FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys fly to Oxnard, California, on July 25 to open coaching camp, hoping to turn into the primary repeat champion within the NFC East because the 2003-04 Philadelphia Eagles, but additionally to take it additional than a wild-card loss within the playoffs.
To get there, the Cowboys will want their greatest gamers — similar to QB Dak Prescott, LB Micah Parsons, OT Tyron Smith, OG Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, CB Trevon Diggs, RB Ezekiel Elliott and WR CeeDee Lamb — to play like stars. Depth will likely be a problem, as it’s for many groups. So will accidents. The Cowboys may even want their position gamers, rookies and newcomers to do extra than simply take a spot on the roster.
Here is a 53-man roster projection.
QUARTERBACK (2): Prescott, Cooper Rush
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Prescott is 100% again from the ankle harm and appears leaner than he ever has. Rush gained an necessary sport a yr in the past in Minnesota, however Will Grier may work his means into the combination with strong work within the preseason.
RUNNING BACK (3): Elliott, Tony Pollard, Malik Davis
Elliott and Pollard are set, however do not count on an enormous distinction in how they’re used within the working sport. If wholesome, Elliott continues to be the lead again by a mile. However Pollard will likely be used extra in a receiver position, which ought to make him a viable fantasy pickup. Davis will get the nod over Rico Dowdle, who was saved off the sector within the spring due to knee surgical procedure. If wholesome, Dowdle may win the job.
FULLBACK (1): Ryan Nall
The Cowboys did not preserve a fullback for many of final season and have tight ends who can transfer into the backfield, however Nall has some particular groups expertise and was utilized in particular conditions within the spring.
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WIDE RECEIVER (6): Lamb, Michael Gallup, James Washington, Jalen Tolbert, Noah Brown, T.J. Vasher
Gallup may not be prepared for Week 1, however he must be prepared someday in September, so he will get a spot on the 53 as an alternative of opening the yr on the bodily unable to carry out record. All eyes will likely be on Lamb as he ascends to the No. 1 position with Amari Cooper’s departure. Washington, Tolbert and Brown will likely be counted on early to make performs for Prescott. Vasher had some eye-popping moments within the spring, however the ultimate spot may come right down to particular groups, which may give undrafted Dennis Houston an opportunity.
TIGHT END (4): Dalton Schultz, Sean McKeon, Jake Ferguson, Jeremy Sprinkle
Schultz has 141 catches the final two seasons and appears like he’ll play the season on the $10.9 million franchise tag, which ends up in questions on whether or not he will likely be again in 2023. Final yr, McKeon was one of many surprises of coaching camp however a excessive ankle sprain restricted his effectiveness within the common season. Ferguson, a fourth-round decide, is perhaps the tight finish of the longer term. Sprinkle is a strong veteran choice, particularly with how the Cowboys depend on a number of tight finish seems.
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OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Martin, Terence Steele, Connor McGovern, Matt Farniok, Matt Waletzko, Josh Ball
Tyler Smith, their 2022 first-round decide, will open camp in a contest with McGovern for the left guard spot. Steele takes over for La’el Collins at proper deal with. Tyron Smith has not performed a full season since 2015 due to accidents, however the plan for now could be to bypass a veteran backup deal with for both Tyler Smith, Ball or Waletzko as they enter camp. No group will likely be watched greater than the road since its success will go a good distance towards shaping the season.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Lawrence, Neville Gallimore, Osa Odighizuwa, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr., Carlos Watkins, Sam Williams, John Ridgeway, Quinton Bohanna
The Cowboys imagine the trio of Armstrong, Fowler and Williams will likely be sufficient to exchange the manufacturing of Randy Gregory, who signed with the Denver Broncos. A wholesome Lawrence is a good increase to the protection, whereas Gallimore and Odighizuwa might be energetic within the center. The ultimate spot got here right down to Trysten Hill, a second-round decide in 2019, and Bohanna. The sting went to Bohanna for his dimension (6-foot-4, 360 kilos), however he will likely be pushed by Ridgeway on the nostril deal with spot. Does it make sense to maintain two nostril tackles? Maybe Hill could possibly be commerce materials later in the summertime.
This projection is predicated on the idea that Cox, who’s getting back from a proper torn ACL, will likely be prepared for Week 1. If not, then the Cowboys have to seek out some assist — and may want a low-cost veteran anyway. Parsons would be the cornerstone of the protection in his second season. Vander Esch ended final yr on a excessive word and the coaches love the work he put in throughout the offseason. Rookie Damone Clark (neck) will open the yr on the non-football harm record.
That is as deep because the Cowboys have been at nook in a while. Diggs is coming off an 11-pick season. Brown is regular. Lewis is greater than succesful within the slot. Joseph’s attainable connection to a Dallas murder case has him below potential authorized and NFL penalties that would impression his spot on the roster. Relying on the result, the Cowboys may go together with one other security over a nook.
SAFETY (4): Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Markquese Bell
Kearse led the Cowboys in tackles (101) a yr in the past, blossoming in a hybrid security/linebacker position. Hooker is 2 years faraway from an Achilles tear and has an opportunity to be a difference-maker. Wilson can begin as nicely, whereas Bell acquired the ultimate spot over final yr’s draft decide Israel Mukuamu. The Cowboys assured $200,000 of Bell’s wage as an undrafted free agent.
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SPECIALIST (4) Jonathan Garibay, Bryan Anger, Jake McQuaide, C.J. Goodwin.
