Cowboys WR Terrance Williams Recovering From Broken Foot
Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams is recovering from a broken foot that required surgery, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dallas executive Stephen Jones said Williams’ injury could force him to miss a portion of organized team activities, tweets David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
While it doesn’t sound as though Williams will miss regular season action, his injury nonetheless adds more intrigue to the Cowboys’ receiving corps. Jones said Dallas’ recent wideout addition Allen Hurns is not expected to replace Dez Bryant, but admitted the club still has not discussed altering Bryant’s contract, per Moore (Twitter link).
Bryant is due a $12.5MM base salary in 2018, and will count for $16.5MM on Dallas’ salary cap. If he’s released, the Cowboys would save $8.5MM but still be on the hook for $8MM in dead money. Dallas could designate the 29-year-old Bryant as a post-June 1 release and in turn save $12.5MM in 2018 space.
Williams, for his part, is likely stuck on Dallas’ roster despite his lack of recent production. The Cowboys would pay more to cut Williams than release him prior to June 1, and they wouldn’t net any savings even if Williams was a post-June release. Williams, 28, has failed to top 600 yards receiving in either of the past two campaigns.
Cowboys Re-Sign OL Joe Looney
The Cowboys have officially re-signed offensive lineman Joe Looney to a two-year deal, the club announced today. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that Dallas was close to a new deal with Looney.
Looney is just one of three offensive linemen who are scheduled to sign with the Cowboys this week. Dallas has announced its addition of former Patriots tackle Cameron Fleming, while interior lineman Marcus Martin is also expected to land with the Cowboys. Looney, like Martin, looks like a clear backup, while Fleming could the opportunity to start at right tackle if Dallas opts to move La’el Collins to guard.
After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. The 27-year-old Looney is also used in the team’s jumbo formation as a sixth offensive lineman.
Cowboys Sign OT Cameron Fleming
The Cowboys have officially signed free agent offensive tackle Cameron Fleming to a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The reported news of the Cowboys signing Fleming comes on the heels of the team restructuring the deals of tight end Jason Witten and center Travis Frederick, opening up around $10.5MM in available cap space. Fleming gives the Cowboys much-needed depth at tackle as they struggled last season while Tyron Smith missed three games due to injury.
Dallas also returns La’el Collins at right tackle. Chaz Green and Jarron Jones were the only other player on the Cowboys roster at tackle, with Byron Bell still unsigned in free agency.
The Patriots took Fleming in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and he’s appeared in 40 games in four seasons, making 20 starts. Fleming started six games last season and started in the AFC Championship game and Super Bowl as well.
Fleming was ranked as the No. 24 offensive tackle in the NFL for last season, per Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys had Fleming in for a visit earlier this week and the Patriots also showed interest in retaining him. The Cowboys could also opt to start Fleming at right tackle and move Collins to left guard.
Cowboys Close To Re-Signing OL Joe Looney
The Cowboys have been busy recently bringing in reinforcements for the offensive line and reportedly are close to deals with former Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and former 49ers lineman Marcus Martin.
The team is also expected to keep some of its own offensive line, as it is close to re-signing veteran Joe Looney to a deal as early as Monday, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes.
After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. Moore also notes Looney is used in the team’s jumbo formation when it replaces a tight end.
Though he is not expected to serve as a starter up front, Looney is well liked by his teammates and is viewed as a good presence in the locker room who can also serve as a versatile role in a pinch.
Packers, Browns, Bucs, Cowboys Looking For Safeties
The Packers, Browns, Buccaneers, and Cowboys are among the clubs searching for free agent safety help, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes in a wide analysis of what has been a stagnant safety market.
Safeties who still remain unsigned including starting options such as Eric Reid, Tre Boston, Kenny Vaccaro, Tyvon Branch, and Ron Parker. Mitigating factors could be at play — none of the players listed qualifies as a star, while Reid’s national anthem protests may be limiting his appeal — but it’s still extremely surprising that high-quality players are still available at an important position. Free agent defensive backs have in fact been communicating with one another in an attempt to elucidate the overall lack of interest, per La Canfora.
“We’re barely even getting phone calls, and we’re not the only ones,” an agents tells La Canfora. “You can’t even get (BS) offers. We’re literally getting nothing. I’m not even talking one year, $3 million. Nothing. And it’s not just us.”
The highest-paid free agent safety of 2017 will almost certainly end up being Lamarcus Joyner, whom the Rams will pay $11.287MM under the terms of the franchise tag. While other defensive backs such as Tyrann Mathieu, Kurt Coleman, an Marcus Gilchrist have also signed, Mathieu’s $7MM salary (on a one-year deal) is the most expensive figure in the non-franchise-tender department.
