No Deals For Bell, Lawrence, Ansah, Or Joyner
None of this year’s franchise tagged players agreed to extensions with their respective teams before Monday’s deadline. That means Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah, Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, and Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner will all play on their tags in 2018. 
Over the weekend, we heard that deals were unlikely for any of the four players. However, we’ve been surprised in the past. You may recall the 2016 franchise tag extension deadline in which Muhammad Wilkerson and the Jets agreed to a buzzer-beating deal after weeks of reports indicating that it would not happen (the Jets certainly wish it hadn’t happened now).
There was no surprise this year, so the four franchise tagged players are all entering contract seasons at the following rates:
- Ezekiel Ansah – $17.1MM
- DeMarcus Lawrence – $17.1MM
- Le’Veon Bell – $14.5MM
- Lamarcus Joyner – ~$12MM
This marks the first ever franchise tag for Ansah, Lawrence, and Joyner. For Bell, this is the second go ’round and it’s incredibly unlikely that the Steelers will consider a third tag, no matter how good he is in 2018.
Per league rules, extension talks cannot resume between the team and the tagged player until after the 2018 season has concluded.
Cowboys, Lawrence Will Not Reach Deal
No surprise here, but the Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence will not reach agreement on an extension before Monday’s 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline, Todd Archer of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). Instead, Lawrence will play out the 2018 season on his $17.143MM franchise tag. 
Lawrence, 26, had 14.5 sacks in 2017. That total was the most by a Cowboys player since DeMarcus Ware had 19 in 2011. The Cowboys also notched 38 sacks as a team, giving them their highest total overall since ’11. Despite some bumps early on in his career, including back issues, Lawrence underscored his importance to the club with a big campaign last year. He also did not miss any games in ’17.
It is believed that Lawrence is gunning to top Olivier Vernon‘s five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants and his agent – the same one that represents Vernon – wants at least $17MM/year. For what it’s worth, Lawrence’s ’17 sack total nearly doubled Vernon’s total from his contract year. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 ranked DE, putting him behind only Cameron Jordan and Von Miller amongst edge rushers.
Apparently, that’s a bit too rich for the Cowboys’ blood at this time. As a result, the Cowboys will not be able to reopen negotiations with Lawrence until January 2019.
Latest On Franchise-Tagged Players
Monday’s 3pm CT deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions may come and go without one being finalized.
After a Saturday report indicated re-ups were unlikely for DeMarcus Lawrence and Ziggy Ansah, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirmed Ansah and the Lions won’t agree to terms by Monday afternoon and adds Lawrence is unlikely to come to terms with the Cowboys (Twitter links).
As for the other two tagged players, prospects also appear grim. Schefter reports (on Twitter) Lamarcus Joyner is not expected to reach an extension with the Rams, though he adds the sides are still discussing one. And despite Mike Tomlin‘s hopes of Le’Veon Bell finally agreeing to a Steelers accord, Schefter reports (via Twitter) that’s unlikely, too. However, the Steelers and Bell have made recent progress and will keep trying until the deadline. But this report throws some cold water on an 11th-hour solution coming to pass.
Ansah and the Lions have been far apart throughout this process, and the Lions are planning to see if their top edge defender can stay healthy and prove reliable enough for a long-term commitment. The Cowboys may be using the same strategy with their injury-prone pass rusher, despite making a stronger effort to discuss a deal with Lawrence.
Bell and the Steelers have been circling each other for years, but if the parties can’t agree by Monday afternoon, their arrangement will be a full-fledged rental situation. Bell will likely be headed toward the 2019 UFA market if the Steelers don’t sign him by Monday. The Rams’ issues with Aaron Donald‘s deal leave Joyner in a strange spot. Los Angeles possesses a league-low $2MM in cap space and has a glut of contract calls coming — Donald, Joyner, Brandin Cooks, Todd Gurley, Marcus Peters — in what will be a complicated stretch for the now-high-profile team.
Of course, by the Lions, Cowboys and Rams not agreeing on deals with their tagged performers, that ups prices down the line. Since Bell has already been twice tagged, it would cost the Steelers a staggering $20MM-plus to tag their All-Pro back again.