Anger is coming off his first Professional Bowl season, and McQuaide is a gentle snapper. Goodwin is among the many greatest punt and kick cowl males within the NFL. Kicker is the primary query with Garibay, an undrafted free agent from Texas Tech, having the within observe in the mean time. The Cowboys will look so as to add competitors for coaching camp, however the kickers out there have as many questions because the untested Garibay.
During the first quarter on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb set an impressive bit of NFL history.
By recording his fourth reception in the game (CeeDee got a lot of work early if that is not obvious) Lamb recorded four receptions for the 44th consecutive game. That is the longest streak in NFL history, according to the Cowboys’ public relations team.
CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree) has recorded four receptions in the first quarter. Lamb has recorded at least four receptions in 44 consecutive games, surpassing Michael Thomas for the longest such streak in NFL history.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) November 24, 2024
Lamb surpassed former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to set the record all to himself. The impressive thing about a streak like this is that it crosses over multiple seasons and in CeeDee’s case even multiple quarterbacks.
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Obviously this season has been a bit tough for the Cowboys, but seeing CeeDee continually perform is a bright spot throughout it all. Kudos and congratulations to him, hopefully there is a lot more history on the way for him and the team in sunnier days.
In August, when the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System filed a lawsuit against City Hall, we winced in concern.
The difference boiled down to which entity, the city or the pension board, had the authority to send a plan to the Texas Legislature to get the badly underfunded system back on track.
Well, the pension system won that fight in district court in Travis County. The plan it has crafted would offer substantially more funding to the pension system, with cost-of-living increases and a reduction in employee contributions in later years.
The city could drag this through an appeal, but as things stand, the pension system’s plan would become the required funding formula.
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Most readers know the pension system is underfunded by more than $3 billion. The difference here boils down to how much additional money the city will contribute per year to get us back on track. Under the pension system’s plan, it would be millions more per year.
But this is a wholly negotiable matter. Two sides have different figures in mind. The sides need to hash out those differences in a way that ensures the city is aligned with a 2017 state law that was passed for the express purpose of getting this pension funded.
There are serious people on both sides. What we need now is a leader at City Hall who has the standing to get this done. Normally, that would be the mayor, but our mayor hasn’t been doing the hard work at City Hall for a long time and we don’t expect him to start now. It could be the city manager, but that job is in the hands of an interim manager now.
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Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins has been doing the heavy lifting for the city, but whether he can lead the city’s side in negotiations is unclear.
All we know is that there is an opportunity for a solution that gets this thing out of court and a solid plan to the Legislature that, yes, includes sacrifices but that also stops the drumbeat about this important public benefit.
Someone needs to get on the phone, book a conference room, order some takeout and work the spreadsheets. There is time, but the clock is ticking.
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Something I have come to realize is that if you are a Dallas Cowboys fan around the age of 40 (a little room for flexibility at the top) or younger, you have only gotten the bad in this. Your friends, family, co-workers, etc. all tease you and mock you when your team loses and for the majority of your life, for all of your adult life, that has been the case.
You get the treatment that fans of the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Yankees get in terms of meme-ability but without any sort of hardware to make crawling through the mud worth it. Consider that each of those teams are dealing with droughts of their own, the youngest of which was born when Dallas’ was already 14 years old.
It is for this reason that when CeeDee Lamb said following Monday night’s loss that teams are looking to “embarrass” the Cowboys that I found it interesting. I’m not here to act like playing the Cowboys “is so and so’s Super Bowl”, but I do put some stock into the idea that opposing teams smell blood in the water so to speak and know that a domination against America’s Team lives a little bit louder than most. Consider all the fanfare that the New Orleans Saints picked up earlier this season as a recent example.
These are just my two cents though so I was curious how someone who has actually been in those shoes/cleats feels about the whole thing. Thankfully I had an opportunity to talk to former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz earlier this week and asked him about the idea among other things.
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You can watch our conversation here:
Cruz’s Giants team won the Super Bowl 13 years ago when Dallas’ drought was already 16 years old (I’d imagine Jerry Jones bought them a brand new Mercedes for the occasion). They famously defeated the Cowboys in an NFC East title game in Week 17 at MetLife Stadium, the first of three in a row that Dallas would lose to each of their division rivals. I lived those three years like every one of you and still cannot believe that they actually happened in that exact way.
The Murphy’s Law of who the Cowboys are speaks for itself in that what can go wrong will and while Cruz didn’t exactly agree with that particular sentiment, he did note that playing the Cowboys comes with a little bit of extra motivation. He added that playing for the Giants brings with it a big stage in and of itself, an objectively true statement, and said the right things about how you want to embarrass anybody you play because it’s the NFL.
Whatever the case you can add Cruz to people who at least partially share the sentiment that CeeDee Lamb offered on Monday night. The whole thing is depressing and it is hard to know when it will end.
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Cruz and I discussed a variety of things, including his recent partnership with Captain Morgan and a particularly sweet new crewneck.
Starting November 22, limited quantities of the Captain Morgan Crewneck will drop on KidSuper.com. Miss the drop? You’re in luck – Captain Morgan is unlocking access for fans 21+ to score the coolest merch of the season. Head over to FollowTheCaptain.com, and while you’re there, dive into a world of hidden clues and surprises, because you never know what Captain Morgan has in store as we gear up for Super Bowl LIX.
Our thanks to Victor Cruz and Captain Morgan for the time.
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