Geoff Swaim Will Have Surgery, Cowboys Searching For Tight Ends
- Cowboys tight end Geoff Swaim suffered a serious pectoral injury and will have surgery, reports Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). The second-year player has hauled in six catches for 69 yards this season. Jon Machota of the Dallas News tweets that the team has discussed bringing in another tight end, and he notes that James Hanna is not expected to return anytime soon.
- The Cowboys have been happy with the way tight end Rico Gathers has improved on their practice squad. However, Machota tweets that the team is unlikely to promote the sixth-round pick. Gathers, who didn’t play football in college or high school, made a name for himself as a player on the Baylor basketball team.
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Cowboys Won’t Give Up On Randy Gregory
Late last week, we learned that Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory faces a one-year suspension after failing another drug test. Immediately, frustrated fans called for Dallas to cut ties with the troubled youngster. However, owner Jerry Jones says he will stand by Gregory with the hope that he can get his life back on track. 
[RELATED: Randy Gregory Facing One-Year Ban]
“I, of course, know the details of his situation, and I can’t and I won’t comment on details about it,” Jones told Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. “But I am not giving up on Randy Gregory for the Cowboys and certainly not giving up on him as a person in life — at all. Not that it makes any difference that I do, but I do not dismiss him from our future.”
Jones went on to say that Gregory still is getting help with his substance abuse problems. Given that Gregory doesn’t turn 24 until next week, the Cowboys owner is holding out hope that he can put his youthful indiscretions behind him and get on the straight and narrow.
Before his latest positive test, Gregory would have been eligible to return to Dallas for Week 16. Now, there is no clear return date for Gregory and football is not presently No. 1 on his to-do list. Barring a successful appeal to the league office, Gregory will not be able to take the field again until late in the 2017 season.
Cowboys Going With Prescott Over Romo
Tony Romo will suit up for the Cowboys next week for the first time this season, but the longtime starter will do so as the backup, Jerry Jones said Sunday night (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).
Dak Prescott will start in Week 11 for the Cowboys against the Ravens, with the owner pointing out the obvious after the rookie led Dallas to its eighth straight victory on Sunday.
“We’re going to let this decision in this case make itself,” Jones said. “Dak’s got a hot hand, and we’re going to go with it. It’s not hard at all,” he added. “Tony would make the same decision. That’s what you do.”
These updates and non-updates have become commonplace in the NFL news cycle over the past few weeks, with the 36-year-old Romo nearly ready to return to action after suffering a severe back injury in the preseason. Jones previously said the team was going to ride the hot hand, and with the Cowboys having won eight straight regular-season games for the first time since their 1977 Super Bowl championship season, Prescott has it. The Mississippi State product completed 22-of-32 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 35-30 win over the Steelers.
Sunday represented Prescott’s first 300-yard passing game as a pro, and although Ezekiel Elliott again played the lead role for Dallas, its fourth-round rookie proved capable in a big spot.
We heard earlier today Romo was going to serve as the backup going forward, and the Pro Bowl passer has “taken it hard.” While probably a more reliable passer at this point in the quarterbacks’ respective careers, Romo has become a major injury risk in his mid-30s, having missed 21 of the Cowboys’ past 25 games. The organization’s decision obviously doesn’t make the Cowboys’ 10-year starter a full-time backup, but it certainly gives Prescott the upper hand.
NFL Views Zeke Elliott As “Public Enemy No. 1”
The NFL is continuing its investigation into domestic violence allegations aimed at Ezekiel Elliott, and one source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that the league now views the Cowboys running back as “public enemy No. 1.” Elliott is under scrutiny following complaints in Ohio and Florida, both from the same woman.
[RELATED: Tony Romo Could Be Active Next Week]
After the NFL botched the probes into DV claims against former Ravens running back Ray Rice and former Giants kicker Josh Brown, Schefter reports that the league is now attempting to be “as thorough as possible” as it looks into Elliott, and is determined to avoid the same type of mistakes it has made in past inquiries. Elliott’s ex-girlfriend, the victim in the investigation, is cooperating with the NFL as it examines the accusations against the first-round rookie.
