Cowboys Frustrated With Prescott, Cooper, Elliott Talks
The Cowboys are growing frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper, Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The team believes solid offers have been made that would put each player in the top five at their respective positions, yet the needle has not moved much. 
In the case of Elliott, the Cowboys are pitching him a contract that would be closer to Le’Veon Bell‘s than Todd Gurley, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (on Twitter) reports. That deal would make Elliott second-highest paid running back in NFL. It seems that Zeke is either gunning for No. 1, or for a more favorable payout/guarantee structure than Gurley earned. Gurley got $45MM guaranteed in his deal, whereas Bell is looking at $39.5MM in potential earnings over the first three seasons.
On Sunday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed confidence in the process for all three players. The team, at least behind the scenes, is now singing a different tune.
“You just know like so many things it’ll happen. It’ll happen,” Jones said of the extensions. “There literally is no concern on my part at all about any timeframe. That’ll happen. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. Think about it a minute. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. That always happens when it’s good for both (sides).”
Prescott does not sound receptive to a Cowboys-friendly deal and Cooper seems more than willing to play out the final year of his pact in search of the biggest payday possible.
Cowboys Sign S Tyvis Powell
Tyvis Powell has found another gig. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the safety will be signing with the Cowboys. The team opened up a roster spot earlier today after waiving tight end Rico Gathers.
It’s been a busy few weeks for Powell, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Ohio State. The 25-year-old signed with the Texans in late July, but he was cut by the organization this past weekend. The 25-year-old has appeared in 18 career games, including seven this past season with the 49ers. He finished 2018 with six tackles and one forced fumble.
The defensive back has bounced between five different teams (including separate stints with the 49ers) over his three years in the league. Fortunately, he has some familiarity with some in the Cowboys organization; he was a teammate of Ezekiel Elliott back in college, and he played under defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard in Seattle.
Powell wasn’t the only player to audition for the Cowboys today. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News (via Twitter), the team also worked out offensive tackle Brian Wallace and cornerback Channing Stribling.
Cowboys Waive TE Rico Gathers
The Cowboys are ending their Rico Gathers experiment. The team made the decision to waive the former Baylor basketball player-turned-tight end on Monday.
Gathers received a one-game suspension earlier this offseason. Although Gathers saw action in just 15 games in one season (2018), the 25-year-old spent four offseasons with the Cowboys. Dallas drafted Gathers in the 2016 sixth round and attempted to develop him. Gathers finished last season with three receptions for 45 yards.
An ankle injury limited Gathers during his fourth Cowboys camp, and the Dallas tight end situation obviously changed in recent months. Jason Witten is now back on the team; Gathers did not see any game action during Witten’s previous run with the team.
Younger tight ends Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz are expected to make the Cowboys’ 53-man roster, leaving Gathers without a surefire role. Prior to the Cowboys investing a sixth-round pick in the college hoops standout, Gathers had not played organized football since middle school.
Latest On Cowboys’ Randy Gregory
Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has yet to apply for reinstatement, Mike Florio of PFT hears. However, he has every intention of filing his petition and returning this season, according to a source. 
Furthermore, Florio hears that Gregory is “’doing well’ and continues to do everything necessary in his treatment and personal responsibility plan.” Meanwhile, Gregory’s parents are moving from Michigan to North Texas as part of Gregory’s “reliability partner” program.
Reading between the lines, this could be an indication that Gregory is not quite ready to retake the field. Florio hears that it’s unlikely that Gregory will get Roger Goodell’s approval for the start of the regular season, though hope has not been lost for 2019.
Once he applies, Gregory will push for a conditional reinstatement that will allow him to participate in training camp, meetings, and conditioning work leading up to his return. That seems feasible, particularly with the support of owner Jerry Jones, though Gregory stumbled when granted the same thing last year.
Latest On Cowboys' Extension Targets
As other teams continue to finalize pivotal extensions, work remains for the Cowboys on this front. Contract talks are ongoing for Dallas’ standout trio — Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper — entering the team’s first preseason game, and ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes none of these contracts is particularly close to being done. Nevertheless, Jerry Jones remains confident.
“You just know like so many things it’ll happen. It’ll happen,” Jones said of the extensions. “There literally is no concern on my part at all about any timeframe. That’ll happen. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. Think about it a minute. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. That always happens when it’s good for both (sides).”
