Cowboys news: Cowboys sign Andy Dalton; Taco Charlton finds a new home

Good morning, Cowboys Nation! Are you still recovering from last weekend’s draft hangover? Let’s hope that feeling stays with us for a while as it was majestic. Let’s savor that goodness with a nice cup of coffee and some flavorful Cowboys news.

Here are today’s top stories...

Cowboys sign Andy Dalton - Michael David Smith, Pro FootballTalk

The Cowboys have themselves a veteran backup quarterback as three-time Pro Bowler Andy Dalton joins the team.

Andy Dalton is heading back home to Texas.

Dalton, who grew up in Texas and played his college football at TCU, is signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys, PFT has confirmed. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the deal guarantees Dalton $3 million and gives him the opportunity to make up to $7 million.

Cowboys signing QB Andy Dalton to one-year deal - Staff, ESPN

The signing of Dalton gives the team a viable veteran presence should something happen to Dak Prescott.

Dalton, 32, had been the Bengals’ primary starter since they selected him in the second round of the 2011 draft. He led Cincinnati to the playoffs five times, though the Bengals lost in the wild-card round each time, and is the franchise’s career leader in touchdown passes. Dalton’s release came one week after the Bengals drafted former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the top overall pick.

Dalton was set to earn $17.7 million in the final season of a six-year contract worth $96 million. After the Bengals went on a spending spree this summer, Cincinnati did not have the salary-cap space to keep Dalton and sign its incoming rookie class.

Ex-Cowboys 1st round pick Taco Charlton signs with Chiefs - Nick Bromberg, Yahoo Sports

Former first-round pick Taco Charton is on his third team in four years. The Fish Taco may be taken off the menu in Miami, but can Champotle save him from being discontinued forever?

Charlton was picked by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 28 pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He lasted just two full seasons in Dallas before he was waived in September. He had just four sacks in 27 career games with the Cowboys. Dallas chose Charlton just ahead of players like LB T.J. Watt, CB Kevin King and S Budda Baker.

The Dolphins signed Charlton off waivers and he appeared in 10 games for the franchise in 2019. He totaled a career-high five sacks and recorded 21 total tackles.

The Chiefs could be Charlton’s last best chance for a long-term NFL career. And it’s a low-risk move for Kansas City as it looks to fill in its defensive line depth behind Frank Clark and Chris Jones, assuming Jones plays on the franchise tag in 2020 or signs a long-term extension with the team.

Fans over at Arrowhead Pride seem to be in good spirits about their new signing.

Should we tell them? Someone should say something, right?

It would be promising if he was showing some type of growth, but Taco seems to be just an ordinary Taco. Who knows, maybe a new team(s) will be a nice change for him.

NFL hopes to start season on time; Cowboys preseason opener still in play - Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

Three months from now, we are all hoping to be able to watch the Cowboys play the Steelers in the Hall of Fame game. While it’s early, people are still optimistic that the season will start on time.

If you have any questions about the start of the NFL season, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Saturday morning the goal is to start everything on time.

Yes, even the Aug. 6 Hall of Fame preseason game between the Cowboys and the Steelers. The NFL will release the 2020 schedule next week.

“It is only responsible for the league to prepare for all alternatives and we will be ready if we have to make adjustments,” McCarthy told The News in an e-mail on Saturday. “Our decisions will continue to be guided by the latest advice from medical and public health officials, as well as current and future government regulations.”

Reggie Robinson brings Cowboys intriguing options, local backstory - Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys have a lot of players who are viewed as “steals” in this draft, but the corner they got on Day 3 could be a gem among gems.

The 6-foot-1-inch Lone Star State native was actually the highest-rated cornerback coming out this year, with an overall draft score of 89 from NFL.com’s Next Gen Stats.

The just-turned-23-year-old has explosive speed and ballhawking instincts, too. That could put Robinson in a prime position to contribute early on special teams. In college, he showed a particular knack for blocking kicks, doing it four times in 45 games with the Golden Hurricane. (The Cowboys as a team haven’t blocked a single kick attempt in their last 43 outings.)

It’s a block party!

DiNucci, McCarthy Have Hometown Ties - Jonny Auping, Dallas Cowboys

Have you ever had one of those serendipitous moments in an elevator? Well, newly drafted quarterback Ben DiNucci did when he and his future head coach happened to share a moment.

He hopped in the elevator up to his hotel room and someone came in behind him just before the doors closed. It was Mike McCarthy, who had recently been hired as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy’s brother was DiNucci’s eighth grade basketball coach back at Pittsburgh, so DiNucci introduced himself and explained the family connection.

“He was very familiar with our [James Madison] team,” DiNucci remembered. “I was kind of surprised that he knew who I was.” The FCS quarterback and NFL coach had about a five-minute conversation together, discussing the various regional ties the two men share. “Ben and I are from the same area back here in Pittsburgh,” McCarthy would say months later. “So I’m very aware of everything he’s done [in high school and college football].”

