity lawsuit pending against him and make some serious allegations of his own about possible extortion.
Elsewhere, a closer look at just how big a deal the re-signing of Jayron Kearse could prove to be, keeping the Bobby Wagner hope alive, examining whether CeeDee Lamb should be returning punts, revisiting the draft class of 2018, checking out the power rankings, and looking into why no one cares about safeties… but why everyone may have to start. That’s all up in News and Notes.
Jerry Jones after voyeurism allegations against former executive: ‘Extraordinarily proud’ of Cowboys culture :: USA Today
The owner was asked about the recent off-the-field scandals in Dallas. Of the $2.4 million settlement paid out to four team cheerleaders in the Rich Dalrymple case, Jones classified it as being “in the best interest of the pecking order starting with the alleged victims,” but he refused to weigh in on the former executive’s guilt or innocence. Despite that and a recent lawsuit alleging paternity claims, Jones does not believe the Cowboys have a culture problem.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asks judge to dismiss paternity lawsuit, alleges extortion attempts :: ESPN
Jones asked a judge Monday to toss out the paternity case, saying the 25-year-old woman behind it is involved in one of “multiple monetary extortion attempts” against him and the team. The court motion does not identify the alleged extortionists, but Charlotte Jones Anderson’s estranged husband, Shy Anderson, has been instructed to preserve documents, including communications that he may have had with not only the woman and her mother but also with former Cowboys executive Vincent Thompson. A hearing in the matter is set for Thursday.
'We have had no surprises': Cowboys' Jerry Jones elaborates on trading Cooper, losing Gregory :: Cowboys Wire
Detailing the front office’s thinking in the team’s two biggest moves of the offseason, Jones chalked up the Amari Cooper trade to wanting more bang for their $20 million bucks. “We made a decision that that allocation should be better spent,” Jones said. Of the Randy Gregory contract about-face, the owner maintains that he “could have done something there” to save the negotiations at the last moment but chose not to.
Jerry Jones offers update on Michael Gallup's ACL recovery :: Michael Gehlken (Twitter)
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on WR Michael Gallup’s timeline from ACL surgery: “Optimistically, I expect him to give us a question mark around the first game. And I see a conversation that says conservatively, you would like to have a couple more games to get him out there.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 28, 2022
Jerry Jones: Cowboys looking for OL help in early rounds of draft :: Cowboys Wire
Jones confirmed that the team is likely seeking offensive line help earlier rather than later in next month’s draft. Left guard and center are the question marks for Dallas, and the team has nine picks with which to work. But the owner allowed wiggle room in case a unicorn falls in their lap again this year. “We’ll get us one unless a Lamb or a Parsons is there,” he said.
Jayron Kearse being back in the fold is bigger news for the Cowboys defense than people would think :: The Athletic
Link (paywall)
When Kearse signed a one-year minimum deal to join Dallas in 2021, he seemed more likely to be on his way out of the league than leading the Cowboys in tackles and trailing only Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs in splash plays for the team. He even exceeded the splash play totals of all the other safeties on the roster combined. After almost going undrafted coming out of college, he’s finally made it as an exceptional defensive stalwart.
2022 NFL free agency: Bobby Wagner reportedly seeking 1-year deal worth about $11M :: Blogging the Boys
With roughly $15.7 million in cap space and the ability to create bit more, the Cowboys could conceivably sign the ex-Seahawks linebacker at his asking price. That price seems to be more than budget-conscious Dallas would want to spend, especially as his cost will likely come down the longer he’s on the market.
Mailbag: Should CeeDee return punts as No. 1 WR? :: The Mothership
Dallas may move on from depending on Lamb to return punts, but not just because he’s their main receiving target. He actually hasn’t really been all that electric in that part of his game, Nick Eatman writes. With Cedrick Wilson also gone, though, Lamb may be pressed into at least part-time return duty until the Cowboys find a shifty slot-receiver type to take over the role.
The Cowboys’ 2018 draft class turned out a lot better than most people think :: Dallas Morning News
The players selected in 2018 have now either re-signed with Dallas or left in free agency. The Cowboys found full-time starters with picks in each of the first four rounds. Of their nine total picks that season, seven are still in the league, and four- Michael Gallup, Leighton Vander Esch, Dorance Armstrong, and Dalton Schultz- were just re-signed by the Cowboys. A draft that successful would sure help the club this year, too.
NFL Power Rankings 2022: Post-free agency 1-32 poll, plus predicting next offseason move for each team :: ESPN
Free agency losses have knocked the Cowboys down two pegs to ninth overall in the network’s latest rankings. Todd Archer suggests that they need offensive line help in free agency; without it, they’re boxing themselves into having to hit it big with rookies taken as draft picks.
Kyle Hamilton is the best player in the NFL draft. Why won’t he be the No. 1 pick? :: The Ringer
The Cowboys traditionally undervalue the safety position. Turns out it’s not just them. Notre Dame’s standout has been named the best player in this year’s draft class, but there’s almost no chance he’ll be taken first. Only two safeties have gone in the top five since the turn of the century. But the tide may be turning, as salaries for the top safeties are on the rise as compared to many other positions. This can be traced to the increased role safeties are playing as force multipliers in complex defensive schemes that they’re also increasingly running on the field.
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