Ansah is going to play this season for $17.1MM, and if Lawrence indeed is still without a deal by Monday evening, he will too. Joyner will count nearly $12MM on the Rams’ payroll, while Bell’s $14.5MM 2018 salary has been well-known for months by NFL contract buffs.
New OL Coach Paul Alexander Implementing Some New Concepts; No Major Changes Forthcoming
- The Cowboys have a new O-line coach in Paul Alexander, who spent the last 24 seasons with the Bengals. He inherits one of the best offensive lines in the league, so he is under a good deal of pressure to keep the train rolling. To that end, he does not plan on making a drastic overhaul, but as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes, Alexander and OC Scott Linehan are implementing concepts that are noticeably different from the ones that previous O-line coaches Bill Callahan and Frank Pollack employed. Star running back Ezekiel Elliott is impressed with the modifications, and Alexander suggests that the linemen themselves have also bought in.
Extensions Not Expected For Ziggy Ansah, DeMarcus Lawrence
The two defensive ends among the four-man franchise tag contingent are not expected to reach long-term extension agreements with their respective teams by Monday’s deadline.
Neither Ziggy Ansah nor DeMarcus Lawrence appear to be close to finalizing a deal, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (via Twitter) that, barring a major breakthrough in talks, the veteran edge defenders look set to play this season on the tag. Calvin Watkins of The Athletic also hears the prospect of a Lawrence/Cowboys re-up is unlikely (Twitter link).
The Cowboys and Lawrence were reported to have discussed what it would take to come together on an extension this week, but it doesn’t look like those talks were especially productive. As for Ansah, the Lions have been rumored for months to view 2018 as more of an audition season to see if he can stay healthy and thrive in Matt Patricia‘s scheme.
This will mean $17MM-plus cap numbers for both the Cowboys and Lions. The latter’s been prepared to foot this bill for a while, and the former’s payroll doesn’t look like it did at the close of free agency’s major spending period. Though Dez Bryant‘s contract has an $8MM dead-money tag this year, the Cowboys do not have a major pass-catcher expense on their cap sheet after Bryant was released and Jason Witten retired. Dallas also extended Zack Martin yet holds $14.8MM in cap space.
Detroit currently has $9MM in cap room and just three players (Matthew Stafford, Ansah and T.J. Lang) attached to eight-figure cap holds this year. The Cowboys’ cap sheet also has just three eight-figure hits (Tyron Smith, Lawrence and Sean Lee). Dallas’ cap becomes more manageable in 2019, when both Bryant and Tony Romo‘s dead-money figures are off the books.
Renting extra years of Lawrence and Ansah makes sense for both NFC teams because of the injury histories for each pass rusher. Lawrence dealt with significant back problems prior to putting a 14.5-sack season together in his contract year. Ansah experienced back and knee troubles last season, and although he still registered 12 sacks, six of those came in his final two games — after he’d to some degree shaken those maladies.
Ansah, though, may have a more pivotal season ahead considering he will be 30 by the time 2019 free agency opens. Lawrence just turned 26.
DeMarco Murray To Retire From NFL
DeMarco Murray has played his last down in the NFL. Today, Murray will announce his retirement from football, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Murray, 30, was looking for work this offseason and met with several teams to try and find the right opportunity. Earlier this week, Murray reaffirmed his desire to continue playing. But, for one reason or another, the veteran has decided to call it quits.
“I’ve had a lot of discussions with four or five teams that I feel will be a great fit for me,” Murray said in an ESPN podcast released on Monday. “It’s all about being transparent and, for me, I’m not looking to lead the league in rushing yards. Obviously I would work and do everything to give me the opportunity to do that, but it’s all about having an opportunity to get to the playoffs and have an opportunity to win a championship.”
Perhaps realizing the limitations of what he can do at this stage of his career, Murray will move on from football in order to pursue other interested. Although he led the league with 1,845 rushing yards in 2014 with the Cowboys and nearly cracked 1,300 in 2016 with the Titans, he was largely overshadowed in Tennessee by Derrick Henry last year.
The Titans released Murray in March and subsequent meetings with the Lions, Seahawks, and Dolphins did not yield a contract. In June, the 30-year-old declined an opportunity to work out for the Saints. The timing of Murray’s decision is a curious one. Training camp often leads to injuries, which would have meant more opportunities for Murray. There’s also the ongoing situation in Buffalo that could leave the Bills without star LeSean McCoy to star the season.
