Cowboys To Use Xavier Su'a-Filo At LG?
- Both Sidney Jones and Jalen Mills are going to miss Sunday night’s Eagles-Cowboys game, but Corey Graham will return after missing four games, per Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). After claiming Cre’Von LeBlanc off waivers earlier this week, surely due to injuries affecting the aforementioned duo, the Eagles have seven corners on their roster.
- Taco Charlton and Connor Williams aren’t playing for the Cowboys on Sunday. Xavier Su’a-Filo appears to be the choice to replace Williams at left guard for Dallas, per executive VP Stephen Jones (Twitter link). A full-time Texans starter the past two seasons, Su’a-Filo has not played this season. Williams is down with a knee injury.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/18
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Lance Lenoir
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Cassanova McKinzy
- Waived: C Casey Dunn
Cowboys To Cut Thompson, Activate Brown
Deonte Thompson‘s eight-game Cowboys run will come to an end. The team will cut the veteran wide receiver and return man in order to make room on the 53-man roster for fellow wideout Noah Brown‘s activation, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets.
The Cowboys also cut defensive back Treston Decoud, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Dallas designated Brown — a 2017 seventh-round pick — as an IR-return player last week. An Ohio State product, Brown caught four passes for 33 yards last season.
Thompson signed a one-year, $1.8MM contract with the Cowboys after drawing interest from other teams in free agency. He’ll head to the waiver wire. A 2017 fifth-round Texans pick, Decoud played in one game with the Cowboys.
The Cowboys deployed Thompson as a backup wide receiver and used him on kick returns this season. The former Ravens, Bears and Bills pass-catcher snared 14 passes for 124 yards this season. Thompson initially didn’t make Dallas’ roster but was re-signed shortly after that post-preseason release, setting up what may well turn out to be a brief run with the Cowboys.
Cowboys’ Sean Lee To Miss Several Games
On Tuesday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett told reporters that linebacker Sean Lee will be sidelined for “a little bit” with a hamstring injury. As it turns out, a “little bit” could turn out to be a long while. Lee’s injury is expected to keep him off the field until December and could push his return into the final weeks of the regular season, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News hears. 
Lee is expected to miss the next four to six weeks of action, which means that he will be out until Dec. 9 against the Eagles, at best. At worst, that timeline would keep him out of action until the Bucs game on Dec. 23, the second-to-last game of the regular season.
Lee suffered his injury in the third quarter against the Titans on Monday night while chasing tight end Jonnu Smith on a completed pass. Lee also missed three games earlier this year, meaning that he has missed a total of 13 games due to hamstring issues throughout his career.
The Cowboys stayed afloat without Lee earlier this year thanks to the play of linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch. Still, they’re a better defense with Lee on the field.
Cowboys Notes: Lee, Wiliams
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee aggravated his hamstring injury in Monday night’s game against the Titans and will be sidelined for “a little bit,” head coach Jason Garrett told reporters, including Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Lee, of course, has had problems staying healthy throughout his lengthy career, as he’s never played a full 16-game slate and just recently missed Weeks 4-6. While Dallas’ defense has historically posted vastly inferior production without Lee on the field, those splits have become less stark thanks to the excellent play of fellow Cowboys linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch.
- Lee isn’t the only member of the Cowboys expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks, as left guard Connor Williams is likely to require knee surgery that will knock him out of action for a few games, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. Williams’ injury isn’t season-ending, but he’s going to have to sit out for several weeks as he recovers. The 50th overall selection in the 2018 draft, Williams has been a middling option at guard this season, ranking 42nd among 75 positional qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. Per George, it’s unclear how the Cowboys will replace Williams, but La’el Collins — a former guard — won’t be moved off right tackle.
Cowboys Won’t Fire Garrett During Season
On Monday night, the Cowboys were held scoreless in the second half and lost 28-14 to the Titans. It marked the Cowboys’ second straight loss and dragged the team down to 3-5, leading many to question Jason Garrett‘s job security. However, owner Jerry Jones says he will not make an in-season head coaching change (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). 
