S Jeff Heath May Need Shoulder Surgery
- Cowboys safety Jeff Heath said he may need shoulder surgery to repair labrum damage (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News on Twitter). The 28-year-old continues to play through the injury, and Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that there’s hope Heath can avoid the procedure until the offseason. The safety has started 10 games this season, compiling 45 tackles and five passes defended.
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Cowboys Waive Brett Maher, Sign Kai Forbath
The Cowboys are making a change at kicker. Dallas has waived Brett Maher and is signing Kai Forbath, per a team announcement.
In the wake of Maher’s struggles in 2019, the Cowboys worked out three kickers last week, but they elected to give Maher another shot. Unfortunately, Maher missed a field goal attempt in the team’s loss to the Bears on Thursday, so Dallas hosted another workout today. Forbath was obviously one of the three kickers the team brought in, along with Nick Rose and Tristan Vizcaino (Rose and Vizcaino were also part of last week’s audition).
Forbath has much more experience than his fellow tryout candidates, which obviously appeals to the Cowboys. Over parts of seven seasons with five different clubs, Forbath has a strong 85.8% success rate on field goal attempts. He kicked for the Patriots last week as a one-game fill-in for Nick Folk, making a 23-yard field goal attempt and going 1-2 on extra points.
Maher, meanwhile, hits the waiver wire after he was unable to replicate his solid 2018 performance. He converted just 66.7% of his field goal tries in 2019, and he missed all but one of his five tries from 40-49 yards. The Cowboys, in the thick of a division title race, exercised as much patience as they could but ultimately were compelled to move on.
NFC East Notes: Manning, Redskins, Cowboys
Giants QB Eli Manning said back in April that he wants to continue playing in 2020, and as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes, the soon-to-be 39-year-old has not deviated from that stance. Manning, who was benched in favor of rookie Daniel Jones following New York’s Week 2 loss to Buffalo, is slated to start for the Giants on Monday night due to Jones’ ankle injury. And, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Jones’ injury could force him to miss 2-4 weeks, so Manning could end up finishing out the season for Big Blue.
Manning’s contract with the Giants expires at the end of the year, and he knows he will need to go elsewhere if he wants to continue playing. However, he doesn’t want to just collect a paycheck, he wants to start, and he wants to start for a team that has at least some chance of cracking the postseason. Given that the 2020 QB market could be unusually strong, Manning may have a tough time finding such an opportunity, though his odds of doing so would improve dramatically if he plays well down the stretch.
Now for more from the NFC East:
- The Redskins will be looking for a new HC this offseason, and Albert Breer of SI.com says several high-profile candidates have told Washington they will not go there if the structure of the organization does not change. It’s unclear exactly what that means, though head of football operations Bruce Allen would definitely scare away some candidates if he remains. Redskins owner Dan Snyder is considering parting ways with Allen, and he may have to do even more to attract the type of big-name coach that he is looking for.
- The Cowboys have real interest in Urban Meyer as their next head coach, and Jon Machota of The Athletic offers a list of candidates that Dallas should take a look at. Meyer is at the top of the list, and despite the fact that the Saints just gave Sean Payton a healthy extension, Machota expects Jerry Jones to “try anything possible” to bring Payton to Dallas. Machota also names the recently-fired Ron Rivera as a possibility, though Rivera will surely attract plenty of interest from other clubs in need of an HC.
- Redskins RB Derrius Guice is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain during Sunday’s loss to the Packers, and he may be done for the season.
- Giants DL Leonard Williams believes he should be paid “top-tier money,” and if he doesn’t get it from New York, he is prepared to test the open market in 2020.
Cowboys’ Interest In Urban Meyer Is “Real”
The Cowboys are widely expected to be shopping for a new head coach this offseason, and the team’s interest in Urban Meyer is real, as Albert Breer of SI.com writes. Recent reports indicated that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was zeroing in on Meyer and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels — though Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley could also be a legitimate possibility — and Meyer himself said he would “absolutely” accept the Dallas gig if offered.
Breer confirms that Meyer is interested in the Cowboys, and while the SI scribe does not believe Meyer is necessarily dying to get back into coaching, Dallas does check two important boxes for him. One, it’s a flagship organization, and two, it has a roster that looks capable of competing right away. Meyer also has a close relationship with one of the Cowboys’ best players, Ezekiel Elliot, thanks to their days at Ohio State together.
Meyer is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished head coaches in college football history, having compiled a 187-32 career record that includes a whopping 12-3 mark in Bowl Games. He also won three national championships, two with Florida and one with Ohio State.
His success with the Buckeyes led to some NFL interest, and he said in December 2015 that he had recently spurned an NFL team’s advances. He always seemed content with his collegiate job, but he announced last December that he would retire from coaching after the Buckeye’s Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2019 (which Ohio State won). He cited health concerns as the reason for his decision, which leaves one to wonder if he would welcome the rigors of an NFL post. However, since Dallas does not need to go through a lengthy rebuild, Meyer seems open to considering the opportunity.
Cowboys Working Out Kickers Monday
It looks like Dallas is about to make their kicking change, and they could be down to a couple of finalists. The Cowboys will workout Kai Forbath, Nick Rose, and Tristan Vizcaino on Monday, sources told Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links).
Brett Maher had already been on thin ice, and then he missed another crucial kick during Dallas’ loss to the Bears. A couple of days ago following the Cowboys’ latest embarrassing defeat on Thursday Night Football, head coach Jason Garrett seemed to heavily indicate that they were going to make a change. “Obviously, we have to do a close evaluation of it,” Garrett said. “We brought three kickers in earlier in the week. We decided to give Brett an opportunity this week. It didn’t work out. So we have to take a real close, hard look at that.”
