Headlines

Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/23/23

By | at January 23, 2023 7:01 pm

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

Mullen was a second-round pick by the Raiders back in 2019. Despite starting 31 of his 37 appearances through his first three seasons in the NFL, he was traded to the Cardinals for a seventh-round pick prior to the 2022 campaign. He got into eight games for Arizona before getting waived, and he caught on with the Cowboys in December. The 25-year-old won’t officially join Baltimore until the day after the Super Bowl (February 13).

1 comment Baltimore Ravens Dallas Cowboys Kansas City Chiefs New York Jets Transactions

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/23/23

By | at January 23, 2023 6:30 pm

Today’s reserve/futures deals, mostly featuring teams recently eliminated from the postseason:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

0 comments Buffalo Bills Dallas Cowboys Jacksonville Jaguars New York Giants Pittsburgh Steelers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Transactions

Cowboys To Consider Franchise Tag For RB Tony Pollard?

By | at January 22, 2023 2:58 pm

The Cowboys are one of three remaining teams in the NFC in no small part due to the success of their rushing attack. Both of the team’s top tailbacks will be the subject of plenty of speculation this offseason, with a number of questions to be answered from a financial standpoint.

Tony Pollard has established himself not only as an effective compliment to Ezekiel Elliott over the past two seasons in particular, but rather a highly productive option in the backfield in his own right. The 25-year-old is scheduled to hit free agency this March, and made a case for himself to earn a sizeable payday either from Dallas or another team.

Pollard totaled 890 yards on 187 carries during his first two campaigns, good for an average of 4.75 yards per rush. That, coupled with his production as a pass-catcher and returner, has led to increased calls for him to take on a larger offensive workload. He has seen an uptick in snap share since 2021, including a 53% mark in 2022 as his efficiency continued to be visible. The former fourth-rounder eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time this season, showing an ability to handle a starter’s load during Elliott’s absence in Weeks 8 and 10.

That production made Pollard a Pro Bowler this year, and sets him up well to hit the open market. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the franchise tag is in consideration from Dallas’ perspective to keep him in the fold for at least one more year (video link). The 2023 tag is projected to cost just over $10MM for running backs, which would represent a considerable bump in compensation for Pollard.

Given the presence of Elliott, however, that would also make the RB position a highly expensive one for the Cowboys. Elliott has four more years remaining on his deal, with scheduled cap hits ranging from $14.3MM to $17.1MM. The fact that no guaranteed money is outstanding, however, has led to a widespread expectation that the former No. 4 pick will either be cut or subject to signing a new contract aimed at lowering his cap hit.

On the other hand, owner Jerry Jones has reiterated on multiple occasions how much he and the team value Elliott as the lead back. Dallas is currently slated to be in worse shape than most teams financially this offseason, so significant maneuvering will be needed to keep Pollard and Elliott together. What steps the team takes to achieve that goal will be a key storyline once their season comes to an end.

15 comments Dallas Cowboys

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/21/23

By | at January 21, 2023 5:51 pm

Minor moves and standard gameday elevations for the final two games of the divisional round:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

San Francisco 49ers

1 comment Buffalo Bills Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys San Francisco 49ers Transactions

Cardinals To Interview Dan Quinn For HC Job

By | at January 21, 2023 8:54 am

Dan Quinn continues to prepare for tomorrow’s showdown against the 49ers, but the Cowboys defensive coordinator is becoming one of the most popular names in the head coaching carousel. The latest addition to the list of potential Quinn suitors is the Cardinals. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have requested permission to interview Quinn for their head coaching vacancy. Pelissero tweets that a virtual interview will take place today.

[RELATED: Cardinals Hire Monti Ossenfort As GM]

Quinn has already crammed in a pair of interview this week; he interviewed in-person with the Broncos last night and then met virtually with the Colts this morning. Quinn was a popular name last year, as well. He was a finalist for the Broncos job, and he also garnered interest from the Bears, Jaguars, Dolphins, Vikings, and Giants before ultimately deciding to stick in Dallas.

Quinn started his NFL coaching career with the 49ers. Following stints with the Dolphins and Jets, he joined Seattle in 2009 and eventually worked his way up to Seahawks’ defensive coordinator. He coached the NFL’s best defense in 2013 en route to a Super Bowl championship, and following another successful year in 2014, he was hired as the Falcons head coach prior to the 2015 campaign.

In Atlanta, Quinn had a pair of winning seasons and three others that saw him finish a combined 22-26. His most successful season came in 2016 when he coached the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. Of course, Atlanta ended up surrendering the biggest lead in Super Bowl history in that game, and the team would make only one more playoff appearance before Quinn was ousted five games into the 2020 campaign. He joined Dallas as their defensive coordinator prior to the 2021 season.