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones has mentioned possible team-friendly discounts for these players, due to the financial opportunities that come with playing with this particular franchise, and added the team not does not intend to set positional markets. (For what it’s worth, the Cowboys set the guard market last summer with Zack Martin.) Elliott, however, remains a holdout — with two days remaining until the Aug. 6 date that will determine whether the running back is a UFA or an RFA in 2020 — and Prescott does not sound receptive to a Cowboys-friendly deal.
Going from the Cowboys’ off-field matters to some of their rivals’ on-field setups, here is the NFC East’s latest:
Cowboys Notes: Zeke, Cooper, Martin
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones remains optimistic that his team will be able to get star RB Ezekiel Elliott back in camp, but he is not willing to capitulate to Elliott’s demands, as David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes. Zeke, of course, is holding out of training camp and is working out in Mexico. He is under club control for two more seasons, and while Jones obviously wants him back, it will have to be on Dallas’ terms (which makes sense, given all of the other contract situations the team needs to address).
Now for more from the Cowboys:
- Executive VP Stephen Jones said he had no update on the Elliott situation or on Amari Cooper‘s contract talks (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Jones indicated that there has not been much dialogue with Cooper’s camp about a possible extension. Cooper is presently dealing with a bruised heel that started bothering him Friday, so he may not see much action for the next few days, as Hill notes in a separate tweet.
- Cowboys guard Zack Martin recently underwent an MRI on his back, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The club is encouraged by the results, but Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports that Martin has some irritation to a disc and could miss at least a week (Twitter link). It does not sound like there is any reason to panic at this point, but Martin will not be rushed back, and this could become a situation to keep an eye on.
- Dallas could use some depth at guard — especially with Martin’s absence — and at cornerback, and Stephen Jones said the team is looking to sign a player or two at both positions (Twitter link via Hill).
- Tony Pollard may not have entered the league with the same hype that accompanied Elliott a few years ago, but the fourth-round rookie has been very impressive in camp. Stephen Jones did not hesitate when naming Pollard as the young player who has stood out the most, per Hill (via Twitter).
Cowboys Notes: Morris, Workouts
After signing Alfred Morris earlier this week, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones admitted his club likely wouldn’t have brought in an established running back if Ezekiel Elliott were not holding out. “We were going to look at something no matter what but probably not as much,” Jones said, via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram. “Every time you are missing a guy you need to have a guy in here and it made sense for us to get a guy we were comfortable with.” Morris, who served as Elliott’s backup in 2016 and 2017, says he’s been given no assurances that he’ll stick on Dallas’ roster if/when Elliott returns to the team.
- In addition to tight end Jake Fisher, the Cowboys also recently worked out tight end Jerome Washington and linebacker Emmanuel Beal, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Linebacker Justin Phillips was also part of the cattle call, and ended up signing with Dallas on Wednesday.
Cowboys Notes: Cooper, Elliott, Fisher
Michael Thomas‘ new deal with the Saints isn’t going to make negotiations between Amari Cooper and the Cowboys any easier. Thomas reportedly received an annual salary of $19.25MM from New Orleans, and that figure will almost certainly factor into discussions between Cooper and Dallas. Despite that dynamic, the Cowboys haven’t made an effort to get in front of the rest of the market in order to secure a cheaper deal for Cooper (or Dak Prescott, Byron Jones, or Ezekiel Elliott, for that matter).
“We can’t push the issue unless we want to be a market-setter,” Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said on KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM, via David Moore of Sports Day DFW. “And we’re damn sure not going to be a market-setter because of all the things that go with being a Dallas Cowboy. We want our players to feel good about their contracts. But at the same time, we don’t want to do things that are out of line because we can’t afford to be that way. When we save money, whether it’s with Dak, whether it’s with Zeke, whether it’s with Amari, it’s not saving Jerry [Jones] and I a dollar. It’s just money that’s going to another player.”
Per Moore, Jones and the Cowboys told defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence during their negotiating sessions that Lawrence implied to accept less money in order to allow Dallas to account for other star players. Lawrence reportedly told Jones that fitting the rest of the Cowboys’ stars onto the salary cap wasn’t his problem to solve, and Cooper, Prescott, et al. could potentially take the same approach.
