News & Notes: Could Cowboys cut Dak? Quinn’s next step, Zeke witnesses bar fight near The Star
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is reportedly a step closer to anther head coaching gig. In this edition of News and Notes, we’ll tell you how things are progressing, and with which very familiar team. We’ve also got news on Philadelphia’s staff revamp: why their new defensive coordinator may be bad news for Dallas, and which former Cowboys staffer could be in talks to now lead the Birds’ offense.
Elsewhere, a quartet of Cowboys are in the running for some top-shelf accolades, but their competition is coming from inside their own locker room. We’ll get into the spirit of championship weekend with where the Cowboys rank among the NFC’s best title games, which ex-Cowboy is suddenly one game away from a Super Bowl, and which AFC running back caught an odd stray this week from a Dallas defender. We’re going undercover with the team’s secret superstar, and we’re holding out hope for this year’s rookie class to not follow history. All that, plus why Tony Romo in the broadcast booth for Super Bowl LVIII has lost some of its luster.
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Washington Commanders Head Coach Tracker: Cowboys DC Dan Quinn has third meeting scheduled :: Hogs Haven
Quinn will reportedly have a second sit-down with the Commanders’ head coaching search committee after his initial virtual interview and first in-person visit. Washington is expected to also want to meet with several assistants from teams playing in the conference championships this weekend. Quinn is still in the running for the Seattle job as well.
Kellen Moore returning to NFC East? Eagles ask to interview former Cowboys OC :: Cowboys Wire
The onetime heir apparent to the Cowboys’ top spot was mediocre in his first year as Chargers OC. And with Jim Harbaugh coming to L.A., the Chargers are expected to allow Moore to explore other options. Philadelphia has reportedly asked to interview Moore to be their new offensive coordinator, as has Cleveland.
New Eagles DC Vic Fangio has had Cowboys' number during McCarthy era :: Cowboys Wire
The Eagles’ new defensive coordinator has shown a knack recently for shutting down Mike McCarthy’s Dallas offense. As Denver’s head coach in 2021, he provided what some called “the blueprint” for grounding the Cowboys’ high-flying attack. Philly went 1-1 against the Cowboys in 2022, when some reports suggested Fangio was consulting from afar. And as Miami’s DC this past season, he held the Cowboys to under 100 team rushing yards in a 22-20 win.
Ezekiel Elliott present at Texas bar fight, cops investigating friends' involvement :: TMZ
The former Cowboys star was back home in Frisco, hanging out at a bar near the team’s headquarters. A fight broke out, and while Elliott is seen on video a good distance away from the fracas and not participating, police are reportedly looking into whether any of Elliott’s companions that night were involved.
4 Cowboys named as finalists for prestigious MVP, OPOY, DPOY awards :: Cowboys Wire
Dak Prescott is up for both league MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. He’ll face some familiar competition for the latter award; CeeDee Lamb is also an OPOY finalist. Micah Parsons is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, but so is DaRon Bland. The trophies will be handed out Feb. 8.
Isiah Pacheco disputes that he runs like he’s biting people: I ain’t no zombie :: ProFootballTalk
The Chiefs running back felt the need to issue a statement that he is not, in fact, a zombie. The bizarre soundbite (ba-dum-dum) came after Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis took to social media to point out that Pacheco runs “like he bite people.”
Ranking 20 greatest AFC, NFC championship games: Jim Harbaugh's almost-completed 'Hail Mary' pass makes cut :: CBS Sports
Unsurprisingly, the Cowboys-49ers clash in the 1981 NFC title game was picked as the greatest conference championship game of all time, but Cowboys fans remember that “The Catch” was almost negated a few moments later by a Danny White-to-Drew Pearson pass play that was thisclose to being a different kind of miracle. Dallas’s win over San Francisco in 1992 to kick-start the dynasty also made the list.
Ex-Cowboys starter signed by Lions ahead of NFC Championship :: Heavy.com
Matt Farniok was let go by the Cowboys on cutdown day back in August, but now he’s suddenly one game away from a Super Bowl. The seventh-round draft pick out of Nebraska in 2021 was signed by the Lions for a practice squad spot this week.
Dallas Cowboys disastrous rookie class could have lasting implications on entire team :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys selected eight players, and none of them looked great. Or good. Or decent. When a team misses on an entire class, it causes issues on your depth chart, your active roster, your record, and your salary cap. None of them should be tossed into the waste bin yet, but the Class of 2023 so far feels a little like the Class of 2009, whose best player turned out to be tight end John Phillips. That’s not a good omen.
Cowboys safeties underachieved, but should rebound in 2024 :: Cowboys Wire
The three-headed monster of Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, and Donovan Wilson was tamed somewhat in 2023, with the defense having to depend on them too often to play like linebackers. Hooker and Wilson should bounce back, while Kearse is expected to move on. A change in coverage schemes, though, (as might happen if there’s a new DC) could add yet another variable.
One 'secret superstar' for all 32 NFL teams after the 2023 season :: PFF
The player nicknamed after a movie spy is the perfect pick as the Cowboys’ secret superstar. Osa Odighizuwa (“OO97”) doesn’t play at the flashiest position in the league, and most of his work is tasked as dirty work, but the 25-year-old D-tackle eats gaps, takes on double-teams, and creates holes for his fellow defenders to attack. And he got 43 pressures this year himself.
Tony Romo and Jim Nantz are a mess with Super Bowl 2024 barreling toward them :: New York Post
Romo and partner Jim Nantz will call the biggest game of the season in a few weeks, but the CBS team has been manning broadcasts recently that lack chemistry, storytelling, entertainment value, and even insight into the game. The once-brilliant Romo sounds like he’s spitballing on the fly, and Nantz increasingly comes across like the confused uncle who is slow to react and never quite knows what to say.
Cut Dak?! Drew Brees it? The 6 Options for Cowboys with Prescott's contract :: Catch This Fade
A lot of talk about what to do with Dak Prescott, but there are actually 6 options for the Cowboys. We go through them, from least to most likely and examine what each of them means for the future of the organization.