Ron’Dell Carter explains why he turned down 24 teams to sign with the Cowboys after the 2020 NFL Draft - Patrik Walker, CBS Sports

There are a lot of wild cards along the edge for the Cowboys this year, and you might as well add Ron’Dell Carter’s name to the list. The UDFA was in high demand after the draft and “No C” Walker sat down to talk with the James Madison star as Carter explains why he chose Dallas.

“A coach can’t teach me how to have that dog in me,” he said. “A lot of players claim they have it, but I got it. The Cowboys saw it [ahead of the draft] and I’ll show it [in person] once I get there. ... My dad just raised me different. ”Everything for me, I got out of the mud. I didn’t get drafted, but this is just a part of my story. I made it this far from a small school. ...[and now] I get the chance to play for America’s Team. This is an opportunity for me to show everybody what I’m made of, and I can’t wait to do it.”

And it didn’t hurt that the Cowboys compensated him accordingly.

He tells CBS Sports he received offers from upwards of 25 different teams and, in the end, it came down to two frontrunners in the Cowboys and their former rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. In the end, the highly-coveted undrafted free agent was awarded the most guaranteed money of any player in Dallas’ UDFA haul, which is clear evidence they see a high upside in him.

In fashion news...

A 1-32 NFL uniform ranking: Which are the best? Which make us hide our eyes? - Staff, The Athletic

The offseason always brings about change, and sometimes those changes are uniform designs. The Athletic lets us know “who wore it best” as they rank the uniforms of all 32 teams.

6. Cowboys.

The blue-star logo symbolizing the “Lone Star State” debuted on the helmet 1964 and the Cowboys have had the good sense to leave the iconic image alone. (We’re looking at you, Rams.) Dallas ought to stand pat with this fashionable look forever, but if they ever do decide on a facelift, Jerry Jones might know a guy. Best look:

The home white jersey with the royal blue socks will forever conjure that “America’s Team” vibe.

My wife says that I am terrible at matching up the clothes I pick out to wear on a daily basis, which might explain why the Cowboys contrasting uniform colors are so satisfying to me. In my completely unbiased opinion, these two outfits are clearly the most beautiful uniforms the NFL has ever seen. What would be my motive for lying?

New Dallas Cowboys, NFL face masks are the perfect COVID-19 prevention for football fans, Where to get them - FOCO, Cowboys Wire

When wearing a face mask, you might as well do it in style by showing off your Cowboys fandom. Proceeds go to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation.

Looking to support your NFL favorite, Dallas Cowboys in these unprecedented times, look no further than purchasing a Cowboys facial covering. These facial coverings are to help protect the health and safety of fans amid the COVID-19 outbreak. What better way to show off your team’s colors than a facial covering with their logo?

Stay safe.

---

What’s going on in the funny pages....?

SB Nation member Cowboys Bob 1 solicited the help of Billy Madison to remind fans over at Bleeding Green Nation just how things went down in the draft.

How a couple of assists from a division rival helped the Cowboys score big in the 2020 draft - Tom Ryle, Blogging The Boys

Our own Tom Ryle highlights the irony here that is so awesome, that even Alanis Morissette would be proud.

So with the Atlanta Falcons on the clock and the Cowboys on deck, the Eagles seriously considered trading up to 16 to snatch Lamb, who they coveted. Three things intervened. First, they didn’t want to spend too much draft capital to move up, since they had important things to do with their day two picks, like draft QB Jalen Hurts in the second to back up Carson Wentz, a true vote of confidence in their starter. And, as the linked article notes, they had already traded away picks 85 and 166 to acquire CB Darius Slay in a trade, limiting what they could offer. Second, this was the Falcons, who are about as fond of trading back in the first as the Eagles fans are of Santa Claus.

So, if you’re keeping score at home - the Eagles didn’t have the draft capital to jump ahead of the Cowboys to take Lamb because they already traded it away to get a corner to help cover Amari Cooper. What a predicament.

And if you haven’t seen Scooter Magruder’s latest fan reaction installment, you’re missing out as he captures it perfectly in a way that only Scooter can.

You have to admit, it was an impressive haul by the Cowboys. Even Michael Jordan is impressed.

This image sums up the Cowboys/Eagles draft nicely.

Do you all remember that time that Sean Payton and Quincy Carter took the Cowboys to the Super Bowl? Yeah, me neither.

And for those of you who like impressions...

Sure, he throws a little shade at Dak’s propensity of losing grip of the ball at times, but that is a small price to pay to watch Mitch Trubisky airmail it right into the ceiling.

BTB Podcast

There are a lot of questions about Andy Dalton joining the Cowboys. We answered them all on an emergency episode of The Ocho.

Make sure that you never miss an episode from Blogging The Boys by subscribing to the Blogging The Boys podcast feed!

Also make sure to subscribe to the official YouTube Channel from Blogging The Boys. We’ve got big plans coming there throughout the offseason and you don’t want to miss a thing!