Cowboys Won’t Give Up On Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory has been banned from the NFL yet again, but the Cowboys aren’t giving up on the troubled defensive end. In a radio interview, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained that he still believes in Gregory, both as a player and as a person. 
“He’s a pure soul first and foremost, the proof of that is how he’s thought of everybody around him, teammates coaches everyone,” Jones said when asked why the Cowboys continue to support Gregory (via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). “He’s genuinely afflicted, genuinely. It’s real. He has to work through, just as you would many things as human beings. He has to work through this, the way and the way he works through it, the way he deals with his circumstances. It’s impressive. It may not look that impressive when you say look at the penalties that he’s endured but it is impressive. He’s trying to work through it. Everybody on this team knows that he is. He’s an outstanding player by instincts, mentally, physically, he’s outstanding. He doesn’t pretend to be anything that he isn’t.”
Gregory was indeed outstanding last season, finishing out with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles in just 522 snaps. Although the length of Gregory’s ban is indefinite, Jones believes that he may be able to play in Week 1 of the 2019 season.
“I am by no means, in any way, weary, discouraged. As a matter of fact with his contribution that he made last year, all be we’d like to have more,” Jones said. “But what we did get, the impact he made was there. He did nothing but would encourage me to help him in any way we can to have a career. He’s a relatively young guy. He’s in excellent, relatively speaking for what he plays and what he’s been through as his position, he’s relatively healthy. He’s a guy we can invest some of our time in to help him get here and it will help us win.”
Cowboys Notes: Lee, Elliott
- “When the 2018 season ended there was an expectation that Sean Lee would not return to Dallas,” writes Calvin Watkins of The Athletic. But now things appear to be shifting in the direction of the veteran linebacker returning for one more season in a reduced role, Watkins notes. Lee wants to play again and is willing to accept less playing time, according to Watkins, and Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones sounded open to the idea of bringing him back. “When he has played, he has played really well. He’s had a big impact on our football team, not only what he’s doing on the field, but off the field with his leadership,” Jones said. In the same piece, Watkins also took a look at the looming contract negotiations between Dallas and Ezekiel Elliott. Watkins thinks that Elliott “will probably get at least $50 million guaranteed”, topping the $45MM guaranteed Todd Gurley received from the Rams.
Cowboys To Tag DeMarcus Lawrence
Another top-tier edge defender will not make it to the market. For the second straight year, the Cowboys will place their franchise tag on DeMarcus Lawrence, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Lawrence follows Dee Ford and Jadeveon Clowney, with Frank Clark‘s Seahawks tag imminent. Dallas’ top pass rusher, though, comes with a higher price. A second Lawrence tag will cost the Cowboys $20.57MM, and the sixth-year defender is not likely to sign this tender anytime soon. However, after the Cowboys appeared to be set to rent Lawrence in 2018, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes the team wants to have a long-term deal in place by the July 15 deadline.
The 26-year-old dynamo said in the past he would not sign this tender if tagged again. This is still his stance, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Lawrence signed his 2018 tender quickly and attended Cowboys offseason workouts. As could be the case with Ezekiel Elliott as well, Lawrence is not expected to show for OTAs and minicamp this year — unless the sides reach a long-term extension. And that does not appear to be on the horizon. Lawrence, though, does not plan to miss regular-season time, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Dallas does not believe Lawrence is worth a $20MM-per-year contract, Watkins adds, noting the team’s initial offers have not been for that amount. Only Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are $20MM-AAV defenders, but Lawrence’s new tag likely will prevent him from accepting a deal averaging less than that figure. Lawrence is not demanding a deal that eclipses Mack’s or Donald’s, per Watkins, but merely one that places him in the top five at his position.
The Cowboys proceeding cautiously with Lawrence in 2018 made sense. He had dealt with multiple injuries during his first three seasons before breaking out for 14.5 sacks in 2017. Last season, the former second-round pick proved it again, registering 10.5 sacks. Though Jerry Jones said the Cowboys are more comfortable with his long-term outlook, and the team has made an offer, this could be a long waiting game.
This offseason will also include a Lawrence shoulder surgery as well, so without a contract in place, he will not be eager to return to the team. In fact, Watkins reports a procedure will not be scheduled until Lawrence has an extension in place. This would stand to make it more difficult for Lawrence to be ready on time for training camp.
