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Cowboys news: Dalton Schultz rumored as more likely to get franchise tag than Randy Gregory

The Cowboys could still tag Schultz, notes from the combine, an updated mock draft, and more.

NFL: JAN 16 NFC Wild Card - 49ers at Cowboys Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Cowboys Rumors: Dalton Schultz ‘More Likely’ to Get Franchise Tag over Randy Gregory- Tim Daniels, Bleacher Report

With news that Blake Jarwin could miss the beginning of 2022, Dalton Schultz receiving the franchise tag is more likely than ever.

The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly “more likely” to use their franchise tag on tight end Dalton Schultz than defensive end Randy Gregory.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday on the Cowboys’ preference to tag Schultz but added they still “don’t want to lose” Gregory and will also look to re-sign the edge-rusher.

Schultz, 25, is coming off a breakout 2021 season that saw him record 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns as part of Dallas’ top-ranked offense.

He’s come a long way since being buried on the depth chart as recently as 2019, when he finished with just one catch despite playing in all 16 games.

His presence could become even more important moving forward as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Friday the Cowboys are “likely” to release wide receiver Amari Cooper for salary-cap reasons. Cooper tallied 104 targets in 2021, tied with Schultz for the team’s second-highest total.

The cap will play an important role in Dallas’ offseason as it’s currently a projected $21.2 million over the threshold ahead of the new league year on March 16.

“We’re not going to be able to keep everybody,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters in February.

While Schultz is likely to return via the franchise tag as the team doesn’t want to downgrade the weapons around quarterback Dak Prescott too much in a single offseason, it could be tough to retain Gregory.

Winners, Losers: Georgia dominates DL, LB day at combine- Tyler Browning, Cowboys Wire

It does not appear the Cowboys will have an opportunity to draft Jordan Davis after his combine showing.

Winner: Jordan Davis, IDL, Georgia

The mountain of a man absolutely dominated, and Twitter reacted as it should have. It started at weigh ins where he came in at 6-foot-6 (96th percentile) and 341 pounds (92nd percentile). His good day didn’t stop there, he put on an absolute show in on the field drills and physical evaluations.

His 40-yard dash was good for 96th percentile and his 10-yard split (the first 10 yards of a 40 yard dash, used to gauge explosiveness) was 1.68 which was good for 85th percentile. Dane Brugler put it in perspective how crazy that is for a man his weight.

Jordan Davis was nothing short of spectacular and looks to be a lock for the first round, he might have even tested his way out of the Cowboys drafting range.

Loser: Jayden Peevy, IDL, Texas A&M

Peevy didn’t have the best of days. He ran a 5.30 official 40 yard dash. While that’s not awful given his size 6’5 308 pounds, it just pales in comparison to what we saw from other defensive lineman. His arm length was 38 1/8th so that does put him between 98th and 99th percentile for defensive lineman. His on the field testing was also better than his 40 yard dash. All in all it wasn’t a bad day for Peevy, just in comparison to others, it wasn’t as spectacular.

Latest CBS Mock Draft Predicts Zion Johnson To The Cowboys- Mario Tovar, Inside The Star

Could Zion Johnson be the player to give the Cowboys a needed boost on the offensive line?

One of the biggest offseason needs for the Dallas Cowboys is their offensive line’s interior. Accordingly, CBS Sports currently predicts Boston College’s Zion Johnson going to the Dallas Cowboys with the 24th selection.

Dallas made a playoff appearance but was unceremoniously eliminated in the wild card round, failing to make any noise in the process. If the team hopes to make another postseason run next season, they’ll need to remedy what is currently ailing them. Drafting Johnson would aid in not only pass protection (33 sacks given up in 2021) but would also help to establish a more dominant run game.

Why should the Cowboys target Zion Johnson?

Selecting at 22 likely puts them out of reach for Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning, so picking up Johnson is a nice consolation. In reality, Johnson makes more sense since the guard position is a bigger need. That’s due to Connor Williams being an unrestricted free agent and Connor McGovern likely not being the long-term answer either.

CBS’s justification for the pick also mirrors the aforementioned logic: “Dallas needs to start considering the future of its offensive line, and the selection of Johnson goes a long way toward stability. Johnson offers guard-center versatility at the next level and has even shown he is capable of playing tackle in a pinch.

3 easy cuts Cowboys can make to save $15 million- Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat

Spoiler alert, none of the three names are Amari Cooper.

1. DeMarcus Lawrence

In this exercise, Dallas keeps Cooper, its No. 1 receiver who was paramount in expediting Dak Prescott’s rise to stardom after he arrived in 2018.

Truth be told, this decision isn’t about Cooper being more important than Lawrence. It’s more so preferring a defensive end rotation of Randy Gregory, assuming he’s re-signed, and a potential stud drafted in the first round than a wide receiver corps of Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and Cedrick Wilson.

If you’ve been reading up on the latest mocks, almost all of them have Dallas taking a pass rusher at No. 24 overall. The 2022 edge rusher class might not have any generational talents, but it’s loaded with Day 1 starters and future Pro Bowlers.

At the end of the day, the Cowboys are going to take a loss regardless of whether they cut Cooper or Lawrence.

If the Cowboys make Lawrence a post-June 1 cut, they’ll save $19 million with just $8 million in dead money. If they cut him before June 1, they’ll save $8 million with $19 million (!) in dead money on the books for 2022.

Fact Or Fiction: The Cowboys Offense Is Still Capable Of Making Noise- Rocky Garza Jr, Inside The Star

Is there a realistic path to regain the explosiveness the offense has shown at times?

“Jerry Jones is the sole reason for the Cowboys’ failures”

After writing this statement, I thought to myself about how easy it would be to answer.

Like honestly, the statement itself is guaranteed to be one point any fan or analyst brings up as a reason for the franchise’s failures. Since buying the team in 1989, Jones was able to craft three Super Bowl-winning teams and essentially looked like a genius during the 1990s era.

However, his ego got in the way of any future success, and the Cowboys’ last trip to the Super Bowl was 26 years ago.

Of course, there could be people who bring up past playoff appearances where certain players “choked,” but when it’s all said and done, he is the one calling the shots.

There have been countless seasons where superstar players and coaches were made available, but he remained on retaining their personnel.

To save you some time, the verdict for this statement is FACT x 1000 because I could write a novel on him, but I wouldn’t want to bore you to death.

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