DeMarcus Lawrence Willing To Play On Tag
The Cowboys have until mid-July to hammer out a long-term extension with DeMarcus Lawrence. If not, he’ll play out the year on the one-year, $17.143MM franchise tag. Other players might worry about that lack of security, but that’s fine with the defensive end. 
“It really doesn’t matter,” Lawrence said this week (via Jon Machota of the Dallas News). “If I do my thing, I put up my stats and I help my team win, they ain’t got no choice but to sign me. That’s how I feel.”
Lawrence, who turned 26 this spring, had 14.5 sacks in 2017. That total was the most by a Cowboys player since another DeMarcus – DeMarcus Ware – had 19 in 2011. The Cowboys also notched 38 sacks as a team, giving them their highest total overall since ’11.
Lawrence was a big reason for the Cowboys’ success against opposing quarterbacks and they ideally would like to keep him in the long term. However, agent David Canter is believed to be seeking a deal that will at least match that of fellow client Olivier Vernon. In 2016, Vernon signed the largest deal in NFL history for a defensive end when he inked a five-year, $85MM deal with the Giants.
The advanced metrics also underscored Lawrence’s dominance in 2017. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 ranked edge rusher, putting him behind only Cameron Jordan and Von Miller.
As shown on Roster Resource, the Cowboys project to start Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford at defensive end with Brian Price and Maliek Collins in the middle. Defensive ends David Irving, 2017 first-round pick Taco Charlton, and free agent addition Kony Ealy are also ticketed for significant playing time at DE and that group could be strengthened even further if Randy Gregory is cleared to play in 2018.
Randy Gregory To Apply For Reinstatement
Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory will formally apply for reinstatement on Thursday, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Reinstatement rulings are typically delivered within a 60-day window, so Gregory could be cleared in time for training camp. 
Gregory recently spent more than six weeks in intensive rehab for drug and alcohol use and has also received counseling to combat his issues. Teammate Tyrone Crawford has told the league that it would be best for Gregory’s recovery if he is allowed back in football and Gregory’s camp is likely to make a similar argument.
The Cowboys are hopeful that Gregory will be allowed to play in 2018, but they are not banking on his return either.
“I am not confident [in Gregory being reinstated], but I do see where his heart is,” owner Jerry Jones said recently. “He is one the smartest people to have played this game. This is a tremendous step. He has had that same IQ since he has had these issues. That’s an issue. This is definitely a medical issue. There is no doubt in my mind about the medical. That is another campaign. It’s a pretty circuitous route. It has a lot of discretionary things to determine. There is a lot of subjectiveness. But he is doing very well. He’s got a lot to play for. He has a new baby. He has a lot going for him. He is very astute about knowing that. He has to do what a lot of us have had to do and that is to do better at 24 and 25 than when you were 20.”
Some felt that Gregory had top 10 talent heading into the 2015 draft, but he slid to the Cowboys in the second round following a positive test for marijuana at the combine. So far, the Nebraska product has notched just 15 career tackles. He has one sack to his credit, which came in Dallas’ 2016 season finale. He has not taken the field since.
Bryant: No Regrets On Turning Down Ravens
After being released by the Cowboys, wide receiver Dez Bryant turned down a reported three-year deal worth roughly $21MM from the Ravens, choosing instead to wait for a similarly lucrative one-year offer. So far, that offer hasn’t come through, but Bryant claims that he doesn’t regret that decision “one bit” (Twitter link). 
Bryant may not see it this way, but it sure looks like he missed the boat on his best possible deal. While the Ravens were willing to give him an average annual value of $7MM to match free agent acquisition Michael Crabtree, many teams are unwilling to consider him for even the league minimum.
It’s anyone’s guess as to where Bryant will land at this point in the offseason. As recently noted by our own Dallas Robinson, the Cardinals, Packers, Patriots, Redskins, and Seahawks would all make varying degrees of sense for the multiple time Pro Bowler. However, we’ve heard no real news of Bryant being connected to any club since his talks with the Ravens and the Packers are not engaged with him at this time.
Last year, Bryant recorded just 838 yards and six touchdowns off of 69 catches, a far cry from his average of 91 catches for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns from 2012-14. His dip in production and perceived locker room issues have been serious barriers towards his pursuit of a platform contract, but he says that he will suit up for a team no matter what.
“No, I’m not retiring,” Bryant wrote on Twitter. “For the record, me not being signed to a team yet has a lot to do with my personal decisions. This media [sic] is a joke.”