With the Cardinals having hired Monti Ossenfort as their new GM, the team continues to add to their list of head coaching candidates. The continually growing list also includes:

6 comments Arizona Cardinals Dallas Cowboys

Colts Request HC Interview With Dan Quinn

By | at January 21, 2023 8:35 am

TODAY, 8:35am: Quinn completed his interview with the Colts this morning, the team announced via Twitter.

JANUARY 17, 3:30pm: On the heels of a dominant Cowboys performance against the Buccaneers, Dan Quinn could soon see his interview count double. The Colts requested a meeting with the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.

Conducting what has become this year’s most expansive search, the Colts have already interviewed or requested summits with 11 candidates. Quinn, in his second season as Dallas’ DC, is set to interview for Denver’s HC position Friday.

Until Tuesday, only the Broncos had contacted Quinn. That is fairly surprising, given the Cowboys’ performance on defense over the past two seasons. The Cowboys set a franchise record for most points allowed in a season in 2020, but Quinn’s arrival coincided with a major performance increase last season. Dallas ended the 2022 regular season with DVOA’s No. 2-ranked defense.

Quinn, 52, interviewed for the Broncos’ HC position last year. He was a finalist for the position, and having previously worked with Denver GM George Paton, the former Atlanta HC was somewhat surprisingly turned away. The Broncos’ Nathaniel Hackett whiff put Quinn back on the team’s radar, but Paton is not making the final call this time. New CEO Greg Penner will do so, muddying the Quinn waters to a degree. That said, Jim Harbaugh‘s decision to stay at Michigan figures to increase Quinn’s chances in Denver this time around. The Broncos are meeting with Sean Payton on Tuesday and have held the ex-Saints HC as the favorite for a while, but Quinn has been viewed as the top candidate beyond the Payton-Harbaugh duo.

The Seahawks’ DC during their back-to-back Super Bowl years, Quinn began his stay in the NFL in 2001. Quinn’s Dallas defenses have performed much better than his Atlanta units, though Quinn’s six-season Falcons stay did include two playoff berths and a Super Bowl LI appearance (as ignominious as that night became for the team). The Cowboys stay, which included an Assistant Coach of the Year honor in 2021, has rebuilt Quinn’s value following an early-season firing in 2020. Here is how the Colts’ HC search looks as of Tuesday afternoon:

2 comments Dallas Cowboys Indianapolis Colts

Cowboys To Sign Tristan Vizcaino, Plan To Keep Brett Maher

By | at January 18, 2023 2:20 pm

The Cowboys once waived Brett Maher late in a season, but they are not planning to repeat that transaction right now. Despite Maher becoming the first player since 1932 to miss four extra points in a game, Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said the team is sticking by its kicker.

That said, insurance is coming. The Cowboys are adding Tristan Vizcaino to their practice squad, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Vizcaino kicked in three games for the Cardinals and Patriots this season.

Maher, whom the Cowboys cut late in the 2019 season, rejoined the team late this summer after the NFC East squad’s fielded an uninspired kicking competition. The former CFL kicker, who holds the NFL record for most 60-plus-yard makes in a career (four), connected on a career-high 90.6% of his field goals this season. But he will head to San Francisco coming off the worst game of his career.

“I believe in the hot hand, and I believe in the yips, absolutely,” Fassel said, via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “And you know, you wonder sometimes how you get into the yips, and you wonder sometimes how you get back into the hot hand. I think it’s keep stepping up to the line and shooting that thing. We missed a couple of free throws [Monday] … He had a hot hand. Let’s face it, he only missed [six] kicks all season. The yips happen, so I expect a hot hand coming up.”

Mike McCarthy also eschewed a late field goal opportunity, keeping Maher sidelined after his PAT nightmare. Maher, 33, did make his final extra point during the Cowboys’ blowout win over the Buccaneers. While Maher will certainly be scrutinized ahead of the Cowboys’ divisional-round matchup, he has submitted a strong enough season to warrant another chance. And, to be fair, kickers only had to attempt tries from the 15-yard line beginning in 2015. PATs were much easier in previous eras, though Maher will struggle to live down his historically bad wild-card outing.

Vizcaino, who spent time with Dallas during the 2020 offseason, made both his field goals and was 3 of 3 on extra points with New England and Arizona this season. For his career, the ex-Charger is 11-for-12 on field goals and 15-for-20 on PATs.

5 comments Dallas Cowboys Transactions
Show all
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors