Dallas, TX
We close our Cowboys position breakdown series with special teams
The Position Breakdown Series is taking every position group for the Dallas Cowboys and looking at the players, their rankings, contract numbers and predicting the upcoming season for each player.
This edition is looking at the specialists for Dallas, so let’s get straight to it.
K1
Tristan Vizcaino #16
Age: 26
Experience: 2 years
College: Washington Huskies
2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $940,000 (0.4% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $0
Base Salary- $940,000
Signing Bonus- $0
K2
Brandon Aubrey #6
Age: 28
Experience: Rookie
College: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $750,000 (0.3% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $0
Base Salary- $750,000
Signing Bonus- $0
2023 Projection:
Tom – Well, this is the camp battle for now. Vizcaino is very inexperienced, but Aubrey’s only experience since high school was in the USFL. He played soccer in college for Notre Dame, giving him a unique path to be on the Dallas roster. You can read the full story here. His time with the Birmingham Stallions was good, and this looks like a competition to watch. But there may well be other kickers brought in, repeating the competition last season. Brett Maher did not win the job until the end of camp last year. Stay tuned!
Mike – The most important thing to do when you have an unknown with your kicker is to bring another to create a competition. Kicking is all about dealing with pressure and remaining focused, and having a guy in camp pressing you to do better is a nice way to get the best out of them. My guess is if both kickers are looking off-target or not making kicks with consistency, then wait for a third kicker to come in, more than likely a veteran.
Punter
Bryan Anger #5
Age: 34
Experience: 12 years
College: California Golden Bears
2022 Stats:
Snaps: 169
Punt Attempts: 76
Punt Yards: 3,667
Yards Per Punt: 48.3
Inside 20: 29
Touchbacks: 7
Fair Catches: 25
Penalties: 3
2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $3,000,000 (1.3% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $2,800,000
Base Salary- $2,200,000
Signing Bonus- $800,000
2023 Projection:
Tom – It’s nice to have this one all locked up. Anger is very reliable both at kicking from deep and pinning the other team inside the 20.
Mike – Last year, Anger was top-10 in punt yards (3,667), yards per punt (48.3), fair catches (25) and his 83-yard punt was the longest by any punter. He’s a solid punter and what he does by pinning teams back or forcing the opposition into long drives is very important. Expect much the same this year.
LS
Trent Sieg #47
2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $1,092,500 (0.5% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $402,500
Base Salary- $1,080,000
Signing Bonus- $152,500
2023 Projection:
Tom – A new face, he has a good résumé and should be fine.
Mike – Jake McQuaide and Matt Overton became free agents after the season ended, that meant the Cowboys needed a long snapper. The Las Vegas Raiders fans weren’t too happy about the team not retaining Sieg, that’s a positive sign about a player. He fills a much needed empty space on the roster, so he’s a pretty valuable and important signing for Dallas that went with very little coverage.
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Final thoughts on the overall roster
Biggest Overall Roster Position Concern:
Tom – It has to be the offensive line overall, because both the projected starting tackles, Tyron Smith and Terence Steele, are coming off injury, and it appears the plan is to move Tyler Smith from guard to tackle if one of them has issues. The depth behind the projected starters is very uncertain. It’s going to be a worry all year.
Mike – The tight end position. There’s a lot of unknowns with the position and whether players are ready to step up and take on more snaps, and with that comes more pressure. Very rarely do rookie tight ends explode on the scene as they take time to come to fruition. That doesn’t mean they aren’t talented. The way Dak likes to filter targets to his tight end players means they are an important group to him, and if this year’s group is failing to come up with the goods, then this could be the setback Dak wasn’t hoping for.
Most Confident Position:
Tom – Defensive end/EDGE. Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and rookie Viliami Fehoko. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! With a reinforced defensive tackle group (hoping for a strong rookie year from Mazi Smith, of course) it is going to be hard to stop this pass rush. You have to love it!
Mike – In total agreement here with Tom. The pass rushers for Dallas looking from top to bottom is maybe the best in the league. The only thing that concerns me is that the group is so deep and talented that the front office might use one or two edge players in a trade and diminish such a strong position.
Most Underrated Player:
Tom – I am torn between Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch. The team obviously thinks enough of Wilson to have re-signed him, but I still think most people don’t think of his impact as the enforcer of the defense. It is his steps that receivers are listening for. I’ll go with him.
Mike – For me this is Malik Hooker. He keeps everything in front of him and is always around the ball or receiver. He limits the deep ball and allows the defensive line time to get to the quarterbacks. His injury history got him cut, but that talent we saw from while at Ohio State is undeniable. One of the best signings the Cowboys have made in recent years at a position this team never put much stock in.
Breakout Watch:
Tom – I’m going to shade this a bit as the player I would most like to breakout and choose Jalen Tolbert. Micheal Gallup is another player with some injury concerns, never looking 100% last year, and WR4 is usually called on to start at some point in the season. If Tolbert can claim that job with his performance, it would greatly solidify a receiver group that has already been boosted by the addition of Brandin Cooks.
Mike – This one has come up a few times now and I answer it always the same way, Sam Williams. On limited snaps last year he was impressive and put up solid production. Giving the guy more snaps and more opportunities will only result in even bigger numbers. With DeMarcus Lawrence getting older the team needs it’s next prodigy for the position and it could be Williams. Very exciting times.
Most Worrying Player:
Tom – I’m going to hold my breath on every snap Tyron Smith takes. I believe he is a future Hall of Famer, but his body has taken a beating over his now lengthy career, always missing some games for years now. And with the depth concerns, it just seems inevitable someone is going to have to fill in for him.
