Cowboys Sign 18 UDFAs
The Cowboys have added 18 undrafted players to their offsaeason roster. Here’s the full breakdown:
- Dalton Sturm, QB, UT-San Antonio
- Jordan Chunn, RB, Troy
- Malik Earl, WR, Missouri State
- Marchie Murdock, WR, Iowa State
- David Wells, TE, San Diego State
- Jay Robertson, OL, Tennessee
- Jacob Campos, OL, Iowa State
- Bryce Johnson, OL, St. Cloud State
- Austin Larkin, DE, Purdue
- James Hearns, DE, Louisville
- Dequinton Osbourne, DT, Oklahoma State
- Joel Lanning, LB, Iowa State
- Ed Shockely, LB, Villanova
- Kyle Queiro, LB, Northwestern
- Charvarius Ward, CB, Middle Tennessee State
- Kam Kelly, CB, San Diego State
- Donovan Olumba, CB, Portland State
- Tyree Robinson, S, Oregon
The Cowboys have found gems in the UDFA ranks before, including quarterback Tony Romo and offensive lineman La’el Collins. In total, the Cowboys now project to head into camp with 27 rookies.
Sturm threw for 2,185 yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions while completing 62.3% of his passes last year. He came to UTSA as a walk-on and did not earn a scholarship until 2016, so he has a history of achieving when up against long odds. In the ’16 season, he set a UTSA record with 20 passing touchdowns.
Chunn isn’t the speediest running back in the world, but he does offer the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. In his final two years on campus, he caught 58 passes. The Cowboys have three established running backs in Ezekiel Elliott, Rod Smith, and Trey Williams plus seventh-round pic Bo Scarbrough. Fullback Jamize Olawale is also under contract.
Connor Williams To Play Left Guard
- For now, Connor Williams will try to win the Cowboys‘ starting left guard job, Dallas VP of player personnel Will McClay confirmed during a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter link). But the Texas tackle will also be viewed as depth behind Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, the latter of whom has multiple years of experience as the Cowboys’ left guard starter. The Cowboys struggled to replace Ronald Leary at left guard last season, and Jonathan Cooper ventured to the 49ers in free agency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/30/18
Here are Monday’s minor moves.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: LB Carl Bradford
- Waived: Connor Harris
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Dustin Stanton
Houston Texans
- Waived: TE Zach Conque
- Waived: CB Bryce Jones
- Waived: TE Ryan Malleck
- Waived: OLB Gimel President
Minnesota Vikings
- Suspended for four games (PEDs): WR Cayleb Jones
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived/Injured: CB Elie Bouka
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived/Injured: LB Jimmie Gilbert
- Waived: LB Boseko Lokombo
- Waived/NFI: DB Dexter McCoil
- Waived/Injured: LB Donavin Newsom
- Waived: CB Channing Stribling
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Johnny Maxey
- Waived: RB Khalfani Muhammad
- Waived: QB Alex Tanney
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: OL Avery Young
Washington Redskins
- Released: DL Montori Hughes
- Waived: TE Chris Brazil
- Waived: DB James Sample
- Waived: LB Cassanova McKinzy
Cowboys Balked At Trading Second-Rounder For Earl Thomas
Earl Thomas appears to be staying put in Seattle, but the Cowboys’ discussions about a deal that would send the All-Pro safety to Dallas hit a snag when the prospect of second-round compensation surfaced.
The Cowboys did not want to surrender their 2018 second-round pick for Thomas, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. While a third-rounder and “a lot more” may have been enough to seal this deal, per Rapoport, the sides could not come to an agreement and Thomas remains a Seahawk.
Dallas ended up taking Connor Williams with the No. 50 overall pick. Thomas is entering his age-29 season and has one more year remaining on his contract. Should he reach free agency in 2019, it’s possible the Cowboys could pursue him again then. But for now, the three-time All-Pro remains as the centerpiece of the revamped Seattle secondary.
John Schneider characterized Thomas-centric trade talks as discussions that did not reach the final stages. The Seahawks had set a higher price — reportedly at a first- and third-round pick — for Thomas in the weeks leading up to the draft, but it appears they lowered their price come draft weekend. But no team was willing to meet the reduced asking price.