Garrett was referring to the kicker workout the Cowboys held last week, which included Vizcaino and Roose. They opted not to sign anyone and give Maher one more week to prove himself, but apparently liked what they saw from those two. Vizcaino is a Washington product who has never kicked in the NFL, and he made only 12 kicks during his college career. Rose has had brief stints with the Chargers and Redskins.
Forbath, the former Redskins and Vikings kicker, resurfaced briefly with the Patriots last week. He was only used as a one-game fill-in after Nick Folk was sidelined by an appendectomy. He missed an extra point during his one game with New England. Maher surprisingly beat out longtime kicker Dan Bailey last offseason and had a solid rookie campaign with Dallas, but it looks like his time has ran out. Expect word of a signing early this week.
Cowboys WR Cedrick Wilson Likely Done For Season
Cedrick Wilson‘s season has likely come to an end. The Cowboys receiver suffered a sprained ACL, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Barring any surprising developments, it’s unlikely that Wilson will see the field again in 2019. Fortunately, the wideout won’t require reconstructive surgery on his knee, according to Archer. That kind of operation would have sidelined the second-year player for most of the offseason program.
The Boise State product was a sixth-round pick by the Cowboys back in 2018, but he sat out his entire rookie campaign thanks to a torn labrum. He was cut by Dallas at the end of the 2019 preseason, and he subsequently landed on their injured reserve. The 24-year-old was promoted to the active roster in mid-September, and he’s hauled in five catches for 46 yards in six games. Wilson has also returned three kicks (for 64 yards) and two punts (for 13 yards).
Archer passed along a few additional Cowboys injury notes. The team is hoping that running back Tony Pollard can return to practice and play against the Rams next week. Pollard missed Thursday’s game against the Bears with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, punter Chris Jones recently suffered an abdominal strain, but the left-footer isn’t expected to miss any games.
Cowboys Making Kicker Change?
Brett Maher could be out of a job, head coach Jason Garrett said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News). His comments came hours after Maher missed yet another field goal in Thursday night’s loss to the Bears. 
“Obviously, we have to do a close evaluation of it,” Garrett said. “We brought three kickers in earlier in the week. We decided to give Brett an opportunity this week. It didn’t work out. So we have to take a real close, hard look at that.”
The Cowboys’ previous tryout featured former Chargers and Redskin kicker Nick Rose, Austin MacGinnis, and Tristan Vizcaino. From the sound of it, the Cowboys will look into other options if they bump Maher.
The Cowboys’ season is now on the brink and while there’s plenty of blame to go around, Maher’s struggles haven’t helped matters. He’s connected on just 66.7% of his attempts this year, well below his 80.6% success rate in 2018.
Latest On Jason Garrett
The Cowboys aren’t planning to fire head coach Jason Garrett during the season, but some reports have indicated needs to lead Dallas to a Super Bowl victory in order to keep his job. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has offered his fair share of criticism of Garrett this year, and earlier this week, he made a peculiar comment sure to draw the eye of observers. “In my opinion, Jason Garrett will be coaching in the NFL next year,” Jones said this week on 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News). Notably, Jones didn’t say exactly where he thinks Garrett will coaching in 2020.
Cowboys’ Antwaun Woods Arrested
Cowboys defensive tackle Antwaun Woods was arrested earlier this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Woods faces charges for marijuana possession and tampering with evidence, which could lead to legal consequences and league discipline. 
Woods was arrested on Tuesday at a traffic stop and police say he was found with 2.07 ounces of marijuana, plus a joint. The tampering with evidence charge, presumably, stems from an alleged attempt to hide the weed.
According to the police report, Woods was going 77 in a 60 mph zone. The bigger issue, of course, is the marijuana – in Texas, the tampering charge is a third-degree felony, while the possession charge is a Class A misdemeanor.
Woods, 26, has started in all eight of his games this year. So far, he has 15 total tackles and one fumble recovery on his stat sheet.
This offseason, the Cowboys will have the option of retaining him as a restricted free agent. Because Woods entered the league as an undrafted free agent, he’d cost roughly $2MM to keep.
Amari Cooper Wants To Stay With Cowboys
Cowboys star Amari Cooper doesn’t have a new deal yet, but he still wants to stay in Dallas. On Monday, Cooper responded in the affirmative when asked if he wants to continue playing for the Cowboys beyond this season.
“Like I just said, I love it here,” Cooper said. “I want to be here. I just love this situation, my teammates. I just feel it’s the place for me.”
Since coming over via trade from the Raiders, Cooper has caught 117 balls for 1,696 yards and 13 touchdowns across 21 games. Through 12 games this year, he’s got 64 grabs for 971 yards and seven scores.
“I’ve approached the situation like, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “Obviously, I’m more productive here than I was in Oakland, so why would I want to change things?”
The Cowboys feel similarly, though they also much weigh the financial implications of a new deal. The Cowboys still have to address Dak Prescott‘s new deal and paying both players at the top of the market will require some serious belt tightening elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Cowboys still have the option of cuffing Prescott through 2020 via the franchise tag.
Cooper’s future is just one of several storylines to watch in Dallas, where speculation about Jason Garrett‘s job security continues to swirl. The drama-filled Cowboys will look to rebound from their Thanksgiving loss when they take on the Bears in Chicago on Thursday night.