Cowboys Sign Austin Traylor
- Former Wisconsin tight end Austin Traylor was set to attend the Chargers rookie camp on a tryout basis, but he’ll instead sign with the Cowboys, reports Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
Greg Hardy Lobbying For NFL Opportunity
It’s mid-May, and one of this offseason’s most talented free agent defensive ends remains on the open market. As Greg Hardy continues to look for work, agent Drew Rosenhaus has sent a packet to teams teams detailing the work his client is doing to improve as a person and correct his pattern of bad behavior, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
Hardy, according to Rosenhaus’ literature, is working to fix his missteps both on and off the field. Of course, Hardy is considered bad news for his alleged domestic violence incident which sidelined him for most of the 2014 season. More practically speaking, however, teams are worried about Hardy’s bad attitude and suspect work ethic.
Hardy has been evaluated and treated by multiple NFL physicians, Rosenhaus & Co. say, and the former Pro Bowler has undergone therapy for anger management and also some evaluation for ADHD. This year, Hardy is said to have participated in at least two dozen therapy sessions.
On the field, Hardy still has plenty to offer, but the Cowboys decided after the 2016 season that they were done dealing with the off-field headaches that come with him. Last season, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Heading into the offseason, we here at PFR ranked Hardy No. 21 on our list of top 50 free agents.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Changes To Cowboys DE Group
- With Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey no longer in the mix at defensive end in Dallas, the Cowboys will be counting on unsung pass-rushers to get after opposing quarterbacks during the 2016 season, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
Cowboys Move Two Players To Fullback
- The Cowboys are relocating Keith Smith and Rod Smith to fullback from their respective linebacker and running back positions to provide the them a better chance at making the 53-man roster, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Dallas’ fullback from 2013-15, Tyler Clutts remains a free agent. Keith Smith has played in 15 games the past two seasons as mostly a special teams cog, and Rod Smith joined the Cowboys last season after the Seahawks cut him.
Dak Prescott Not Discouraged By Cowboys' Interest in Paxton Lynch
- Despite having drafted Dak Prescott, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has shown an infatuation with Broncos rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch. While this would discourage most rookies, Prescott isn’t distracted. “I’m just going to go out there and prove myself everyday on the field, and prove myself everyday in here,” Prescott told Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. “Just be the player and person that I am. It really doesn’t mean anything to me [that they wanted Lynch].”
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Cowboys Cut Five Players, Add 13 UDFAs
The Cowboys announced today that they’ve added 13 rookie free agents to their roster, but in order to squeeze all those players in under the 90-man roster limit, a handful of cuts were required. As Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, five players were waived by the team, including a pair with a failed physical designation. The following five veterans were cut:
- DE Kenneth Boatright (failed physical – neck)
- T Reshod Fortenberry (failed physical – knee)
- CB Buddy Jackson
- RB Ben Malena
- DT Chris Whaley
With enough roster space to accommodate their full UDFA class, the Cowboys subsequently signed the following 13 players:
- DE Caleb Azubike (Vanderbilt)
- C Jake Brendel (UCLA)
- WR Chris Brown (Notre Dame)
- DT Rodney Coe (Akron)
- CB Arjen Colquhoun (Michigan State)
- WR Ed Eagan (Northwestern State)
- T David Hedelin (Purdue)
- WR Andy Jones (Jacksonville) ($15K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- LB Deon King (Norfolk State)
- T Ryan Mack (Memphis)
- CB Jeremiah McKinnon (Florida International)
- DE Jason Neill (Texas-San Antonio)
- G Boston Stiverson (Kansas State)
Cowboys Notes: Hardy, QBs, Smith, Lawrence
According to Stephen Jones, the Cowboys were done with Greg Hardy when the 2015 season ended, despite not publicly making that stance clear until more recently, as Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes.
“I think one of the most important things is when you take a chance with a player, if you see it’s not working, it’s time to move on,” said Jones, the Cowboys’ executive VP. “We gave it its due in terms of a year here, and we just felt like at the end of the day, it wasn’t the right fit.”