Set to move Byron Jones to cornerback, the Cowboys are rather thin at safety. They are on the lookout for veteran help at the position, per Jerry Jones.
Latest On Cowboys’ Jason Witten
Jason Witten is said to be deciding between a career in broadcasting and another season with the Cowboys, but it might be an easy call. ESPN is offering the tight end $4-$4.5MM to join the Monday Night Football booth, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports. 
Witten’s deal with the Cowboys, meanwhile, would pay him a base salary of $1.05MM for 2018 with up to $750K in per-game roster bonuses. However, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) notes, Witten has yet to receive his $4.7MM signing bonus, so he’s really deciding between $6.5MM from the Cowboys or $4-4.5MM from ESPN.
Still, if owner Jerry Jones is intent on keeping Witten, he may have to sweeten the deal to some extent. Meanwhile, another network has also entered the fray with what is said to be an “interesting” proposal.
The Cowboys drafted a tight end this weekend, but not necessarily one that can replace Witten. Fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz projects to take over James Hanna‘s role as a run blocker, so the Cowboys still have an obvious need for a tight end who can contribute as a receiver. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones says the team can get by with a group that includes Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Rico Gathers, but I would fully expect them to pursue outside options if Witten retires.
Latest On Jason Witten
It remains to be seen if longtime Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will retire for a job in the Monday Night Football booth, but a decision is expected to likely come by Wednesday, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets. Mortensen adds that a competing network has swooped in at the last minute with an “interesting” proposal that will also be considered. 
News came down Friday that the 15-year veteran was to call it quits on a Hall of Fame career to join the ESPN crew, but following a meeting with owner Jerry Jones, Witten decided to mull his options. Those options apparently have now expanded to a second network, though that job remains a mystery.
Mortensen also reports that Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is actively petitioning the Cowboys’ all-time leading receiver to return for a 16th season (Twitter link). It should not come as a surprise the coach is doing everything he can to get Witten to return. Should Witten retire, the remaining tight ends on the roster would be relative unknowns Geoff Swaim, Rico Gathers, Blake Jarwin and the recently drafted Dalton Schultz.
The team could have added Dallas Goedert, the highly touted tight end out of South Dakota State, but the division-rival Eagles swooped in front of the Cowboys in the second round of the draft to take him. It is unclear if the Cowboys would have pulled the trigger on Goedert, but with the potential absence of Witten it made a lot of sense.
Before the news broke on Friday, it had been long expected that Witten would return for a 16th season and potentially play even longer. He recently commented that he wanted to play until he was 40. Despite the recent turnover, however, top jobs in the booth don’t come around every day.
Cowboys Could Carry Three QBs In 2018
- The Cowboys selected Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White in the fifth round of this year’s draft, which marked just the sixth time Dallas has drafted a QB since Jerry Jones purchased the franchise in 1989. White is expected to compete with Cooper Rush for the backup job, though Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that executive vice president Stephen Jones is open to carrying three signal-callers in 2018.
Cowboys Rumors: Austin, Witten, S, Draft
The Rams and Cowboys agreed on a deal that will send Tavon Austin to Dallas in exchange for a sixth-round pick, and the sides began discussing this trade on Thursday, Stephen Jones said (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Jones said the Rams had a third-day pick in mind as compensation for their former top-10 investment, one who renegotiated his pricey contract earlier this year in order to stay with the team that drafted him. Austin will become the Cowboys’ primary punt returner, Jerry Jones said (via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, on Twitter), and will take over those duties from Ryan Switzer — whom Dallas traded to Oakland shortly after the Austin deal was agreed upon. Austin, 27, was a part-time kick and punt returner for the Rams last season. He will also function as primarily a running back with the Cowboys, who envision him taking over Lance Dunbar‘s old role as the team’s primary receiving back. Jason Garrett said (via Machota, on Twitter) the goal will be to get the ball to Austin in a variety of ways, so it sounds like Dallas intends to keep the 5-foot-9 performer in a gadget role.