Cowboys Hoping For Week 1 Collins Return
- Cowboys third-year starter Maliek Collins underwent foot surgery on Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. He broke a bone in his foot last week. Dallas’ goal is for its first-unit defensive tackle to be ready by the end of training camp and hopefully be in line to play in Week 1, per Archer. Collins underwent a similar foot operation in January and underwent a foot procedure in the 2016 offseason as well.
Cowboys Rumors: McClain, Richard, Austin
The Cowboys had pursued defensive tackle Terrell McClain before he signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Falcons this offseason, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
“We wanted him here,” Garrett said. “Different factors played into it for him and he decided to go to Atlanta.”
The Cowboys had been seeking depth with their interior line as defensive tackle Malik Collins is expected to miss at least three months after undergoing foot surgery. McClain started 15 games at defensive tackle for the Cowboys when they went 13-3 in 2016 but departed in free agency to the Redskins in March 2017. The Redskins released him this offseason, though, and the Cowboys were one of several teams he visited with before signing with the Falcons.
Johnathan Hankins, Alan Branch and Karl Klug all still remain unrestricted free agents.
Here’s more from the Cowboys:
- Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli seemed adamant that the team’s best acquisition this offseason didn’t come in the form of a player but rather a coach — new secondary coach Kris Richard, who helped construct the Legion of Boom as Seattle’s former defensive coordinator. The Cowboys weren’t overly active on the defensive side in free agency but did use their first-round pick last month to take Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. “Might be as good as any acquisition coming in,” Marinelli said to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “This guy’s really good. He is special. He is one of the best things we’ve got. He did a terrific job in Seattle. The resume is in the tape. He brings energy, intensity. And he can relate well to these players. That’s what I really like. You get tickled when you get a guy like that.
- Tavon Austin has plenty of special teams experience over his five-year career but it appears the Cowboys plan to use the former longtime Ram mostly at wide receiver. “We’ll use him for a lot of things, but he’s a receiver first,” said Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). “He’s really in a lot of ways…an outside receiver, which is really unique, but he can move around, the slot. … He can move in the backfield at times. He’s done that his whole career.”
- Earlier this week, we learned that Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is no longer wearing a brace following the severe injury he suffered in his final game at Notre Dame in January 2016. Smith made his Cowboys debut last season and played in all 16 of the team’s games, starting six.
Richard Ready To Learn From Marinelli
- Kris Richard oversaw the final years of the Seahawks‘ full defensive core, but the team fired him after last season. Now working as the Cowboys’ defensive backs coach, the 38-year-old assistant is grateful for the opportunity, even if it is not a coordinator role. “I love (Cowboys DC Rod) Marinelli. It will work because I think we’re cut from the same cloth,” Richard said, via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). “I’m truly grateful to be here. I’m truly grateful for him.” Richard’s spent his only seasons as an NFL staffer with the Seahawks, with the former NFL player entering his ninth season as a coach. Richard interviewed for the Colts’ HC job before signing on to work under Marinelli in Dallas.
East Notes: Cowboys, Smith, Collins, Patriots, Jets
After sitting out his rookie year with ACL and LCL injuries in his left knee and playing last season in an AFO brace for drop foot, Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith has confirmed that he is no longer wearing the brace, the Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill writes.
Smith said he has not worn the brace since he began working out in February. “Getting that flexion back is going to help tremendously … speed, quickness, explosiveness,” Smith said. “I have been feeling great. Everything is about getting back to 100 percent. Every day I am improving.”
A highly touted prospect coming out of Notre Dame, Smith fell to the second round in 2016 after suffering the serious knee injury in his final collegiate game. He returned to the field in 2017 and finished second on the team with 99 tackles despite inconsistent performances.
After a subpar showing in 2017, the Cowboys decided to address the linebacker group in the first round of the 2018 Draft by selecting Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch. The rookie is expected to slide right in at middle linebacker, while Smith and Sean Lee man the outside spots.
Here’s more from around the East:
- Sticking with the Cowboys, it was reported earlier in the week that third-year defensive tackle Maliek Collins broke his foot during the team’s offseason program. The Dallas Morning News’ David Moore now reports the run-clogging lineman is likely to undergo surgery early next week (Twitter link). The injury is expected to sideline him for around three months, and the hope is he will return around the middle of training camp.
