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Joe Looney

Cowboys Optimistic Travis Frederick’s Setback Not Season-Ending

August 23rd, 2018 at 6:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Travis Frederick‘s become one of this generation’s best centers, but he’s encountered a rare obstacle in the form of an auto-immune disease. The All-Pro Cowboys blocker revealed the diagnosis on Wednesday and is out indefinitely.

The Cowboys are pleased Frederick finally received a diagnosis for what’s been bothering him this month, Guillain-Barre disease, and Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the team is optimistic this is not a season- or career-ending setback.

“We were really so happy when it was diagnosed that this was the problem,” Jerry Jones said, via Hill. “He and we were concerned about that when we couldn’t get a diagnosis. The biggest thing we have been worried is his health, his long-term health, his individual well being as opposed to how it impacted us as a team or impacts him as a player but his well being is the most important thing.

“As it relates to football, I don’t have any definitive thing to talk about there.”

Frederick has begun taking medicine for this condition already, but he has no timetable for a return. A previous diagnosis revealed Frederick didn’t have Guillain-Barre, the sixth-year lineman merely needing rest. But once symptoms — centered around neck stingers — persisted and the accurate diagnosis emerged, per Hill.

Joe Looney has stepped in for Frederick at center. Looney’s in his third season with the Cowboys and has previously served as an interior-line backup. The Cowboys rely on their three-pronged force of 27-year-old linemen — Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith — but for the time being, Looney, also 27, will have to play with the starters. Looney made three starts last season and played in all 16 Dallas games. Hill adds Martin is an emergency option at center.

Cowboys Re-Sign OL Joe Looney

March 26th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have officially re-signed offensive lineman Joe Looney to a two-year deal, the club announced today. David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reported Sunday that Dallas was close to a new deal with Looney.

Looney is just one of three offensive linemen who are scheduled to sign with the Cowboys this week. Dallas has announced its addition of former Patriots tackle Cameron Fleming, while interior lineman Marcus Martin is also expected to land with the Cowboys. Looney, like Martin, looks like a clear backup, while Fleming could the opportunity to start at right tackle if Dallas opts to move La’el Collins to guard.

After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. The 27-year-old Looney is also used in the team’s jumbo formation as a sixth offensive lineman.

Cowboys Close To Re-Signing OL Joe Looney

March 25th, 2018 at 5:25pm CST by Micah Powell

The Cowboys have been busy recently bringing in reinforcements for the offensive line and reportedly are close to deals with former Patriots offensive tackle Cameron Fleming and former 49ers lineman Marcus Martin. 

The team is also expected to keep some of its own offensive line, as it is close to re-signing veteran Joe Looney to a deal as early as Monday, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes.

After stints with the 49ers and Titans, Looney has found a home as a reserve lineman the last two seasons in Dallas. He has appeared in all 32 games since 2016, starting three, and play both guard positions and center. Moore also notes Looney is used in the team’s jumbo formation when it replaces a tight end.

Though he is not expected to serve as a starter up front, Looney is well liked by his teammates and is viewed as a good presence in the locker room who can also serve as a versatile role in a pinch.

 

Cowboys Rumors: Hardy, Goff, Wentz

April 4th, 2016 at 7:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of Dallas:

  • Free agent defensive end Greg Hardy sat down for an interview with Adam Schefter of ESPN (video link) and claimed that he never put his hands on his alleged domestic assault victim. Hardy had another solid season as a pass rusher in 2015, recording six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 12 games for the Cowboys. However, he remains on the open market thanks to his reputation for being difficult in the locker room and the PR backlash that his signing would bring for a team.
  • The Cowboys will bring in quarterbacks Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, Christian Hackenberg, Connor Cook, and Jacoby Brissett for visits, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Hackenberg, Cook, and Brissett could be had later in the draft while Goff, Wentz, and Lynch are likely first round picks.
  • Laquon Treadwell will visit with the Cowboys tomorrow, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • Shaq Lawson‘s long anticipated visit to the Cowboys took place on Monday, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • Alabama running back Derrick Henry will visit the Cowboys this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter links) has the details on Joe Looney‘s two-year contract with Dallas. The interior lineman will get $1.675MM with a $100K signing bonus and salaries of $775K and $800K. He’ll also get a $250K play time incentive in 2016 and a $500K playtime incentive in 2017.
  • Jack Crawford‘s one-year deal will pay him $1.1MM but he can earn up to $1.6MM through incentives, Clarence Hill of The Star-Telegram tweets.

Cowboys, Joe Looney Agree To Terms

March 29th, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys may have the best group of offensive line starters in the league, and they look to have strengthened their front’s depth. A day after visiting the Cowboys, Joe Looney will sign a two-year deal with the team, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

Looney will likely fill in as the backup center/guard on game day, a slot recently vacated by Mackenzy Bernadeau after he signed with the Jaguars.

The 25-year-old Looney started 10 games the past two seasons for the 49ers and Titans, respectively. Looney filled in at guard and center for the Titans in 2015. Pro Football Focus didn’t rave about the 25-year-old’s performance in filling in for Brian Schwenke, tabbing Looney as its No. 34 center. But Looney will be backing up Pro Bowlers in Travis Frederick and Zack Martin in Dallas.

Bernadeau was active for all 32 of the Cowboys’ regular-season games the past two years and started two games. He joined Jermey Parnell in leaving Dallas for Jacksonville.

Originally a fourth-round pick of the 49ers’ in 2012, Looney did not make the team in 2015 and landed in Tennessee, where he saw action in eight games.

