Cowboys’ Brandon Carr Accepts Pay Cut
Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr has accepted a pay cut, as Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Initially scheduled to earn a base salary of $9.1MM, Carr will now receive $6MM in base pay for 2016. Under the old deal, Carr would have carried a cap number of $13.8MM.
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Carr, 30 in May, has started all 48 possible games since joining the Cowboys (and has actually never missed a start during his eight-year career), but he hasn’t registered an interception in the past two seasons and graded as the No. 73 cornerback among 111 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. While he wasn’t worth a $13.8MM cap hit for 2016, he makes sense for Dallas as a $6MM player.
“He, like everyone on our defense, we would like them to be more impactful, more productive,” head coach Jason Garrett said earlier this offseason. “Brandon has to improve but everybody across our defense has to improve. He has been a steady player for us. He has been a productive player for us at times. It’s a valuable position. And he has done a good job covering guys at very challenging spot throughout his time with the Cowboys.”
Carr’s contract includes a voidable year in 2017. For all intents and purposes, 2016 is slated to be the final year of his contract before hitting free agency.
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Are Cowboys Considering Trading Up For QB?; Is Ezekiel Elliott Too Good For Jones To Bypass?
- With the Cowboys 7-20 since Tony Romo took the team’s reins at quarterback in October 2006 in games where the now-36-year-old passer sits, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News wonders if Dallas should trade back into the first round to potentially acquire Connor Cook or Christian Hackenberg. Gosselin envisions a scenario not unlike the one in 2011 that saw Jake Locker and Christian Ponder be selected earlier than most thought as an example that for Paxton Lynch being chosen earlier than expected now that the Rams and Eagles are likely to take QBs at Nos. 1-2. Should that occur, Gosselin envisions players like Cook or Hackenberg potentially being taken again before the Cowboys’ second pick (No. 34).
- Robinson also points out (on Twitter) that Jerry Jones is a big Ezekiel Elliott fan, and that the Cowboys owner would prefer the Ohio State runner or Jalen Ramsey at No. 4. Conversely, Robinson connects the Cowboys front office as a whole to a choice between Ramsey and Joey Bosa.
Latest On Myles Jack’s Knee Injury
5:48pm: A potential Jack suitor, the Cowboys have placed Jack on their sub board — a distinction for players with medical risks that a team will consider only if they fall to a certain point — according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com (on Twitter). At No. 4, Dallas doesn’t have a place for Laremy Tunsil but would be in play for Jalen Ramsey, or possibly Joey Bosa or DeForest Buckner.
Multiple teams also think Jack will require microfracture surgery at some point, Peter King of TheMMQB.com reports (on Twitter). Jadeveon Clowney was the latest high-profile player to undergo that procedure, doing so last year. That operation also caused Travis Kelce to miss his rookie season in 2013.
4:59pm: UCLA linebacker Myles Jack is dealing with a chondral defect in his right knee, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). It’s unclear whether the defect was caused by Jack’s September knee injury, but he can play with the ailment — the length of his career, however, is still up for debate, per Breer.
As Dr. Jene Bramel of FootballGuys.com explains (all Twitter links), a chondral defect is another term for cartilage loss. The injury is to be expected, according to Bramel, who believes that Jack looked good in his latest workout videos — but it’s apparently incredibly difficult to project how the ailment will affect the longevity of Jack’s career. Many NFL players deal with cartilage loss, per Bramel, and each player handles the injury differently (for example, one player might play through the ailment, another might need microfracture surgery).
As expected, the clarity on Jack’s injury could have an impact on his draft stock, and Breer reports (via Twitter) that clubs outside the top 10 picks are now doing more research on Jack in the hopes that he might slip. Breer adds (link) that it’s simply a matter of opinion as to how Jack’s knee will hold up, and some clubs have indicated that they don’t view the injury as a concern.
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Cowboys Interested in Joey Bosa
- The Cowboys are eyeing Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa. “He’s certainly one of the best players in this draft. He’ll certainly get strong consideration from us,” Cowboys CEO and Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones told Jon Machete of The Dallas Morning News (via Twitter).
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Josh Norman Updates: Friday
Thursday’s reports on cornerback Josh Norman suggested that Washington and the 49ers were the frontrunners for the former Panther, with both teams discussing five-year contracts. Norman is headed to D.C. first, which could give Scot McCloughan‘s club the upper hand in negotiations, but nothing has been finalized yet.
Here are the latest Friday updates on Norman’s situation, with new items added to the top of the list throughout the day:
5:47pm:
- Norman is down to Washington and the Saints, who are making a legitimate push for him, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). The Saints have the second-lowest cap space in the league ($3.44MM), so they’d have to get creative to sign Norman, Schefter adds (on Twitter).
