Cowboys Meet With Dez Bryant
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has indeed met with veteran receiver Dez Bryant, but the club has not asked him to accept a pay reduction at this point, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (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, but that extra room wouldn’t be available until June. As such, it wouldn’t help the Cowboys sign free agents in March.
Bryant has managed to get into the end zone 14 times over the past two seasons, but he hasn’t topped 1,000 yards since the 2014 season. 2017 also marked the first year that Bryant was able to stay healthy for all 16 games since that 2014 season. Bryant only posted 69 receptions and 838 yards, however, which isn’t in line with a salary that makes him the NFL’s eighth-highest-paid wideout.
Cowboys Expected To Tender David Irving On Tuesday
- ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys are likely to place a tender on restricted free agent David Irving tomorrow. The front office is still deciding whether they should slap the defensive tackle with a first- or second-round tender, which is the difference of about $1.2MM. Despite playing in only eight games, the 24-year-old arguably had his best NFL season in 2017, compiling 22 tackles and seven sacks. Irving missed eight games due to suspension and a concussion.
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Cowboys’ Orlando Scandrick Requests Release
Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick has requested his release from the team, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). The Cowboys are reportedly planning to trade or release Scandrick, but the veteran would prefer to choose his own destination. 
Scandrick is scheduled to carry a $5.28MM cap hit in 2018. By moving on from him, the Cowboys will save $1.4MM while carrying $3.88MM in dead money.
The Cowboys won’t realize any great savings by dumping Scandrick, but his performance last year necessitated the move. In 2017, Scandrick totaled 38 tackles and graded out as one of the ten worst qualified cornerbacks in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. With that in mind, it’s hard to see a trade for him materializing.
The Cowboys nearly traded Scandrick to the Saints during the 2017 draft, but ultimately did not come to terms on a deal that would have brought safety Kenny Vaccaro to Dallas.
Cowboys Re-Sign DT Brian Price
The Cowboys have re-signed defensive tackle Brian Price, according to Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram (on Twitter). It’s a two-year pact worth $1.35MM. 
Price appeared in only eight games for Dallas before being placed on injured reserve in November. He’ll remain with the Cowboys as defensive line depth and a special teamer for now, but the team could be grooming him for bigger things in the future.
Had he not shoved an official to the ground at the University of Texas-San Antonio, Price likely would have been selected in the 2016 draft. He was not drafted due to that major red flag, but the Packers pounced on the chance to sign him to the practice squad. Before long, they elevated his taxi squad salary to $26,470 per week, well above the minimum salary of $6,900/week. He missed Green Bay’s cut in 2017, leading him to Dallas.
In other Cowboys news, tight end Jason Witten is being courted by FOX to become an analyst for Thursday Night Football.
FOX Eyeing Jason Witten As TNF Analyst
Earlier this year, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said he intends to play in 2018. If a major television network has its way, the long-time Cowboys star will 
hang up his cleats. Michael McCarthy of Sporting News reports that Fox is targeting Witten to be their new Thursday Night Football analyst.
FOX (along with ESPN) previously pursued Peyton Manning for a television gig, but it sounds like the network is changing their focus to Witten. The 35-year-old wouldn’t be the only “former” Cowboys star on the mic this season, as Witten would join both Tony Romo and Troy Aikman on television. Executives at Fox are apparently “intrigued by the possibility” of adding Witten to their team.
Of course, it might be tough for the network to convince Witten to walk away from the NFL. The 2003 third-round pick had another standout campaign in 2017, earning his 11th Pro Bowl nod. The 15-year veteran finished the season with 63 receptions for 560 yards and five touchdowns. He’s the Cowboys franchise leader in receptions and receiving yards.
Receiver Notes: Landry, Dez, A-Rob, Evans
No players have dominated the news more in the last two days than Jarvis Landry and Richard Sherman. On Friday, the Browns kicked off their trading spree by landing the Dolphins wideout in a deal for draft picks. Earlier in the day, Sherman was released from the Seahawks and then signed with the division-rival 49ers Saturday Night.
The two possibly could have been connected on the transaction wire earlier in the 2017 season if a blockbuster deal would have gone through. That’s according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who tweets that Seattle rejected a potential Landry-for-Sherman swap in 2017.
At the time of the proposed deal, presumably before the trade deadline, Sherman was healthy and the Seahawks were looking to advance to the postseason for the sixth consecutive. Trading away a key member of the secondary and an influential figure in the locker room doesn’t appear to make much sense.
Regardless, it is interesting both teams were looking to move on from their respective stars as early as October.
Here’s more receivers making news:
- Before both of those deals went down, Mike Evans grabbed headlines by signing a five-year deal with the Buccaneers worth $82.5 MM. Breaking down the details, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry tweets the Bucs will $5 MM of salary cap space in 2018 and he now takes up $18.25 MM of cap room.
- During a chat with the Dallas Morning News on Friday, Matt Mosley said his gut feeling is that Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant will be back in 2018. He said that could change if the team lands a receiver in the first round. Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, among others, could be on the board when the Cowboys pick at No. 19.