Murray will be best remembered for his brilliant performances with the Cowboys, which included his first 1,000-yard season in 2013 and his unbelievably productive campaign in 2014 in which he totaled 2,261 all-purpose yards. Murray’s free agent deal with the Eagles was a dud, but he did enjoy a bounce-back season with the Titans in ’16.
When he was at his best, Murray was one of the league’s most electrifying rushers and he leaves the game with an impressive body of work. We here at PFR wish Murray the best in retirement.
Maliek Collins Could Compete With Jihad Ward
- Defensive tackle Maliek Collins isn’t a lock to return for the Cowboys‘ Week 1 contest after breaking his foot in May, and if the third-year interior defender doesn’t recover quickly, he could lose his starting job to trade acquisition Jihad Ward, according to Jori Epstein of the Dallas Morning News. Collins underwent a similar foot operation in January and underwent a foot procedure in the 2016 offseason as well, so he’s no stranger to lower extremity issues. Collins, who was selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, is even more critical given that fellow defensive tackle David Irving is suspended for the first four games of the season. Ward, meanwhile, managed to play in only five games a season ago before being shipped to Dallas in exchange for wideout Ryan Switzer.
Cowboys Have Young Secondary
The Cowboys purged their veteran secondary in recent years by allowing Brandon Carr, Barry Church, and Morris Claiborne to walk in free agency. Now, the Cowboys have a young group of cornerbacks and safeties, which leaves some question marks on defense, Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas News writes.
Of course, the Cowboys could still inject some veteran savvy into the group by trading for Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. The Cowboys haven’t given up hope of acquiring the multiple-time Pro Bowler, and it sounds like Thomas would love to play in Dallas.
- On Tuesday morning, we rounded up the latest on the Cowboys.
Cowboys Notes: Lawrence, Irving, White
Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is the rising star of the NFC East, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. “Rising star” can be defined in a number of ways, but Archer argues that Lawrence had his best season ever in 2017, making him the breakout player of the division. With 14.5 sacks last year and a Pro Bowl nod, it’s hard to argue.
Lawrence proved that he can be the “war daddy” that owner Jerry Jones wants, but Jones will have to pay if he wants to keep him beyond 2018. The two sides are set to meet this week in advance of the July 16 deadline, but if no deal comes together, he’ll play out the season on his one-year, $17.1MM franchise tender.
Here’s more out of Dallas:
- Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News re-examined the Cowboys roster in the wake of David Irving‘s suspension and Randy Gregory‘s potential reinstatement. If Gregory is reinstated, Machota believes the Cowboys could opt to carry ten defensive line players on the Week 1 roster, with Irving’s starting role filled by defensive end Charles Tapper or a player not currently on the team. If the Cowboys are in the market for a defensive tackle, free agent Johnathan Hankins may be their best bet.
- Cowboys cornerback Marquez White faces felony assault charges due to a road-rage incident from last year in which he displayed a gun to another driver. However, White’s agent says charges should not have been filed. “We are very proud of the way he handled the entire situation,” agent Peter Schaffer said in a statement issued to PFT. “He defused a potentially dangerous encounter and did everything by the book. He notified the team and his agent. The police have done a disservice to him by doing an inadequate investigation and filing charges with no proof or justification.” White appeared in court last week and is due back on Aug. 10. The cornerback could face a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Cowboys CB Marquez White Faces Felony Charge
Expected to make a push to be one of the cornerbacks on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster, Marquez White has encountered legal trouble going into his second season.
As a result of a road rage incident on Oct. 20, 2017, White was indicted in June and is facing a second-degree felony charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The 23-year-old White brandished a gun at another driver during an incident on a Dallas-area road.
The Cowboys have not commented on this issue, and while White’s attorney believes this charge will be dropped, it may not bode well for the 2017 sixth-round pick’s chances of making Dallas’ active roster. White appeared in court last week and is due back on Aug. 10, per Davison. He could be set for a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
White spent last season on the Cowboys’ practice squad. The team moved Byron Jones to cornerback but did not make any outside investments at the position this offseason, so White stands a chance of earning a spot.