Cowboys news: Dak Prescott emotional after Ezekiel Elliott departure

Dak Prescott: ‘Tough’ to see Cowboys release RB Ezekiel Elliott after years playing together - NFL.com, Nick Shook

Dak Prescott says he’s losing a brother with Zeke gone.

An era ended in Dallas this week when the Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott.

One of his draft classmates, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, was left to process the reality of saying goodbye to his career-long teammate.

“It’s tough. A brother,” Prescott said of Elliott at a charity event Thursday. “Playing the game with a brother. To be able to start this NFL career and share so many memories and grow up as men … with this organization. Really can’t imagine taking the field without him. I don’t know if it’s completely hit me yet. Obviously, I’ve talked to him. I’m hurt. I’m sure he is. It’s more important for me to be able to support him. I know he’s got more opportunities coming his way and love that guy, proud of him.”

Dallas has undergone plenty of changes since Prescott and Elliott formed a fantastic rookie duo back in 2016, leading the Cowboys to a 13-3 finish and an NFC East crown. There have been the highs of division titles and playoff appearances, and the lows of failing to meet the frequently stratospheric expectations of playing for Dallas. But Elliott is far from the only Cowboy to leave Dallas between then and now — as of Thursday, only 10 players from Dallas’ 2019 team remain on the roster.

Odell Beckham Jr. ‘Positive Discussions’ With Cowboys; Jerry Jones’ Staff ‘Debate’ Signing - Cowboys Country, Mike Fisher

The Cowboys showing plenty of interest in veteran receivers.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys admit they need to add “playmaking juice’’ and they admit to liking Odell Beckham Jr. - or, at least team owner Jerry Jones admits to it.

Multiple sources from here inside The Star suggest to us that there is an in-house “debate’’ over the concept, at OBJ’s reported price-tag wish of $20 mllion APY or of OBJ at any price due to the baggage he would bring.

But our colleague Jordan Schultz is suggesting late Wednesday that there are “positive discussions’’ occurring between the two sides, with Beckham “seeking a multi-year contract’’ ...

And that Dallas “would like to make it work.’’

Cowboys, Goodwin Agree to Terms on 1-Year Deal - DallasCowboys.com, Mickey Spagnola

The Cowboys keep some help for the special teams.

FRISCO, Texas - It’s been a rough week thus far for the special teams unit in Dallas, the Cowboys having lost core players such as Luke Gifford and Noah Brown to 2023 NFL free agency, but they were able to stop the bleeding on Thursday by returning C.J. Goodwin to a new deal.

Goodwin and the Cowboys have agreed to terms on a one-year deal that keeps him in Dallas for the coming 2023 season, and while it’s a retention that won’t garner headlines like the re-signing of Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch, there can be no mistaking Goodwin’s value to the club.

Having spent his last five seasons with the Cowboys, Goodwin has played in a total of 1,338 special teams snaps, and is no stranger to making impact plays at moments when the team might need it most.

He entered the new league year on Wednesday as an unrestricted free agent, but that lasted all of one day. The 33-year-old has been in Dallas since 2018 — spanning two coaching regimes — and has found a way to stick around, mostly because he’s an ace for John “Bones” Fassel just as he was for Fassel’s predecessor, Keith O’Quinn.

A former undrafted free agent in 2014, Goodwin clawed his way through several NFL teams before finding a home in Dallas, where he’s suited up since 2018. He’s as valuable on special teams as he is at being a leader in the locker room and a consummate professional outside of the building, making it a no-brainer to keep him around.

DeAndre Hopkins to Cowboys? Cardinals WR Apparently Wants it - All Cardinals, Donnie Druin

Micah Parsons is putting his recruiting boots to work.

The Cardinals have reportedly been looking to move DeAndre Hopkins since the early stages of the offseason. With the new league year here, the Cardinals can now officially move on from the near 31-year-old receiver as a rebuild is on the horizon.

Arizona can trade him to any club of their choosing, but if Hopkins had his way, he apparently would be heading to the Dallas Cowboys.

There’s been some recent smoke on Hopkins heading to the Lone Star State. He previously played for the Houston Texans (and loves the area; he’s spent much of his offseason there already) and has garnered some serious interest from some of Dallas’ top recruiters in LB Micah Parsons and CB Trevon Diggs.

Gilmore: ‘I’ve Been A Cowboys Fan My Whole Life’ - DallasCowboys.com, Patrik Walker

The Cowboys new acquisition is feeling at home.

FRISCO, Texas — In one of the most unexpected and applauded moves to begin the 2023 NFL free agency spree, it was the Dallas Cowboys making a gargantuan splash in acquiring cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round compensatory pick, instantly upgrading their secondary in the process.

The five-time Pro Bowler and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year joins a cornerback room headlined by fellow First-Team All-Pro and ballhawking defensive back Trevon Diggs, along with breakout sensation DaRon Bland; and that means there’s a lot to be excited about in Dallas.

But few were more thrilled about the news than Gilmore himself, who admits he used to dream of this moment when he was a little boy playing ball in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“I was very excited [because] I’ve been a Cowboys fan all my life, growing up as a kid,” he said on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after landing in Dallas and making his way to the team’s headquarters in Frisco. “My dad, my cousins, I told my uncle I had a surprise for him. He was so excited. I’m just excited to be in town and see this amazing facility. I’m just looking forward to making plays in this Cowboys uniform.”

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