Dak Prescott Continues To Progress
- The Cowboys are being cautious with Dak Prescott‘s injured shoulder, but good news continues to emerge on the sixth-year quarterback. After a strange update by the Cowboys’ Twitter account indicated Prescott would undergo a second MRI, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that exam took place Saturday and revealed progress. Dak’s ailing shoulder is healing on schedule (Twitter link). Prescott threw before the Cowboys’ second preseason game this weekend and experienced no pain in doing so, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link). Prescott is likely to return to practice this week, and Rapoport notes playing in one preseason game is on the table. It does not appear, at this point, Cowboys fans should be concerned about Dak missing Week 1.
Cowboys DT Neville Gallimore To Miss Time
Neville Gallimore left the Cowboys’ second preseason game early with what looked like a significant injury. While the second-year defensive tackle will be out for a while, it looks like he will have a chance to return early in the regular season.
The Dallas starter is expected to be out four to six weeks after suffering a dislocated elbow Friday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. No tear took place, though ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes this injury could sideline Gallimore for up to two months (Twitter link). The structural damage to Gallimore’s elbow being minimal will increase his chances of coming back at some point in September.
The Cowboys used Gallimore as a nine-game starter last season, turning to the rookie inside during a brutal defensive season for the team. Despite Dallas changing defensive coordinators, the Oklahoma product is still expected to start upon returning from this setback. However, Gallimore’s injury may well create a need at this position for the time being.
Dallas used a third-round pick to acquire him last year and also bolstered the position in this year’s third round, selecting Osa Odighizuwa. Fellow D-tackle Trysten Hill, a 2019 second-round pick who started five games in 2020, remains on the team’s active/PUP list due to the ACL tear he suffered against the Giants last October.
Patrick Peterson Addresses Cardinals Exit
Patrick Peterson joined the Vikings on a one-year, $8MM deal on the second day of this year’s legal tampering period. This agreement, however, came after discussions with the Cardinals and a few other NFC teams.
The Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles each discussed deals with the former All-Pro cornerback, Dan Pompei of The Athletic reports (subscription required), noting Dallas and San Francisco made early pushes to add the veteran. This came after Peterson’s talks with the Cardinals ceased.
The 31-year-old corner said Cardinals GM Steve Keim communicated to him at his 2020 exit interview a desire for him to stay in Arizona, and Peterson said the Cards continued to tell him they wanted him back in February. Michael Bidwill said as much publicly at that point, but that is the last we heard on a Peterson return to the desert. That appears to be the last Peterson heard on the topic as well.
“I was just frustrated and upset at how upper management handled the situation,” Peterson said, via Pompei. “You tell me one thing, then when it’s time to talk, you turn your shoulder on me like it’s cold shoulder. I’ve been in this league a long time. Thirty years old. Grown man. Talk to me like a grown man, not like a child or your side piece.”
Peterson’s Vikings pact came to be after he instructed his agent to call Mike Zimmer, per Pompei. The All-Decade defender, like many around the league who agreed to one-year deals, hopes to cash in when the cap spikes in 2022. Peterson said Keim did reach out after news of his Vikings agreement surfaced, but the irked cornerback did not respond to the GM’s text message.
“I’m willing to bet on myself for this season knowing the salary cap is going to go back up, and I can have opportunities to come back to the table and get more than what I got this year,” Peterson said.
It is unlikely the other NFC teams pursuing Peterson were offering too much, given his recent play. The Cowboys ended up drafting corners in the second and third rounds, while the 49ers did not make a notable outside hire here this year. The Eagles waited a while but signed Steven Nelson on a low-cost deal. An agreement with Titans cap casualty Malcolm Butler became the Cardinals’ main post-Peterson cornerback move.
Peterson’s string of Pro Bowls stopped at eight, with a six-game PED suspension in 2019 stalling his momentum. The LSU product’s coverage numbers dropped noticeably from 2018 to 2019, and Pro Football Focus graded him 83rd among corners in 2020. Peterson will attempt to re-route his career in Minnesota.
Cowboys Take Amari Cooper Off PUP List
Amari Cooper will have the green light to return to practice. The Cowboys took their highly paid wide receiver off the PUP list Tuesday, after he passed his physical, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
The seventh-year veteran has run into multiple bouts of ankle trouble this offseason. He underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery in January and, after experiencing an issue again in early June, was shut down. Cooper is not yet 100%, per Gehlken (on Twitter), but Tuesday’s transaction paves the way for a return by Week 1.
