Frisco, Texas – There are soccer players on the soccer field here at The Star, and the second phase of training begins this week, so we'll also have an actual coach for the first time this offseason.
This will last three weeks and include rookie minicamp next weekend before OTAs begin the week of May 20th.
It's also good to see Ezekiel Elliott and linebacker Damian Wilson already back on the practice field. Not to mention, the team's most important free agent signing to date, veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks, is also on board. Of course it's voluntary.
So let's get started right away with lots of leftovers shot For cleaning after drafts.
- Rules are rules: Many have wondered why it took so long for the Cowboys to sign Zeke to a one-year contract worth up to $3 million with $2 million guaranteed, but this is because the Cowboys signed Zeke to a one-year contract worth up to $3 million with $2 million guaranteed. The first-round draft pick has shown he is serious about joining the team in 2024. So does former linebacker Damian Wilson, who spent the final two weeks of last season on the practice squad. Well, there are rules about awarding compensatory picks based on the quality of unrestricted free agents lost versus signed free agents. Well, the Cowboys lost five starters, but only Kendricks and Chuma Edoga were signed. That should give them a significant amount of compensatory picks in 2025. And free agents signed after the draft, namely Zeke and Wilson, are not factored into that compensation calculation. One reason the Raiders likely waited until after the draft to sign Michael Gallup, who was released by the Cowboys on June 1st.
- inflation: The price of top-quality wide receivers always seems to keep rising. It used to be worth up to $30 million a year, but now it's up to $32 million, thanks to the Eagles signing AJ Brown to a three-year, $96 million contract extension. Not only that, but $84 million is guaranteed in a complicated way, hitting an unsustainable $45.4 million cap in 2026. Right now, that's a negotiating base for the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jefferson, and Ja'Marr Chase, all of whom presumably have quarterback money. Find hope at the end of the financial rainbow. Another bargaining chip for Sheedy is his 5,145 total receiving yards over four years, compared to Jefferson (5,899 yards), Michael Thomas (5,512 yards), and Randy Moss (5,396 yards). ), which is the fourth-highest number in NFL history. Tory Holt, Jerry Rice, AJ Green.
- Big board: You might want to consider this when evaluating defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, the Cowboys' second-round pick (56)th We looked at the big board where trusted analysts ranked Western Michigan defensive ends 32n.d.. Another player whose run play reminded me of DeMarcus Lawrence and who knows the Cowboys are in dire need of improving their run defense was ranked 39th.th. Also featured in this comp is veteran DE Za'Darius Smith, who made three Pro Bowls in nine years with 60 career sacks and 156 QB hits. Additionally, former Minnesota head coach and returning defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer had to face Smith twice a year during his two seasons in Green Bay.
- don't forget: With Gallup's release and learning that 11-year veteran Brandin Cooks will turn 31 in September, many assumed the Cowboys had taken Ryan Flournoy (Southeastern Missouri) in the sixth round. I expected him to select a wide receiver much higher than his eyes. They were unable to do so, leaving a void of experience behind Lamb and Cooks and looking to the likes of Jalen Tolbert and Kavonte Turpin to step up. But then I remembered that there was still the strange case of Martavis Bryant. He is a 32-year-old, 6-4, 210-pound receiver with 3 1/2 years of NFL experience and has since served various suspensions for violating NFL regulations. Substance Abuse Policy. He last appeared in eight games for the Raiders in 2018, when he was suspended indefinitely for violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement. After his return in 2023, the Cowboys signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 8 and traded him in the final week of the season to make room for insurance veterans like La'el Collins and Damien Wilson. He was released and then re-signed as a Futures player. Free agency January 18th. he's still here. Still 6-4. He still has 145 NFL receptions for 2,183 yards and 17 touchdowns. And they liked what they saw of him on the practice squad after not playing in the NFL for the past five years. After playing in the CFL, XFL and Indoor League, his total of 145 NFL receptions is 102 more than all the other receivers on the roster besides Lamb and Cooks combined (43).