4:32pm:
- Norman did file the necessary paperwork on his agent switch, but there are still some logistics to work through as the corner tries to avoid having to wait five days to sign somewhere, per Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links).
- The 49ers are “in deep” for Norman, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (on Twitter) that they and Washington are in a two-team race for his services. However, Michael Silver of NFL.com doesn’t expect San Francisco to make a serious run at signing Norman (Twitter link).
3:16pm:
- Norman has family with him at Washington‘s facility, including his mother, reports John Keim of ESPN (Twitter links). That would seem to bode well for the team in its attempt to reel in Norman.
1:32pm:
- Norman is in Washington as the team’s facility now, and it would be a surprise if he left without a deal in place, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) hears that, in addition to Washington and the Niners, there are three more teams who are “strongly in [the] running” for Norman. Two of those clubs are the Jaguars and Buccaneers, per Cole’s source. Based on the Jags updates below, it doesn’t sound as if Jacksonville is a probable landing spot for the star cornerback.
12:44pm:
- Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) would be surprised if Norman lands with any team besides Washington or the 49ers, and adds that the deal is expected to be worth upwards of $15MM per year, which would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Norman will likely reach an agreement by Saturday, says Cole.
- The Titans have been cited as a potential suitor for Norman, but after exploring the possibility, the team won’t be in the mix, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones also confirmed, unsurprisingly, that Norman’s price tag is too rich for his team (Twitter link via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
- Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com lays out a few reasons why the Panthers may have decided to move on from Norman.
- Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell, who acknowledged his team has interest in Norman (as noted below), admitted that the two sides are far apart on the cornerback’s perceived value. Caldwell added the Jags haven’t made a formal contract offer, and talks didn’t progress to the point where a possible visit was discussed (all Twitter links via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union).
11:18am:
- Norman is scheduled to arrive in Washington and begin his visit with the team this afternoon, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Per Anderson, Norman is inclined to keep his options open and explore other opportunities, while Washington will make a strong effort to sign him before the visit ends.
- As Mike Jones and Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post explain, Norman informed his agent – Michael George – on Wednesday that he was firing him, but the paperwork for that move has yet to be filed with the NFLPA. If Norman were to officially fire George and move forward with agent Ryan Williams, he would have to wait five days before negotiating a new contract. As long as both agents are technically representing him, Norman can enter into contract talks immediately.
- Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell confirmed today that his team has “continuing interest” in Norman, and is doing its homework on the standout cornerback (Twitter link via Tad Dickman of the Jaguars).
- Lions wide receiver Golden Tate would “love” the chance to be teammates with Norman in Detroit, but GM Bob Quinn has been noncommittal about the idea of pursuing the corner, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Jerry Jones Likes Ezekiel Elliott
- Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott could come off the board as high as No. 4 next Thursday, and likely won’t last beyond pick No. 13, says Jason Cole (video link). Cole suggests that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is very fond of Elliott, but as we saw a couple years ago when Dallas took Zack Martin over Johnny Manziel, Jones is willing to defer to other decision-makers in the team’s front office during the draft.
Kenny Lawler Worked Out For Cowboys
- Cal wide receiver Kenny Lawler has worked out for the Saints, Falcons, Cowboys, Eagles, and Colts in the weeks leading up to the draft, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Lawler is also believed to have met with the Titans and Jets last month.
Jeff Heath Contract Details
- Jeff Heath, S (Cowboys): Four years, $7.761MM. $1.8MM signing bonus. Annual $100K workout de-escalator. $500K NLTBE playtime incentives in 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Wilson).
Deforest Buckner Hearing From Cowboys
- Deforest Buckner told Justin Hopkins of 247 Sports (Twitter link) that he is hearing from the Chargers, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Titans “pretty regularly.” The Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars all had previously reported workouts with Buckner, but the addition of the Titans is new.
Cowboys Expect Demarcus Lawrence Suspension
Having already lost one of their pass rushers – Randy Gregory – to a four-game suspension, the Cowboys are bracing for another one of their edge defenders to miss the season’s first month. According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, defensive end Demarcus Lawrence faces a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse.
Moore reports that the Cowboys have yet to be formally notified of Lawrence’s impending suspension, which suggests that the defender and his representatives are still in the process of appealing the ruling. Multiple sources tell Moore that Dallas will be without Lawrence to open the season, however.
A second-round pick in 2014, Lawrence led the Cowboys in sacks last season with eight, and added a forced fumble to go along with 55 tackles. With both Lawrence and Gregory sidelined to open the 2016 season, pass rush becomes an even greater need for the Cowboys, who could end up landing a player like Joey Bosa next week, depending on how the draft plays out.
While the Cowboys did sign Benson Mayowa away from the Raiders in free agency, the team also no longer has veteran contributors Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey under contract, so the defensive end rotation in Dallas will look significantly different than it did last year, particularly for the first four weeks of the season.
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