Cowboys news: Dak Prescott impressing with his recovery

Dallas Cowboys ‘impressed’ with Dak Prescott’s rehab progress, coach Mike McCarthy says - Todd Archer, ESPN

The biggest hurdle for the Cowboys and Dak Prescott was cleared when the two sides came to an agreement on a new contract, which made the quarterback’s recovery from his season-ending ankle injury the new focus. The good thing is that Mike McCarthy is really impressed with how Prescott is rehabbing already.

“I was very impressed with his progress,” McCarthy said. “Just coming off the type of injury. His footwork, he’s doing all the normal movements that you look to do in a quarterback-school format this time of year.”

“He’s surrounded by an excellent medical and strength and conditioning component,” McCarthy said. “He’s right where he needs to be for this time.”

McCarthy said Prescott has been at The Star four days a week as part of Phase 1 of the voluntary offseason program. While other teams have had players follow the NFL Players Association’s recommendation to stay away, McCarthy said that attendance at the Cowboy’s virtual meetings has been 100% and that “most” of the players have been taking part in the workouts.

“Our players are here,” McCarthy said. “They’re committed to what’s available. We’re obviously well in tune with the guidelines of what an offseason program looks like and what you can do for your players. So we feel very good about what we’ve accomplished, in the first week especially. We’re way ahead of where we were at this time last year.”

Jerry Jones believes Cowboys have chance to select top defensive player at No. 10 - Kevin Patra, NFL.com

Jerry Jones spoke to the media on Tuesday ahead of the draft, and while he didn’t give away any secrets he did seem to emanate confidence about the Cowboys’ chances of landing the best defensive player in this draft with their first pick.

With nine offensive players projected to potentially go off the board before the Cowboys pick at No. 10 overall, owner Jerry Jones believes the best defensive player will still be available when he chooses.

“(We got a) good chance to have a top defensive player — the top, one of top — be there at 10,” he said, via Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News.

As many as five QBs could go in the top nine picks between Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones. Three WRs could be taken early in Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. Two offensive tackles could go, Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater. And tight end Kyle Pitts could land as high as No. 4. Any combination of offensive players could leave the Cowboys as the first team to snag a defensive player.

The Cowboys desperately need to upgrade one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Secondary help is the big key, and the Cowboys could land the top corner in the draft. Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II has been a popular mock to Dallas. South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn is also an option.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: ‘Not legitimate’ to say I’m infatuated with Kyle Pitts in NFL draft - Jori Epstein, USA Today

A few weeks back it was reported that Jerry Jones was “infatuated” with Florida tight end Kyle Pitts to the point that Dallas was considering trading up to get him. While Jones didn’t rule out the possibility of selecting Pitts at 10, he did throw some cold water on the theory of the Cowboys trading up for him.

Sure, like other evaluators across the NFL, Jones marvels at the mismatch nightmare Florida tight end prospect Kyle Pitts threatens to pose. He dreams about how Pitts could bolster the Cowboys’ Super Bowl chances and told the prospect in a virtual pre-draft meeting: “Man, what a pair up we could wo with ol’ Dak Prescott…to get you the ball. So we can dream of visions of sugar plums around here.”

But Jones says his dream of Pitts is mostly just that: a dream. The ESPN report characterizing Jones as “infatuated” with Pitts overestimates how much the owner/general manager is actually willing to act upon said admiration.

“Anybody in this draft is impressed, probably an exaggeration as fascinated,” Jones said. “We’re not going to go in there and spend an inordinate collateral or value to maneuver up there so that we can get to him.”

Cowboys’ best-case NFL draft haul hinges on Jerry Jones’ take on an old Jimmy Johnson concept - Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News

The Cowboys may not be looking to trade up, but whispers have begun circulating more and more that they could trade down depending on how the first nine picks go. And in that case, it’ll take a thorough understanding of the famed Jimmy Johnson trade chart.

Nothing signals a win quite like the proper use of the Jimmy Johnson Trade Value Draft Chart.

Now keep in mind the former head coach didn’t invent it. Back at Valley Ranch 30 years ago, he just expressed the desire for one — a way to quantify the value of each pick in order to make the best trades possible. The Cowboys were so flooded with picks from the Herschel Walker trade that it seemed only logical to seek answers to orchestrating the draft.

It was actually Mike McCoy, the oil-and-gas partner of the team owner who was heavily involved with the club, especially contract negotiations in the early days of Jerry Jones’ stewardship, who produced the chart that is now used by teams around the league.

Jones Has “Dream” Of Working With Sean Lee Again - Jonny Auping, DallasCowboys.com

Sean Lee’s retirement was announced on Monday, but he got the chance to speak with the media on Tuesday about it. He was emotional and inspiring as always, and while Lee is looking forward to taking time away from football right now, he didn’t close the door on returning as a coach down the road.

Lee, with a shaking voice and an emotional demeanor, expressed his gratitude to the Cowboys organization and the role that Jerry Jones has played in his life. Jones, likewise, spoke of what the franchise and locker room will miss in Lee’s absence.

But perhaps the most obvious question aimed at the man whose dedication to the game of football has consumed his life was what’s next?

Lee admitted that when “you pour gasoline on the fire for so long, it’s hard to put it out.” Even with the frustrating injuries that Lee sustained over the second half of his career, it’s hard to imagine such a passionate player stepping away from the game without an idea of what his next venture might be, and considering his leadership skills, coaching certainly seems like a possibility.

Sean Lee won’t be a Hall of Famer, but that doesn’t diminish how special his career with the Cowboys was - David Moore, Dallas Morning News

The first thing that comes to mind for many when they think of Sean Lee is all of the injuries that derailed what could have been a truly special career. While it’s true that Lee had flashes of Hall of Fame potential between all his injuries, that doesn’t diminish what he meant to this franchise and its fans.

It’s not the fact he endured one injury after another to return to the field when countless others would have given up. It’s that he didn’t allow it to diminish his resolve. Not only did Lee come back, he came back to play at a high level, studying even more — if that was possible — to compensate for what his body had lost. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has said it’s like his mentor is “from some other planet’’ when it comes to reviewing film and picking up an opponent’s tendencies.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament that wiped out an entire season in his prime. Injuries to his knee, hamstring, wrist, toe and neck. A sports hernia that sidelined him for the first six games of this past season.

Lee played with a ferocity beyond what his body could handle. Beginning in October of 2012, injuries kept Lee on the sidelines for 31 of the team’s next 42 games, not including the two playoff games he missed during the ’14 season. He missed 58 games in his career, the equivalent of more than 31/2 seasons.

Yet he kept returning with an intensity and approach that inspired teammates and earned the admiration of Cowboys stars who went before him. Lee sat down with coaches and trainers to map out a plan to alter his workout routine. He walked the fine line between acknowledging the toll injuries would take without letting them define him. “That’s a rabbit hole I didn’t want to go down,’’ Lee once said.

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