Cowboys Trying To Trade Up
- Add the Cowboys to the list of teams trying to move up, via Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). Jerry Jones said recently he would OK a trade-up maneuver, and a Wednesday-night report indicated Dallas is interested in tackles Charles Cross and Trevor Penning, along with London. A trade for Cross or London might be unrealistic, unless the Cowboys are prepared to trade into the top 10. The Giants have been closely connected to Cross at No. 5. Penning could still be on the board by the middle of the first round, however.
Cowboys Targeting Move Near Top 10?
- Jerry Jones said recently he is willing to trade up from No. 24. How far up? The Cowboys might be prepared to part with notable draft capital, with NFL.com’s Jane Slater indicating Cross, Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning and USC wide receiver Drake London are names to watch regarding a Dallas move up. Cross and London have been mentioned often as top-10 picks, while Penning has his share of fans as well. Based on the targets listed here, the Cowboys would likely need to make a strong offer. It would be quite costly for the Cowboys to move into or near the top 10, but they have been eyeing O-linemen. Dallas holds one pick in each of the second and third rounds.
Cowboys Work Out T Sam Tevi
Sam Tevi spent three seasons as a Chargers starting tackle and was in the mix to become the Colts’ Eric Fisher stopgap on the left side last year. But a late-August ACL tear closed that path, leaving Tevi sidelined for the 2021 season.
The former first-string regular has progressed to the point teams are bringing him in. The Cowboys worked out Tevi on Friday, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). While this meeting profiled as more of a check-in rather than an indication a deal is close, the Cowboys do have needs on their offensive line.
Dallas cut longtime right tackle La’el Collins in March, leading to a quick Bengals signing, and has seen Tyron Smith struggle to stay healthy for the past several seasons. Although Smith returned to the Pro Bowl in 2021, he played just 11 games. This came after a two-game 2020. Smith, 31, missed three games in each of the previous four seasons. The Cowboys are prepared to use Terence Steele at right tackle but would then need a swingman. They have not added a notable piece up front this offseason, and an early-round O-line addition is squarely on the radar going into draft week.
Tevi, 27, started 43 Bolts games from 2018-20, being a full-timer at left and right tackle for a few embattled Los Angeles lines. Tevi left for Indianapolis in March of last year. The former sixth-round pick figures to be an option coming out of the draft, depending on how franchises fill their tackle needs next weekend.
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones: “We’re Not Done Yet In Free Agency”
The Cowboys haven’t really been a major player in free agency this year, but executive vice president Stephen Jones hinted that moves could be coming. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said the front office isn’t done adding free agents.
[RELATED: Cowboys’ Dalton Schultz Seeking Long-Term Deal]
“We feel like we did do a good job with it in terms of re-signing, for the most part, the players that we wanted and felt like we could keep under the current salary-cap environment,” Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “I do think we were able to fill (our needs), for the most part. We’re not done yet in free agency. We’ll see what opportunities come up out there. But we feel like we can go into the draft pure again and pick the best players on our board.”
As Jones notes, the Cowboys have spent much of their offseason retaining their own guys. The team reached new deals with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, wide receiver Michael Gallup, safety Jayron Kearse, and defensive end Dorance Armstrong, and they also slapped tight end Dalton Schultz with the franchise tag. Of course, all of this future money has led to some roster casualties, most notably wideout Amari Cooper and offensive tackle La’el Collins.
When it comes to free agency, the team’s most notable addition was the signing of defensive end Dante Fowler. At this point of the offseason, the Cowboys will be hard pressed to find any game-changers still remaining in free agency, but the current crop of unsigned veterans could help fill in any roster holes following the draft. As Machota notes, the Cowboys could use reinforcement at guard, center, wide receiver, edge rusher, tight end, and cornerback, and there’s a good chance they won’t cross all those positions off the list during next week’s draft.
Cowboys’ Dalton Schultz Seeking Long-Term Deal
A number of high-profile tight ends were franchise tagged this offseason, including Dalton Schultz of the Cowboys. If he has his way, the 25-year-old will be staying in Dallas for more than just the 2022 season. 
“This is the place I want to be” Schultz said (Twitter link via ESPN’s Todd Archer). He made clear to Archer his desire to stay with the Cowboys long-term. Just as significant is the fact that he “believes that’s the team’s goal” as well.
By signing the franchise tender, Schultz is scheduled to make $10.93MM this season. That would place him – along with David Njoku and Mike Gesicki, the other TEs to be tagged – in the top-10 with respect to compensation at the position. The team could find money to make him a key piece of their offense for the foreseeable future in part because of the departures of Amari Cooper and Randy Gregory last month.
A fourth-round pick in 2018, Schultz has emerged as one of Dak Prescott‘s favorite targets over the past two seasons. Since the start of the 2020 campaign, he has totalled 141 catches for 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the expected absence of Blake Jarwin, along with the receiver void created by trading away Cooper, the Stanford alum could take on an even larger workload in 2022.
