Cowboys News: Fight erupts at practice; what O-line looks like without Travis Frederick; LOL @ Eagles

Check out the Cowboys fight at practice with DeMarcus Lawrence throwing a haymaker - Dave Halprin, Blogging The Boys
Things got chippy at practice yesterday.

Another drill where things got feisty, per David Helman:

Nice battle between rookie guard Connor Williams and defensive tackle Antwaun Woods in the “compete” drill. The defense erupted when Woods pushed Williams back and down onto the turf. But the following rep, Williams held his leverage and prevented Woods from penetrating the pocket.

Scout’s Notebook: Big Battles In Pass Coverage - Bryan Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys put on their pads for Thursday’s practice at The Star, and Bryan Broaddus was on hand to fill up his notebook.

Impressive four-man twist game by Randy Gregory, Kony Ealy, Tyrone Crawford and DeMarcus Lawrence to force Dak Prescott to unload the ball in the red zone. Lawrence drove so hard to the inside that all Ealy had to do was make the short trip around Chaz Green to be right on top of Prescott. By the time Prescott felt the pressure from the outside, it was too late. He had no choice but to get rid of the ball to avoid the sack.

The jet sweep to Lance Lenoir worked largely in part due to a block by Rico Gathers on Jeron Johnson. Gathers was able to arc release and got into Johnson, pushing him wide and allowing Lenoir to cut inside of him for a nice gain. We’re starting to see signs where Rico Gathers’ overall game is beginning to improve.

Practice Recap: Zack Martin On The Mend; Notes - David Helmann, DallasCowboys.com
Zack Martin confirmed he intends to play Week 1 against Carolina. Other notes from practice:

Wide receiver Deonte Thompson (Achilles’ tightness) returned to practice for the first time since the early portion of camp in Oxnard and made multiple catches in seven-on-seven work.

It’s well-documented that linebacker Jaylon Smith is moving much better in his second training camp. But his instincts were on display in team drills, first anticipating Prescott’s flare pass to Allen Hurns and making the stop, then swarming tight end Geoff Swaim to stop him short of the goal line.

Cowboys teammates concerned about Travis Frederick health, not return - Todd Archer, ESPN
Frederick’s teammates are behind him all the way and not worried about what this means on the football field.

“Training camp, he really didn’t know what was going on and for them to kind of get to the bottom of it was at least closure for him, that he knew what was going on with his body,” said Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin, who has talked to Frederick every day since he was admitted to the hospital.

Jerry: Frederick’s Health “Most Important Thing”- Rob Phillips, Dallas Cowboys
The primary focus continues to be Travis Frederick's health not whether or not he can be on the football field.

“The biggest thing we’ve been worried about in this organization is his health, his long-term health, his individual well-being as opposed to how it impacts us as a team or impacts him as a player,” Jones said Thursday before practice. “His well-being is the most important thing.

“Right now I’m just pleased that we’ve got our finger on it, for him and his family.”

Team happy to get diagnosis on Travis Frederick - Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys are really pleased to finally have a full diagnosis of what has been bothering their All-Pro center.

“We were really so happy when it was diagnosed that this was the problem,” Jones said. “He and we were concerned about that when we couldn’t get a diagnosis. The biggest thing we have been worried is his health, his long-term health, his individual well being as opposed to how it impacted us as a team or impacts him as a player but his well being is the most important thing. As opposed to some of the other things that might have been considered we thought this was great news of him being diagnosed. I’m just pleased that we’ve got our finger on it for him and his family. As it relates to football, I don’t have any definitive thing to talk about there.

Cowboys players react to news of Travis Frederick's autoimmune disease diagnosis - Staff, SportsDay
A day after Cowboys center Travis Frederick announced that he has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, his teammates respond.

Here's what the Cowboys' projected O-line rotation looks like without Travis Frederick - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Despite some nicks and bruises, all projected starters except Frederick are expected to line up against the Panthers in the season opener.

Tyron Smith - Connor Williams - Joe Looney - Zack Martin - La'el Collins

Joe Looney, center: Entering his seventh season, Looney has mostly worked as a backup in his time with the Cowboys, Titans and 49ers. He has appeared in 59 games, starting 13.

