Cowboys Place TE James Hanna On Reserve/Retired List
The Cowboys will place James Hanna on the reserve/retired list, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. The tight end’s knee condition has not improved and may end his career. Hanna was not involved in the early part of the team’s offseason program, a sign that his recovery had hit a roadblock. 
Due to the injured knee, Hanna has been hampered over the last two seasons. He missed all of 2016 with the malady and was less effective because of it in 2017, despite appearing in all 16 games.
Hanna was never much of a receiving threat, but he carved out a spot in Dallas based off of his blocking ability. Hanna made the roster in 2012 as a sixth-round pick and played in all but two of the Cowboys’ regular season games over the years, save for the lost 2016 season.
With Hanna out of the picture, the Cowboys’ tight end depth chart consists of Jason Witten, Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Rico Gathers. With Witten getting up there in years, Dallas may want to give extra consideration to tight ends in next week’s draft.
Breer On NFL Draft, Dolphins, Moore
Have pre-draft workouts gotten out of control? Many in the football world believe that is the case, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.
“I worked out a guy who was dead because he got smoked by the team that worked him out two days before,” said one NFC assistant coach. “I had some questions about his toughness coming in, but I had to give him a pass on the whole thing. And it’s on the coaches for doing that.”
After a workout season that saw Wisconsin cornerback Nick Nelson tear his meniscus while working out for the Lions and N.C. State defensive tackle Kentavius Street tear his ACL while with the Giants, it may be time to bring some reform to the way teams conduct auditions with prospects.
Here’s more from Breer:
- The Dolphins say they have the ammo to get into the Top 6 of the draft if there is a player they like, but Breer gets the sense that Miami probably won’t deal up for any of this year’s top quarterbacks. If they stand pat at No. 11, Breer believes that UCLA’s Josh Rosen is the most likely signal caller to fall to them. Of course, Miami has holes to fill elsewhere, so a Ryan Tannehill successor/alternative isn’t necessarily their top priority.
- The Cardinals seem unlikely to make a big play to land one of the best four QBs. However, if a QB they like slips into the bottom part of the Top 10, Breer could see them making a move.
- More than one team prefers Maryland’s D.J Moore to Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, Breer hears. This is consistent with recent buzz we’ve heard about the rise of Moore. Recently, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport categorized Moore as a firm first-round prospect, which is a change from what we were hearing just a couple of weeks ago. Still, Breer thinks Ridley will be the first WR off of the board and pegs the Cowboys as a likely destination since they have a clear need after cutting Dez Bryant.
- Overall, this draft has depth that will lead to better-than-usual quality into the fourth round, Breer writes. However, the feeling is that this group isn’t stocked with blue-chippers, which means that teams in the 20s feel that they essentially have high second-round picks. “(Picks) 20 and 55 may wind up being the same,” one exec said. “The guy in the last third of the first round, you might be paying a first-round premium on him and he’s no different than the guy at 35 to 40. And those guys in the last third of first round, top half of the second, they’re the same not only in ability but value of their role in the game.” Breer wonders if this could hamper the Bills in their efforts to trade up using the No. 22 pick.
Cowboys Host Courtland Sutton
Dez Bryant wants to sign with the Giants after being released by the division-rival Cowboys last week, but a current New York wideout isn’t on board with that idea. In a now-deleted Instagram story, Giants receiver Brandon Marshall said there was “no room” for Bryant on Big Blue’s roster, as Jaclyn Hendricks of the New York Post writes. Marshall, for his part, bombed during his first campaign in New York, as an ankle injury limited him to just five games and 18 receptions. Viewed as a possible cap casualty heading into the offseason, Marshall has surprisingly stuck on the Giants’ roster to this point. New York could still release Marshall at any point, however, and doing so would save the club in excess of $5MM in cap space.
- Southern Methodist wideout Courtland Sutton met with the Cowboys on Wednesday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Dallas has a gaping need at receiver after cutting Bryant, as their roster is currently littered by second- and third-tier pass-catchers. Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Deonte Thompson, and Ryan Switzer front the Cowboys’ WR depth chart, but Sutton — who is viewed as either a first- or second-round selection — could give Dallas a potential No. 1 wideout. The 6’4″, 215-pound Sutton posted at least 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.
