Jerry Jones Hopes Randy Gregory Plays For Cowboys In 2018
- With Randy Gregory taking the necessary steps to apply for reinstatement to the league, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he hopes that Gregory will suit up for the team in 2018, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Jones went on to tell Hill that he’s not confident Gregory will be reinstated for next season, though, due to the rigorous process he’s about to undergo.
Latest On Cowboys’ Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory has been laying the groundwork for his return to football, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes. Representatives of the defensive end are “in the process of doing the work necessary to apply for reinstatement,” Moore adds. 
Gregory has not seen the field since the 2016 season due to multiple violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. However, the latest word on him is positive and he passed drug tests in the fall. Once the right paperwork is in place, it is expected that Gregory will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell. Based on Goodell’s previous handling of players in similar situations, it seems as though Gregory could be allowed back on the field if he can demonstrate that he is drug free.
The former second-round pick out of Nebraska has notched just 15 career tackles. He has one sack to his credit, which came in Dallas’ 2016 season finale.
Latest On Cowboys, Dez Bryant
The saga of Dez Bryant‘s contract could be coming to an end soon. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated that he hopes to hammer out a revised deal with the wide receiver by the end of the next, if not this week, Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram writes. 
“I think that these two guys that we signed [Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson] and what we might look at in the draft, at any level of the draft, plus what we might get worked out with Dez, gives us a good-looking receiver outlook,” Jerry Jones said.
Jerry Jones has been coy about discussing Bryant’s contractual situation, but vice president Stephen Jones has been public about the need for Bryant to shave his deal a bit. This year, Bryant is slated to carry a $12.5MM base salary with a $16.5MM cap figure. Given the decline in his performance, that is undoubtedly pricey. Bryant hasn’t topped 1,000 yards since the 2014 season and 2017 marked the first year that Bryant was able to stay healthy for all 16 games since that 2014 campaign. Bryant finished out with 69 catches and 838 yards last year, numbers that do not justify his placement as one of the ten highest-paid wide receivers in the game.
Cowboys Notes: Thomas, Kirk
- New Cowboys linebacker Joe Thomas‘ two-year deal is worth up to $3.6MM, tweets Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Thomas, who had spent his entire career in Green Bay, received a $1MM signing bonus and will also have $400K of his base salary guaranteed. The Packers opted to non-tender Thomas as a restricted free agent rather than pay him an original round tender of $1.907MM, and Thomas won’t meet that mark with Dallas, either, as Demovsky reports Thomas will collect just $1.6MM total in 2018. Thomas, 26, will likely spend most of his time on the Cowboys’ special teams unit, but will provide depth in case Sean Lee or Jaylon Smith go down with injury.
- Texas A&M receiver Christian Kirk has schedule a pre-draft visit with the Cowboys, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Because he’s likely considered a local prospect, Kirk shouldn’t count against Dallas’ allotment of 30 prospect meetings. The Cowboys have already added Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson to a pass-catching corps that also includes Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, and — for now — Dez Bryant, but Kirk could give the club another dimension on offense. Kirk averaged a 78/952/9 line during three seasons with the Aggies.
Brice Butler To Meet With Four Teams
Brice Butler‘s market is starting to heat up. In the next two weeks, the Cowboys free agent wide receiver Brice Butler will visit with the Seahawks, Bears, Jaguars, and Cardinals (Twitter link via Jane Slater of NFL.com). 
The 28-year-old has been vocal about wanting the opportunity to do more in 2018. Last year, Butler finished out with just 15 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, he opined that he could have outperformed teammate Dez Bryant if he had the same number of targets.
“100 percent,” said Butler. “Because I’m ready. It’s my time, I’ve been there for three years. I feel like me and Dak [Prescott] have a really good relationship. We work on routes. There’s times that we might not have completed a square-out throw in practice, and we’re taking that time out in practice to actually work on it. So I think that’s why when you saw us in the game, he tried to come to me, and most of the times we produced.“
Bryant underwhelmed for Dallas last year, but still had 69 receptions for 838 yards and six TDs. For now, Bryant remains part of the Cowboys’ plan with Butler likely moving on following the addition of Allen Hurns.
“With Dallas, the situation has to be right for me to go back,” Butler said earlier this year. “I have to be a starter. If I’m not starting, I’m not going back,” Butler said.
Wherever Butler lands, he’ll be in for a pay raise. Butler earned just $1.1MM on a one year deal in 2017.
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.