Here’s more on the Cowboys:
- The Ezekiel Elliott headline machine continues. Per TMZ Sports, a new lawsuit alleges the Cowboys “conspired with police to cover up info from a 2017 car crash that would have sidelined [Elliott] from a crucial NFL playoff game.” The plaintiff in the suit claims he was hit by Elliott’s car just four days before Dallas’ playoff game against Green Bay, and further alleges the Cowboys didn’t want the accident reported because Elliott would have been placed in the concussion protocol, potentially endangering his availability for their playoff game. Additionally, the plaintiff is suing the Cowboys for damages, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, it’s highly unlikely Dallas gets dragged into this suit.
- The Cowboys worked out free agent tight end Jake Fisher, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com. A second-round pick of the Bengals as an offensive tackle in 2015, Fisher is now attempting to convert to a skill position. Fisher, who played tight end in high school, has been limited by injuries and ineffectiveness throughout his career, and has started just 12 games in four years. He signed with the Bills earlier this offseason but was cut after two months on Bufflo’s roster.
- In case you missed it, the Cowboys signed running back Alfred Morris earlier this week, giving them some form of insurance against Elliott’s ongoing holdout.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/19
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LB Nicholas Grigsby
Buffalo Bills
- Released from injured reserve: OL Jeremiah Sirles
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Justin Phillips
- Waived: G Larry Allen Jr.
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DE Markus Jones
- Waived/injured: CB Javien Hamilton
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Devante Mays
- Waived/injured: RB Taj McGowan
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: P Stone Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers: WR Brandon Reilly
- Waived/non-football injury: CB Alexander Myres
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Daniel Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Claimed off waivers: T William Poehls
- Signed: WR Matt Eaton, TE Scott Orndoff
- Waived: TE Donnie Ernsberger, T Riley Mayfield
- Waived/injured: S Orion Stewart
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Tanner McEvoy, WR Papi White
- Waived: WR Joe Parker
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Cameron Batson
Extra Points: QBs, Cap, Sanders, Nkemdiche
The latest installment of Mike Sando’s annual quarterback tiers emerged recently, via The Athletic (subscription required). While Russell Wilson ascended into Tier 1 for the first time, evaluators are much less bullish on two of his top dual-threat brethren. Both Cam Newton and Dak Prescott come in on Tier 3, with the shoulder injuries the Panthers passer has suffered in recent years dropping him off his previous Tier 2 placement. The anonymous voter panel, comprised of executives and coaches, placed Newton as the league’s No. 15 quarterback and the Cowboys‘ fourth-year pilot at No. 17. In a separate piece, Sando notes no Tier 3 quarterback who has been paid as a top-10 passer, which seems likely for Prescott by Week 1, has taken his team to the playoffs that season. Newton has two years remaining on his Panthers-friendly deal. Tier 2 quarterbacks, per past Sando surveys, were 8-for-29 in guiding teams to the playoffs with top-10 APY figures since 2014.
Here is the latest from around the league:
- One of the topics brought up in this year’s CBA talks: the spending floor. Currently, teams are required to spend 89% of their cap over a four-year period. The NFLPA has proposed forcing teams to spend more, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. One of the proposals floated would increase that 89% threshold to 95%; another would involve reducing the number of years factored into these spending equations from four to two. There is no policy in place mandating teams spend a certain amount each year, only through four-year windows.
- One issue that will likely change in the new CBA, per Graziano: the league’s marijuana policy. The NFL has already softened its stance on marijuana, through a 2014 change, and has now formed a committee to study alternative pain-management techniques. This points to more leniency on the weed front.
- No team was willing to take on Robert Nkemdiche‘s first-round contract the Cardinals just shed. The 2016 first-round pick cleared waivers Monday and is now in free agency. The former No. 1 overall recruit reported to Cardinals camp in less-than-ideal shape and is coming off a season marred by a torn ACL. It may be a long road back for the 24-year-old defensive lineman, who did register 4.5 sacks (the first QB drops of his career) last season.
- Emmanuel Sanders returned to 11-on-11 work at Broncos camp Monday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (on Twitter). This marked the first such participation for the 32-year-old wide receiver since before his Achilles tear last December. The Broncos did not stick Sanders on their active/PUP list to start training camp, and with more than five weeks remaining before Week 1, it appears a good bet the 10th-year wideout, barring a setback, will be ready to start the season on time.