FA Rumors: Cowboys, J. Jones, Bills, Packers

March 28th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

After landing defensive end Benson Mayowa from the Raiders, the Cowboys remain in the market for help on the edge, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport, Dallas is bringing in veteran defensive end Jason Jones for a visit. Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link) hears from Jones that he’s flying in tonight and meeting with the team tomorrow.

It’s no surprise that the Cowboys continue to seek defensive end help, since both Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey are free agents. As for Jones, the 29-year-old has been a full-time starter in Detroit for the last two seasons, picking up a total of 9.5 sacks in his last two seasons. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 43rd out of 110 qualified edge defenders, assigning him solid grades as both as a pass rusher and a run defender.

As we wait to see whether Jones ends up landing a deal in Dallas, let’s round up several more updates on free agency…

  • In addition to meeting with Jones, the Cowboys will also host offensive lineman Joe Looney, sources tell Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Looney can play guard and center, and would be a candidate to replace Mackenzy Bernadeau as an interior depth piece in Dallas.
  • Defensive end Kroy Biermann is paying a visit to the Bills today, a source tells Conor Orr of NFL.com (Twitter link). Biermann, 30, has spent his entire eight-year NFL career as a Falcon, picking up a total of seven sacks in the past two seasons.
  • After signing Jared Cook, the Packers likely won’t do much else on the free agent market. However, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets that Green Bay has been “poking around” on running backs, including Ronnie Hillman.
  • The Cowboys have interest in safety Dashon Goldson, and Washington is also open to the free agent safety’s return, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), who expresses surprise that Goldson remains unsigned.
  • Cornerback Brandon Boykin said today that he had offers from about four other teams before he agreed to sign with the Panthers, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes that two of those offers were from the Chiefs and Falcons.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/15

October 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

Earlier today:

  • The Browns are signing linebacker Jayson DiManche off the Chiefs‘ taxi squad, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. DiManche will take the roster spot previously filled by running back Shaun Draughn, who has been waived, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound DiManche has appeared in 28 regular-season games with one start, all with the Bengals. Draughn appeared in five games this season for Cleveland with two carries for 10 yards.
  • The Falcons signed linebacker Philip Wheeler and released safety Charles Godfrey, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Lions have claimed guard/tackle Michael Ola off waivers from the Chargers, as Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets. Ola has yo-yo’d between the Chargers’ 53-man roster and the taxi squad all season long.
  • The Colts promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad, as Stephen Holder of the Indy Star tweets. The Colts also cut Amarlo Herrera and cornerback Shaun Prater, Wilson tweets.
  • The Seahawks signed Lemuel Jeanpierre and cut Crezdon Butler, as Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets.
  • The Seahawks also placed linebacker Brock Coyle on IR-DTR, Gregg Bell of The News Tribune tweets.
  • The Chargers will sign safety Adrian Phillips from the practice squad as early as today, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego tweets.
  • The Raiders re-signed strong safety Taylor Mays, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints have signed wide receiver T.J. Graham, according to a source who spoke with Wilson (Twitter link).
  • The Vikings signed Kenrick Ellis and placed Shamar Stephen on IR, Wilson tweets.
  • The Jaguars moved wide receiver Neal Sterling to the active roster and signed safety Craig Loston, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

Workout Notes: Bears, Broncos, Packers

October 7th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a roundup of today’s auditions from around the NFL. All links go to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle on Twitter), unless noted otherwise..

NFC East Notes: JPP, Cowboys, Washington

October 6th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

When Jason Pierre-Paul reported to the Giants shortly before the regular season got underway, he and his camp expressed confidence that he’d be ready to play soon, perhaps even as early as Week 1. The Giants, of course, didn’t see it that way, and JPP returned home to work on getting his injured hand healthy enough to play before the end of 2015.

So when do the Giants expect Pierre-Paul to be ready? According to Bob Glauber of Newsday, the club is hopeful that the veteran defensive end will be back for the final four games of the season, or perhaps even longer. However, the Giants are optimistic about seeing JPP back on the field down the stretch, a source tells Glauber that it’s “still possible he doesn’t come back [this year].”

As we wait to see how Pierre-Paul’s recovery progresses, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC East…

  • Lance Dunbar‘s season-ending injury will be a significant blow for the Cowboys‘ backfield, but Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that the team isn’t planning on bringing in another free agent running back. Werder hints that Christine Michael, acquired last month via trade, could take on a bigger role in Dunbar’s absence.
  • Former 49ers guard Joe Looney was among the players to work out for Washington this week, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets that ex-Ravens wideout Daniel Brown and tight end D.J. Williams also tried out for the team. Washington let Williams go with an injury settlement about a month ago, so he wouldn’t be eligible to rejoin the team for at least a couple more weeks.
  • While Chip Kelly won’t admit it, the Eagles head coach has to recognize that the lack of talent on his offensive line is killing his run schemes, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Having cut Evan Mathis in the offseason, Kelly insists that there’s no lesson to be learned there: “If we didn’t renegotiate [Mathis’ contract], we weren’t getting him back.” Still, it’s fair to be skeptical of that assertion, considering Mathis was under contract and likely wouldn’t have extended a holdout into the regular season like Kam Chancellor did.

Workout Notes: Jets, Brown, Chargers, Lions

September 29th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets auditioned running back Bryce Brown on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was unable to stick with the Bills in 2015. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a grand total of 126 yards off of 36 carries.

Here’s a rundown of other notable workouts from around the NFL..

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