Dallas Cowboys Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Connected to Anthony Barr for a bit now, the Cowboys are moving forward with a deal for the veteran linebacker. The sides agreed to terms Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

It’s a one-year contract worth up to $3MM, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links). The deal carries a $2MM base value, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.

Barr, who had spent his entire career with the Vikings, did have another option. The Broncos pursued him as well, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. But the four-time Pro Bowler is heading to Dallas.

The former first-round pick had a choice between two reunions. He had Broncos GM George Paton, previously the Vikings’ assistant GM, and Cowboys assistant George Edwards — previously Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. Currently a Cowboys senior defensive assistant, Edwards was the Vikings’ DC from 2014-19. The Saints also showed interest earlier this offseason, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com tweets.

A college edge rusher, Barr transitioned to an off-ball role in Mike Zimmer‘s 4-3 defense. Barr still enjoyed some pass-rushing opportunities (17.5 career sacks), but for the most part, he operated a traditional linebacker. The early-career momentum that led Barr to four straight Pro Bowls from 2015-18 has faded. Barr, 30, missed 14 games in 2020 after tearing a pectoral muscle. He also missed six contests last year, and the Vikings’ new regime moved on.

Dallas parted ways with Jaylon Smith last season, but despite turning down Leighton Vander Esch‘s fifth-year option, the team circled back to the former first-rounder this year (via a one-year, $2MM deal). Vander Esch, however, is one of the NFL’s more injury-prone players. The Cowboys also have rookie fifth-round linebacker Damone Clark set to miss most of this season because of offseason spinal fusion surgery. Second-year ‘backer Jabril Cox is also making his way back from a rookie-year ACL tear. The combination of injury risks here likely induced the Cowboys to add a veteran.

Despite agreeing to an offseason pay cut last year, Barr still recorded a decent season in his Vikes finale. He notched 72 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and five passes defensed. The UCLA product played a key role on stout Zimmer- and Edwards-led defenses during the latter part of the 2010s. The Vikings ranked in the top 11 defensively from 2015-19, leading to three playoff berths and one NFC championship game run. He will join a Cowboys linebacking corps headlined by Micah Parsons, a hybrid player coming off one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history.

Dallas’ injury issues notwithstanding, Denver had a more apparent linebacker need. The Broncos have not brought back top tackler Alexander Johnson, who remains a free agent. While the team did re-sign Josey Jewell, it has not invested much elsewhere at the inside linebacker spot. The team also moved 2021 ILB starter Baron Browning to outside ‘backer. The Broncos have signaled their interest in making a late-summer augmentation here via the Barr interest and a recent Joe Schobert visit. Perhaps Barr’s Cowboys decision leads the Broncos back to Schobert. Given the recent connections, it would surprise if the Broncos did not add a veteran at this spot soon.

7 comments Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos New Orleans Saints Transactions Anthony Barr

Cowboys Not Looking To Add Veteran WR

By Sam Robinson | at August 3, 2022 10:51 am

James Washington‘s Jones fracture will force him to miss a portion of the regular season, with October likely looming as his earliest return window. Michael Gallup will also not be ready for Week 1. This certainly looks like it will create an uphill battle for the Cowboys, who began this offseason’s wideout trade rush by dealing away Amari Cooper.

For now, at least, the Cowboys are not considering outside options at the wideout spot. Jerry Jones said he is “plenty satisfied” with the roster depth the team holds at this position, adding there is “no urgency” to acquire a veteran, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Considering where the Cowboys were going into last season, when they trotted out a Cooper-Gallup-CeeDee Lamb trio and Cedrick Wilson as what turned out to be quickly needed insurance, their 2022 outlook seems to warrant additional inspection regarding an outside reinforcement. The team used a third-round pick on South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert and still has sixth-year wideout Noah Brown. Simi Fehoko, a 2021 fifth-rounder, did not catch a pass in five 2021 games.

Tolbert appears to be the early favorite to start opposite Lamb in Week 1, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News adds. The 15th receiver drafted this year, Tolbert posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at the Conference USA school and averaged north of 17 yards per catch in each of his final three college seasons. The 6-foot-3 target’s potential readiness aside, the Cowboys — after trading Cooper to the Browns and letting Wilson defect to the Dolphins in free agency — only have two healthy receivers who have caught an NFL pass. Brown (zero career touchdown receptions) has topped out at 16 catches in a season, doing so in 2021. The team does plan to use backup running back Tony Pollard more as a slot receiver this season. Absent a veteran addition, that experiment suddenly appears more relevant.

