Will Cowboys DL Tyrone Crawford capitalize on teammate's breakout season? - Jori Epstein, SportsDay
With all the attention last year's 14.5-sack season brought DeMarcus Lawrence, could Tyrone Crawford be in for a big year in 2018?
2018 outlook: Crawford has the most to gain from DeMarcus Lawrence coming off a 14.5-sack season. With Lawrence starting at left defensive and Crawford at right barring injuries, any offensive lines paying extra attention to Lawrence will have fewer pieces to handle Crawford. But Crawford will want to mirror his early-2017 production to fend off Taco Charlton behind him on the depth chart. Though Crawford opened 2017 with four sacks in seven games, he didn’t record any more after Week 8 at Washington. He did record three quarterback hurries in four of the late games. The starting right end job is Crawford’s to lose.
Cowboys have highest-paid defensive end unit in the NFL - Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys
After a very impressive year from the Cowboys defensive ends, it’s worth a look at how they stacked up against the salary cap of other teams because you get surprising results.
Next is seven-year veteran Tyrone Crawford who is due to make $9,100,000 on 2018. This is a contract that many of Cowboys fans hate, and rightfully so. Crawford is taking up 4.62% of the cap with his $9.1 million cap hit and is the 17th highest-paid defensive end in football.
Which Player Makes His First Pro Bowl in 2018? - Dallas Cowboys Staff
Continuing the 20 Questions series, which Cowboys could wind up earning his first Pro Bowl in 2018?
David Helman: Last year I was convinced another Collins was headed for the Pro Bowl, and it didn’t pan out too well for Maliek. This year I’m going with the same name – but on the other side of the line. I could not have been more impressed with the way La’el Collins progressed in his first season at right tackle last year. He struggled against the likes of Von Miller in the early going, but by the end of the year he was holding his own against the likes of Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. I think he’s going to continue to improve, and with an All-Pro like Zack Martin helping him out, I won’t be surprised if Collins becomes the fourth of these Cowboys O-Lineman to make the Pro Bowl.
Cowboys look for young receivers to fill leadership void-Mark Lane- Shreveport Times
The Cowboys aren't only looking for young receivers to emerge as threats on the field, they want to guys to step into leadership roles.
The biggest player to replace is no doubt Witten, who third-year quarterback Dak Prescott says was like a coach with the way he conducted himself in the locker room.
”With him being gone, not only me, but it’s required of a lot of our young guys who can be leaders,” Prescott said. “It’s made them step up and it’s made them a great young team.”
20 newcomers we expect to make an immediate impact in 2018 - Austin Gayle, Pro Football Focus
PFF lists 20 players they think will hit the ground running and help a team on the cusp of significant success take that final stride. For the Cowboys, that's Michael Gallup.
2017 overall grade (from the player’s final collegiate season): 92.0
Former Colorado State wide receiver Gallup was the most well-rounded wideout in this year’s draft, and even saw stints as our No. 1 receiver in the class and he can excel in a multi-faceted role in the Dallas Cowboys’ offense. Gallup averaged a whopping 3.19 yards per route run en route to a 92.0 overall grade in 2017.
With Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Brice Butler all out of the building, Dallas’ offense will likely lean on Gallup for a significant number of targets this upcoming season.
10 things we learned from Dak Prescott's friends, including what he wanted from Longhorns' Mack Brown - Jori Epstein, SportsDay
The Sportsday team traveled to Haughton, Louisiana, which is the hometown of the Cowboys star quarterback, Dak Prescott.
The Texas Longhorns recruited Belton quarterback David Ash as Prescott’s coaches sought to secure offers for him. Ash retired early from his college career because of concussions, pursuing his master’s in finance though he did return to work out in Texas’ Pro Day last year. Had Mack Brown offered Prescott on the recruiting trail, friends think he would’ve spent his college years in Austin. The Longhorns were Prescott’s favorite team growing up. One Prescott family member sent Texas a letter about the 4A Louisiana quarterback.
“He’d have gone to Texas, no question,” Jacobs said.
Unless they’d have offered him late, Jacobs reckoned. Prescott became increasingly committed to Mississippi State as time went on, showing loyalty to the first major program to believe in his talents.
“Loyalty means a lot to him,” Jacobs said.
Ranking divisions by quarterback: NFC East ranked fifth - Adam Schein, NFL.com
The NFC East would likely have ranked much higher had it not been for the QB-impersonator in New York.
This is the toughest division to place.
I love Alex Smith -- I've long defended Alex Smith -- but he's a downgrade from Kirk Cousins.
Manning got benched last year. Admittedly, that was handled in horrific fashion by the Giants' Powers That Be, he let's be honest: Eli wasn't playing like an NFL starting quarterback. Now, Nate Solder, Saquon Barkley and a healthy Odell Beckham Jr will mean the world. But how much is left in the tank at age 37?
Prescott experienced a sophomore slump. I choose to always believe Ezekiel Elliott makes Dak, so 16 games with the running back would work wonders for the QB's play. And jettisoning Dez Bryant was addition by subtraction.
Carson Wentz is a star. He was going to get my Associated Press MVP vote before the season-ending injury in Week 14. I'm going to assume he'll be healthy in 2018, with all signs pointing that way, and I can't wait to watch him again. He's special.
Who is really America's Team? Colin still says it's the Dallas Cowboys - The Herd, FOX Sports
Colin Cowherd deems the "America's Team" moniker to not only include football but all sport franchises in general.
1. Cowboys
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 4, 2018
2. Lakers
3. Yankees
4. Packers
5. Steelers@ColinCowherd ranks his Top 10 American sports brands pic.twitter.com/XTd1JhKCGe
Three Cowboys training camp battles to watch in 2018 - Ryan Ratty, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have will look for competition to win out for these three positional battles.
DT1 (In David Irving’s four-game absence)
The battle: Jihad Ward vs. Brian Price vs. Richard Ash
With Irving slated to sit out the first four games of the season, the depth of the Cowboys’ defensive line will immediately be pushed to its limits. Last season Irving teamed up with Maliek Collins to play the interior once Irving’s suspension was over and Stephen Paea retied.
But Irving couldn’t complete the season due to injury. Dallas saw contributions in bursts from Richard Ash and Brian Price in 2017, but neither one of them are imposing to the point where they should be in a starting role. After the free agency signings and the draft strategy, Ryan Switzer became expendable. Dallas traded Switzer to the Oakland Raiders in return for Jihad Ward, who became available under the Raiders’ new coaching regime.
Rod Marinelli has history with Ward from coaching the former Illinois product during the 2016 Senior Bowl. Ward has never really been used in the right capacity or in the right role. He will have the opportunity to be a contributor in Dallas given his positional flexibility. Under Marinelli, Ward will get coached up and continue to improve, given him the advantage to man this position until Irving comes back from suspension and is capable of playing starting minutes.
Verdict: Ward
Mailbag: Which Departed Vet Will Be Missed Most? - Bryan Broaddus & David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
Which recently departed Cowboys player will missed the most? How about Mr. Reliable?
Bryan: *I think you’ll miss Witten the most, especially on third downs and in the red zone. There is something about having a guy that can make reliable plays down after down. Going to be hard to replace that.
What they're saying about Jason Garrett: Deep playoff run or bust for the Cowboys' head coach? - SportsDay Staff
The beat writers at Sportsday DFW weigh in on Jason Garrett's job security.
SportsDay’s Kate Hairopoulos: ”It’s finally pretty simple. If the Cowboys don’t make the postseason this season, Jerry and Co. will finally be ready to move on from Garrett, who is entering his eighth full season as coach. Garrett has shown a willingness to change for what could be his last stand. While coordinators Rod Marinelli and Scott Linehan are back, he brought in a slew of new coaches, including receivers coach Sanjay Lal and secondary coach Kris Richard, who bring fresh ideas and techniques. Half of the roster this offseason is new to the Cowboys. The depth on the offensive line -- a lack of which really got them last season -- has been addressed. If the Cowboys don’t get to the playoffs again, Garrett will be the main constant.”