NFL Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Key, Bills
Wednesday marks the final day for NFL draft visits, and we have some notable ones to pass along. Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:
- LSU linebacker/defensive end Arden Key worked out with the Cowboys on Tuesday and met with the Saints on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans is visiting the Bills and Texas tackle Connor Williams is visiting the Packers, Rapoport tweets.
- The Patriots are hosting Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley on a pre-draft visit, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter). The Patriots aren’t known for taking receivers in the first round, but Ridley could be an exception as they look to rebuild that group. Ridley also visited the Bears on Tuesday.
- Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore seems to be a firm first round prospect, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). For a while, Moore appeared to be a fringe first/second round type, so his stock is improving as the draft draws near. Moore met with the Bills, who pick No. 12 and 22, on Wednesday.
- Ohio State center Billy Price will meet with the Seahawks, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. Price is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered during the bench press at the combine. The good news is that Price is expected to be ready in time for training camp.
Dez Bryant Wants To Sign With Giants
Dez Bryant is out for revenge. The former Cowboys wide receiver went on record with Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan to express his desire to play for a Dallas rival. 
“I’m kinda hoping it’s an NFC East team,” Bryant said. “If it’s somewhere else, that’s fine. But I’d like to play the Cowboys twice.”
Not all of the Cowboys’ divisional rivals make sense for Bryant, however. The Redskins, who already have Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson, do not have him on their radar. And while it’s fun to think about the defending champions adding Bryant to the fold, the Eagles don’t have enough wiggle room under the cap to make that happen. That leaves the Giants, and Bryant is intrigued by their roster.
“The Giants got a helluva defense, they’re going to pay [Odell Beckham Jr.] Playing with him, Sterling Shepard, the tight end [Evan Engram], Eli Manning? Crazy,” Bryant said. “They draft (Penn State running back) Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That’d be crazy!”
Fisher personally gets the sense that the Giants would be Bryant’s No. 1 choice. It remains to be seen whether Giants GM Dave Gettleman feels the same way about Bryant and whether he’s willing to bring such a bold personality into his locker room.
Extra Points: Cowboys, Rams, Brockers, Lions, Dunlap
After much speculation, Cowboys defender Byron Jones confirmed on Monday that he will be switching from safety to cornerback in 2018, the Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota writes.
Viewed as a versatile defender coming out of college, Jones played cornerback as a rookie in 2015 and a safety the past two seasons. New defensive backs coach Kris Richard preferred him at the former.
“I think it will be a good move for me and the team. I’m always open to making position changes, as long as I’m in the best position to succeed. If [Richard] believes my best position is corner, then I’m down.”
Richard knows a thing or two about getting the best from bigger cornerbacks. With the Seahawks, Richard oversaw Richard Sherman’s ascent to one of the premier corners in the league. What remains to be seen is if the team prefers him on the boundary or in the slot. In 2017, rookies Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis showed plenty of promise on the outside.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- In a press conference on Monday, Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers told reporters he tore his MCL in the team’s playoff loss to the Falcons in January, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. During that game, the sixth-year defender sat out the second half. The good news for Los Angeles is that Brockers took part in team activities on Monday, but they’re not in pads until training camp.
- If any Lions players are moved in draft-day deals, some of the names that make sense include Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Jake Rudock, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein writes. Those names all come to mind after the team added veterans in LeGarrette Blount and Matt Cassel in the offseason.
- The goal is for the Bengals to sign both Carlos Dunlap and get a new deal with Geno Atkins, Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson notes in a mailbag. Both Dunlap’s and Atkins’ deals run through the 2018 campaign.
- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to be deposed in the next two weeks in Colin Kaeperncik‘s collusion case against the league, USA Today’s A.J. Perez writes. Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll are also on the docket to be deposed.
Cowboys Re-Sign David Irving
The Cowboys announced they have officially re-signed restricted free agent defensive lineman David Irving. The tendered deal is for one year at $2.9MM. 
Signed off of Kansas City’s practice squad in 2015, Irving emerged as a playmaker in limited action in 2016 by logging four sacks and four forced fumbles. His 2017, however, was cut short due to a concussion and a four-game suspension at the season’s outset. Despite only playing eight games, he still managed to record seven sacks, the second most on the team behind DeMarcus Lawrence.
