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TE Job Open After Wes Phillips Joins Redskins' Staff - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
By now, the news that Wes Phillips is joining the Redskins has made the rounds, but Eatman points out that Phillips isn't the only assistant whose contract expired after 2013 (and was not re-signed).
So far this offseason, the Cowboys have lost four coaches whose contracts had expired – assistant special teams coach Chris Boniol, offensive assistant Dave Borganzi and assistant coach Mikal Smith [in addition to Phillips].
Other coaches whose contract have [sic] expired include Ben Bloom, Joe Baker and Keith O’Quinn, who could be a candidate to replace Phillips as tight ends coach.
Dallas Cowboys' coaching changes are minor - Calvin Watkins, ESPN Dallas
While Watkins doesn't make any mention of the fact that the contracts of most assistant coaches expired after the season, he does point out that the absence of any firings so far may be part of the Cowboys' plan:
If Jones doesn't make any moves, he's really making a move, placing his coaching staff in a position to coach for their jobs.
Why DeMarcus Ware question (can he regain Pro Bowl form?) is trickiest Cowboys face in offseason - David Moore, DMN
Moore rules out that the Cowboys will threaten to cut Ware if he doesn't take a pay cut. So how are they going to get Ware to take a pay cut?
The Cowboys must reduce Ware’s salary cap hit to a level that more accurately reflects his performance. Jones must take a hard line here, but not so hard that Ware walks. Asking him to cut his base salary in half doesn’t appear to be a realistic option.
Ware, meanwhile, must allow his contract to be adjusted. It’s difficult to see how this relationship continues if he refuses to take any sort of pay cut.
A contract that reduces Ware’s $12.25 million base salary but includes incentives that potentially allows him to recoup some of that money may be the way out for both sides.
Finding that number won’t be easy. This is where Jerry Jones the general manager needs to make it right for Jerry Jones the owner.
Dallas Cowboys line could have continuity in 2014 - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
For the first time since 2008, the Cowboys could return the same O-line from the previous year, a line that played a significant role in producing the first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006.
"I want to say it sets the standard for us," Bernadeau said of the late-season success with the running game. "It's one of those deals where we know what we're capable of doing and we want to do better. We have the highest expectations of ourselves. It's a mix of us getting it done up front and holding those expectations high."
Scout’s Eye: RB Progress Means Bar Gets Raised Higher
Broaddus writes that DeMarco Murray was at a crossroads entering 2013, which put him in the cross hairs of many pundits:
Murray was truly in the cross roads [sic] of his career and the decision that he made in the spring of 2013 after finishing an injured [sic] plagued season, he recommitted himself to improving his physical conditioning. It was not that Murray was afraid of working hard but how he went about the task is what improved.
Broaddus concludes that Murray in particular proved his critics wrong, and with an improved offensive line and a more experienced running back group, things should be looking up for the running game next season.
George Selvie has shoulder surgery - Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN Dallas
Selvie's surgery is not expected to keep him out of the team's offseason conditioning program. Archer tallies the surgeries so far:
"[Selvie] joins right tackle Doug Free (ankle) and wide receiver Dwayne Harris (shoulder) as players known to have had postseason operations."
A little later, the DMN put up a similar post detailing Selvie's surgery. Interestingly, the DMN also omits to add Caesar Rayford to the list of players who have undergone surgery once the season ended.
Cowboys Mock Draft: Defense, Defense, Defense - Bill Jones, CBS DFW
Bill Jones believes the Cowboys need as many defensive players as they can get in this draft, so he has the Cowboys trading down about ten spots in the first to get an extra third-round pick. The result is a stunner of a mock draft:
1. Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford
2. Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt
3. Telvin Smith, OLB, Florida State
3. Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
4. Dominque Easley, DT, Florida
5. Josh Stewart, WR, Oklahoma State
6. Trey Millard, FB, Oklahoma
7. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
7. Chris Whaley, DT, Texas
Defense rests in Brent wreck case - Amarillo Globe-News
Brent's case will now head to a jury, after his attorneys finished their case in one day, arguing again that Brent wasn’t drunk during the crash.