Whether Garrett is the biggest problem in Dallas is up for debate, but something was clearly amiss with the Cowboys’ game plan on Monday night. Star running back Ezekiel Elliott ripped off 96 total yards in the first half, but had just six touches in the entire second half. Meanwhile, quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t do them any favors by throwing an ill-advised end zone interception early in the game and giving up a costly fumble in the second half.
Many are concerned about Prescott’s development in the midst of his third season, but Jones reaffirmed his commitment to the former fourth-round pick.
“Listen,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link). “Dak is the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He’s young and he’s going to get extended.”
The Cowboys – with Garrett on the sidelines and Prescott under center – will travel to Philadelphia this week to take on the defending champs.
Cowboys Planning Amari Cooper Extension
One more full season remains on Amari Cooper‘s contract, his guaranteed-for-injury 2019 fifth-year option, but the Cowboys didn’t trade a first-round pick for a player without a potential long-term future with the team. They are planning a Cooper extension.
“In general, we believe we’re going to sign Amari to an extension,” Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said during an interview on 105.3 The Fan (via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). “That goes without saying. We feel like he was worth the No. 1, and I think part of making it worth it is that we eventually sign him to an extension.”
Jones added the Cowboys wouldn’t have made the trade if Cooper was merely a rental commodity. The 24-year-old wideout is due $13.9MM next year. An extension could bring that figure down and potentially add to Dallas’ $54MM in 2019 cap space, but when the team made the deal with Oakland, an extension didn’t seem imminent just yet.
Cooper has not been the same player he was during the 2015-16 seasons. He finished last season with 680 receiving yards in 14 games; his 48.6 yards per game were nearly 25 yards down from his 2016 average. He caught two or fewer passes in four of his six Raiders games this season. The former No. 5 overall pick came to Dallas understanding he doesn’t have the leverage to command a top-market re-up, and the Cowboys were believed to be fine with waiting on an extension. It appears they’re being more aggressive on this front now.
Of course, the Cowboys planning an extension doesn’t necessarily mean the team and Cooper are close on terms. With wideout contracts exploding in 2018 — 13 WRs now make more than $14MM per year on average, and seven of those deals were finalized this year — Cooper may view himself as closer to that group than the Cowboys do. Dallas trading a first-round pick for him may only further embolden the receiver’s camp.
How Cooper performs down the stretch of this season will be critical to setting a price point, but the sides may be in for a long-term partnership.
Titans Were Willing To Trade First-Rounder For Amari Cooper?
The Cowboys’ decision to give the Raiders a first-round pick for Amari Cooper has brought criticism, considering Dallas’ 3-4 record and Cooper’s inconsistency. But their Monday night opponent may have viewed the former top-five pick in a similar light.
The Titans were also willing to part with a first-round pick to acquire Cooper, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports. A Tennessee-proposed caveat may have scuttled a Cooper-to-Nashville path, however.
While the Cowboys landed Cooper for a first-round pick, the Titans wanted to swap Day 2 draft slots with the Raiders to soften the blow of losing a Round 1 choice, Moore adds. It’s unclear if this means flipping both second- and third-round selections, but the Titans look to have wanted something from the Raiders the Cowboys didn’t.
Cooper will debut for the Cowboys against the Titans tonight after arriving during Dallas’ bye week. The Titans (3-4) have also struggled in recent weeks and are hurting for pass-catcher depth. They lost Delanie Walker and enter tonight’s game with the NFL’s 30th-ranked passing attack. Corey Davis‘ 395 receiving yards lead the team. Tajae Sharpe‘s 222 yards are second. Marcus Mariota has only thrown three touchdown passes.
The Eagles, Colts and Redskins were also believed to be interested in Cooper, and the crowded market benefited a Raiders team that now holds three 2019 first-round picks.
Poll: Which Sub-.500 Team Has Best Chance To Make Playoffs?
With the trade deadline having passed, teams have a better idea what everyone’s optimal stretch-run lineups will look like. A handful of dominant teams have surfaced, and several second-tier contenders are present as well.
