Cowboys, Chris Jones Agree To Extension
The Cowboys have signed punter Chris Jones to an four-year extension through 2021, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter). Jones was set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2017 season. 
The four-year extension is worth $8.7MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. That includes $4.5MM guaranteed.
Jones averaged 45.9 yards per punt in 2016, which is roughly in line with his career average. As noted by Kristi Scales of the Dallas Morning News, the veteran has the team’s’ all-time highest percentage of punts downed inside the 20 with 39.9% (113 of 283). Teams will only go so far to lock down special teams players, but the Cowboys felt the need to lock down Jones at a reasonable cost for years to come.
Jones has been with the Cowboys since 2011 when he filled in for Mat McBriar. However, non-Cowboys fans may remember him best for his crushing tackle on Lions punt returner Andre Roberts last year.
Tyrone Crawford Suffers Ankle Injury
9:49pm: The preliminary diagnosis is a lateral ankle sprain, which isn’t a long-term injury, tweets Ed Werder. Crawford may miss the entirety of the preseason, but should be fine for the long-term, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
8:26pm: Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford left practice on a cart Tuesday with a lower right ankle injury, Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram was among those to report (on Twitter). Crawford looked to be wiping tears from his eyes as he exited, per the Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota (via Twitter), which doesn’t sound promising. The fear is that Crawford suffered a break as a result of getting tangled up on a running play with Ezekiel Elliott, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. However, the Cowboys “have no idea yet,” said executive vice president Stephen Jones (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News).
The 27-year-old Crawford is no stranger to serious injuries, having lost the entire 2013 campaign to a torn Achilles. The four-year veteran also missed time last season, sitting out two games, but he did pile up the third-most sacks (4.5) on a Cowboys defense that finished 13th in the NFL in that department. Crawford also trailed only Maliek Collins in snaps among Cowboys D-linemen (624), and he ranked a respectable 56th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.
Losing Crawford for an extended period would be the latest significant hit to a Dallas D-line that will go without the suspended trio of Damontre Moore, David Irving and Randy Gregory for two, four and 16 games, respectively, in 2017. Thanks in part to those players’ bans, the Cowboys’ top ends aside from Crawford are Benson Mayowa, who totaled a team-leading six sacks in a part-time role last season, the oft-injured Demarcus Lawrence and first-round rookie Taco Charlton.
It’s possible a major Crawford injury would lead to the Cowboys checking in on the free agent market for established pass rushers. Dwight Freeney, Mario Williams, Paul Kruger and Trent Cole are the most proven options available.
Latest On Potential Zack Martin Extension
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has made it clear on several occasions that the team would like to extend three-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin, who’s entering the penultimate year of his rookie contract. Jones addressed Martin’s contract situation again Tuesday, telling Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News: “We’re making our rounds there, it takes time, that’s usually how these things work. There’s a whole lot of zero progress and then all of a sudden you start to make some. And then you get to where you can get a deal done. It’s too early for me to speculate.” Jones added that while negotiations haven’t been easy, Martin wants to stay in Dallas and hasn’t set a deadline on contract talks.
Latest On Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott remains under investigation by the league, but owner Jerry Jones says the NFL is looking at his pattern of behavior rather than the allegations of abuse from last year. 
“The domestic violence is not an issue,” Jones told NBC (via Charean Williams of PFT). “Zeke has had some other things that have been looked at and are being looked at. But from the domestic violence issue, there’s not an issue. I think that my hope is that Zeke is with us opening night, and I don’t want to get into anything that might in any way influence negatively that decision from the league office.”
All along, Jones has maintained that the allegations against Elliott are without merit. The owner’s latest comments indicate that the league may be in agreement, though his other missteps could still keep him from the field. Those off-the-field incidents include pulling a woman’s shirt down during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March and potentially having some involvement in a barroom brawl days before the start of training camp.
Although Jones is firmly in Elliott’s corner, he also hopes that he learns from his mistakes and avoids dicey situations going forward.
Details On Luke McCown's Contract
- Quarterback Luke McCown‘s one-year pact with the Cowboys includes a $1MM base salary, $170K guaranteed and an $80K signing bonus, per Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).
No Ezekiel Elliott Announcement This Week
The NFL will not announce a suspension for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott this week, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), who reports the league is still waiting for the four external advisors who attended Elliott’s meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell to complete their work.
A league announcement on Elliott’s suspension has been expected for some time, but the timeline of the implementation has been continually pushed back. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly stated that he expects a decision on Elliott to be handed down soon, but no news was disseminated over the weekend, and now Dallas must wait until next week (at least) until it learns whether it will be without its star running back.
The NFL is reportedly wrapping up its investigation into Elliott, but Jones stood behind Elliott when addressing the media earlier this month. “I have reviewed everything and there is absolutely nothing – not one thing – that had anything to do with domestic violence,” Jones said. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com recently reported a “growing sense” that Elliott will face a league-imposed suspension. Elliott was never arrested or charged in the incident, but his accuser addressed her allegations in a statement last week.
Jerry Jones: Everything In Place For NFL's Ezekiel Elliott Decision
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said embattled running back Ezekiel Elliott met with NFL officials in New York last month to discuss the domestic violence allegations levied against him. While Jones does not have a timeframe for the league’s much-anticipated decision, he did say “everything is in place” for that decision, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes.
Cowboys Waive/Injure Zac Dysert
- Quarterback Zac Dysert‘s 2017 season was already over after he underwent back surgery, and the Cowboys have now made that official by designating him as waived/injured, per James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Dysert will go through waivers, but he won’t be claimed thanks to his injury. He’ll revert to Dallas’ injured reserve list.
Elliott Decision Not Expected This Weekend
- Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said an NFL decision on running back Ezekiel Elliott could be handed down “imminently,” no announcement is expected today nor this weekend, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The league is reportedly wrapping up its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, and while Jones claimed his own review of the evidence indicated Elliott had done nothing wrong, a short suspension is still expected. If Elliott is banned, Dallas will turn to a cadre of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and the newly-signed Ronnie Hillman in the backfield.
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Cowboys Make Two Roster Moves
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