Having a $20.57MM tag on its cap sheet will slice Dallas’ $47MM-plus in cap space almost in half, making it, for the time being, more difficult to add outside free agents or work with its litany of extension candidates on deals.
Cowboys WR Cole Beasley Seeking $20MM Guaranteed
The Cowboys want to retain wideout Cole Beasley, but it’s going to cost them a pretty penny to do so. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram tweets that receiver is seeking a deal that will pay him at least $20MM in guaranteed money.
The team has made it very clear that they’d welcome back the 29-year-old with open arms, but coach Jason Garrett acknowledged that it might be difficult to meet the receiver’s monetary demands.
“Oh, we love Cole Beasley,” Garrett told Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. “If you followed our football team the last few years you know the impact that he’s made on our team…We want him with our team as we go forward for a long, long time, but business will creep into that on both sides. Hopefully we can get to a point where we can make a deal with him and some of these other guys where it works well for everybody and we keep moving forward.”
$20MM in guaranteed money isn’t some unprecedented number, but it’s debatable whether Beasley deserves to be on that tier of wideouts. For comparison’s sake, DeSean Jackson and Emmanuel Sanders both earned $20MM guaranteed when they signed their previous deals, and those two players had shown a whole lot more than Beasley up to that point of their careers.
Despite only starting four games for the Cowboys last season, Beasley still played more than 66-percent of the team’s offensive snaps. He lead Dallas with 65 receptions, and he hauled in 672 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Beasley has also contributed on special teams during his seven-year career.
Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawrence Not Close To Extension
With two days to go until the franchise-tag deadline, the Cowboys have not made any progress on a DeMarcus Lawrence deal. Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets that the two sides are not close to finalizing a long-term deal. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star Telegram echoes that sentiment, noting that a deal isn’t expected by the March 5th deadline “barring [an] unexpected miracle offer.”
Unless the Cowboys are willing to risk Lawrence reaching unrestricted free agency, the team’s only logical course is to slap the defensive end with the franchise tag. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com points out, this may be Lawrence’s preferred route. After being tagged in 2018, Lawrence would earn $20.56MM if he was tagged for a second-straight season. His franchise number in 2020 would balloon to $29.6MM, meaning Lawrence would technically be eyeing $50MM over the next two years.
Ultimately, Florio opines that the Pro Bowler could be seeking a deal that pays him close to that amount of money through the first two years of the contract. If he doesn’t sign a deal, he’ll either earn a lucrative franchise tag in 2020 or he’ll finally hit unrestricted free agency. Lawrence could also follow Le’Veon Bell and sit out the entire 2019 campaign, although that probably wouldn’t increase his worth.
Further complicating matters is Lawrence’s impending shoulder surgery. Florio writes that the 26-year-old refuses to have the operation until he’s inked a long-term deal. This could merely be leverage by Lawrence’s camp to get a deal completed before the July 15 deadline, but it complicates matters nonetheless.
In 2017, Lawrence compiled 14.5 sacks, 58 total tackles, and four forced fumbles. Instead of doing a long-term deal last year, the Cowboys asked him to prove himself once more. He answered with 10.5 sacks, 39 quarterback pressures, and a second consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
Witten Will Play Meaningful Role In 2019
- Speaking of retirement, we have more details on Jason Witten‘s role with the Cowboys in his return. While we’ve already heard Witten won’t be playing a full allotment of snaps, owner “Jerry Jones does not believe the veteran will be a bit piece in the offense,” according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Per Archer, Jones said this week that he doesn’t think Witten’s “a progress stopper”, and that he’ll be “well worth the roster spot.” It sounds like Witten could play a meaningful role in the offense even after taking the year off.
Cowboys Rumors: Earl Thomas, Witten, Draft
Seahawks free agent safety Earl Thomas is expected seek $15MM a year with his next deal, The Athletic’s Calvin Watkins tweets.
Watkins notes that figure might be too high for the Cowboys. Though possessing plenty of cap space this offseason, the team is expected to use most of that money in signing Demarcus Lawrence to a long-term deal and working on extensions for players like Dak Prescott and Byron Jones.
Thomas and the Cowboys have long been linked ever since the All-Pro safety told head coach Jason Garrett to “come get him” following a 2017 game. The Cowboys and Seahawks were in talks on trades for the star defender in the offseason but could not come to an agreement on draft-round compensation.
Thomas, a Texas native and longtime Cowboys fan, reportedly will not take a “hometown” discount with the team and is also expected to be courted by the 49ers.
