NFL Contract Details: Scandrick, Shelby, Latimer, Wynn
Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts around the NFL:
- Orlando Scandrick, CB (Redskins): Two years, $6.85MM. $1MM guaranteed. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
- Derrick Shelby, DE (Falcons): One year, $3.25MM. $2MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Cody Latimer, WR (Giants): One year, $2.5MM. $2.47MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com).
- Marshall Newhouse, T (Bills): One year, $1.5MM. $500K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $250K available via playing time incentive (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
- Kerry Wynn, DE (Giants): One year, $1.25MM. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Raanan).
- L.P. Ladouceur, LS (Cowboys): One year, $1.015MM. $630K guaranteed. $90K signing bonus. Minimum salary benefit (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).
Cowboys Sign WR Deonte Thompson
The Cowboys have signed wide receiver Deonte Thompson, agent David Canter tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He gets a one-year, $2.5MM deal with a $1MM signing bonus. 
Thompson met with the Cowboys on Thursday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He joins a wide receiver group that is in serious flux from the top to bottom. The Cowboys are expected to ask Dez Bryant to take a pay cut, but they have yet to do so, which makes his future a bit murky. Meanwhile, Terrance Williams flopped last year and Brice Butler continues to float in free agent limbo.
Thompson spent time with the Bills and Bears last year. Between the two clubs, he turned in the best season of his career with 38 grabs for 555 yards and two touchdowns. At the age of 29, he appears to be coming into his own. The Broncos and the incumbent Bills also expressed interest in signing him this month.
The Cowboys may continue to shop for wide receivers. Allen Hurns met with Dallas yesterday and they have also shown interest in Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter.
Cowboys To Sign LB Joe Thomas
The Cowboys have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent linebacker Joe Thomas, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The pact is worth up to $4.6MM, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
Thomas, not to be confused with the former Browns tackle of the same same, is now on the open market after the Packers declined to tender him as a restricted free agent last week. The 26-year-old Thomas, who spent time on the Dallas practice squad in 2015, started seven games and played 60% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in 2016, but saw his playtime drop to 13% last season.
The Cowboys appear to be set at linebacker with a trio of Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith, and Damien Wilson, so Thomas won’t see playing time right off the bat. However, both Lee and Smith have dealt with serious injuries in the past, so Thomas will offer depth in case either goes down again.
Cowboys To Meet With WR Deonte Thompson
The Cowboys met with wide receiver Deonte Thompson and linebacker Joe Thomas on Wednesday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Dallas’ wide receiver depth chart is fluid at the moment, as the Cowboys haven’t yet asked No. 1 pass-catcher Dez Bryant to accept a pay cut in order to remain on the roster. It’s unclear if Bryant will even be forced to take a pay reduction, but the Cowboys have other problems at receiver beyond Bryant. Terrance Williams managed only 568 yards in the first year of a four-year extension, while Brice Butler is an unrestricted free agent.
Thompson played for two teams in 2017, as he signed with the Bills in October after being released by the Bears. Overall, last season marked Thompson’s best campaign to date, as he set career-highs in both receptions (38) and yards (555). Thompson, 29, has also reportedly drawn interest from the Broncos and the incumbent Bills, but his visit with the Cowboys will mark his first official free agent meeting.
Thompson wasn’t the only receiver scheduled to meet with the Cowboys today. Former Jaguars wideout Allen Hurns is taking the first visit of his free agent tour with Dallas, while Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter were also expected to be in Arlington.
Thomas, not to be confused with the former Browns tackle of the same same, is now on the open market after the Packers declined to tender him as a restricted free agent last week. The 26-year-old started seven games and played 60% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps in 2016, but saw his playtime drop to 13% last season. Thomas would serve as depth and contribute on special teams if signed by the Cowboys.
Cowboys To Host WR Allen Hurns
The Cowboys will meet with free agent wide receiver Allen Hurns, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Hurns’ visit with Dallas will take place ahead of his summit with the Jets, as weather elements are keeping Hurns out of New York.
Dallas has yet to make major additions on either side of the ball (in fact, the club’s only offseason transaction was re-signing its long snapper), but it clearly wants 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 expressed interest in complementary pass-catchers such as Deonte Thompson.
Hurns, 26, was excellent as Jacksonville’s No. 2 wide receiver in 2015, putting up 10 touchdowns behind top pass-catcher Allen Robinson. The former undrafted free agent landed a four-year, $40MM deal following that campaign, but Hurns only made it through two years before being released. A number of clubs, including the Bears, Bills, Saints, Texans, Jets, Raiders, and Panthers have also expressed interest in Hurns.
The Cowboys are searching for more weapons for quarterback Dak Prescott after Terrance Williams flopped in the first year of his new four year-deal. With Bryant seemingly on the roster for now, Dallas needs a quality No. 2 receiver. To that end, the Cowboys were also expected to meet with free agents Dontrelle Inman and Justin Hunter, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
Inman, 29, broke out for 58 receptions and 810 yards with the Chargers in 2016, but he tumbled down the team’s depth chart following the return of a healthy Keenan Allen. Los Angeles shipped Inman to the Bears at mid-season for a conditional seventh-round pick, and he went to finish third among Chicago wideouts in receptions (23) and yards (334).
Hunter, meanwhile, wouldn’t qualify as any more than a No. 5 receiver, as he’s managed just 14 total receptions with three different teams over the past two years. Ideally, a back-end wideout such as Hunter would offer special teams value, but the former second-round pick has played only four special teams snaps during his six-year career.
