The Dallas Cowboys were one of the most quiet teams during the free agency, much to the chagrin of fans. Cap room could be a big issue as to why owner Jerry Jones did not make any significant moves to improve the team’s roster. However, it appears the team is not done searching for potential playmakers, as the team has brought in multiple free agents for workouts.

Read more: Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Reportedly ‘Fed Up’ With Jerry Jones

According to the team’s website, the Cowboys brought in four former UFL (United Football League) players for a workout at The Star on Tuesday.

Defensive end Jonathan Garvin, defensive end Wyatt Ray, defensive end Derick Roberson, and running back/fullback John Lovett all arrived to showcase their skillset to coaches ahead of training camp.

Garvin was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2020 and played three seasons with the team, racking up 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was cut by the team in 2023, leading to his signing with the Birmingham Stallions. In his first season in the UFL, he recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Ray was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019 but would be waived during rookie training camp. He spent time with the Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos before landing with the San Antonio Brahmas in 2024. During his first season with the team, he logged 24 tackles and 5.5 sacks.

Roberson was signed by the Titans in 2019 as an undrafted free agent, spending three seasons with the team. During his three-year stint, he secured 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He would be drafted in the XFL Supplemental Draft to the Houston Roughnecks in 2023 but was eventually released in Dec. 2023. He would land with the DC Defenders in 2024, finishing the season with 32 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

Lovett was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent but was cut during rookie training camp. He would eventually land with the UFL San Antonio Brahmas, where he ran for 423 yards (fifth in the league) and scored five touchdowns (second in the league).

Though the Cowboys already have Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, it wouldn’t be terrible to add some depth players at the pass rush position. The team also brought back running back Ezekiel Elliott, but there is no true fullback on the current roster, making Lovett a good option should he make the 53-man roster.

The Cowboys are doing their due diligence, as are the rest of the 31 teams in the NFL. The UFL had its first inaugural season, leading many former NFL players to suit up in hopes of returning to the NFL.

Veteran guard Odyssey Sims signed a hardship contract with the Dallas Wings, the team announced Tuesday.

A hardship exception is a replacement contract eligible to any team with two players out due to injury, illness, or other conditions. Sims replaces Morgan Bertsch, who previously signed following forward Maddy Siegrist’s injury last week (finger) but was released on Monday.

The Irving-native rejoins her hometown team, as the Wings look to breathe new life into their losing season. Sims, 31, played for the Wings in three previous stints, including when the team was formerly in Tulsa.

Dallas sits at the bottom of the league on an 11-game losing streak, without a win since May 26.

Sims played 28 games with the Wings last season. She joined the team via a hardship exception, before signing a rest-of-season contract on June 28, 2023. She averaged 12.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.

She began playing in Dallas in 2016 after the Tulsa Shock moved their franchise and became the Wings at the end of 2015. She appeared in 34 games, averaging 14 points and nearly four assists.

The 5-8 guard brings a decorated 11-year professional career to the losing team.

Since being drafted second overall in the 2014 WNBA draft, Sims has averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. She was a member of the 2014 All-Rookie team while on the Tulsa Shock, was named a 2019 All-Star and made All-WNBA Second Team while on the Minnesota Lynx.

She also brings much-needed winning experience in her home state.

At Irving MacArthur, Sims led her team to the state semifinals her senior year. She was rated the top point guard in the class of 2010 and had her jersey retired. At Baylor, she was a member of the 2012 national championship team, finishing the season with a perfect 40-0 record.

The veteran was also a part of the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2017 and the Connecticut Sun’s 2022 WNBA finalist teams.

Sims will make her debut on Thursday, as the Wings look to reverse their luck against Minnesota.

Find more WNBA coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Dallas roads are getting more congested, according to a new traffic study.

Transportation data and analytics company INRIX studied hundreds of cities around the world and found that post-COVID, traffic patterns are still adjusting, with a new midday rush hour and different peak travel times.

Traffic in Dallas has increased 12% compared to before the pandemic, according to the company’s 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard. The report ranked Dallas as the 17th most congested city in the country.