Here’s more surrounding the Cowboys:
- When asked whether the newly signed Jason Witten is a “coach in waiting,” owner Jerry Jones said that he will be with the team in the future, whether that is as a coach or in another position, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets. After a year-long hiatus, Witten made a shocking decision when he decided to come back for another season in 2019. Long considered a future NFL coach, Witten is sure to make a move in that direction following what is, presumably, his last season.
- Speaking of Witten, when the future Hall of Famer rejoined the team, it was expected the Cowboys would not take a tight end early in the draft. That might not be the case, as the team has already met with Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson, The Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota tweets. Though they might have interest, the Cowboys do not possess their first-round pick thanks to the Amari Cooper trade and the college standout will likely be gone before their Day 2 selection.
- Like we said earlier, the Cowboys are expected to use most of their cap space to resign their own players this year. The team has already met with the agents for Prescott, Jones and Cooper, and are expected to meet with Lawrence’s agent tonight, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. tweets. They have not met with Ezekiel Elliott‘s agent yet, but have indicated plenty of interest in resigning him at some point.
Cowboys’ David Irving Banned Indefinitely
Defensive tackle David Irving was suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, according to a league press release. The Cowboys were reportedly ready to let Irving walk in free agency due to a variety of issues, but this marks the second indefinite ban to a Cowboys defender in the last week. 
Just days ago, linebacker Randy Gregory was hit with an indefinite suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy for the umpteenth time. Irving, meanwhile, has been battling his own demons and had a tumultuous 2018 season.
For the second time in a row, Irving missed the start of the year with a drug suspension. Then, he was entangled in a custody battle for his daughter last year and was served with a restraining order from the mother of his child. He suited up just twice for Dallas in 2018.
In 2017, he missed eight games between his suspension and late-season concussion.In between, though, he was terrific, as he registered seven sacks in eight games.
Irving was in line to receive interest from teams looking to beef up the front seven, but he has some serious hurdles to clear before he can think about retaking the field.
Earl Thomas Won’t Give Discount To Cowboys
Earl Thomas is looking to become the highest paid safety in the NFL, a source tells Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram. Therefore, as Hill hears, the Texas native will not be offering any sort of hometown discount to the Cowboys. 
Thomas has long been connected to the Cowboys. Last year, he bowed to the Dallas bench after an interception in September, cut in-season plans short to catch the Cowboys on TV, and appeared to have further word of his interest to the press through backchannels. Recently, former Seahawks teammate Richard Sherman indicated that Thomas would sign with the Cowboys if they matched any other offer, but Thomas’ camp probably moved to silence such talk with today’s leak.
Becoming the highest-paid safety in the league would require Thomas to beat out Eric Berry‘s $13MM/year contract. That could be tough for a few reasons: Thomas is coming off of a season-ending leg fracture, he’ll turn 30 in May, and the free agent safety market was a huge letdown for top players last offseason.
On the other hand, Thomas still profiles as one of the best free safeties in the NFL. In 2017, Thomas earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod, logged his second career pick six, and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 safety. He finished out with 88 tackles, two interceptions, and seven passes defensed in that season.
The Cowboys would ostensibly love to add Thomas, but they’re not exactly flush with cap space. If Thomas is intent on getting the biggest payday possible, he’s unlikely to wind up in Dallas.
Jason Witten To Play 25 Snaps Per Game?
- Jason Witten‘s exit from the Monday Night Football booth shocked many, and the Cowboys already appear to have a plan for the recently unretired tight end. They are planning to deploy Witten around 25 snaps per game, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The future Hall of Fame tight end, who will turn 37 in May, does not want to impede incumbents Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz‘s progress, per Hill, and is fine with a 25-snaps-per-game workload.
- Another way the 2019 Cowboys could be flashier than the ’18 version: if Earl Thomas joins the team. Long connected to the Cowboys, the Texas native looks to still view Dallas as his preferred destination. If the money is equal, Thomas will pick Dallas, former teammate Richard Sherman said (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic, subscription required). However, the 49ers cornerback added that another team outflanking the Cowboys would make it a fairer fight. Thomas’ camp met with the Cowboys’ Combine contingent on Thursday, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link). It doesn’t sound like the Cowboys will go all-in for the three-time All-Pro, with JLC adding the team is casting a wide net (on a deep safety market) to help here. But the soon-to-be 30-year-old defender certainly appears to still be on Dallas’ radar.