HEADLINES

Cooper Rush

Cowboys Notes: Elliott, Moore, Rush

August 24th, 2017 at 9:46am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the Cowboys:

  • A delayed suspension for Ezekiel Elliott is not out of the question, Mike Florio of PFT writes. Elliott could turn to the court system for a preliminary injunction, like former Vikings Pat Williams and Kevin Williams once did, which would bar the league from suspending him until the case ends. The Cowboys star might not be able to get his ban overturned in court, but there’s a chance that he could push the suspension to the 2018 season, if he goes that route. Elliott has indicated that he will sue the NFL if necessary, but he will first go through the league’s appeal process to see if he can have his six-game suspension overturned or reduced.
  • Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan says he won’t rule out Cooper Rush for the team’s backup quarterback role just because of his lack of experience, as Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes. Linehan also has a longstanding relationship with Kellen Moore, but he says that will not be a factor either. Rush has yet to take a snap in a real NFL game, but he has completed 69% of his passes in three preseason games with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His emergence could impact the Cowboys’ final 53-man roster as Dallas may look to carry three QBs. Dallas could try to sneak Rush through waivers and on to the practice squad, but that’s a dicey proposition after his strong showing in the exhibition games.
  • It’s possible that last year’s Josh Brown saga could impact Elliott in his appeal.

Cowboys Sign 2 Quarterbacks

May 12th, 2017 at 1:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have added a host of undrafted free agents, including two quarterbacks. Here’s the full list plus some details on the team’s newest signal callers:

Appleby started out at Purdue but transferred to Florida for his final collegiate season. In 2016, he threw for ten touchdowns against seven interceptions with a 60.8% completion percentage in his nine games. It probably wasn’t as strong of a showing as he would have liked before shifting his focus to the NFL. Rush, meanwhile, started in all four seasons at Central Michigan and received high praise for his football IQ during the draft process.

Both players will compete for a spot behind Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore. It’s not clear whether the Cowboys want to carry three QBs on the roster, but it helps that the team did not select any QBs in the draft.

Jarwin will received a higher-than-average bonus of $15K, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).

Breer On GM Search, Harbaugh, Draft

December 17th, 2016 at 3:08pm CST by Zachary Links

When it comes to being a GM, is it more about who you know than what you know? In his latest column, Albert Breer of The MMQB spoke with one league official who suggested that the NFL’s career development advisory panel has something of a fraternity-vibe.

“It’s all full of nepotism. It’s a joke. And it starts with Charley Casserly,” the personnel man said.

Casserly rejected the idea that he, Ron Wolf, Bill Polian, Ernie Accorsi, John Madden, Tony Dungy and Carl Peterson are aiming to line up their friends with jobs, but he did acknowledge that connections help.

“It’s so different than it is with coaches,” Casserly said. “Coaches are so clearly defined. You know who calls the plays, you see them on TV, coordinators have press conferences. It’s just not like that in scouting. Are they pro? College? None of them are making big decisions. What you need is networking. It’s not politicking.”

Casserly was directly involved with the Jets’ coach and GM search process in 2015. Gang Green wound up hiring Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan – two former co-workers of Casserly’s.

Here’s more from Breer:

  • Breer identified the following executives as people who could immediately jump into a GM job somewhere: Chiefs VP of player personnel Chris Ballard, Patriots VP of player personnel Nick Caserio, Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer, Texans director of player personnel Brian Gaine, Packers director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst, Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner, Cowboys assistant director of player personnel Will McClay, Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough, Vikings assistant GM George Paton, Falcons assistant GM Scott Pioli, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, Packers director of football operations Eliot Wolf.
  • The widespread feeling in NFL circles is that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will be back in pro football eventually, even if it’s not happening right now. For his part, Harbaugh says that he is incredibly happy as the Wolverines’ coach.
  • Is Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen the next under-the-radar quarterback prospect a la Carson Wentz? It was Craig Bohl who recruited Carson Wentz to North Dakota State and he is now Allen’s coach at Wyoming. It’s hard to say whether the 6’5″, 222-pound signal caller has the same kind of talent, but his stock is rising. “He’s a big ol’ kid with a big arm, and he’s pretty athletic too,” said one AFC exec. “We gotta learn more about him, but the tools are there.” Allen, a redshirt sophomore, has plenty of time to develop.
  • Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck recently predicted that Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush will be an “incredibly high draft pick” this year. Apparently, talent evaluators do not agree. “He may get drafted late because of the [lack of] quality at the position,” said one area scout assigned to CMU. “He’s an accurate thrower with deceptive athletic ability to extend plays with his feet. Not a dynamic or explosive athlete, but good enough to avoid the rush and create at times. Average arm at best, but he’s got solid touch on intermediate and deep balls. He just lacks elite velocity.”