Cowboys news: KaVontae Turpin will wear a familiar number to Dallas fans

Updates: Turpin’s New Number; P-Squad Additions - Dallascowboys.com

Cowboys Nation might have an opinion on KaVontae Turpin’s new number.

During Thursday’s practice, wide receiver/kick returner KaVontae Turpin was still sporting his No. 2 jersey. But that will probably be for the last time.

Expect several number changes over the next few days, including Turpin, who is expected to wear No. 9.

He’ll be the first offensive player to wear the jersey since Tony Romo, and the first receiver in franchise history with No. 9.

Turpin signed early in training camp and was given No. 2, the same as cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who will keep his number. Other multiple numbers include No. 3, worn by both Anthony Brown and Dennis Houston, who is expected to change numbers as well.

As the Cowboys continue to shuffle the roster and practice squad over the week, the full list of changes will be announced by Monday.

11:30 a.m. – With two seats still vacant on the practice squad, the Cowboys made moves to fill them - adding an offensive lineman and a running back to the mix. On Thursday, the team signed Qadree Ollison and Dakoda Shepley to the unit, officially filling out the 17-man group, with both players set to join the final practice of the week.

Shepley, 27, is a former fifth-overall pick of the Canadian Football League (2018) who went on to become an NFL undrafted free agent that same season, signing on with the New York Jets before returning to the CFL by way of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He’d make his return to the NFL by joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and ultimately the Seattle Seahawks in 2021.

Russell Wilson’s deal proves Cowboys aced Prescott negotiations since 2019 - KD Drummond, Cowboys Wire

With the salary cap continuously growing and new QB deals happening all the time, the Cowboys have found themselves with a quality deal for Dak Prescott, like they always planned.

On Thursday, the Denver Broncos announced a new deal that rewarded quarterback Russell Wilson with an obscene amount of money. The club hopes Wilson, who was already set to make an obscene amount of money via the contract he was under when traded from the Seattle Seahawks, will end their carousel of QBs since the retirement of Peyton Manning. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t had to endure this uncertainty. They were blessed to move on from the Tony Romo era to the Dak Prescott era rather smoothly as far as QB switches go.

Romo was consistently hurt, and a woefully under-drafted fourth-round pick was waiting in the wings to take over and continue a window of championship opportunity. The fact Dallas hasn’t climbed through the window is a different conversation than having a QB capable of doing such things with. Prescott is capable, and Dallas was right to pay him a big contract in 2021. That negotiation brought much ire and outrage from the fanbase when the deal landed at $40 million a season. The fake issues were wrong then, but that wasn’t the only thing that was wrong.

Cowboys fans and analysts, including yours truly, have been wrong the entire time. Even before that deal was consummated, there was another large contingent of folks on the opposite side saying Dallas was waiting too long to give Prescott a new deal, allowing it to grow more expensive by the day. It turns out they (we) were wrong, too.

Here’s how it all is woven together.

Cooper Rush Named QB2 Behind Dak Prescott - Shane Taylor, Inside The Star

Will Grier had a chance to supplant Rush, but ultimately it is Rush’s job once again.

During yesterday’s press conference, the Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy named Cooper Rush the backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott.

Rush and Will Grier re-signed to the Cowboys practice squad yesterday after being released on Tuesday. Prescott is the only active QB on the 53-man roster as we sit and wait for one or both to jump back to the active roster, but what did Rush do that Grier did not this off-season to allow him to earn the backup role?

In the battle for the backup QB position, Grier looked solid the entire preseason. His numbers did not wow anybody, but the traits he displayed throughout the playing time he received compared to Rush looked more fluid. He moved through reads quickly, had fast progression in the pocket, and seemed comfortable throwing the football, but he also had extended work, while Rush only saw the limited snaps.

The staff is sticking with Rush for now; maybe it was the win Rush produced on the road last season against the Vikings, stepping in for Prescott when he was out due to injury. He won a game on the road against a team with its starting QB behind center. That could be a testament to Dallas’s talent last season, but Rush led a game-winning drive that ended with a touchdown pass to seal the victory.

Another idea to consider is that he has been in the system longer, and right now, he is the safer answer for QB2. In a flashback to 2017, Rush entered the year as the third-string behind Prescott and Kellen Moore. He finished the preseason 38-51, with 398 passing yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. In week six, Rush was named the QB2, and Moore found himself on the practice squad. If Grier shows up on the practice squad and Rush struggles with the second team or is asked to step in if anything happens to Prescott, we could see a similar situation unfold.

Cowboys have nothing to lose by bringing in ex-Eagles OT Jason Peters - Lauren Barash, The Landry Hat

The idea of signing Jason Peters makes too much sense.

There are 10 days until the start of the regular season and the Dallas Cowboys have finally decided to look externally for help with the offensive line. Even before the team’s All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith went down with an avulsion fracture in his knee, the team was still having issues finding a solid swing tackle option with Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko underperforming in preseason games. However, the front office continued to reiterate using players on the current roster.

After 53-man rosters and practice squads were announced on Wednesday, the Cowboys announced they’d be bringing in veteran OT Jason Peters for a visit on Thursday.

With the top free agents and cut offensive linemen already off the board, meeting with Peters on Thursday gives Dallas a chance to speak with one of the only viable tackle options left at this point in the offseason.

Peters has had a long tenure in the NFL. In 17 seasons, the tackle has collected nine Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro designations, and a Super Bowl ring in 228 games played. Cowboys fans likely remember Peters for his 11-year stint with the Eagles from 2009-2020.

The 40-year-old spent the 2021 season with the Chicago Bears. Despite his age, the left tackle started in 15 games. He’s certainly not the best version of himself, but he was more durable than Tyron Smith was last year.