49ers Sign G Jonathan Cooper
The 49ers have signed guard Jonathan Cooper, according to a team press release. It’s a one-year deal for the former Cowboys lineman. 
“Having started 27 games in four NFL seasons, Jonathan brings great experience to the interior of our offensive line,” said GM John Lynch in a press release. “We look forward to him competing for a starting job at guard, while also bringing a veteran presence to our locker room. Jonathan is a welcome addition to our team.”
Cooper was selected No. 7 overall by the Cardinals in the 2013 draft. At UNC, Cooper was a three-time All-ACC player and earned a First-Team All-American selection in his senior year. Things did not go according to plan at the next level, however, and he has since spent time with the Patriots, Browns, and Cowboys. He had a bounce back year in Dallas, however, as he started each of the Cowboys’ final 13 games at left guard.
Cooper graded out as the No. 35 guard in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Last year, Laken Tomlinson was the only full-time guard on the Niners to place higher.
Raiders Trade Jamize Olawale To Cowboys
The Raiders have traded fullback Jamize Olawale to the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders will send a sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in the deal in exchange for a fifth-rounder.
Olawale was originally signed by Oakland off of Dallas’ practice squad. He has been with the Raiders since 2012, but he’s now headed back to Dallas to take over for Keith Smith, who signed with the Raiders earlier this month. In essence, the Raiders and Cowboys have swapped fullbacks, but in a slightly more complicated fashion.
Olawale, 29 in April, has been primarily used as a blocker in Oakland. Over the last three seasons, he has just 55 carries for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He hasn’t been a huge factor as a receiver either with just 27 grabs for 344 yards and one score in that span.
Trading Olawale takes $1.6MM off of Oakland’s cap. Meanwhile, they’ve also turned a sixth-round pick into a fifth-round pick in a deal that echoes this week’s Cordarrelle Patterson trade with the Patriots.
Cowboys Host LaAdrian Waddle On Visit
The Cowboys are hosting LaAdrian Waddle on a visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He joins fellow Patriots free agent tackle Cameron Fleming who is also meeting with Dallas. 
The Pats are hoping to retain one or both tackles, particularly after losing Nate Solder in free agency to the Giants. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are looking to reinforce their already powerful offensive line.
Dallas seems pretty set with Tyron Smith and La’el Collins at the tackle spots, but Waddle or Fleming could be slotted in at right tackle, allowing La’el Collins to shift back to left guard. That would push former third-round pick Chaz Green back to a reserve role and leave Dallas with a starting five of Smith, Collins, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Waddle or Fleming. It’d be hard for any other team to top that.
If the Cowboys are intent on keeping Collins at tackle, it’d probably be tough to lure Fleming in as a backup, but Waddle could be receptive to a reserve role. In 2017, Fleming played 543 total snaps and graded as the league’s No. 24 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. Waddle, meanwhile, played 380 snaps, and was PFF’s No. 64 offensive tackle.
Cowboys To Re-Sign LS L.P. Ladouceur
On Monday, the Cowboys will re-sign longtime long snapper L.P. Ladouceur to a one-year deal, ESPN’s Todd Archer tweets. 
It will be Ladouceur’s 14th year with the team, ranking him behind only Jason Witten, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Bill Bates and Mark Tuinei in total tenure with the team.
If you’ve never heard of him, that’s a good thing. The only time a long snapper is mentioned is when he makes a mistake, something Ladouceur has never done. In 2016, The Guardian labeled the long snapper “the NFL’s perfect player” after he had gone 12 years without making a bad snap. His streak is still in tact through 2017.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005 by the Saints, Ladouceur was released before the start of the season. He was given a tryout with the Cowboys during the season and has been with the team ever since.
His failure to make a bad snap has helped kicker Dan Bailey post one of the highest field-goal percentages in NFL history. The return of Ladouceur, a Pro Bowl selection in 2014, is one that will go under the radar, but provides Dallas with much-needed consistency on special teams.
Cowboys To Host Cameron Fleming
The Cowboys are scheduled to meet with free agent OT Cameron Fleming, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirmed the report (via Twitter) and added that the visit will take place tomorrow and Tuesday.
Rapoport also reiterated that New England wants to keep Fleming, which we heard previously. The Patriots lost their long-time left tackle, Nate Solder, earlier this week, when Solder signed a four-year, $62MM deal with the Giants. Fleming, though, has demonstrated the ability to play left tackle in the past, and in 2017, he graded as the league’s No. 24 offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus. He is the best pure offensive tackle remaining on the open market, and if he were to sign elsewhere, the Pats may be forced to re-sign LaAdrian Waddle and insert him as Tom Brady‘s regular blindside protector (unless they can acquire a starting-caliber player in the draft, of course).
The Cowboys’ O-line has been a source of strength for the team over the past several seasons, and Fleming would further reinforce that unit. Archer notes that Fleming could start at right tackle for Dallas, which could then move La’el Collins back to left guard and strengthen the team’s up-the-middle protection.
Alternatively, the Cowboys could sign Fleming with an eye towards using him as a swing tackle, but it’s unlikely he would turn down a starting job with the Patriots or some other club to become a backup in Dallas. After all, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets, the market for Fleming is heating up, so it’s not as though he won’t have options.
As of right now, Dallas is the only team that has not yet signed a free agent.