- Though they didn’t place the franchise tag on him, the Jaguars do in fact like Allen Robinson and would like to have him back at the right price, general manager Dave Caldwell told Pro Football Talk. “At some point in time, just like other free agents, we’ve walked away. We don’t want to do that with Allen because he’s ours. We’ll see. We have a lot of options on the table with that.”
Cowboys Interested In CB Trumaine Johnson
The Cowboys are among the clubs with interest in free agent cornerback Trumaine Johnson, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.
Johnson is the premier cornerback scheduled to hit the open market next week, and he’s arguably the best defensive free agent on the board overall. Therefore, it should come as no surprise if the 28-year-old is able to land $12-13MM annually on his next contract, and that figure could a be problem for Dallas. The Cowboys currently project to have just $697K in cap space when free agency opens on March 14, and while they could increase that total by cutting veterans such as wide receiver Dez Bryant, cornerback Orlando Scandrick, and tight end James Hanna, or by working out an extension for guard Zack Martin, Johnson would likely be a tight squeeze.
Dallas fielded a middle-of-the-pack defense in 2017, as the club ranked eighth in yards per attempt allowed, 21st in passing DVOA, and 28th in passer rating allowed. After allowing Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr to walk during last year’s free agent period, and subsequently releasing their own signee in Nolan Carroll, the Cowboys allowed youth to take over in their secondary. Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Xavier Woods, and Chidobe Awuzie are each age-24 or younger and played at least 300 defensive snaps a year ago.
Johnson would give the Cowboys a true No. 1 corner, but not only will he be expensive, he’ll garner interest from a number of clubs. The Rams don’t figure to re-sign Johnson after acquiring fellow cornerback Marcus Peters from the Chiefs last month, but the Raiders and 49ers have already been mentioned as possible free agent suitors.
Jerry Jones Reimburses NFL For $2MM+
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has agreed to reimburse the NFL for more than $2MM in legal fees, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The league’s owners said expenses incurred as a result of Jones’ threat to sue the NFL.
“After a hearing with the Commissioner and the Finance Committee, the matter of the reimbursement of legal fees has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties,” the league said in a statement.
Jones, of course, expressed his unhappiness with the league over commissioner Roger Goodell‘s now-completed contract extension, as well as the NFL’s decision to suspend Cowboys running Ezekiel Elliott for six games following domestic violence accusations. While Jones never actually sued the league, he’s still required to pay for not only his own legal expenses, but those of the NFL, as well. The league’s competition committee warned Jones of such an outcome in a November letter.
Goodell himself met with Jones in Florida on Monday night, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, allowing the Cowboys owner to make his case as to why he shouldn’t be forced to reimburse the league.
Cowboys To Cut DE Benson Mayowa
The Cowboys have released defensive end Benson Mayowa, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Cutting Mayowa will give Dallas $2.75MM in cap room while leaving just $1MM in dead money. 
The Cowboys signed Mayowa in 2016 when he was a restricted free agent of the Raiders. Dallas inked him to a three-year offer sheet with a $3.3MM signing bonus, a deal that Oakland declined to match.
At the time, Mayowa had just three starts to his credit but demonstrated serious potential in his limited game film. Not wanting to cap his long-term earning potential, Mayowa’s reps pushed for a clause that would have allowed him to opt out this offseason if he appeared in 60% of Dallas’ snaps between ’16 and ’17. That never became a factor as Mayowa did not blossom as expected.
Mayowa, 27 in August, had just 31 tackles and one sack in his 381 snaps last season.
In a related move, the Cowboys have also cut defensive tackle Joe Vellano. Vellano hooked on with Dallas’ practice squad late last season and re-signed on a futures deal in January.
Demarcus Lawrence Signs Franchise Tag
Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence has signed his franchise tag, according to his agent David Canter (Twitter link). Lawrence wasted no time in inking his tender, as Dallas had just formally applied the tag this afternoon.
As the NFL announced earlier tonight, the franchise tender figure for defensive ends has been set at $17.143MM. By signing his tag, Lawrence has fully guaranteed himself that total. On an annual basis, Lawrence will become the highest-paid defensive end in the league, although the Lions’ Ezekiel Ansah — who will surely ink his own franchise tag in the near future — will shortly join him atop the list.
Dallas indicated early in the offseason that it would deploy the franchise tag on Lawrence if no long-term deal was reached by the tag deadline, which occurs on Tuesday. Lawrence, who turns 26 years old next month, now has until July 16 to work out an extension with the Cowboys. If no comes together by that date, Lawrence must play out the 2018 campaign on the franchise tender.
A former second-round pick, Lawrence put up the best season of his four-year career in 2017. He started all 16 games and finished second in the league with 14.5 sacks, led the NFL with 57 pressures, and graded as the third-best edge rusher among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
With Lawrence’s large 2018 base salary on the books, the Cowboys are now extremely tight on cap space (per Over the Cap, Dallas could currently have fewer than $200K in funds). That’s the fourth-lowest amount of cap room in the league, meaning the Cowboys will need to make further transactions in order to comply with the cap. Dez Bryant and Orlando Scandrick have been mentioned as candidates for release, while Dallas might also extend Zack Martin in a move that would reduce his 2018 cap charge.