Cowboys news: Dallas’ new cornerback wants to flip the script on his career

Noah Igbinoghene ready for NFL reset: ‘I need this’ - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys newest acquisition wants to prove he belongs.

Igbinoghene, 23, is a former track athlete (100-meter dash) who not only has the speed to compete at the NFL level, but who also equates his time doing field events (long jump) with the mental aspect of being on an island as a cornerback.

It’s a mindset that helped make the Trussville, Alabama native a standout at Auburn, having given up his days as both track [and field] and as a soccer player to pursue football full-time — culminating in a call from the Dolphins as the 30th-overall selection in 2020.

After a rough first three seasons as a pro, Igbinoghene looks renewed mentally following his arrival in the Cowboys’ locker room.

“Definitely,” he said. “I feel like I honestly needed it. I can say my career hasn’t gone up to my expectations, but I’m still young. I’m 23 years old. When I came in, I was 20 years old. There’s a lot of stuff I went through, but it made me the man I am today. I get a new, fresh start with a new opportunity and new, fresh faces.

“I get to gain my respect again on a new team and show them what I can do.”

Gil Brandt dies at 91: Godfather of modern scouting helped build Dallas Cowboys into ‘America’s Team’ - NFL.com, Judy Battista

Some men’s impact will live on way beyond them.

The irony is that Gil Brandt wasn’t much of a football player himself.

Brandt, who died Thursday at age 91, was a 150-pound defensive back at his Milwaukee high school, but that is where his playing days ended, only two years before his formal education at the University of Wisconsin ended, too.

But Brandt knew football — more specifically, what made good football players, how to evaluate them and how they could fit into a roster. He knew all of that so well that he became not only one of the preeminent talent evaluators of his era while building the Dallas Cowboys team that won two Super Bowls in the 1970s, but also the godfather of modern scouting and the use of data in personnel evaluation.

“We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Gil Brandt — a true icon and pioneer of our sport,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement released on Thursday. “Gil was at the very core of the early success of the Dallas Cowboys and continued to serve as a great ambassador for the organization for decades beyond that. His contributions cemented his spot in the Ring of Honor. He was my friend and a mentor not only to me, but to countless executives, coaches, players and broadcasters across the National Football League.”

An architect of ‘America’s Team,’ Gil Brandt: 1932-2023 - Pro Football Hall of Fame

A pioneer that will remembered as long as the league is.

Brandt joined the Cowboys’ organization in 1959, before the expansion team took the field. Partnering with fellow future Hall of Famers TEX SCHRAMM and TOM LANDRY, the three introduced technology into the drafting and player evaluation processes.

They assigned values based on a player’s measurables, his position, his productivity in college and other data they could measure, then used computers to assist their decision-making. Brandt and the Cowboys also were the first to use psychological testing to evaluate and predict a player’s mental composure under pressure.

The analytical approach gave the organization an advantage over other teams with less sophisticated scouting departments, helping the franchise succeed not only through the draft, but also in the acquisition of undrafted free agents and players through trades.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the United States who is better equipped to get information better than Gil,” Landry once said.

The Trey Lance trade was about minimal Cowboys upside and a Jerry Jones ego stroke — not Dak Prescott’s future - Yahoo Sports, Charles Robinson

Another take on the Trey Lance trade.

When the trade first went down, the reaction across NFL front offices to Trey Lance’s new home was similar to the reaction of fans and analysts. At the top of his pro personnel scouting checklist, Lance needed on-field snaps for development, and wasn’t remotely ready to contribute to a team residing inside a contending window.

So why did the Dallas Cowboys come calling with a fourth-round draft pick — with zero qualifiers — that no other team was willing to put on the table?

“Your guess is as good as mine,” one AFC general manager said. “They can’t want him to start this season. He’s still a third-string QB on a good roster — an even deeper third string in Dallas, because [Sam] Darnold hasn’t played for the [49ers] and Cooper Rush has won some important games in Dallas. Rush has been in their program for years. If the evaluation is fair, Trey has to be pretty far behind Cooper before you even get to how far he is behind Dak.”

