Dallas Cowboys 2018 offseason thread

Viper · June 13, 2018

Jaylon Smith update from Todd Archer:

http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4766750/cowboys-jaylon-smith-in-race-to-100-percent-without-brace

Quote

FRISCO, Texas -- Jaylon Smith does not know where the brace is. It could be somewhere in the Dallas Cowboys’ equipment room or maybe somewhere in the athletic trainers’ offices.

He just knows he no longer needs the ankle-foot orthosis that he wore all of last season. The brace would help the drop-foot condition that developed from the nerve damage he suffered in a serious knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame.

Whenever he was on the practice field for anything more than a walk-through, he had the AFO and the necessary heavy-tape job to wrap his lower left leg.

When he returned for workouts at The Star in February, Smith, in consultation with director of rehabilitation Britt Brown, ditched the brace. The regeneration of the nerve allowed him to raise his foot more than he was able to a year ago. The strength has continued to return.

He went through nine organized team activities without the brace. He will go through three days of the mandatory minicamp that starts Tuesday without one. The plan is to go without it during training camp and the season.

“That’s just something that’s all about God’s time,” Smith said. “It’s going to continue to get better. That race to 100 percent, it’s out of my hand. It’s out of everyone’s hands. We’re just going to continue to ride and I’m excited about it.”

The brace was a reminder to Smith of the steps he had to make in his return. While he knew the brace was required, it was also limiting at times.

“I don’t have to worry about my foot wearing the brace at the end of practice every day,” Smith said. “It was more annoying than kind of damaging.”

And now?

“I feel more free being able to move truly, if you will," he said.

A year ago, Smith was a mix of mystery and curiosity after he missed the 2016 season because of the torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments in his left knee. The ligaments were not the issue in 2017; the foot was.

He played in every game and the Cowboys’ coaches credited him with 99 tackles, but there was a hitch in his movement. The coaches felt they overburdened him early in the season after injuries to Anthony Hitchens and Sean Lee. They felt he was better when kept on something of a snap count of about 25 to 30 per game.

Smith also had to reacquaint himself with the game after so much time off.

“A lot of it just had to do with kind of understanding the scheme and being able to play as fast as I needed to be able to,” Smith said. “It’s something that this year I’ll be able to do at an even higher level. For one, being in the system, and for two, getting healthier.”

There is still some mystery to Smith as 2018 approaches.

The Cowboys drafted Leighton Vander Esch in the first round with the idea of him playing middle linebacker. So far in the offseason, Smith has taken all of the snaps at middle linebacker with the first team, although the idea of him playing strongside linebacker and also serving as a situational pass-rusher have been floated.

In last week’s OTA that was open to the media, running backs coach Gary Brown got on Smith for being all over the field, filling the run and closing on a dump pass to Ezekiel Elliott, and giving the offense problems.

“I think maybe more than anything else, I think he’s moving more spontaneously now,” coach Jason Garrett said. “You see him maybe get in a compromising position and react his way out of it physically, maybe better than he had before.

"That’s not unique to him. Typically, when guys are coming back from injuries, that’s the final step for them to get back to where they are. Because you get in a lot of different positions when you’re playing football. You’re going against guys. You’re trying to get off of blocks. You have to adjust, redirect. When you’re healthy and ready to go, those things come more naturally. I think you’re seeing a lot more of that from him.”

Smith said he added 8 pounds of muscle in the offseason and his body fat is 3.5 percent. He added yoga to his offseason workouts back in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and continued with it once he got back to Frisco.

“I was curious,” Smith said. “I’m a Gemini, so I’m very observant, and I just thought, ‘Hey, why don’t I try to kind of work on my flexibility more and learning how to breathe and learning how to really focus.’”

Maybe the yoga helped him ditch the brace. As much as the brace was a part of Smith’s story last season, he knows it will always be part of his story.

“I’m going to hold on to it for my documentary,” Smith said. “Coming soon.”

Vic Mackey · June 13, 2018

I keep forgetting about Gregory. He can definitely add some depth up front if he can play. He has the raw talent. Not sure how polished he is at this point though with all that time off from game action.

Viper · June 13, 2018

I see him as a lot like Jaylon Smith last year in that last year was Smith's real rookie season so we probably shouldn't expect much. Now where there is some optimism is that LB is much harder to play than a situational DE. I would expect Gregory to mainly play on passing downs and only have to worry about rushing the passer.

EvilCaseMcCoy · June 13, 2018

I said this a while back. It may be the first year we truly get a look at all those bust 2nd round picks. Let's see if they pay dividends.