Late last month, Elliott’s legal advisor released a statement calling on the NFL to close its probe, arguing that his client has already been interviewed by the league. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones also seemingly wants the matter to end, or at least get some clarification as to its status, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that Jones attempted to speak with NFL investigator Lisa Friel during recent league meetings. Friel, however, did not engage with Jones.
Latest On Tony Romo, Dak Prescott
On the latest installment of “The Young and the Romo,” we learn that, although Tony Romo will not be in uniform for this week’s matchup against the Steelers, his return is imminent. As David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes, Romo was a full participant in practice for three days this past week for the first time this season. If he continues on that trajectory, there is a good chance that Romo will be active as Dak Prescott‘s backup against the Ravens next week.
The key word there, of course, is “backup.” With Romo so close to being activated, ESPN’s Ed Werder hears from a team source that, although Prescott himself continues to handle the situation professionally and diplomatically, Romo’s impending availability and the chance that he could usurp Prescott could have a negative impact on Dallas’ team chemistry (Twitter links). After all, Romo surely has his supporters in the locker room who would like to see him return to action as soon as he is ready, but it would be difficult to justify such a move considering how well the team is performing under Prescott’s young but steady hand.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that, once activated, Romo will indeed serve as Prescott’s backup, but that Prescott must continue to perform in order to keep his job. Rapoport adds that the entire situation has been difficult for Romo, who has “taken it hard.” Nonetheless, Rapoport says that the veteran signal-caller will be a “good team guy” and will bide his time as the Cowboys’ backup until he is called upon (Twitter links).
With Prescott running the show, the Cowboys have jumped out to a 7-1 record and a two-game lead in the NFC East. The Cowboys are increasingly viewed as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and their rookie quarterback is one of the biggest reasons why.
Could Cowboys Use Romo And Prescott Together?
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones yesterday called Tony Romo the “consummate team player,” indicating that the veteran quarterback would handle a demotion to No. 2 with grace. But does the possibility exist that Dallas could use both Romo and Dak Prescott, depending on game situation? That question was posed to Jones by Mike Florio on Pro Football Talk Live.
- While the Jets reportedly wanted a first-round pick in order to part with pass-rusher Sheldon Richardson at the trade deadline, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes New York is more likely to acquire a second- or third-rounder for its mercurial defensive lineman. The Cowboys and Broncos both apparently checked in with Gang Green and inquired on Richardson, but neither club was able to pull off a deal.
Stephen Jones: Romo's "The Consummate Team Player"
Quarterback Tony Romo is unlikely to be in uniform when the Cowboys face the Steelers on Sunday, but when he does return from a back injury, it seems probable he’ll serve as rookie standout Dak Prescott‘s backup. If that happens, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones expects Romo to accept the role with grace. “Any athlete who’s played a sport they want to contribute and certainly he does,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Friday (via Max Meyer of NFL.com). “At the same time Tony’s the consummate team player and I think if it meant as part of the process with Tony going into games as a backup then, I don’t want to speak for him, but my guess would be that he would.” The answer will come soon enough, as the four-time Pro Bowler practiced in full this week. If Romo isn’t active Sunday (he’s currently questionable), he should be back for the Cowboys’ Week 11 matchup against Baltimore.
More from the NFC:
- The Vikings were auditioning kickers and pondering a move away from Blair Walsh, but it seems like he has gotten back on track in recent days. “I knew how he would react,” special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer said (via ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling). “It kind of lit a fire under him. He got ticked off in a good way, I think, because he’s a competitive young man. When you bring in guys that are potentially going to take your job, guys that want your job, that’s the way you want him to react. If he didn’t react that way, I would be really worried, and we probably would be looking for another guy. He got — I don’t want to say angry, but he got a little fired up in a very respectful way, just like he always is. I expect him to go out and kick well for us this weekend and the rest of the year.”