Green Bay and Tampa Bay are both losing free agent safeties in Morgan Burnett and T.J. Ward, respectively, so their interest in adding more defensive backs isn’t a total surprise. Dallas, too, could look to add more depth, especially if it moves Byron Jones to cornerback, but Cleveland has already added Damarious Randall (via trade) to play alongside Jabrill Peppers in the back end.
Cowboys Expected To Sign Marcus Martin
It looks as though the Cowboys will be further reinforcing their offensive line, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the club is expected to sign free agent offensive lineman Marcus Martin. It was reported earlier this month that Martin would be visiting the Lions and Cowboys, and he ultimately chose Dallas.
The 49ers selected Martin, a USC product, in the third round of the 2014 draft, and he spent the first three seasons of his career with San Francisco. He started 14 games in 2015, but he managed only four appearances (two starts) in 2016 before landing on injured reserve. The 49ers placed him on waivers last offseason, and although he was claimed by the Browns, he never suited up for Cleveland.
Still, he is just 24 years old and is capable of playing both guard and center. He will work as a quality reserve for a Cowboys line that just got even stronger yesterday with the addition of offensive tackle Cameron Fleming.
Jason Witten Restructure Signals Committment To Cowboys In 2018
- Jason Witten helped the Cowboys open up some cap space by restructuring his contract Saturday. While the cap space certainly helps the Cowboys, the move also signals Witten’s commitment to returning next season, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News points out. Rumors had circulated earlier this month that FOX Sports was targeting Witten, 35, as a possible analyst for its Thursday Night Football broadcast.
Cowboys Restructure Contract For Jason Witten
The Cowboys have restructured the contract for veteran tight end Jason Witten, opening up around $3.5MM in available cap space, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Witten is signed through the 2021 season.
Witten, 35, becomes the second Cowboy to restructure his deal of late, with center Travis Frederick doing so last week. Between the restructuring of both deals, the Cowboys have opened up $10.5MM in available cap space.
The Cowboys were certainly in need of more available cap space, especially with the addition of wide receivers Allen Hurns (two years, $12MM) and Deonte Thompson (one year, $2.5MM). Entering Saturday, the Cowboys had $8.04MM in available cap room, which placed them at No. 26 in the NFL, per Spotrac.
Witten has spent his entire 15-year career with the Cowboys and has been selected to 11 Pro Bowls. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions (1,152), receiving yards (12,448) and most consecutive games played (239). He signed a four-year contract extension last offseason, worth $29.6MM.
Allen Hurns To Work As Complementary Piece To Dez Bryant
Thomas, a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler, is set to enter the final season of his four-year, $40MM deal with Seattle. The Seahawks have reportedly shopped Thomas around in trade talks, with the Cowboys believed to be one of the teams interested in trading for the Texas native.
- The Cowboys’ addition of Allen Hurns wasn’t meant to signal the end of the Dez Bryant era in Dallas, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), but rather that Hurns will work as a complementary piece to Bryant. The Cowboys signed Bryant to a five-year, 70MM deal in 2015. Along with the two-year deal for Hurns, the Cowboys added wide receiver Deonte Thompson on a one-year contract earlier this week.
Cowboys Sign WR Allen Hurns
Free agent receiver Allen Hurns plans to sign with the Cowboys, as he tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a two-year deal worth $12MM, report Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
The Cowboys officially announced the deal Saturday morning (on Twitter).
Dallas has yet to make major additions on either side of the ball, but it clearly wanted to address its receiving corps. While the Cowboys have yet to make a decision on veteran Dez Bryant‘s fate, Jerry Jones & Co. reportedly made a push for Sammy Watkins before he signed with the Chiefs, and also signed a complementary pass-catcher in Deonte Thompson.
Hurns is only 26 years old, but he hasn’t had much success since the 2015 campaign. During that season, Hurns served as the Jaguars’ No. 2 receiver behind Allen Robinson and posted a 64/1,031/10 line. Subsequently, Hurns’ role in the Jacksonville offense was drastically scaled back, while injuries have also limited him. He failed to top 500 yards receiving in either 2016 or 2017.
Hurns will join Bryant, Thompson, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, and Ryan Switzer in the Cowboys’ receiving corps. Dallas, cap-strapped as ever, could save $8.5MM by cutting ties with Bryant (and $12.5MM if he’s a post-June 1 release), but Williams is almost certainly stuck on the Cowboys’ roster despite his lack of production. The Cowboys would pay more to cut Williams than release him prior to June 1, and they wouldn’t net any savings even if Williams was a post-June release.
A number of clubs, including the Bears, Bills, Saints, Texans, Jets, Raiders, Panthers, Browns, and Ravens also expressed interest in Hurns, but Hurns only visited Dallas and New York.
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