Cowboys news: Marquez White indicted following road-rage incident

Marquez White of Dallas Cowboys faces assault charge in road-rage incident - Staff, ESPN
Cowboys second-year cornerback Marquez White is facing aggravated assault charges stemming from a driving incident last October.

White, 23, was in court on Thursday and has another appearance scheduled for Aug. 10. He was released on $7,500 bond. The charge is aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, according to Collin County court records.

In a statement to his hometown paper, the Dothan Eagle, White described the events of Oct. 20 as a "road rage incident in which my life was threatened and resulted in me having to draw my weapon."

White said the other driver was following him very closely and aggressively, then pulled up next to him and yelled racial slurs and threatened to kill him.

White's attorney, Toby Shook, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the player did not break any law.

"Marquez did everything legally," Shook said. "He displayed a gun, but didn't point it at this individual because he was very concerned with how this individual was making threats. I'm hopeful that this case can be dismissed because I don't think he violated the law."

Full statement from Cowboys CB Marquez White, arrested on gun charge in 'road rage' case - Mike Fisher, 247 Sports
White is being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but he is the one who is feeling attacked as this isn't going to look good for him. He released a statement on Monday.

White's position is that he encountered an "aggressive driver" while exiting the Dallas North Tollway near Tennyson Parkway in Plano on Oct. 20, 2017. White said the other driver followed him closely before pulled alongside him to yelled threats and racial slurs.

"Simultaneously,'' White told the Eagle, "while doing this he began to reach towards his glove box and that is when I flashed my weapon.''

White said the other motorist followed him to his apartment and called the police on White. He was not arrested at the time but learned on June 15 last month that a felony warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Here is his full statement...

From high drama driving arrests to drug suspensions, it’s been a rough offseason for the Cowboys.

Top 10 quotes - and storylines - of the week - Mike Fisher, 247 Sports
Ten storylines bouncing around the the interwebs this week, including David Irving.

The guy who should be getting all the 3-Tech praise around here is David Irving. Alas, he's going to be sitting out the first four games of the NFL season due to (another) suspension. So, he's amusing himself by prescribing to his critics bottles of "Crylenol.'' He writes:

"Do you hate David Irving? Does he always seem to bounce back harder? Do you find yourself talking down on his name? If so, try 'Crylenol'! Please read instructions! Do not exceed 12 pills in a 24 hour time span. Warning: side effects may include minding your own business, questioning your existence, and realizing you actually love David Irving. More serious side effects may occur if you're lame! Please take with caution ??''

(Photo: 247Sports)

Is it OK for Irving to attempt to be funny here? Or does he continue to "just not get it''? My observations here reflect the idea that sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.

Irving was also suspended the first four games of last season for using PED’s, resulting from a supplement he had a marketing deal with.

Speaking of supplement...

5 Things to Know About This Week’s Supplemental Draft - Kristi Scales, 5 Points Blue
Not sure what's all involved with the supplemental draft? Don't sweat it. Let Kristi Scales fill you in on what to expect.

Teams know which players have petitioned for the Supplemental Draft. If a team wants to select a player, they e-mail his name and his draft round to the NFL office in New York. If a player is selected by more than one team, he will go to the team that had him selected in the higher round. If more than one team selects the player in the same round, the player is awarded to the team that has the higher draft position (the same position/slot used in the 2018 NFL Draft).

The Cowboys had the 19th pick in the 2018 draft, so it’s unlikely they’ll land one of the higher-graded players, as they’d have to outbid the teams above them by a full round to get the player. But they might strike with a late-round pick: Josh Brent was acquired in the 2010 supplemental draft with a seventh-round pick in a year where the Cowboys had the 24th pick in the draft.

The NFL supplemental draft is Wednesday - Pee Sweeney, Arrowhead Pride
The NFL’s supplemental draft is set to take place tomorrow. The draft, like the revolution, will not be not televised.

There hasn’t been a player selected in the supplemental draft since Isaiah Battle in 2015, but that could change as there are up to five players that are up for grabs in this year’s edition.

Who are the players worth keeping an eye out on?

The candidates:

Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander

Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal

Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant

Grand Valley State running back Martayveus Carter

Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu

Why Cowboys could end up drafting DB Adonis Alexander in mid-July - Sean Martin, Cowboys Wire
A scouting report of one of the top supplemental draft prospects.

Strengths

The first thing that jumps out on Alexander’s tape is his competitiveness on the boundary. Alexander does not like to concede a single step, playing in the face of his receiver. Using his length to his advantage, Alexander plays with exceptional leverage and power in his hands.

When he gets a jam on his target, often aiming to do so in the upper body, Alexander knocks receivers backwards and completely disrupts their release. From here, Alexander has a much easier time staying on top of routes with his short but effective strides.

There are a few defensive backs in the supplemental talent pool, but the Cowboys could opt to save a draft pick and just look to free agency.

Top free agents the Cowboys could sign during training camp - Patrik Walker, 247 Sports
The Cowboys have some extra cap space if they feel like going shopping. Here are several candidates who still could be of interest.

One of the more talented free agent safeties in the NFL, the market for the position being in the dumps is why Tre Boston remains unemployed.

It's doubtful he stays that way for long, considering training camps are soon to fire up which will undoubtedly bring injury to key players. It's a perennial fact of summer that will make Boston more attractive as time goes on, and his ability to play both safety positions would work well for him with the Cowboys. They've not shown a stitch of interest public in going after him, but that may change once they're officially out of the race for Earl Thomas. They could sign neither and watch Xavier Woods and Kavon Frazier take the next step in their careers, something they're fully prepared to do, but when is having extra talent at a position of need a bad thing?