Vic Mackey · June 13, 2018

On 6/12/2018 at 9:13 AM, Mileslong said:

you have to have a great OL if you are going to run the Dallas offense. the only way you can win with an average OL is if you have a Brady that can get rid of the ball quickly and an offense that features a quick passing game...

we have seen at UT how hard it is to run any kind of offense with a bad OL, i applaud the cowboys for this move with martin...

I tend to agree but then you see teams like Minnesota and Jax able to get one game away from the Super Bowl and they spend much less on the OL than we do. And they don't run offenses like Brady.

I read we are now spending 26% of our salary on the OL. And most of it is in 3 guys. Minnesota and Jax spend less than 15%. And Zeke/Dak contracts will be up in the next few years. This means we have less resources to spend for the defense, which has been our achilles heel forever.

I still think its the right move from our perspective but it is a big gamble.

Vic Mackey · June 13, 2018

This is refreshing to hear and also frustrating. But not surprised. The route tree was non existent in this offense. It was basically just beat your man one on one. Dez being the main culprit. Seems like we could actually see guys running very crisp routes and therefore a more efficient offense. Excited to see if it pans out on the field and not just feel good quotes. But it is definitely a step in the right direction just to hear a player speak on it on record.

Vic Mackey · June 13, 2018

Quote

FRISCO -- Cole Beasley acknowledged Tuesday that the 2017 season was "very frustrating" for him.

A year after having the best season of his career, the veteran receiver turned in one of his worst. His receptions total dipped from 75 to 36. His receiving yards went from 833 to 314.

Entering his seventh season, Beasley is confident he'll have a bounce-back year.

"I don't see why not," he said. "I've been working as hard as ever. I think last season was a good thing for all of us. It added like a hunger to our group. A lot of people pushed us to the side this offseason and they're sleeping on us, but that gives us a chance to prove a lot of people wrong."

With Dez Bryant no longer on the roster, Beasley could see more opportunities on the outside. While most of his success has come from the slot position, the former SMU standout has been working more on the outside in practice, something he started to do last offseason.

And Beasley is excited about some of the techniques he's been learning from new receivers coach Sanjay Lal.

"I like him a lot, man," Beasley said. "I think he adds a lot to the table. He's the most technical receiver coach I've ever had. There's so many things we talk about that I've never even heard of."

Like what?

"It just feels like this is the first time I'm being taught how to actually run routes instead of just naturally doing them," Beasley responded. "It's kind of different. When you get to the NFL it's like you're already supposed to know, stuff is assumed.

"But he doesn't assume anything and he takes it from the basics all the way to the advanced stuff, starting from the bottom."

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2018/06/12/after-frustrating-2017-cole-beasley-sees-hungry-cowboys-wr-group-motivatedto-prove-lot-people-wrong

Patrick Bateman · June 13, 2018

totallynotabuttpirate · June 13, 2018

3 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

This is refreshing to hear and also frustrating. But not surprised. The route tree was non existent in this offense. It was basically just beat your man one on one. Dez being the main culprit. Seems like we could actually see guys running very crisp routes and therefore a more efficient offense. Excited to see if it pans out on the field and not just feel good quotes. But it is definitely a step in the right direction just to hear a player speak on it on record.

That's insane, what the hell was Derek Dooley "teaching" them if they weren't learning the basics and improving their route running? The DBs already talked about how now they're learning an actual technique for the first time.

Not a good look for Garrett that apparently 2 very important position coaches were just dickin around.

Gene Parmesan · June 13, 2018

New position coaches are always better than old coaches per reports. It rarely shows on the field.

Patrick Bateman · June 13, 2018

18 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

totallynotabuttpirate · June 13, 2018

2 hours ago, Gene Parmesan said:

New position coaches are always better than old coaches per reports. It rarely shows on the field.

I get that, goes for most head coaches too. But I can't remember reading something that bad about a position coach before.

IIRC, the DBs were saying they previously each did their own thing when it came to coverage techniques.

They still may suck this year, but at least they'll suck in an organized and systematic manner.

Edited June 13, 2018 by totallynotabuttpirate

Vic Mackey · June 13, 2018

1 hour ago, Gene Parmesan said:

New position coaches are always better than old coaches per reports. It rarely shows on the field.

How many reports go as far as to say the basics were not even being taught? That is pretty damning on Garrett.

C-Man · June 13, 2018

55 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

How many reports go as far as to say the basics were not even being taught? That is pretty damning on Garrett.

Sounds like UT o-line coaching circa 2002/2003

Viper · June 14, 2018

3 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

How many reports go as far as to say the basics were not even being taught? That is pretty damning on Garrett.