With Irving back, the Cowboys return the nucleus of a shockingly effective defensive front from a year ago. The team could also add a pass rusher like Boston College’s Harold Landry or a run-stuffer up the middle with Washington’s Vita Vea in the upcoming draft.
If he delivers another season similar to his 2017 campaign, Irving could be in store for a big payday in the 2019 offseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/16/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: TE Beau Sandland
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LS Scott Daly
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-Signed: OT Cornelius Lucas
Dak Prescott On Dez Bryant’s Release
The Cowboys’ decision to release Dez Bryant and the fallout from Bryant’s release have predictably dominated NFL storylines over the last couple of days. Yesterday, we learned that Bryant is at least partially blaming the Cowboys’ team captains for his departure, saying, “Little do they know is they can wear that ‘C’ [for captain] all they want to, but in that locker room, they know who they run and they talk to. They know who they communicate with. Everybody know where the real love is at, and I’m not throwing anybody under the bus, but that’s the difference between me and them.” 
Last season’s team captains included young quarterback Dak Prescott, with whom Bryant never seemed to establish any real on-field chemistry. But as Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes, Prescott denied any involvement in Bryant’s release and expressed sadness that the three-time Pro Bowler will no longer be suiting up for Dallas.
The video of Prescott’s first post-Bryant remarks is on the Cowboys’ official website, and here are some of the highlights (via Hill):
On his relationship with Bryant: “That is a brother to me. Put the football stuff beyond you, what he meant to me as a person, what he meant to me as a brother, it’s tough to see him gone.”
On his role in Bryant’s release: “As much you want to say yeah I want a say so … those guys (front office executives) get paid a lot more than me. That is what those guys are there to do. That is not my decision.”
On how difficult it will be to replace Bryant: “He was a great player. He did a lot of great things for us. He was a guy in man-to-man you go to. Dez is going to be a hard guy to replace. He is a talented guy. So he will be missed.”
On how Bryant will be replaced: “At this point, we got to figure that out with the guys we got. I have thrown with [Allen] Hurns. Deonte [Thompson] is on his way. We have communicated. We will see. We will figure it out. I am sure we are going to go after guys in the draft and free agency. Who knows? All I can do is to continue to get better at my job and do the best I can do.”
As Hill notes, and as Prescott suggests, the Cowboys are focused on selecting a wide receiver in the early rounds of this month’s draft in an effort to replace Bryant’s production. New free agent signees Hurns and Thompson will play a significant role in the team’s offense, along with returning players like Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, and Ryan Switzer.
East Notes: Amendola, Cowboys, Giants, Dez, Jonathan Allen
After playing five seasons with the Patriots, receiver Danny Amendola signed with the rival Dolphins in the 2018 offseason. The move happened, in part, because New England did not come close to matching the two-year, $12MM deal he received from Miami, the receiver told Jimmy Hascup of USA Today.
After taking pay cuts in the past to stay with the Patriots, the veteran wideout was expecting to have a chance to stay with the team. That did not happen with the notoriously stingy Bill Belichick.
“When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had,” Amendola said. “I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”
Amendola also commented on playing for Belichick, saying, “It’s not easy, that’s for sure. He’s an (expletive) sometimes,” Amendola said. “There were a lot of things I didn’t like about playing for him, but I must say, the things I didn’t like were all in regards to getting the team better, and I respected him.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- The Cowboys will be looking for a new go-to receiver after the departure of Dez Bryant. One of those candidates is Terrance Williams, who will be ready for work in June after recovering from a broken foot earlier in the offseason, ESPN’s Todd Archer writes. Though he will be ready to go, Williams is best used as a No. 2 or 3 wideout due to his inconsistency.
- Speaking of Bryant, the receiver reportedly left his meeting with Jerry Jones saying he would see the team twice next season. If he is going to join a division foe, the Giants seem like an unlikely spot, SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. The team’s depth at receiver with Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shephard seems to indicate there is no room for Bryant.
- The Redskins are expected to have defensive tackle Jonathan Allen when the team resumes activities next week, NBC Sports’ JP Finlay writes. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 5 of 2017 and did not play the rest of the season. A healthy Allen could helped Washington improve on its last-ranked run defense in 2017.