Or they can just stand pat with what they’ve already got...

What’s The X-Factor For Xavier Woods? - Staff, Dallas Cowboys
The writers over at the Mothership explain what it will take for the Cowboys second-year safety to solidify his spot in the starting role.

David Helman: For the time being, it seems pretty straightforward for Woods – simply be “good enough.” We’ve all discussed the possibility of the Cowboys bringing in a safety from outside the roster, and we know the team has mentioned possibly moving a cornerback over to compete for the job. If Woods is solid at training camp, though, those options might fall by the wayside. The young safety is in a rare situation where there isn’t a ton of competition facing him down for the starting job. The coaching staff would clearly prefer that he grab it. The only way to do that is not to give them any reasons to second-guess themselves. Play well in August, and no one will be looking for your replacement in September.

Chidobe Awuzie’s rookie season should increase expectations for 2018 – Bob Sturm, The Athletic
The Sturminator provides yet another deep dive in his series looking at the 2017 rookie class. Here he looks at my favorite player from last year's draft and has as much enthusiasm as I do about Chidobe Awuzie.

The 2018 goal for Awuzie has to be to demonstrate he can handle the workload. 16 games at 65 snaps allow for 1,040 possible snaps in your average NFL season for a corner. He needs to demonstrate he can play 800 or more (15 corners in the league took 1,000+ snaps last season) to elevate himself by a level or two.

But otherwise, there is a lot to like about his rookie season and his skill set. In five starts against a pretty decent schedule, he conceded 26 yards per game and nothing vertical.

If you want to eyeball all of the defensive players the Cowboys have taken in the draft since their selection of DeMarcus Lawrence in 2014 on the basis of which can go to the Pro Bowl, I suspect your list of high-ceiling guys has to include Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and Byron Jones when they were taken.

The jury is still out on Jones but his contract is running out, too. Smith doesn’t appear to have the ceiling he once did, but perhaps his body can recover and bring him back there. Vander Esch has yet to take a single snap. But for my money, I am ready to push Awuzie up this list. He is a healthy season from perhaps making it during his rookie contract. There is no reason this guy can’t be the next top Cowboys corner.

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Giants’ Barkley Is Already One Of NFL’s Best - Bryan Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com
The broad one continues his breakdown of the top opponents the Cowboys will face in 2018. Like me, he thinks Barkley could be the same kind of difference-maker Ezekiel Elliott was upon arriving in Dallas.

This should sound familiar to any Cowboys fan. After a disappointing season, the Giants used a big-time pick in the NFL draft to try to revitalize their offense, hoping to give an aging quarterback a chance at prolonging his career. Yes, it’s hard not to think about Ezekiel Elliott when you analyze the Giants’ decision to draft Barkley. He has the same game-changing ability, and he should make life a lot easier for Eli Manning in 2018. Only time will tell if Barkley can help lead the Giants back into playoff contention, but his arrival in New York will present a challenge for the Cowboys for years to come.

High praise for a player who hasn’t played a single down in the NFL. Meanwhile, last year’s can’t-miss prospect is planning to shed some weight in order to improve on his 3.9-yard rookie season rushing average:

Leonard Fournette hoping less (of him) is more – Darin Gantt, ProFootballTalk

According to John Reid of the Florida Times-Union, the Jaguars running back plans to be at 224 pounds when training camp opens, which is 11 pounds less than his playing weight last year.

While the difference Fournette made for their offense was obvious, he’s hoping that playing lighter can help with endurance and burst. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry over the course of the season, but 3.5 yards per carry in the playoffs.

Packers could face vulnerable Seahawks secondary in return to Seattle - Ryan Wood, PackersNews.com
The Cowboys also travel to Seattle this season, and what's good for the Packers should be good for the Cowboys, no? Especially if Earl Thomas ends up wearing the blue and silver ...

It’s fair, however, to question whether CenturyLink Field’s reputation has become more of a myth. Nobody doubts the max volume, but last year CenturyLink wasn’t the same, unwinnable environment for road teams. The Los Angeles Rams won there 42-7 last December. Two weeks later, the Arizona Cardinals squeaked out a 26-24 win. In all, the Seahawks lost four of their final five home games in 2017, almost unfathomable given their past success.

Their late-season difficulty winning at home dropped the Seahawks to 4-4 at CenturyLink Field. The last time they didn’t have a winning record at home was 2011, before their current window of success. From 2012 to 2016, the Seahawks were 34-6 at home.

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Tony Romo won the Racine Tri-Course Amateur Championship by a poetic 9 shots - RJ Ochoa, Blogging The Boys
Romo is doing his thing on the links.

July 8th saw the return of the king when Romo got a win on a Sunday. He won the Racine Tri-Course Amateur Championship... by a poetically beautiful 9 shots. Hold me, please.

It didn’t hurt that the final round was played on one of Romo’s home courses, Meadowbrook Country Club, where he shot two under to pull away from the field. And to be fair to Romo, I don’t care who else was in the field. A nine-shot win is impressive. And this was actually the second time Romo, who went to high school in nearby Burlington, Wisc., has won this Racine event, having also taken the title in 2004.

Dallas Cowboys Rapper, I Mean Receiver, Cole Beasley Drops a Freestyle - Charles Nichelson, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
The Cowboys receiver just released his debut album, The Autobiography, and was showcasing his talent on a local radio station.

Dallas Cowboys wideout Cole Beasley was on local radio station K104, where he shocked the studio (and possibly the world) with some bars of his own.

While it was not a freestyle, we want to give the Little Elm-product credit for coming with confidence on a Dr. Dre beat (previously heard on "The Next Episode")