But what about possible late-blooming teams? Multiple squads picked by many to advance to the playoffs are under .500. Which teams will the second-tier contenders have to worry about in the second half?
The obvious place to start is the AFC South, where a once-0-3 team is in front. The Texans entered the season with the best Las Vegas playoff odds and are living up to the hype. They’re a major threat to become the first 0-3 team to make the playoffs since the 1998 Bills. The division’s other three teams have three wins, hovering behind the Chargers, Bengals and Ravens in the AFC wild-card race.
Jacksonville’s decision to retain and extend Blake Bortles is backfiring, but the team still offers one of the best defensive outlooks in the game. However, the defending division champs have lost four straight and still have the Texans, Steelers and Redskins on the schedule.
Indianapolis won two straight going into its bye, has a three-game homestand on tap, and one winning team remains on its schedule. Featuring Andrew Luck (23 TD passes, second in the NFL) and an improved front — headlined by the first guard to win an a rookie of the month award in Quenton Nelson — Indy’s offense ranks sixth in scoring (28.9 points per game). Tennessee’s only 3-4 but may be in more trouble, having lost three straight and sporting the No. 30 passing attack. Marcus Mariota‘s thrown just three touchdown passes this season; the Titans have games against the Patriots, Texans and Redskins left.
Shifting to the NFC South, can the Falcons overcome their litany of defensive injuries and crawl back into the race? At 3-4, Atlanta is one game out of the NFC’s second wild-card spot, and Matt Ryan is on pace to surpass 5,000 yards in a re-established aerial attack. But the Falcons’ defense sits 31st in DVOA, though Deion Jones is on the way back, and their ground game ranks 30th. Atlanta also has six road games remaining.
The Buccaneers may be headed toward a postseason house-cleaning, with Dirk Koetter (and probably Jason Licht) back on the hot seat and Jameis Winston benched. Can Fitzmagic and a deep pass-catcher arsenal save Tampa Bay or at least stave off another bleak second half?
In trading a first-round pick for Amari Cooper, the Cowboys certainly believe they’re a stealth contender. At 3-4 and behind both the Redskins and Eagles in the NFC East, the Cowboys defied conventional wisdom and gave up what could be a top-12 pick for an inconsistent wide receiver. While Dallas carries the No. 11 DVOA defense, its offense (25th) hasn’t clicked. That said, the team’s lost its past two road games — against division leaders Houston and Washington — by six combined points. If the Cowboys can’t pull this off, might it finally be the end of the line for Jason Garrett? Jerry Jones said he’s not considering an extension for the signed-through-2019 HC.
The Jets were not expected to make the playoffs, have lost two straight and still have two Patriots games left. More was expected of the Broncos, whose post-Super Bowl 50 trajectory represents a prime modern example of the quarterback position’s importance. Although they quietly are DVOA’s No. 7 team, the Broncos are 2-10 in Vance Joseph-coached road games and have five remaining games against winning teams. Those will come after the team made a seller’s trade in unloading Demaryius Thomas. The Lions, too, sold a key asset and appear to be playing for the future. However, they’re still only one game out of the NFC North lead.
So, who has the best chance of re-routing their season into a playoff bracket? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Cowboys’ David Irving Suffers Injury
Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving says he will not play Monday night due to a high ankle sprain (Twitter link via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). He added that the injury could sideline him for up to four weeks. 
Irving went down in practice on Thursday and tests confirmed that he’ll need a substantial amount of time to heal. It’s a frustrating development for the 25-year-old, who already missed the first four games while serving a suspension and a fifth game while addressing personal issues. So far this year, Irving has only suited up for games against the Jaguars and Redskins, and he could be looking at a half-season of activity when all is said and done.
Of course, this is a key year for Irving as he is slated to hit unrestricted free agency after the season. Last year, after being moved to defensive tackle full-time, Irving showed his potential by finishing with a career-high seven sacks.
So far, Irving has four total tackles on the year including one sack which he recorded in the third quarter against Washington on Oct. 21.