- Saints head coach Sean Payton and safety Kenny Vaccaro aren’t pleased with the way they learned of Vaccaro’s pending four-game suspension for Adderall on Thursday, per Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Payton had no advance notice of the suspension, only finding out via media reports, while Vaccaro didn’t know punishment was definitely coming. He did receive a vague notification beforehand, though. “We got a letter, but that’s just a preliminary letter that it could be a possible something,” Vaccaro said. “But, there have been mistakes before.” Vaccaro and the Saints are now awaiting the results of a second sample, which he told Katzenstein hasn’t yet been tested, and is unsure when his potential suspension would begin. In the meantime, he’ll play Sunday against Denver.
- Vikings quarterbacks coach Scott Turner, son of ex-offensive coordinator Norv Turner, told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press on Friday that his father’s Nov. 2 resignation came as a surprise. “I knew that he was dealing with some issues, or whatever,” he said. “I thought that it was a possibility. I didn’t ever think he was actually going to do it, and then he told me about one minute before he told Mike Zimmer.” Scott Turner added that he’s unsure if his father will coach again. Norv Turner has been an NFL coach in every season since 1985, including head coaching stints with the Redskins, Raiders and Chargers.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Facing One-Year Ban
Randy Gregory has failed yet another drug test, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). According to the league’s rules for substance abuse, Gregory’s test could trigger a one-year ban. 
Gregory was originally scheduled to return to action later on this season. Now, barring a successful appeal, he is done for 2016 and part of 2017.
As a rookie, Gregory was in uniform 12 contests and missed a good chunk of games due to an ankle injury. In total, he had eleven tackles and no sacks. The Cowboys have been holding out hope that Gregory could fulfill his vast potential, but it now seems like he is facing even greater demons than previously thought.
Gregory completed a stint at a Massachusetts rehab facility in September and those close to him insisted that he had been clean for a while. Initially suspended through Week 16, the hope was that Gregory could clean up his life away from the field while working his way back to football shape. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened for the former Nebraska standout.
Tony Romo Runs Scout Team At Practice
Tony Romo ran the scout team for 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills during today’s Cowboys practice, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) this a clear indication that the quarterback won’t be active this weekend. However, there is optimism for Romo’s return, as the 36-year-old was listed as a full participant in practice for the first time this year.
Latest On Cowboys’ Quarterbacks
The Cowboys are an NFC-best 7-1 under rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, but that doesn’t mean he’ll keep the starting job ffor the rest of the year. Prescott only took the reins in the first place because of the broken bone Tony Romo suffered in his back in an Aug. 25 preseason game. Now, with Romo’s return perhaps drawing closer, owner Jerry Jones isn’t willing to commit to either signal-caller.
“What we are going to do — play by play, series by series and game by game – is (consider) what’s in the best interest of winning the game,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday (via A.J. Perez of USA Today).
Jones’ comments are a departure from his assertion last month that Romo would take over upon coming back, but he has still left the door open for the four-time Pro Bowler to usurp the starting job from Prescott at some point. Dallas would first have to activate Romo, who Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Sunday isn’t close to returning. Jones seems somewhat more confident, saying Tuesday that Romo will step up his work in practice this week in advance of the Cowboys’ game in Pittsburgh.
“He has to absolutely get ready to play at his top level,” Jones stated.
While Romo has a laundry list of accomplishments in his 14-year career and still expects to reclaim his longtime role, it’s difficult to imagine the Cowboys turning away from Prescott barring a collapse. As evidenced by the Cowboys’ record – not to mention their third-ranked passing DVOA and NFC-leading point differential – they’ve been resoundingly successful this year, and Prescott hasn’t merely been a passenger. The fourth-round pick from Mississippi State is toward the top of the NFL in yards per attempt (8.15) and passer rating (104.2). Prescott has also completed 66.5 percent of aerial attempts and added 16 touchdown (12 passing, four rushing) against a meager two interceptions. Despite his statistical brilliance, it seems the 23-year-old will have to continue making a weekly case to remain Dallas’ top option under center.