The two sides have until mid-July to agree on a new deal; failing that, Schultz will look to take his production a step further as the Cowboys try to rebound from last year’s early playoff exit.
Latest On DL Prospects Jordan Davis, Logan Hall
Quarterbacks have remained central to the storylines leading up to this year’s draft, but the class is dominated by its defensive talent. Two of the top prospects with regard to defensive linemen are Georgia’s Jordan Davis and Houston’s Logan Hall. 
As noted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), Davis has had pre-draft visits with a number of teams. Included among those are the Ravens and Eagles, two clubs which could very well find themselves within range of drafting him. Baltimore is set to pick 14th, while Philadelphia owns selections No. 15 and 19.
The Ravens reunited with Michael Pierce this offseason, signing him to occupy the nose tackle position. His addition points to the departure of Brandon Williams, leaving room for at least depth in that role. The Eagles, meanwhile, released, then re-signed Fletcher Cox, an anchor on the team’s defensive line throughout his career. He only inked a one-year deal, though, so the position should be a point of emphasis in the draft.
Davis was a mainstay on the Bulldogs’ defense during his four seasons with Georgia. Playing in a run-stopping role, the six-foot-six, 340 pounder totalled seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. Those numbers, along with eye-popping athletic testing at the combine, leave the door open to his development as a three-down player.
While Davis – who finished top-10 in Heisman voting last season – is viewed as a first-round lock, Hall may join him on Day 1. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network recently reported that the list of teams to have met with him includes the Giants, Cowboys, Texans, Buccaneers, Bears and Titans (Twitter link). His draft ranking places him in a range from late in the first round to early in the second, so the interest from those teams comes as no surprise.
In four years with the Cougars, Hall put up almost identical numbers to Davis. His potential versatility in terms of where he can line up on the field (at 260 pounds, many view him as a defensive end at the NFL level), and overall pre-draft process have helped his stock. He could find himself at the top of the second tier of d-linemen, behind Davis and Devonte Wyatt.
These two have certainly generated plenty of interest, making their ultimate destination next week one of the many things to keep an eye on at the draft.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/14/22
Today’s minor moves, including some restricted free agents and exclusive rights free agents who signed their tenders:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed ERFA tender: OL Blake Hance
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: P Hunter Niswander
Detroit Lions
- Signed ERFA tender: DE Jessie Lemonier
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed RFA tender: LB Marcus Allen
Cowboys Willing To Trade Up In Draft
A number of teams have publicly expressed a willingness to trade down, especially near the top of the board, with respect to this month’s draft. One team that wouldn’t shy away from moving up, though, is the Cowboys. 
“I would trade up in this draft… just going in as much as you can say about it, until you see what’s there and who’s on the other end of the line” said owner Jerry Jones (video link via the Athletic’s Jon Machota). “But I would trade up, since we’re down as low as we are in the first two or three rounds if we had a chance to and somebody that we had really coveted was sitting at the bottom … and we were able to trade up and get him.”
The Cowboys’ top pick is currently No. 24. They also own one selection in each of the second and third rounds, having added day three picks from the Browns as a result of the Amari Cooper trade. Another wideout to compliment CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup (and offset the loss of not only Cooper but also Cedrick Wilson) is a strong possibility.
Replacements for free agent departures such as Randy Gregory, La’el Collins and Connor Williams would also be logical targets for Dallas’ first few picks. In any event, the team will obviously be open to moving up to land a specific prospect – a contrast to most other teams’ views of this year’s deep, but not top-heavy class.
Cowboys Meet With Davis, Green, Lloyd
- The Cowboys brought in a few first-round prospects this week. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd and Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green visited the Cowboys this week, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (all Twitter links). Lloyd and Davis rate as top-12 prospects, per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. Barring freefalls or Dallas trading up from No. 24, they will be out of range. Green is viewed by Jeremiah and ESPN.com as the top guard available, being slotted just outside the top 25 by each. The Cowboys, who lost Connor Williams in free agency, are targeting O-linemen early.
- One of this draft’s top wide receivers, Treylon Burks has met with a few teams already. In addition to Cowboys and Buccaneers summits, the Arkansas product spent time with the Browns and Jets this week, Wilson tweets. The Texans are up next. The Browns are an unrealistic Burks suitor, having traded their first-round pick (No. 13) to the Texans, who would loom as a potential destination thanks to one of the choices they acquired in the Deshaun Watson deal. The Jets have made their wide receiver interest fairly well known this offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/8/22
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Mike Ford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Re-Signed: TE Mitchell Wilcox
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Ryan Nall
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: WR/KR DeAndre Carter
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Roy Mbaeteka