Like the report said, it's the NFL you shouldn't need to teach the basics.

totallynotabuttpirate · June 14, 2018

1 hour ago, Viper said:

Like the report said, it's the NFL you shouldn't need to teach the basics.

Coaches should teach the players whatever they need to be learn in order to be productive and have a successful team. That includes the basics, if they didn't learn them in high school/college.

Fundamentals should be routinely drilled and emphasized for all players.

Edited June 14, 2018 by totallynotabuttpirate

Vic Mackey · June 14, 2018

14 hours ago, Viper said:

Like the report said, it's the NFL you shouldn't need to teach the basics.

I don't agree with this. You should never stop polishing up on your skills. Even the basics. I mean in baseball, they have hitting coaches. Even though every player knows how to hit. The fact they were not even working on any of the basics or the route tree is something I have always suspected. You can tell by watching the offense.

Vic Mackey · June 14, 2018

SIAP

Rico Gathers gaining weight, hopes to gain some playing time in Dallas

"When the Cowboys spent a sixth-round draft pick on Rico Gathers in 2016, they knew it would take a while for him to develop: Gathers, who played basketball at Baylor, hadn’t played football since middle school.

But after two NFL seasons and zero regular-season games played, it’s time for Gathers to finally show what he can do on the field. Toward that end, Gathers said he is gaining weight to get into the 280-285 range, significantly bigger than the 265 he weighed in at a year ago, when he said he like he was getting pushed around too much in the preseason.

“Last year was a big adjustment,” Gathers said, via the Dallas Morning News. “I was going for more trying to be quicker, trying to be faster. But that hurt me in the blocking gamea lot where I felt like I was just a body, just a body catching a blow.”

A bigger Gathers will, he hopes, be a better Gathers.

“Now coming off, I’m delivering the blow,” Gathers said. “I’m delivering the shot.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett seems to like what he sees from Gathers during offseason practices.

“He’s a different player now than he was a couple of years ago when he first showed up,” Garrett said. “But he just needs to play more football.”

Gathers isn’t the tight end who will make people forget Jason Witten, but he’s hoping that he can at least get on the field at a position where the Cowboys are now trying to replace one of the best ever to play it."

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/06/11/rico-gathers-gaining-weight-hopes-to-gain-some-playing-time-in-dallas/

Vic Mackey · June 14, 2018

If Gathers can become something, he could add a dynamic to this offense we never had. I doubt he would ever be the full time TE but he would be a good toy to use. He has some raw potential. We had all that in Marty B but it didn't work out for several reasons.

Viper · June 14, 2018

Garrett has pretty clearly been saying he needs to improve his blocking to get reps, so hopefully this is a good sign that he'll get more chances this preseason.

Edited June 14, 2018 by Viper

EvilCaseMcCoy · June 14, 2018

24 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

If Gathers can become something, he could add a dynamic to this offense we never had. I doubt he would ever be the full time TE but he would be a good toy to use. He has some raw potential. We had all that in Marty B but it didn't work out for several reasons.

I'd be surprised if Rico gets a fair shake. He needs to develop as a blocker and a special teams player because he's not worth a roster spot as just a situational athletic TE. Not being effective as a blocker at 265 says more than just his weight.

The other 3 TEs on the team are blocking TEs. That's huge for what they want to do with Zeke.

Vic Mackey · June 14, 2018

1 hour ago, EvilCaseMcCoy said:

I'd be surprised if Rico gets a fair shake. He needs to develop as a blocker and a special teams player because he's not worth a roster spot as just a situational athletic TE. Not being effective as a blocker at 265 says more than just his weight.

The other 3 TEs on the team are blocking TEs. That's huge for what they want to do with Zeke.

But why do we have to continue to employ the heavy sets all the time? Spread the field out. This will spread the defense out and won't be so compact. Giving the running game more room. And get smaller DBs on the field rather than bigger LBs.

I mean Witten was not great blocker, either. Contrary to many beliefs.

And Gathers can only get better if he gets a fair shake. If you preface all that with he might not get a fair shake, well that is 100% on the coaching staff. Marty B didn't get a fair shake either and he went on to be really good. No reason we could not have had a 2 TE featured offense back then like Pats did with Hernandez and Gronk. You don't need every player to be able to do the same things.

EvilCaseMcCoy · June 14, 2018

18 minutes ago, Vic Mackey said:

But why do we have to continue to employ the heavy sets all the time? Spread the field out. This will spread the defense out and won't be so compact. Giving the running game more room. And get smaller DBs on the field rather than bigger LBs.

I mean Witten was not great blocker, either. Contrary to many beliefs.