Mike – Staying with the defensive theme on my answers I will say Neville Gallimore. He was graded as one of the worst defensive tackles last year and since he’s been in Dallas he’s struggled. His saving grace has been how the team has utilized him, so maybe if they change his role that could turn results. But I fear this year is his last year, especially if we see another season with a lack of production from him.
A curious thing happened last year as worried Dallas voters passed a charter amendment pushing for the hiring of more police officers. The city’s violent crime rate dropped.
And not by just a little. According to year-end data briefed before a Dallas City Council committee this week, overall violent crime in 2024 was down 8.26% from 2023. Murders decreased 26.2%.
That’s an astounding improvement from the year before, when killings were up nearly 15%.So why do so many people in Dallas still feel unsafe?
Dallas voters in November approved Proposition U requiring, in part, that the city spend half of its excess revenue maintaining a police force of at least 4,000 — an increase of around 900 officers. Dallas Hero, the nonprofit that backed the proposition, cited violent crime. Police and city officials understandably balked, pointing to fiscal constraints and challenges recruiting officers.
Public perceptions about crime can’t be brushed aside. The city must do a better job of making all residents feel safe, even those who are victims of low-level crimes. For example, scarce traffic enforcement leaves Dallasites across the city feeling vulnerable.
But our police department has done a remarkable job with violent crime, which has steadily dropped in Dallas in the last three years since police implemented their Violent Crime Reduction Plan. The data-driven approach targets high-crime areas called hot spots, identifying apartment complexes and other places repeatedly at the center of crime. The plan’s “focused deterrence” element identifies particular criminal suspects or potential criminals and offers them pathways to better lives.
This grid approach has paid off again in 2024, according to data top brass delivered to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee this week. In addition to murders, aggravated assaults decreased 7.7% and personal robberies were down 5%. The only significant increase in violent crime was in business robberies, which rose 4%.
Dallas police are particularly proud of their focused deterrence efforts, which include other agencies and nonprofits. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told us that members of his staff are “part of the team that knocks on doors and engages with these individuals and their families and pairs them with services that reduce the likelihood of them committing violent crimes.” That’s the kind of grassroots crime-fighting measure that makes a difference.
Also during the crime briefing, city staff members indicated that, based on their review of recent budget allocations, they are “confident that these investments align with the priorities of City of Dallas residents as expressed in the November election,” according to a memo.
Dallas Hero apparently disagrees; the next day it sent a letter to the city demanding compliance with Proposition U.
With those battle lines drawn, we’ll watch for a fight to play out at City Hall in coming weeks and months. Dallas must address the concerns of residents all over the city, not just in high-crime areas. The main challenge of our next police chief will be maintaining the decline in violent crime while improving police visibility across the city.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is exploring options for a new head coach following the departure of Mike McCarthy, and one name generating buzz is franchise legend Jason Witten. Known as the best tight end in Cowboys history, Witten has long been a favorite of Jones and is being considered for the high-profile role.
McCarthy and the Cowboys parted ways after five seasons, ending a tenure that included three consecutive 12-5 records but just one playoff win. The coaching search is officially underway, and Witten’s name has surfaced alongside other contenders.
Witten, an 11-time Pro Bowler and the franchise leader in games starts, receptions, and receiving yards, has deep ties to Dallas. While his coaching experience is limited to leading a private high school team to a state championship, his leadership qualities and familiarity with the organization make him a compelling, albeit unconventional, option.
If hired, Witten would follow a path similar to Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, another former Cowboys tight end. Campbell transitioned to the NFL coaching ranks after years of assistant coaching experience, a step Witten has yet to take. However, Jones has a history of making bold decisions, and Witten’s intimate understanding of the Cowboys’ culture could give him an edge.
While some question whether Witten’s high school coaching background is sufficient preparation for the NFL, Jones values loyalty and passion for the franchise, qualities Witten embodies. His connection with the Cowboys and leadership on and off the field could make him an intriguing choice to guide the team into its next chapter.
Jones’ next coach will be his ninth. The first four were first-time NFL head coaches, starting with Jimmy Johnson when Jones bought the team in 1989. The former University of Miami coach won back-to-back Super Bowls before an acrimonious split with Jones, his college teammate at Arkansas.
Three of Jones’ past four hires had NFL head coaching experience, including Super Bowl winners Bill Parcells and McCarthy. The exception was former Dallas quarterback Jason Garrett, the longest-tenured coach under Jones at nine-plus seasons.
The Cowboys have yet to release updates on the search, but Jason Witten remains a name to watch as the process unfolds.
About four minutes into the Dallas Mavericks’ recent contest against the Denver Nuggets, starting center Dereck Lively left the contest with an ankle injury.
Evidently, the Mavericks are already dealing with massive injuries to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Those two superstars lead the team and Lively is right up there as one of the more impactful players on the team.
However, just one day after the injury, Lively has already gotten X-ray updates back on his sprained right ankle, and it’s a bit of a relief for Mavericks fans. Chris Haynes provided the recent update.
“Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II received an X-ray on his sprained right ankle and results were negative. No timeline established as of now,” Haynes reported.
Sources: Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II received an X-ray on his sprained right ankle and results were negative. No timeline established as of now.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 15, 2025
The Mavericks are struggling to stay healthy, though doing so by April is the main goal and it’s just January. Lively has had issues remaining on the hardwood for the club in his inaugural two seasons, and it’s leaving some fans concerned.
READ MORE: Latest Timeline for Luka Doncic’s Return to Dallas Mavericks Revealed
Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
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