What Cowboys' offensive line worries mean for gamblers and Ezekiel Elliott Fantasy owners - Will Brinson, CBSSports.com
Could the O-line end up a being a problem for Dallas?

Dallas' identity -- one they built through the draft in very impressive fashion -- is their offensive line.

They went 13-3 in 2016 because the line destroyed people and Ezekiel Elliott ran wild. Last year a combination of Elliott's suspension/legal issues with the NFL and a sneaky level of attrition (Ronald Leary left) on the line caused Dallas' offense to stagnate. The Cowboys offense went from third in Football Outsiders DVOA to 10th. They were still good, but not nearly as consistent, and the trickle-down effect of the offensive line struggling and Zeke not playing was Dak Prescott pressing to make plays and ending up in a regression season.

If they have multiple key offensive linemen miss significant time, it is going to have a negative impact on some of the skill-position guys.

Cowboys offensive line depth needs to be better if team plans on competing in 2018 - Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys
The regular season is just around the corner, and the the backup offensive line needs to improve.

In order for the 2018 Dallas Cowboys to find success, the backup offensive line will need to be much better than they’ve shown so far this offseason. The starting five offensive lineman for the Dallas Cowboys have looked very good as a unit this offseason, and that has been the case for the last four to five years. Things tend to go south when a starter goes down and a replacement player has to play meaningful snaps.

Mailbag: O-Line Help? Jourdan Lewis’ Camp?- Bryan Broaddus & Rob Phillips - Dallas Cowboys
What will the Cowboys do to add more depth along the offensive line? Is Jourdan Lewis going to win the nickel corner spot?

Bryan: They needed to add bodies even before the Frederick news. Waiver wire and potential trades are always a possibility. They will take a look at this Jacob Ohnesorge they signed from South Dakota State. Options are not great for a center coming off the street, so keep that in mind.

Rob: I fully expect them to keep an eye out for depth. As Bryan said, they added a backup center earlier this week. Joe Looney has done as nice job in Frederick’s place and I’d be surprised if they could find a better option elsewhere while Frederick is out. By the way, there’s no timetable for a return right now – the most important thing is dealing with this illness. We all wish him a quick recovery.

Cowboys' preseason game vs. Cardinals will be really big for these players - Kristi Scales, SportsDay
Which Cowboys players have the most to gain with a good performance against the Cardinals?

Sunday is also important to determine whether or not Cam Fleming or Chaz Green will be the swing tackle in 2018. Fleming, a former starter for the Patriots who received a $1 million signing bonus from the Cowboys earlier this offseason, signed a one-year deal. According to Spotrac.com, Fleming would count $2M in dead money if he were released. The Cowboys have a financial investment in him. Green, meanwhile, is playing in the final year of his original rookie contract and would count $156,095 in dead money. Green has also started games at guard in previous years for the Cowboys, so he has position flex.

One of the Cowboys' most interesting rookies faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster - Kristi Scales, SportsDay
Sixth-round pick Chris Covington faces an uphill battle to make the roster after missing so much training camp time.

Kristi Scales: Chris Covington, the rookie linebacker from Indiana who was a Cowboys sixth-round pick, missed the first three-and-a-half weeks of camp due to illness. He was battling pneumonia. And now he has to make up for lost time in terms of reps.

But it will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets. The staff likes him, but can you sneak a guy like him through to the 53-man roster if he gets lots of playing time in these final two preseason games and scouts from other teams see him and decide he’s worth signing for their respective teams? Also, Covington needs to work back into game shape.

Gil Brandt picked as a Hall of Fame finalist -Clarence Hill, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Former Dallas Cowboys scout Gil Brandt is one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Brandt and Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen have been selected by the PFHOF’s Contributors Committee as the two contributor finalists for the Class of 2019.

Brandt ran the Cowboys scouting department from 1960-1989, helping build the franchise from its inception into America’s team championship legacy with 20 consecutive winning seasons, five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl titles during that time.

Cleveland Browns shut out Philadelphia Eagles in dress rehearsal - FoxSports.
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