And Gathers can only get better if he gets a fair shake. If you preface all that with he might not get a fair shake, well that is 100% on the coaching staff. Marty B didn't get a fair shake either and he went on to be really good. No reason we could not have had a 2 TE featured offense back then like Pats did with Hernandez and Gronk. You don't need every player to be able to do the same things.

I'm not sure Marty B is the best comparison. He was the top TE in the state of TX coming out of HS and a 2nd round pick. I believe his situation at the Cowboys was more about his poor attitude, politics surrounding Witten being the guy, and less about his ability. Yes, the coaching staff is probably to blame for not sorting those issues out, but it is what it is.

Rico is still trying to learn the position. He needs to have that down before showing up at practice and camp or at least be showing significant growth from year to year. Maybe hiring a position coach in the offseason would do him some good. As unfair as it is, it's equally unfair to take reps away from guys likes Swaim, Jarwin, and Shultz if they are more reliable options than Rico.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Rico was claimed off waivers by the Pats and turned into an 800+yd receiver.

Vic Mackey · June 14, 2018

1 hour ago, EvilCaseMcCoy said:

I'm not sure Marty B is the best comparison. He was the top TE in the state of TX coming out of HS and a 2nd round pick. I believe his situation at the Cowboys was more about his poor attitude, politics surrounding Witten being the guy, and less about his ability. Yes, the coaching staff is probably to blame for not sorting those issues out, but it is what it is.

Rico is still trying to learn the position. He needs to have that down before showing up at practice and camp or at least be showing significant growth from year to year. Maybe hiring a position coach in the offseason would do him some good. As unfair as it is, it's equally unfair to take reps away from guys likes Swaim, Jarwin, and Shultz if they are more reliable options than Rico.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Rico was claimed off waivers by the Pats and turned into an 800+yd receiver.

Your last comment is pretty much what I am alluding to. If he can go somewhere else and become very solid, that is all coaching and not so much ability. I hope they actually give him a chance to show what he can do.

Same as Switzer. They never really gave him a chance. Especially with Dez and Witten there. They eat up a bulk of the targets. I would have liked to see what he could do if given a legit chance in their new offensive approach in terms of the WRs. No more Dez and Witten being the primary targets. I don't even think we have a primary target right now.

futureman · June 14, 2018

2 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

I mean Witten was not great blocker, either. Contrary to many beliefs.

he wasn’t a devastating blocker but he rarely missed a block. I think there’s an element of greatness in his consistency.

EvilCaseMcCoy · June 14, 2018

25 minutes ago, futureman said:

he wasn’t a devastating blocker but he rarely missed a block. I think there’s an element of greatness in his consistency.

Ugh, such a troll! 🤣

DougO · June 14, 2018

3 hours ago, EvilCaseMcCoy said:

I'm not sure Marty B is the best comparison. He was the top TE in the state of TX coming out of HS and a 2nd round pick. I believe his situation at the Cowboys was more about his poor attitude, politics surrounding Witten being the guy, and less about his ability. Yes, the coaching staff is probably to blame for not sorting those issues out, but it is what it is.

Rico is still trying to learn the position. He needs to have that down before showing up at practice and camp or at least be showing significant growth from year to year. Maybe hiring a position coach in the offseason would do him some good. As unfair as it is, it's equally unfair to take reps away from guys likes Swaim, Jarwin, and Shultz if they are more reliable options than Rico.

That said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Rico was claimed off waivers by the Pats and turned into an 800+yd receiver.

Dropped balls and missed blocks where the problem. OK, I can surely blame some of that on Cowboys coaching. But it seems Fartsmellus wasn't serious about learning pro football until he got cut a couple of times. He was terrible in Dallas.

DougO · June 14, 2018

Witten was probably a better coach of the other TEs than any TEs coach the Cowboys had while he was here.

Vic Mackey · June 15, 2018

2 hours ago, DougO said:

Dropped balls and missed blocks where the problem. OK, I can surely blame some of that on Cowboys coaching. But it seems Fartsmellus wasn't serious about learning pro football until he got cut a couple of times. He was terrible in Dallas.

We would have never gave him a chance anyways. Witten had a monopoly on the position and no one was going to break through that. Not saying he did not have any fault of his own but if you don't even get the guys behind Witten a chance, then they are never going to progress. We spent resources on getting all these other TE's in here and then put them up in the attic never to be see from again. I remember Escobar had a monster game his rookie year against the Giants and then he disappears.

JohnRedHorn · June 15, 2018

On 6/13/2018 at 5:33 PM, C-Man said:

Sounds like UT o-line coaching circa last year.