The receiver market ballooned in the days and weeks after the Cowboys traded Cooper, who was tied to a mostly nonguaranteed $20MM 2022 salary and $40MM combined from 2023-24. (The Browns have since reworked Cooper’s deal, using void years to drop his 2022 cap hit to $4.9MM.) Dallas dealt the four-time Pro Bowler for fifth- and sixth-round 2022 picks. Cooper’s salaries look quite reasonable within the current wideout landscape, one that has seen 10 players top his contract since the March 12 trade.

Former Cowboy Cole Beasley has spoken with multiple teams, and Will Fuller has begun to generate interest. The oft-injured deep threat, however, is not expected to sign until later this month. That would align with Jones’ current timetable. Emmanuel Sanders and T.Y. Hilton are also available, as is Willie Snead, who was in Texas on Tuesday for a workout with Houston. The Texans signed ex-Colt Chester Rogers from that audition. Odell Beckham Jr. is obviously the biggest prize left around, but his timetable does not align with Dallas’. Beckham is not on track to be ready until at least the midseason point, though Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed notes the former Pro Bowler is believed to be ahead of schedule. Still, OBJ’s return date has been murky for months now. And the Rams continue to loom as the most likely team to land him.

The Cowboys may have Gallup and Washington back by the time Beckham debuts, but the team looks set to face a challenge in the meantime.

8 comments Dallas Cowboys Jalen Tolbert Odell Beckham Jr.

Cowboys WR James Washington Suffers Foot Fracture

By Sam Robinson | at August 1, 2022 7:25 pm

7:25pm: The Cowboys will be without one of their new receiving weapons to start the season as wideout James Washington has suffered a foot injury today in training camp, according to Todd Archer of ESPN. The former second-round pick will undergo surgery tomorrow and is looking at six to ten weeks of recovery after suffering a fractured right foot.

Cowboys fans must be sick and tired at this point of fractures in their athletes’ feet. A fifth-metatarsal fracture held former star wide receiver Dez Bryant out for six weeks in 2015, and DeMarcus Lawrence for 10 games last season. If Washington is out for the minimum prediction of six weeks, that will hold him out through the first week of the season.

3:40pm: The Cowboys’ new-look receiving corps will be lighter on experience this year, and a Monday injury may push this situation more in that direction.

After being carted away from practice, James Washington is feared to have suffered a Jones fracture in his foot, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The offseason addition is going through an MRI. The exam confirming these fears would lead to a lengthy absence for Washington, who was likely to be a key contributor for the Cowboys — especially early in the season.

Jones fractures shelved both Derrick Henry and Deebo Samuel over the past two seasons. Henry missed more than two months of action because of his injury, though the Titans were careful with their All-Pro running back and held him out through their first-round bye. Samuel, who suffered his Jones fracture in mid-June 2020, did not return until early October of that season.

Although Washington had fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh, Dallas added him as part of its post-Amari Cooper mix. The team will not have recently re-signed Michael Gallup to start the season, with the fifth-year target confirming his ACL tear will not allow for a Week 1 return. The Cowboys used a third-round pick on South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert as well. The team also returns veteran role player Noah Brown, a sixth-year contributor. CeeDee Lamb, of course, will be the team’s top target after the trade of Cooper.

Washington, a 2018 second-rounder who saw the Steelers continue their run of Day 2 wideout picks with Diontae Johnson (2019) and Chase Claypool (2020), has a 735-yard receiving season on his resume. The Oklahoma State product got there alongside ex-college teammate Mason Rudolph in 2019. But Johnson and Claypool surpassed him with the Steelers in subsequent years, and the team — as it does with most of its wideout talent — let him walk after his rookie deal expired.

7 comments Dallas Cowboys James Washington

Ezekiel Elliott To Remain The “Focal Point” Of Cowboys’ Offense?

By Adam La Rose | at July 31, 2022 3:52 pm

After their respective performances last season, many have envisioned a change in workload for Cowboys running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard going forward. While the latter could be in line for a more varied usage in 2022, the former is still viewed as being central to the team’s success.

Owner Jerry Jones doubled down on Dallas’ reliance on Elliott yesterday, saying that he “has to be the focus” of the Cowboys’ run game (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). The 27-year-old has been a full-time starter since his rookie season, though he logged the lowest snap share of his career (66%) last season. Slowed for the latter stages of the campaign in particular by a knee injury, the former top-five pick still recorded 1,000 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns.

His efficiency (4.2 yards per carry) compared to Pollard (5.5), however, led to questions about which back deserved more opportunities – which continues in the build-up to this season, one in which Elliott is expected to be healthier. Jones insists that he “has to be the focal point” of the offense, as he has been in years past, including the three-year stretch to begin his career in which he led the league in rushing yards per game.