Long-distance commuting has surged across the country after the pandemic, according to a study by Stanford University researchers. On average, people who work in Dallas have added 35 miles per trip to their commutes. “Super commuting” more than 75 miles to work has increased 29% post-pandemic, the study found.

Bob Pishue, the traffic scorecard’s author and a transportation data analyst at INRIX, said Dallas doesn’t have as much traffic as other large metros, despite its large size. Toll roads and public-private partnerships give the city more ways to address transportation issues to alleviate traffic.

“Texas is always looking at interesting ways to finance and deliver infrastructure, and that is not that common in other states or areas,” Pishue said. “Dallas isn’t afraid to build.”

While the city isn’t at the top of the country’s most congested cities, Dallas drivers still face busy roads every day.

“If you’re sitting in it, it sucks,” Pishue said. “[But] for its size, it does pretty well in terms of traffic congestion and delay.”

The average driver in Dallas lost 38 hours due to congestion in 2023, a six-hour increase from 2022, costing $658 in wasted time. This was slightly below the national average of 42 hours. The value of time lost in traffic was based on the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s 2016 guidance, which puts one hour in traffic at $17.45 after adjusting for inflation. The value takes into account a population’s average hourly income, demographics, mode of transportation, purpose of travel, distance and other factors.

Dallas’ US-80 Eastbound from I-635 to FM 548 in Forney was the 11th most congested corridor in the country, with drivers losing 66 hours due to traffic on that corridor alone. Its peak congestion is reported around 5 p.m., the study found. The Texas Department of Transportation is in the process of expanding that route from two to three lanes in each direction as the Kaufman County city ranks among the fastest growing in the country.

I-30 Westbound from St. Francis Avenue to I-345 is the city’s second busiest corridor, with an average delay of 34 hours annually for Dallas drivers. Third was North Walton Walker Blvd.

The company has published an annual report on traffic patterns for more than 15 years. The scorecard looks at nearly 1,000 cities across 37 countries to see how traffic is changing and uses anonymized data from trucking fleets, delivery vehicles, passenger vehicles, mobile apps and more.

The pandemic changed traffic patterns, but congestion is ramping back up as people return to offices. Still, Pishue sees a “new normal” on the roads. Dallas is one of many American cities experiencing a new mid-day traffic rush as work schedules are more flexible and many people work from home.

INRIX found a 23% increase in mid-day trips in the U.S. compared to before the pandemic. Almost as many trips are made nationwide at noon as at 5 p.m., the report said. Work hours and changes to the traditional workday have also affected traffic patterns. Across the country, the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. each saw a higher volume of trips than 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Another change has occurred in downtown trips. In Dallas, Pishue said the downtown holds only about 2% of the region’s jobs, and the pandemic deemphasized, to different degrees, downtown areas across the country as economic centers. But in 2023, the city’s downtown trip volume was up 3% and the average speed for drivers downtown was 16 mph.

The scorecard put New York City as the most congested city in the world, followed by Mexico City and London. According to the report, traffic congestion shows economic growth but also means lost time and money for commuters.

The report helps cities identify problems in transportation systems and address issues relating to traffic patterns, Pishue said.

“Those that do it best, at least right now, are looking at these post-COVID travel patterns and adjusting,” Pishue said. “That’s what it’s about, is being able to adjust more frequently.”

Dallas drivers are putting in more miles to get to work, study finds

Workday commutes have increased 35 miles following the COVID-19 pandemic.

As DART looks to extend Joppa Rides program, usage remains low among residents

Dart is proposing the expansion of a program that uses Uber to provide rides for residents of the Joppa community. The extension would give more time for a planned pedestrian bridge to be finished.

Advertisement

BNSF Railway ordered to pay tribe nearly $400 million for trespassing with oil trains

Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway must pay nearly $400 million to a Native American tribe in Washington state, a federal judge ordered Monday after finding that the company intentionally trespassed when it repeatedly ran 100-car trains carrying crude oil across the tribe’s reservation.