DougO · June 15, 2018

3 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

We would have never gave him a chance anyways. Witten had a monopoly on the position and no one was going to break through that. Not saying he did not have any fault of his own but if you don't even get the guys behind Witten a chance, then they are never going to progress. We spent resources on getting all these other TE's in here and then put them up in the attic never to be see from again. I remember Escobar had a monster game his rookie year against the Giants and then he disappears.

I seem to remember him being on the field quite a lot until he kept screwing the team with poor play.

HuntinHorn · June 15, 2018

Good to see Jaylon Smith's progress. I have a good feeling about this guy.

Here's to hoping he continues to shut up all his Shaggy/Surly naysayers...

totallynotabuttpirate · June 15, 2018

11 hours ago, JohnRedHorn said:

Could also have been the mostly horrible players. I don'I think the coaches were telling Vahe to block air half the time.

Viper · June 15, 2018

13 hours ago, DougO said:

I seem to remember him being on the field quite a lot until he kept screwing the team with poor play.

this is my memory as well. Wasn't on the field as much as Witten of course, but I remember the staff being all excited about running more 2 TE sets like the patriots.

JohnRedHorn · June 15, 2018

3 hours ago, totallynotabuttpirate said:

Could also have been the mostly horrible players. I don'I think the coaches were telling Vahe to block air half the time.

Yep, the coaching was so good that coach got reassigned and replaced after one season.

totallynotabuttpirate · June 15, 2018

59 minutes ago, JohnRedHorn said:

Yep, the coaching was so good that coach got reassigned and replaced after one season.

Hence the "also".

TornACL · June 15, 2018

Y'all aren't gonna like that latest Ian Rapoport tweet today.

Irving 4 game drug suspension.

Patrick Bateman · June 15, 2018

1 minute ago, TornACL said:

Y'all aren't gonna like that latest Ian Rapoport tweet today.

Irving 4 game drug suspension.

Here it is....

I mean..... is anyone surprised by this? smh. This organization.

TornACL · June 15, 2018

On the bright side, now he has four extra weeks to get his dumb ass in shape.

JohnRedHorn · June 15, 2018

Didn't he miss 4 games for drugs last season? It doesn't escalate to 6 or 8 for repeat offenders? I'd be fine with cutting him at this point. He'll only be a distraction to a team that always finds itself distracted by something.

Farkimedes · June 15, 2018

The Cowboys interior DL is gonna be rough to start the season.

Sgt Hulk · June 15, 2018

In my aging years my memory is fuzzy. When was the last time Dallas went through an off season without some fuck head having drug issues or beating someone? 15-20 years?

totallynotabuttpirate · June 15, 2018

18 minutes ago, JohnRedHorn said:

Didn't he miss 4 games for drugs last season? It doesn't escalate to 6 or 8 for repeat offenders? I'd be fine with cutting him at this point. He'll only be a distraction to a team that always finds itself distracted by something.

That was for PEDs. Presumably this is just the regular drug policy violation (weed, molly percocet shit, etc).

The next failed test for either should be a year or something.

Edited June 15, 2018 by totallynotabuttpirate

TornACL · June 15, 2018

18 minutes ago, JohnRedHorn said:

Didn't he miss 4 games for drugs last season? It doesn't escalate to 6 or 8 for repeat offenders? I'd be fine with cutting him at this point. He'll only be a distraction to a team that always finds itself distracted by something.

From what I saw on the Twitters, last year was PEDs this year is drugs. So it's still 4.

We need to get rid of all of these players that need god damn babysitters. Sorry he's got mental problems and is going through a custody battle. I hope he works it all out. Just do it on somebody else's time.

irishtexan · June 15, 2018

Can we fucking cut this idiot already? Jesus christ. What a dumbfuck

Patrick Bateman · June 15, 2018

11 minutes ago, Farkimedes said:

The Cowboys interior DL is gonna be rough to start the season.

It's going to suck..... let's just be frank.

Patrick Bateman · June 15, 2018

.....

Edited June 15, 2018 by Patrick Bateman
Double post.

Vic Mackey · June 15, 2018

I can't really side with him anymore. I was fully on board in extending him for the future but not after this. I don't agree with testing for weed and others but the fact is, they do and these players know. And they know in advance when the test will happen. This isn't his first time, either.

And can we ever have a quiet offseason?

futureman · June 15, 2018

could have cost himself $30 million of guaranteed money. all he had to do was play decent for one year then he’s UFA. what a poor son of a bitch.

DougO · June 15, 2018

Trade him to the Raiders. Those idiots gave the Stealers a 3 for Martavus Bryant, and he's already busted again.

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