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Prescott, Elliott, and Cooper Resembling Nineties Triplets ✭ Matthew Lenix, Inside the Star
Oh, please let it be so!
They say history repeats itself, and we could be looking at a rerun in Dallas.
The Cowboys of the nineties were lead by three future Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin on offense. An accurate passer, elite level runner and a clutch receiver. Now the modern-day version is lead by three top-shelf players in their own right. Dak Prescott has won more games than any quarterback since 2016 not named Tom Brady. Ezekiel Elliott has two rushing crowns in his first three years. And Amari Cooper is a multiple time pro bowler and one of the best receivers in the game. The similarities, however, don't end there.
Dallas Cowboys: Cowboys musings: What kind of year will Byron Jones have, and who will earn the most reps at safety? | Kristi Scales, SportsDay
The good and the bad on the Cowboys corner.
Can Byron Jones repeat his performance from last year and be considered among the elite corners in the league?
Scales: One of the reasons the Cowboys defense finished the 2018 season in the top seven in total defense, points allowed and big plays allowed was the emergence of Byron Jones as a top cover corner. Jones, who transitioned full-time to cornerback last season after playing safety and cornerback in his first three NFL seasons, was very deserving of his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
Jones is emerging as one of the elite cover cornerbacks in the NFL, but there's an area in which he can still make a big jump: making game-changing big plays with takeaways.
Mick Shots: Pausing For Some Sporty Reflections - Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com
As others have noted, Dak Prescott isn't getting much love outside of the organization.
Where’s Dak? No matter Dak’s numbers, his number of wins, his two Pro Bowl selections and two NFC East titles in three years, some just don’t get him or his talent. Latest example rests in the 2019 Top 100 NFL Players list on CBSSports.com, compiled by veteran sportswriter Pete Prisco. The Cowboys have seven players listed: Ezekiel Elliott (16), DeMarcus Lawrence (26), Zack Martin (48), Tyron Smith (58), Jaylon Smith (80), Byron Jones (85) and Travis Frederick (99), with like another 20 or so listed as Just Missed, including Leighton Vander Esch. But no Dak. Yet another growth spurt for that shoulder chip.
Amari Cooper being patient with contract talks for good reason - Patrik "No C" Walker, 247 Sports
A lot of people are worried about why the Cowboys haven't already gotten a deal done with Amari Cooper, who saved their season last year. But as this explains, the delay is not necessarily on the team's side.
The only problem there comes from outside of the organization, by way of wideouts Michael Thomas and Julio Jones. Deals are seemingly soon to land on both before training camps fire up in July, with the New Orleans Saints being comfortable with the idea of making Thomas the highest paid WR in the NFL. That will only occur if the Atlanta Falcons first reset the market with Jones to allow Thomas a chance to hurdle it, because if Thomas gets his money first then it'll be Jones likely walking away with the crown. In the meantime, Cooper is comfortably preparing for the heightened tide that will follow those deals, because it'll drive his market value that much higher without him lifting a finger.
Amari Cooper deal now more urgent for Cowboys than Prescott’s - Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Wire
Here is an example of those worried about the time it is taking to get Cooper signed.
With the ship sailing at paying the QB and DE before the market got too costly, the Cowboys don’t need to drop the ball a third time.
Other wide receivers, including the Saints’ Michael Thomas and Falcons’ Julio Jones, are working towards contract extensions. If Thomas scores his megadeal or Jones gets the big contract extension he was promised last year, it will likely drive the price of Cooper’s contract higher. Dallas can contain some of the damage by beating its NFC foes to the punch and agreeing to a deal with Cooper first.
This is why the organization should now make Cooper the priority over Prescott and get a deal with him as soon as possible. The damage has been done at quarterback, where only a Jared Goff extension could affect the price of Prescott’s contract now. With very little talk about the Rams’ willingness to offer Goff a new deal, there is some time to get the deal they want with Prescott.
What happens if Cowboys camp opens with Byron & Tank on PUP? - Mike Fisher, 247 Sports
It looks like there is indeed a good chance of both Byron Jones and Demarcus Lawrence being on the PUP list at the beginning of camp. This may seem concerning, but here's a different (and reassuring) take.
"PUP,'' of course, is the Physically Unable to Perform list -- a designation given to injured players prior to teams' camps. If a player is placed on PUP, he is ineligible to practice with the team because of a football-related injury. ... "ineligible,'' that is, until the team and the player determine that he's healthy again, at which time he's taken off the PUP list and onto the practice field he goes.
In other words ... it amounts to nothing.
Why DT Maliek Collins May Be Poised For Monster Season ✭ Kevin Brady, Inside the Star
Although the Cowboys did a lot to fortify the DT position, don't sleep on Maliek Collins.
The Cowboys have a ton of guys to pay these next two offseasons, and feel comfortable acquiring players at Collins' position both late in drafts and on bargain deals during free agency. Rod Marinelli has made it work with misfits before, and likely plans to do so again in the future.
It doesn't mean Maliek Collins won't play like he's playing for a pay-day, though.
Collins is finally getting through an offseason fully healthy (knock on wood) and is geared up to go to training camp this Summer. When healthy, Collins has been a force from the 3-technique, especially as an internal pass rusher. Collins brings an explosiveness off the ball that few Cowboys on the interior can match. When at his best, he's clearly a starting-level defensive tackle for this team.
Dallas Cowboys’ analyst chimes in on Dak Prescott’s looming extension - Michael Kist, Bleeding Green Nation
Our frenemies (emphasis on the latter part of that term) at BGN had Dallas sports radio personality and The Athletic contributor Jeff Cavanaugh on to discuss the Dak Prescott contract situation. Cavanaugh is apparently not a big fan of paying Dak.
On the eventuality of an extension...
“One NFL truth is if you have a quarterback that’s giving you quality quarterback play and you think you have a shot to win a Super Bowl, you’re never going to move on from that quarterback. No one will, you’re going to keep him...
So you have to fight over the numbers and it’s like ‘do I want to move on from Dak Prescott? No, I want to win the Super Bowl. Do I want to have Dak Prescott with a thirty-something-million dollar cap hit? No, I want to win the Super Bowl.
... there’s so many different truths that are intersecting that makes this decision and this contract and this contract so hard that you’re not going to feel great no matter what the end result is...”
Ex-Giants bust Ereck Flowers in line to open season in Redskins’ starting lineup - Matt Lombardo, nj.com
Given how Ereck Flowers was abused as a tackle with the New York Giants, this may be a good thing for Washington's opponents this year. Like Dallas.
Now, after making a position change in Washington, Flowers appears in line for the starting left guard job.
“Oh yeah, I think so,” assistant head coach Bill Callahan, who coaches the offensive line, said during minicamp when asked if he planned to open camp with Flowers as the top left guard. “I think it gives us size, it gives us power, I think those are really good traits for the running attack and pass protection,” Callahan continued. “He’s long, he’s square, obviously he can play in the short area so those are things we kind of identified during free agency that we liked and we are trying to fit him into that mode. So it’s been a work in progress, we got a long ways to go yet, but he’s made a nice transition.”