...But one year from now, the clarity will likely look like this: Prescott will have his extension in place, Lance will be far behind him on the depth chart, and the most impactful part of this entire trade will be that Jerry Jones did it at all, with so little chance to achieve the upside that made the distraction worth it.

Leonard Fournette landing spots: Cowboys could be a fit, plus reason why veteran RB remains available - CBS Sports, Bryan DeArdo

More running back talk.

While most of the dust has settled, one notable running back remains unsigned with the start of NFL regular season on the horizon. Leonard Fournette, a former first-round pick who won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, is still available more than five months after he and the Buccaneers agreed to part ways.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys don’t have a proven running back behind starter Tony Pollard. Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke are rookies while, Pollard’s primary backup, Rico Dowdle, hasn’t had a carry in a regular-season game since 2020. Adding Fournette would give Dallas’ backfield much needed experience. His presence would also add toughness to a Cowboys offense that will face a slew of tough defenses in 2023.

QB coach: Why Cowboys’ offensive changes will lead to one of Dak Prescott’s best seasons - Jon Machota, The Athletic

Machota sits down with a QB coach who has some experience with Brian Schottenheimer and examines what the new Tex-Coast offense could mean for Prescott and the Cowboys. Well worth your time, here's an excerpt.

On why the West Coast offense has been around so long and had success:

Because it’s exact. The best thing you can do is rep things perfect, because the second those stadium lights come on, there is nothing like actual game day and how fast it is. There’s nothing like knowing exactly what you’re supposed to do in a game that moves at light speed when those lights come on. That’s also why I think you see most quarterbacks have some of their best years coming from it. It’s not a knock against other offenses.

... Dak is made in a very prototypical manner for who is successful in the NFL. He’s an accurate passer, he can drive the ball down the field, he’s athletic enough to move around. He has all the making and that’s why I think he’s going to be super successful in the West Coast. Dak is going to lean into it and if he does that and takes advantage of it, he’s going to get in and out of the right play calls, but also statistically, we’re going to see it being one of his better years.

49ers didn't want Lance to land with Cowboys, but they made best offer – Matt Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area & California

When Jerry Jones said “we just wanted to get it done, [...] we didn’t want them to hang up,” he knew he’d have to beat the other offers on the table.

Of the 31 destinations quarterback Trey Lance could have been sent to, Dallas would have been near the bottom of the 49ers' list.

But that’s where the team traded Lance for a fourth-round draft pick last Friday.

General manager John Lynch, appearing Thursday morning on KNBR’s "Murph & Mac Show," said he had no choice but to get the best compensation for the player the 49ers selected with the 2021 No. 3 overall draft pick.

“As they say, ’Tie goes to the runner,’” Lynch said. “Tie would’ve gone to someone else, but it wasn’t a tie.”

In other words, Dallas owner Jerry Jones made an offer that was considerably better than what other teams were willing to give up for Lance.

“There were a couple teams left at the end and I told the other teams, ‘I don’t want him to go there (Dallas),’’’ Lynch said. “But you know, that’s where he ended up.”

2023 NFL season: One potential first-time Pro Bowler from each NFC team - Kevin Patra, NFL.com

Patra identifies one prime candidate from each NFC team to earn a first Pro Bowl nod in 2023. Will Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks finally get his due in Year 10?

Despite surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in six of his nine NFL seasons, Cooks surprisingly has been shut out of the Pro Bowl. Joining the high-profile Cowboys could help end that streak. Cooks' deep-ball ability should fit well in Dallas' offense, where he can take the top off the defense as opponents focus on slowing CeeDee Lamb. The NFC WR group is stacked, but Cooks still brings juice and should have enough big-play opportunities to have a chance to earn his first Pro Bowl selection at 30 years old.

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