In the absence of Amari Cooper and, at least early on in the season, Michael Gallup, Dallas’ passing game figures to look much different in 2022 and faces the possibility of being less productive than last season. Especially in that event, a return to form from Elliott would be sorely needed. From a financial perspective, it would also ease concerns about his future; Elliott has five years remaining on his current deal, but no guaranteed money is included after this season.

On the other hand, Pollard is entering the final year of his rookie contract and could play his way into a sizeable free agent deal with another career-year. As Jones added, “there is room for Pollard while Zeke is in there,” but if he has his way, the much-maligned veteran will still shoulder a heavy load as the Cowboys look to make another postseason run.

9 comments Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott Tony Pollard

Joe Schobert, Takk McKinley Take Visits

By Ely Allen | at July 31, 2022 10:54 am

July 31: McKinley had a “positive visit” with the Cowboys but will not be signing with Dallas at this time, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). The UCLA product always planned to take multiple visits, and he will now head off to a workout with the Cardinals. Arizona lost Chandler Jones to free agency this offseason, and while the club added two edge defenders in the third round of this year’s draft (Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders), having a more experienced option as part of the rotation may not be a bad idea.

July 30: Two of the top available defensive free agents reportedly took visits today. In two separate tweets ESPN’s Field Yates announced that linebacker Joe Schobert had visited the Broncos and defensive end Takkarist McKinley had tried out for the Cowboys.

Schobert is an experienced linebacker who lined up as a middle linebacker during his tenures with the Browns and Jaguars then gained some experience as an outside linebacker with the Steelers last year. Since he became a full-time starter in his sophomore season, Schobert has been a tackling machine, never failing to amass at least 100 total tackles. During his second season in Cleveland, Schobert even led the league in tackles with 144. He’s shown an ability to get in the backfield over the years, totaling 23.0 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, and 11.0 sacks, and has a propensity for forcing turnovers with 10 interceptions, 30 passes defensed, and 10 forced fumbles over his six-year career.

Denver has been shuffling around it’s linebackers this offseason including moving Baron Browning, who started inside for the Broncos last year, to outside linebacker. It vastly increased the outside linebacker depth behind star Bradley Chubb with the additions of free agent Randy Gregory and rookie second-round pick Nik Bonitto adding to the depth of Browning and Malik Reed, who were already there. Those moves resulted in a bit of a vacuum behind starting inside linebackers Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell. Schobert would be an excellent addition to the inside linebacker depth in Denver, while having the versatility to contribute on the outside if needed, as well.

McKinley is much more of a pass rusher than Schobert, collecting 20.0 sacks, 25.0 tackles for loss, and 53 quarterback hits during a four-year tenure in Atlanta and a year in Cleveland. What’s limited McKinley is that he doesn’t offer much more on defense. He can impose his presence at the line of scrimmage and influence plays, but he doesn’t tend to get to the ball-carrier often, owning a career-high of only 29 total tackles in a season. He’s also shown less of an impact as of late. After recording 13.0 sacks in his first two seasons, McKinley has only tallied 7.0 in the three years since.

McKinley is a former-first round pick of Cowboys defensive coordinator (and former Atlanta head coach) Dan Quinn. The familiarity with Quinn’s system, in which he’s shown the most productivity, could help him land a roster spot. Besides his previous relationship with Quinn, McKinley faces an uphill battle to make the roster as the Cowboys are already fairly stacked at defensive end. Dallas brought in Dante Fowler to start opposite DeMarcus Lawrence and drafted Ole Miss single-season sack record-holder Sam Williams in the second round. McKinley could potentially attempt to provide an improvement above backups Tarell Basham, Dorance Armstrong, and Chauncey Golston, but those three were all with the team last year and will have to be unseated.

Word will likely arrive in the coming days determining if either Schobert or McKinley will get an opportunity with a new team. If not, the two veterans will remain top names to keep track of on the defensive free agent market.

5 comments Arizona Cardinals Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Joe Schobert Takkarist McKinley

Cowboys CB Kelvin Joseph Will Not Face Criminal Charges

By Sam Robinson | at July 31, 2022 9:38 am

July 31: Joseph has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in relation to the March shooting, as Gehlken reports. Though he could still face a suspension if the NFL determines that he violated its personal conduct policy, Joseph will be able to focus on carving out a substantial role in the Cowboys’ secondary with a clear head.

