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Ruling on cap case not expected anytime soon - NFL.com
The Cowboys and Redskins had previously filed briefs detailing their arguments against the cap penalty. However, yesterday's meeting before system administrator Stephen Burbank did not address those briefs; the 90-minute meeting instead dealt with a motion-to-dismiss filed by the NFL. If that motion is denied, the grievance filed by the Cowboys and Redskins will proceed in what looks to become a lengthy legal process.
Cowboys To Hold Joint Practices With Chargers In Training Camp - The Dallas Morning News
Following their preseason game on August 18 in San Diego, the Chargers and Cowboys will have two joint practice days on August 20-21. These practices will close the California portion of the Cowboys' 2012 training camp.
WR Saalim Hakim receives largest signing bonus of Cowboys UDFAs - CowboysZone.com
AdamJT13 posted the signing bonus payments for the Cowboys' 21 UDFAs on Cowboyszone.com, and it appears WR Saalim Hakim got the largest signing bonus. We saw on Wednesday that 18 NFL teams were interested in signing the speedy receiver, and his bonus seems to confirm that. The bonuses are a good indicator of the demand for a given player, and they could potentially also be an indicator for which players have better odds of making the team.
A look at the individual signing bonuses and more headlines after the break.
| Player | POS | Bonus | Player | POS | Bonus |
| Saalim Hakim | WR | $10,000 | Eddie Whitley | S | $4,000 |
| Levy Adcock | OT | $9,000 | Isaac Madison | CB | $2,000 |
| Ronald Leary | OG | $9,000 | Aston Whiteside | LB | $2,000 |
| Harland Gunn | OG | $5,000 | Cole Beasley | WR | $1,500 |
| Jeff Adams | OT | $4,000 | Lance Dunbar | RB | $1,500 |
| George Bryan | TE | $4,000 | Donavon Kemp | WR | $1,500 |
| Taylor Dever | OT | $4,000 | Lionel Smith | CB | $1,500 |
| Adrian Hamilton | LB | $4,000 | Troy Woolfolk | CB | $1,500 |
| Tyrone Novikoff | OT | $4,000 | Tim Benford | WR | $0 |
| Darrell Scott | RB | $4,000 | Charley Hughlett | LS | $0 |
| Andrew Szczerba | TE | $4,000 |
The Cowboys, like every other NFL team, had $76,585 to spend on UDFA bonuses. They spent all but $85 of that money. Note that Troy Woolfolk has already been released.
Are the Cowboys being undervalued? - National Football Post
Joe Fortenbaugh, an acknowledged Eagles fan, argues that despite massive upgrades on the defensive side of the football, Dallas continues to get little respect from the Vegas bookmakers (as you can also read in KD Drummond's recent post):
"A lot of things will change between now and the start of the season and we all know that one big injury can drastically alter the expectations of any franchise, but at this point in the year, I’m convinced the Cowboys are being undervalued by the bookmakers in Las Vegas."
"Hell, I may even take a good, long look at the 22/1 Super Bowl odds being offered on the Cowboys over at 5dimes.com."
The Longest Day: ultimate 2012 draft grades - Cold Hard Football Facts
CHFF give Dallas a straight 'A' for their 2012 draft. And because they approach this evaluation differently than many of the "My-board-is-better-than-the-team-boards" crowd, it's worth looking at:
"Dallas ranked 25th in Defensive Passer Rating in 2011 (88.4), surrendered 4,146 yards through the air and 7.6 yards per attempt. They did force 42 sacks, a pretty good haul in this day and age of pampered passers. But nearly half of those came from DeMarcus Ware (19.5) alone. So the team has a big need for play-making pass defenders, especially in the secondary."
"We don’t know how this year’s crop of talent – including defenders with the first four picks – will turn out at this point. We grade teams only on what we know. And what we know is that Dallas is clearly in touch with its problems and took a lot of steps to solve those problems in the draft."
Each NFL team’s most promising undrafted free agent – SI.com
Chris Burke looks at who the diamonds in the rough may be for each team's UDFA draft class. For the Cowboys he thinks it's OT Jeff Adams:
"Jeff Adams, T, Columbia: Adams stands 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds, so with a little bulking up, he could be an ideal left tackle candidate. He had a solid week at the East-West Shrine Game, too. The change in competition level will be one of his biggest challenges. Others to watch: Adrian Hamilton, OLB/DE, Prairie View A&M; Darrell Scott, RB, South Florida."
Cowboys with depth to spare? - CBSSports
Pat Kirwan, a former NFL scout, assistant coach and player personnel director now with CBSsports, thinks the Cowboys have depth to spare in the secondary and on the defensive line. Kirwan went through the rosters of all NFL teams to see which teams have envious position depth, and here's what he found for the Cowboys:
"Keep an eye on the defensive line, where Dallas added Tyrone Crawford in the third round. A number of teams would love a shot at 2010 seventh-rounder Sean Lissemore if he were available. As for the corners there are rumors Michael Jenkins is available, but the compensation would have to come way down to make sense."
Morris Claiborne has pins removed from left wrist - The Dallas Morning News
After his recent wrist surgery, Claiborne on Wednesday had the pins removed from his wrist. He's expected to miss OTAs as he fully recovers from the procedure but should be ready to roll for training camp
School Could Delay Matt Johnson’s Return - DallasCowboys.com
Safety Matt Johnson could miss the Cowboys' 10 OTA sessions because of a clash with Eastern Washington's academic calendar. Rob Phillips writes that Johnson should re-join the team for the veteran minicamp on June 12-14 at the latest.
DeMarcus Ware: Pass rush or secondary? - The Dallas Morning News
Ware provides a surprisingly simple take on the old question of whether a good secondary improves the pass rush or whether a good pass rush improves the secondary.
"I think it depends on who you play," Ware said. "If you play a guy that throws the ball really quick, there's not going to be any pass rush, so it's up to the corners to make that extra second. But if you're playing a guy that wants to drop back and he's going to have a lot of time back there, it's up to the pass rush to get there and the cornerbacks to catch the ball and make some big plays."