Here’s the latest from Dallas:
- While Jerry Jones said Jason Witten would take a few days before announcing a decision about his 2018 status, the owner now is backing off that stance. It may take longer. “As I saw Troy [Aikman] say, that’s his decision, and he’s got the time to make it,” Jones said, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “He deserves the time to make that. I don’t have a timeline on it. I do know that when we left [Friday], he certainly thought he wanted the weekend to come to some conclusion. … I want to emphasize again how we like our tight ends that we’ve got on the roster that would be on the roster if we don’t have Witten, but certainly Dalton [Schultz] was noted as what we thought was the best blocker of the tight ends.” The Eagles traded one spot in front of their rivals in Round 2 to select Dallas Goedert. Witten may well inform the Cowboys of his decision early next week, but Dallas brass doesn’t appear to be rushing him. The Cowboys selected Stanford’s Schultz in the fourth round.
- The team wants to bring in competition for Xavier Woods at free safety, Machota tweets. The Cowboys did not draft a safety this weekend but will remain on the lookout for one. This is a unique year to need a safety, with several experienced ones still available. Eric Reid, Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro are without teams. However, Machota notes (on Twitter) Jerry Jones declined to comment when asked if Reid would be a possibility for the Cowboys. The former Pro Bowler is in a strange position, being part of the Colin Kaepernick-led protest movement but profiling as a player who is an upper-echelon starter at a lower-profile position. Jones has been a vocal opponent of these protests, probably the leader among the owners against them, so it would be a surprise if Reid ended up in Dallas.
- The Cowboys were able to draft defensive end Dorance Armstrong in the fourth round, but Jerry Jones said (via Machota, on Twitter) they nearly traded two fourth-round picks to acquire a third-rounder to draft the Kansas pass rusher.
Cowboys Trade Ryan Switzer To Raiders
Hours after acquiring Tavon Austin from the Rams, the Cowboys are set to send one of their slot weapons and return options to California.
The Raiders will trade for Ryan Switzer, Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL.com report (Twitter link). Switzer came to the Cowboys as a 2017 fourth-round pick. The deal will bring back 2016 Raiders second-round pick Jihad Ward, a defensive lineman that has struggled as a pro.
Switzer served as Dallas’ primary return man, working in both return capacities as a rookie. He’ll now join a Raiders team that not only added a former Cowboy return man this offseason in Dwayne Harris but one that’s retooling its non-Amari Cooper contingent of the wideouts’ room.
This is Oakland’s second wide receiver acquisition via trade this weekend. The Raiders added Martavis Bryant as well. The primary connector here between Switzer and the Raiders is new Oakland special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who coached the North Carolina product with the Cowboys last season.
The Raiders have been trying to unload incumbent slot player Seth Roberts, but as of now he remains on the team. They’ve added Jordy Nelson as well and dumped Michael Crabtree, so the Silver and Black’s receiving corps will look completely different in 2018.
An Illinois product, Ward profiled as a project player coming to Oakland in 2016. The Raiders have a new defensive coordinator and have added a slew of defensive line options in this draft — most notably Arden Key and Maurice Hurst Jr. — so Ward will be departing. He graded as the worst full-time interior defender as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus, and didn’t see much time last season.
Rams To Trade Tavon Austin To Cowboys
The Tavon Austin era with the Rams looks to be over, and he’ll attempt to restore his career on a team that just lost its highest-profile wideout.
Austin will head to the Cowboys as part of this exchange, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The No. 8 pick in the 2013 draft, Austin will go to Dallas for the No. 192 overall pick.
A slot target/gadget specialist, Austin fell out of favor with the Rams despite being signed to a memorable contract nearly two years ago. He caught just 13 passes for 47 yards during Sean McVay’s debut season, a year after he established a career high with 509 air yards for what was the league’s worst passing attack.
Austin joins a Cowboys team that has some depth in the slot/gadget department, employing Cole Beasley and Ryan Switzer. However, Austin’s speed could be attractive to the Cowboys, who are ready to take a chance on him. The 5-foot-9 West Virginia alum has one season remaining on his contract, one he restructured in March in order to stay with the Rams. He’s attached to a $7MM cap number and is signed only through the 2018 season.
For the Rams, they now own an incredible stake in this year’s sixth round. Los Angeles now has seven sixth-round picks.