Cooper, 27, has not missed a game since joining the Cowboys via midseason trade in 2018. This ankle issue will be something to monitor, but the former top-five pick is set to return to Dallas’ workouts soon and take his place alongside Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
This season will be pivotal for Cooper, who is in the second year of a five-year, $100MM contract. The Cowboys can get out of this deal fairly easily after the season, and the team is likely planning to make a decision between Cooper and Gallup as a long-term piece in the 2022 offseason. Cooper has posted back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons with the Cowboys, doing so in 2020 despite Dak Prescott missing most of the season.
Cowboys Not Planning To Extend Any Impending Free Agents Before 2022
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones recently expressed regret for the way the team handled Dak Prescott‘s extension, which became a three-offseason saga. The quarterback’s $40MM-per-year contract will now have some effects on the way the Cowboys do business.
Although the Cowboys might circle back to extension talks for the likes of Michael Gallup, Randy Gregory or Leighton Vander Esch, the team will not discuss deals for the free agents-to-be in 2021, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes. The team has closed up shop on extension talks with its impending free agents, a group that also includes guard Connor Williams and tight end Dalton Schultz.
Gallup, Gregory and Vander Esch profile as the team’s top three 2022 free agents. Each could be elsewhere next season, depending on their respective performances this year. Dallas’ upcoming free agent crop does not bring the kind of high-stakes drama of recent offseasons, when the team either doled out big-ticket extensions (in the cases of Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence) or stood down (in the case of Prescott). But Gallup and Gregory could enhance their value with quality contract-year performances, making the Cowboys pay more come 2022 — if they view the starters as long-term pieces.
Cooper’s status will affect Gallup’s. It appears the team recognizes there is only room for one of the two on its 2022 squad, with Gehlken adding that the team expects Gallup to see a big market as a free agent. Cooper’s $20MM-AAV contract becomes easy to shed next year, with the Cowboys saving $16MM in cap space and taking just a $6MM dead-money hit if they cut the former trade acquisition. Cooper, 27, is two years older than Gallup. An either/or scenario creates an interesting subplot for the Cowboys’ passing attack this season.
The Cowboys making Gregory prove it is logical, though they did extend the talented defensive end through 2021 despite his persistent off-field issues. Gregory will be 29 by the time his contract expires, and the former second-round pick has been suspended four times during his career. He is, however, set to be a full-time starter for the first time. This season stands to make a major impact on Gregory’s value ahead of what could be his only notable contract agreement.
Dallas may enter an either/or situation at linebacker soon. The team is set to deploy first-round pick Micah Parsons this year, potentially leaving Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith to vie for a slot alongside him in 2022. The Cowboys did not pick up Vander Esch’s fifth-year option, due to his injury troubles. Shedding Smith’s deal next year would saddle the Cowboys with $6.8MM in dead money. How Vander Esch performs this year, and his health status exiting the season, will largely determine his free agency value.
Jones: Cowboys Should Have Signed Dak Earlier
The Cowboys went through three offseasons of Dak Prescott negotiations, finally bringing an end to the saga with a monster four-year, $160MM extension for the Pro Bowl quarterback. This drawn-out process ended benefiting Prescott considerably, given his value when the first round of negotiations began in 2019. Dak is now one of the league’s two $40MM-per-year players, joining Patrick Mahomes, and the sixth-year Dallas quarterback cannot be franchise-tagged after this extension expires. When addressing his top regret during his time as the team’s executive vice president, Stephen Jones said he “probably would have signed Dak the first time around; it would have been better for everybody,” via Pat Doney of NBC 5. The negotiations, which began in April 2019, led to a 2020 franchise tag and the QB’s price rising to the point he inked one of the most player-friendly deals in NFL history this past March. The Cowboys still have their fourth-round find locked up long-term, however. They just took a more difficult route to get here.