- 7: NFL.com ranks the Cowboys' first matchup with Washington (date TBA) at No. 7 in the top 10 games of the 2024 season. It's a bit of an odd observation that Commanders' No. 2 pick quarterback Jaden Daniels will be playing in the first game of this long-time rivalry, facing fellow quarterback Micah Parsons. In addition, former Cowboys players Tyler Biadasz, Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, who left the team in free agency, will play against their former teams for the first time. wonderful. Good matchup. But of course, what happens when Washington's new head coach Dan Quinn, who has been the Cowboys' defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, plays against his former team, who is familiar with the Cowboys' roster? Or?
- tray, tray: During last week's draft, San Francisco general manager John Lynch said that since the Niners traded three first-round picks and one third-round pick to Miami for the third pick to select quarterback Trey Lance. He was informed that he would be playing in the first round for the first time in three years. And, not to belittle the former QB, who just received his fourth payday from the Cowboys last year in place of the ousted Lance, Lynch said, “The story of Trey Lance hasn't been written yet, so I “I'm always mindful of this. He's in Dallas right now.” I think Trey is still playing good football, but we'll see. ” This offseason, training camp and preseason are important times.
- not embarrassing: The Cowboys have been ridiculed for not selecting a running back in the three-day NFL Draft. But any pundit will tell you that only 20 running backs have been selected in the seventh round, none in the first round, and one in the second round (before the Cowboys turned 56). Jonathan Brooks with 10 picks) and three in the third round (Trey Benson with no picks)? 66th pick, seven picks ahead of the Cowboys' 73rd pick.rd) and Blake Collum, 83 (four years older than the Cowboys' 87). After that, seven running backs appeared in the fourth round when the Cowboys had no picks (trade for Lance), nine running backs appeared in the next two rounds, and none in the seventh round. Not selected. By then, there probably wasn't a better running back than Rico Doodle, so let's spend two precious draft picks on one running back and move the draft up for need/sufficient quality. There was no panic.
- Overdraft: Of the Cowboys' 16 unrestricted free agents, only three remain unsigned: cornerback Stephon Gilmore, safety Jaylon Kearse and tight end Sean McKeon… Cowboys offensive line coach 's Mike Solari called first-round offensive tackle Tyler Guyton a “great athlete.” Having “Upside” and “Blue Feet” means being top notch in color rating and not in any way disordered… Having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, he can probably vouch for this, The Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick after trading their first pick last year to Carolina (Bryce Young). This is the first time since he drafted the late Bob Fenimore, a running back from current State University. He played in 10 games for the Bears that year and said that by the time he retired, he might have made more money than the $9,000 he made playing in Chicago. . . And finally, the Cowboys used only three first-round picks on offensive linemen from 1961 to 1981, but have used five first-round picks on offensive linemen in the past 14 drafts. Acquired (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zach Martin, Tyler Smith, Guyton). .
There's certainly been a lot of “welcome home” to the Cowboys franchise already this year, not just the returns of Zeke and Wilson this week, but it's great to see 1998 first-round pick Greg Ellis in the building again. I'm glad to be able to do it. He returned to the Cowboys as an assistant defensive ends coach after paying coaching fees at the NAIA level.
So why not leave this week's final word to Greg, an expert at the position, who talks about second-round draft pick Kneeland on DallasCowboys.com. draft show, gives insight into Western Michigan's 6-3, 237-pound defensive end. At one point during the interview, Ellis, who spent 11 seasons with the Cowboys, pointed out that during his time at the University of North Carolina, his agent sent plays to the Cowboys when they played either TCU or SMU (the game had to be TCU). (It was not necessary.) 1997).
“I was rushing the quarterback and they threw a flare pass in the flat. I spun out to make the tackle and hustled toward the ball,” Ellis said of the play in a video. . “When I look at Kneeland, it reminds me of that. He's like Greg Ellis. That guy, hustle, hustle, hustle. You see him running down the field. He's making the playoffs. And to be honest, nowadays it's hard to find.
“I've never seen another player play as hard as he does. I'd say the same thing even if we didn't draft him. I've never seen a defenseman, defensive lineman play as hard as he does. “I've never seen it before,” and it's as hard as Marshawn. ”
For those of us who watch Greg play, it all makes sense.