- The Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spurned a head-coaching gig with the Colts to return to New England in 2018. Though head coach Bill Belichick has said he would take his mentorship “to the next level,” McDaniels told the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels that his role remains the same in 2018. Though his role will stay the same, McDaniels is surely being groomed to take over once the future Hall of Fame coach decides to call it quits.
- Jets CEO Christopher Johnson is convinced first-round pick Sam Darnold will be a turning point in the franchise’s history, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis writes. “I honestly think they’re going to look back 20 years from now and say this is the moment the Jets shifted into a new year, that they became a great team,” Johnson said. Darnold was heralded by many as the top quarterback in the draft but fell to New York when the Browns opted for Baker Mayfield at No. 1.
- Also with the Jets, the teams lost its director of college scouting, Matt Bazirgan, who left to become the Texans’ director of player personnel, the New York Post’s Brian Costello writes. He had been with the Jets since 2004 as a college scout. This marks the second straight year the team has had to replace the position.
Cowboys Sign 8 Draft Choices
The Cowboys now have all but one of their nine 2018 draft choices signed. Headlined by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas reached agreements with everyone but third-round wide receiver Michael Gallup on Friday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Here’s the full list of signees:
- 1-19: Leighton Vander Esch, LB (Boise State)
- 2-50: Connor Williams, G (Texas)
- 4-116: Dorance Armstrong, DE (Kansas)
- 4-137: Dalton Schultz, TE (Stanford)
- 5-171: Mike White, QB (Western Kentucky)
- 6-193: Chris Covington, LB (Indiana)
- 6-208: Cedrick Wilson, WR (Boise State)
- 7-236: Bo Scarbrough, RB (Alabama)
The structure of the Boise State product’s contract slightly held up the team’s proceedings with its top draft investment, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill (Twitter link), but he’s now signed up. Vander Esch will earn approximately $11.847MM and collect a $6.696MM signing bonus.
Vander Esch met with numerous teams that held picks in the middle of the first round, and despite needs at both pass-catching positions, the Cowboys selected the Mountain West Conference standout. Connor Williams also didn’t play a position of dire need, given Dallas’ three All-Pro linemen, but he’s now in the mix for the team’s left guard spot.
Despite being unsigned, Gallup is working out at the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp on Friday. Many third-round picks around the league have yet to sign. This is an annual tradition due to the CBA’s gray area regarding third-rounders’ compensation.
Cowboys DT Maliek Collins Breaks Foot
A starter since coming into the league as a third-round pick in 2016, Maliek Collins has encountered an offseason obstacle that could threaten playing time this season.
Collins suffered a broken foot on Thursday while working with the Cowboys in their offseason program, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. No definite timetable exists for Collins’ recovery just yet. Collins is going to need surgery after sustained a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot, Todd Archer of ESPN reports. He underwent a similar surgery on this foot in January, per Archer, who adds the hope at this point is for Collins to be ready by the middle of training camp.
While there isn’t a certain timeline here, Collins has been down this road before. Essentially this exact road. The former Day 2 pick broke his right foot two summers ago and was sidelined for 10-12 weeks. However, he returned to action in time to start 14 games that season after undergoing a similar surgery to what he will now undergo this week. Archer reports this procedure could happen as soon as Friday.
The Cowboys worked out their other 2016 defensive tackle starter Thursday in Terrell McClain and may be on the verge of bringing him back. The Redskins released McClain in April. Now that Collins could be on the shelf for a while, the team would have a much bigger need at defensive tackle.
Cowboys Negotiating With Terrell McClain
Terrell McClain‘s generated widespread interest since the Redskins made him a post-draft release, and the latest from the defensive tackle’s eventful free agency stay is a possible reunion is in the works.
The Cowboys hosted McClain for a visit on Thursday, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) contract talks between McClain and his former team are progressing.
Some of the coaches McClain auditioned for on Thursday included ones he worked with during his time in Dallas, which ran from 2014-16. He started 15 games for the NFC’s No. 1 seed in 2016 and parlayed that into a multiyear deal with the Redskins, who proceeded to jettison McClain after just one season.
McClain also visited the 49ers and Dolphins and has drawn interest from the Eagles and Falcons. However, the Cowboys have shown interest for a bit now and may well be the clubhouse leader to land the soon-to-be 30-year-old defensive lineman. Dallas is not particularly deep at defensive tackle, with its only notable offseason addition coming via trade. And Jihad Ward has yet to show he was worthy of the second-round pick the Raiders used on him in 2016.