- Randy Gregory has moved into position to be a full-time starter for the first time, being set to play opposite DeMarcus Lawrence on a regular basis this season. The Cowboys’ oft-suspended pass rusher alluded to then-defensive coordinator Mike Nolan preferring Aldon Smith due to “favoritism.” “I felt there was a little bit of favoritism going on … refusing to let me outshine their favorite,” Gregory said in a lengthy story by The Athletic’s Dan Pompei (subscription required). “They knew I could do it, so they did what they could to keep me at bay. I had my times when I was angry. … I truly felt I got robbed of a year last year.” The NFL reinstated Gregory in late October last year. Smith, who started 16 games after making his own comeback from suspension, is now a Seahawk. New DC Dan Quinn said, via Pompei, he was surprised Gregory (27.1 defensive snaps per game in 2020) did not play more in 2020 and added that the embattled defensive end will indeed see more time this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Marcus Henry
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, OL Jason Spriggs
- Cut: RB Tony Brooks-James
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Reece Horn
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Kyron Brown
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jamar Johnson, CB Kary Vincent
Houston Texans
- Placed on PUP list: OL Marcus Cannon, OL Lane Taylor
- Cut: LS Mitchell Fraboni
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: DT Rob Windsor (out for year)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LS James Winchester
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: P Corliss Waitman
- Cut: K Dominik Eberle
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Tutu Atwell
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
- Cut with injury settlement: TE Jibri Blount
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on PUP list: K Riley Patterson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DE Kendall Donnerson
- Placed on PUP list: WR Michael Thomas
- Placed on NFI list: OL Derrick Kelly
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Eddie Yarbrough
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Darece Roberson
- Cut: CB Saivion Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Chris Cooper
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Kyle Peko, Anthony Rush,
- Cut: DL Bruce Hector
Cowboys Expected To Sign S Malik Hooker
Malik Hooker remains in free agency, but the former first-round pick has been connected to multiple teams this offseason. He is paying the Cowboys another visit Friday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). This second meeting is expected to produce a deal, so long as Hooker proves healthy, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
The Cowboys hosted Hooker, Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee in March. Both Neal and Kazee, each of whom former Dan Quinn charges with the Falcons, signed with the Cowboys. Dallas looks set to have all three of those March visitors in uniform soon.
A Ohio State product, Hooker is coming off a season in which he played just two games. He suffered an Achilles tear last September. That affected his market, and Hooker should be expected to use the 2021 season as a springboard to a more lucrative contract down the road.
Hooker also visited the Steelers and Dolphins this year, with his most recent meeting — in Pittsburgh — coming in early June. Shortly after that meeting, Hooker expressed interest in waiting on more teams to enter the equation. Dallas’ re-emergence appears to have satisfied him, and Hooker — if healthy — will have a good chance at earning a starting job.
Dallas has been linked to big-name safeties for years but has resisted. The team signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix last year but cut the ex-Packers first-rounder before the season. This year, Quinn has Neal set to play both safety and linebacker; Kazee joins Hooker in coming off a major injury. The Cowboys lost Xavier Woods in free agency but have been aggressive in free agency, adding Jayron Kearse in addition to the March visitors.
Hooker, 25, poses as a low-cost flier who has extensive starter experience. Indianapolis deployed the former No. 15 overall pick as a first-stringer in 35 games. However, Hooker has suffered ACL, MCL and Achilles tears as a pro. This season will be pivotal to determining his path toward future guaranteed dollars.
Cowboys Work Out CB Holton Hill
The Cowboys are already sniffing around at replacements for Rashard Robinson. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that cornerback Holton Hill worked out for the Cowboys today. However, Clarence Hill of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram tweets that the defensive back left Dallas without a deal.
[RELATED: Cowboys Cut CB Rashard Robinson]
Hill, a 2018 undrafted free agent out of Texas, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Vikings. The defensive back saw time in 16 games (three starts) as a rookie, finishing with 36 tackles, seven passes defended, and an interception while appearing in 36-percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
Unfortunately, Hill has only seen time in 12 games since that time, collecting 37 tackles, one sack, and four passes defended. His 2019 campaign was limited by a pair of suspensions, while his 2020 campaign was limited thanks to a stint on injured reserve. The 24-year-old was ultimately waived/injured by the Vikings in December.
With Robinson set to miss a pair of games thanks to suspension, the Cowboys moved on from the defensive back last week. The team is currently rostering eight cornerbacks, a relatively modest number heading into camp, so it’s not a surprise that they’re pursuing options at the position.
Cowboys Place Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence On PUP
The Cowboys have placed wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Cooper is still recuperating from a lingering ankle issue while Lawrence has been hampered by back problems. 
Cooper, a seventh-year veteran, was previously scratched from Cowboys minicamp. He underwent minor ankle surgery in January but the latest trouble surfaced in May. The Pro Bowl wideout has been here before — a sprain cost him time in 2017 and reemerged in early last season. To date, Cooper has not missed a game as a Cowboy. But, if his recovery drags, they’ll be leaning more on Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
Lawrence nearly opted out last year, but ultimately went on to appear in all 16 games for the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks. Statistically, his best work came in 2017 and 2018 as he registered a combined 25 sacks. The Cowboys hope that he can quickly put his back (and shoulder) injuries behind him to resume his Pro Bowl form.
The stars will be joined on the list by kicker Greg Zuerlein (back), defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee), newly-signed rookie defensive end Chauncey Golston (hamstring), and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt (knee). The Cowboys will also place UDFA receiver T.J. Vasher on the non-football injury list as he works his way back from a knee injury suffered at Texas Tech.