April 16: Cowboys cornerback Kelvin Joseph was a passenger in a vehicle from which shots were fired that killed a man last month in Dallas, according to his attorney. Joseph’s attorney, Barry Sorrels, said his client did not shoot, via Michael Gehlken and Kelli Smith of the Dallas Morning News.

Dallas police arrested two in connection with the shooting that killed Cameron Ray, 20, early on the morning of March 18, Aria Jones of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Cowboys encouraged Joseph to meet with police, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. That meeting occurred Friday, and the NFL is reviewing this situation.

A 2021 second-round pick, Joseph started two games for the Cowboys last season. The 21-year-old defender has not been arrested. Surveillance video revealed an altercation between two groups of friends, respectively including Joseph and Ray, last month. Shots were soon fired from an SUV as Ray and others walked to their vehicle, according to Dallas PD. Ray died in a Dallas-area hospital.

Dallas PD asked for assistance in identifying the six men involved in the disturbance, according to Gehlken and Smith. This led to Joseph being identified. Sorrels said Joseph was unarmed.

The Cowboys drafted Joseph 44th overall despite the cornerback prospect having played just 15 college games — at LSU and Kentucky — in 2018 and ’20. During an injury-marred rookie season, Joseph played 164 defensive snaps.

25 comments Dallas Cowboys Kelvin Joseph

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup Unlikely For Week 1

By Ben Levine | at July 30, 2022 10:16 am

As expected, Michael Gallup won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. Speaking to reporters, the Cowboys wideout said he’s still recovering from his ACL injury and said Week 1 isn’t a realistic return date.

“We got a little ways to go,” Gallup said (via Ed Werder on Twitter). “It’s gotta get a little bit stronger. … I’m ready to get back out there and help the team win.”

Gallup missed the first chunk of the 2021 season as he recovered from a calf injury. He ended up getting into nine games (eight starts) following his return to the field, hauling in 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns. Then, in Week 17, Gallup suffered a torn ACL, changing his plans for the offseason and the start of the 2022 season.

Despite the injury, the Cowboys were eager to pay the wideout, handing him a five-year, $62.5MM extension. Thanks to that new contract, there should be less pressure for Gallup to return to the field and prove his worth. Instead, he can assure he returns to full health with the goal of being a productive receiver for all five years of his extension.

Gallup predictably started training camp on PUP, but reports out of Dallas indicate that he’s looking good on the sideline. Head coach Mike McCarthy also gave a glowing review of the wideout, noting that the receiver “has not missed a target yet” and “hasn’t had a setback” (via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter). Assuming Gallup indeed misses at least Week 1, the Cowboys could turn to the likes of James Washington, T.J. Vasher, Noah Brown, and third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert to play opposite CeeDee Lamb.

0 comments Dallas Cowboys Michael Gallup

Former Cowboys S Kavon Frazier Retires

By Ely Allen | at July 29, 2022 6:51 pm

After a year in which he only played eight special teams snaps, free agent safety Kavon Frazier is retiring from the NFL in order to pursue his interests in business. The announcement was posted to his Twitter account this evening.

Frazier’s retirement comes after only six years in the league. A three-year starter at Central Michigan, Frazier was picked by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He made an immediate impact as a rookie on special teams. He continued to be a core special teamer later into his time in Dallas, but started to earn some snaps as a backup safety, as well. When starter Xavier Woods was injured to start the 2018 season, Frazier earned the first two starts of his career. Overall with the Cowboys, Frazier totaled 67 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, and a pass defensed.

Frazier’s final year in Dallas saw him placed on injured reserve after four games with a pectoral injury. When Dallas didn’t re-sign him, Frazier signed with the Dolphins. He appeared in 15 games for Miami, primarily on special teams. He signed with the Bengals in the following offseason but was released before the season began. In December of last year, Frazier signed to the Raiders’ practice squad, playing his eight snaps in a Week 16 game against the Broncos. He signed a reserve/future contract with Las Vegas, but was released just under two months later.

In his announcement, Frazier expresses his desires to excel as an entrepreneur. He cites how he started a business called Built 4 It Athletics when he was recovering from his pectoral injury and acquired another business called APEC this past January. He has an interest in “starting an investment firm called Athlete Investment Academy,” which he plans to use “to change the stigma around athletes and their financial issues.”

Frazier is surely retiring from football at a young age, but the 27-year-old has many plans post-football for his family and career. He is driving to make sure that, when it’s all said and done, he won’t be identified solely by his time in the NFL. Good luck to him on all his future endeavors.

1 comment Dallas Cowboys Kavon Frazier

Show all

Headlines

Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/22

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/22

Cowboys, LB Anthony Barr Agree To Deal