Last week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went on record saying that Hardy will not be back, but it appears that the decision was made months ago. On the field, Hardy still has plenty to offer, but it would seem Dallas is not interested in dealing with the off-field headaches. Last season, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Let’s round up a few more Cowboys-related items:
- The Cowboys missed out on drafting Paxton Lynch, but they’re content with their quarterback depth chart as it stands today, writes Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. Kellen Moore will be Tony Romo‘s primary backup in 2016, per Jerry Jones. “I think Kellen Moore has shown the ‘it,'” Jones said. “He has the instincts. He has the anticipation. He knows what’s going on. He gives me and us a great feeling about basically improving. Obviously those interceptions were not something you can live with, but some of the stuff he was doing was pretty obvious that the team was responding. He was able to move the team.” Rookie Dak Prescott will likely fill the No. 3 spot behind Romo and Moore.
- While the general consensus in the Cowboys organization seems to be that second-round pick Jaylon Smith will miss the entire 2016 season, Jerry Jones isn’t ready to commit to taking the linebacker off the regular-season roster, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details. Appearing on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said Smith “will not be IR’d,” noting that the club hopes Smith can be available for the latter part of the season. We’ll see if Dallas sticks to that stance in September.
- During that appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones also said that he’s holding out hope for Demarcus Lawrence‘s suspension to be reduced from four games to two games (link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Lawrence’s four-game ban is currently under appeal.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Cowboys Tried To Trade For Jets' No. 20 For Lynch
- Jets GM Mike Maccagnan says the team “strongly considered” trading out of the first round in a proposed deal with the Cowboys, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. The Cowboys, drafting at No. 34, were working to get their hands on Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch. The offer wasn’t enough to entice the Jets to move down and the team wound up staying pat to select linebacker Darron Lee. Lynch, meanwhile, fell to No. 26 where Denver moved up to snag him.
King’s Latest: Cowboys, Lynch, Ravens, Pats
Peter King of TheMMQB.com spent time last week in the Cowboys‘ draft room as Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones mulled over potential franchise-altering decisions, and King’s latest MMQB column features plenty of tidbits related to the Cowboys’ draft. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights…
- Jerry Jones badly wanted Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch in the first round, but the Cowboys‘ offer of a second-round pick (No. 34), a fourth-round pick (No. 101), and a sixth-rounder (No. 189) for the Seahawks‘ first-round pick (No. 26) and a seventh-rounder (No. 247) wasn’t enough. Seattle wanted a second- and third-rounder (No. 67) from Dallas, and ultimately went with Denver’s offer instead.
- The Cowboys had been willing to offer their second- and third-round picks for a selection in the teens or early-20s, but decided not to pull the trigger on that offer for the No. 26 pick. If the target was always Lynch (who was 12th on the Cowboys’ board, per King), it seems odd that Dallas would balk at that asking price at No. 26, since the team would have made the same pick and gotten the QB at a lower salary slot.
- The Ravens offered their 104th overall pick, a fourth-rounder, in an attempt to move up to No. 4 from No. 6. The Cowboys wanted Baltimore’s third-rounder (No. 70) instead, and ultimately decided to stand pat when the Ravens didn’t increase their offer. Dallas didn’t want to risk missing out on both Ezekiel Elliott and Jalen Ramsey — pass rusher Leonard Floyd would have been the Cowboys’ pick at No. 6 in that scenario, and while they liked Floyd, he wasn’t graded as highly as Elliott and Ramsey.
- After missing out on Lynch, the Cowboys also made an effort to move up for Connor Cook in round four — the team offered its sixth-round pick to the Browns, along with No. 101, for No. 100, but Cleveland chose Oakland’s offer instead, and Dallas ultimately drafted Dak Prescott instead of Lynch or Cook.
- In non-Cowboys news, King writes that the Ravens had what they considered “reliable information” that the Patriots would try to draft Navy’s Keenan Reynolds in the sixth round. Baltimore beat New England to the punch by nabbing Reynolds with the 182nd overall selection.
Cowboys' Charles Tapper A Draft Steal?
- One NFC scout tells Freeman that the best value pick in the draft might’ve Oklahoma defensive end Charles Tapper, whom the Cowboys scooped up at the top of the third round. Some clubs were scared off by Tapper having the sickle cell trait, a condition that many teams consider minor.
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