Daily Archives: August 31st, 2013

KANSAS CITY TRADE: Chiefs special teams vet Edgar Jones to Cowboys

KANSAS CITY TRADE - Chiefs special teams vet Edgar Jones to Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys traded for defensive end Edgar Jones from the Kansas City Chiefs, according to the Chiefs’ Twitter account tonight.

Jones, 28, is a special teams veteran who spent his first five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Southeast Missouri in 2007. He was a pass rusher in college but also played tight end and linebacker with the Ravens.

Jones, 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds, He will take the roster spot of Nate Livings, who was placed on injured reserve.

Jones had a special teams score in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

 

TWENTY-TWO BUSTED BUBBLES: Cutdown leaves a few players vying for practice squad positions

Jerry Lewis - Labor Day Weekend MDA Telethon host - Comedian Jerry Lewis - The original Nutty Professor

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are finally back to 53 players on the roster. And that’s the part that likely won’t change.

The actual guys that make up the entire roster – top to bottom – will certainly be shuffled around here over the Labor Day weekend, probably starting as early as Sunday or Monday.

But for now, the Cowboys have turned in their 22 roster moves to get down to 53 players before Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

One of the more notable roster moves includes safety Matt Johnson, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday afternoon and will be lost for the season.

Other notable cuts Saturday include wide receivers Anthony Armstrong and Danny Coale, quarterback Alex Tanney and cornerbacks Sterling Moore and Micah Pellerin.

While Johnson was placed on IR, he’s one of three more 2012 draft picks not on the 53-man roster, along with Coale and Caleb McSurdy, a seventh-round pick who missed all of last year with a torn Achilles.

Here are the official roster moves from Saturday:
 
Placed on IR:
Matt Johnson, S
 
Waived:
Jakar Hamilton, S
Tim Benford, WR
Danny Coale, WR
Anthony Armstrong, WR
Kendial Lawrence, RB
Alex Tanney, QB
Kevin Kowalski, G/C
Edawn Coughman, OT
Jabari Fletcher, DE
Thaddeus Gibson, DE
Taylor Reed, LB
Micah Pellerin, CB
Sterling Moore, CB
Xaiver Brewer, CB
Ray Dominguez, G
Jerome Long, DT
Demetress Bell, OT
Jason Vega, DE
Caleb McSurdy, LB
Cameron Lawrence, LB
Brandon Magee, LB

NFL ROSTER CUTDOWN DAY: Meet your 2013-2014 Dallas Cowboys

Your 53 Dallas Cowboys Roster 2013-2014 - The Boys Are Back blog

IRVING, Texas – While the focus on this day is typically the players who are released, here’s a look at the guys who actually made the team – for now.

Quarterback (2): Tony Romo, Kyle Orton – The Cowboys decided once again to keep just one backup for Romo. Alex Tanney had promise and will likely get back to the practice squad if he’s not claimed off waivers. For now, the team had too many needs at other positions to keep a luxury third quarterback.

Running Back (4): DeMarco Murray, Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle, Phillip Tanner  –  Four running backs is not uncommon, but it’s usually three tailbacks and a fullback. With no fullback on the roster, the Cowboys will stick with four runners, especially with Lance Dunbar (foot) banged up. Randle and Tanner will provide some depth and special teams ability.

Wide Receiver (5) – Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Dwayne Harris, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley – The Cowboys decided to cut veteran Anthony Armstrong, who had a good camp and preseason and is likely the fastest player on the team. Armstrong could get resigned in Week 2 when his roster would not be guaranteed. Beasley’s ability to work the middle of the field proved to be too valuable.

Tight Ends (5): – Jason Witten, Gavin Escobar, James Hanna, Dante Rosario, Andre Smith -The Cowboys have shown they will use more tight ends this year. Jason Witten will get most of the touches, but there will be plenty of packages that featured both James Hanna and Gavin Escobar. This spot might see some changes before the start of the season. Rosario is really the only fullback-type player on the roster, but Smith did enough things to keep him around.

Offensive Line (10): Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, Travis Frederick, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Nate Livings, Doug Free, Phil Costa, Darrion Weems, David Arkin, Jermey Parnell – This position was tough to cut because of the injury situations to Leary and Livings. Don’t be surprised if there are more moves to make on Sunday.

Defensive Line (9) – DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jason Hatcher, Nick  Hayden, George Selvie, Kyle Wilber, Ben Bass, Landon Cohen, Sean Lissemore – The Cowboys might be in the process of making moves here. Keeping Cohen and Lissemore was somewhat surprising. Cohen is probably the closest thing to a one-technique the Cowboys have as backups. Lissemore’s concussion could play a role in keeping more tackles.

Linebacker (5) – Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, Ernie Sims, DeVonte Holloman: Like the others, expect some changes here. The Cowboys decided not to keep a sixth linebacker, releasing Brandon Magee, Cam Lawrence and Caleb McSurdy. Holloman was so impressive in the preseason, he likely jumped several players on the projected depth chart. Don’t be surprised if Sims works his way into the starting lineup at some point.

Defensive Backs (10): Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, Barry Church, Will Allen, Orlando Scandrick, B.W. Webb, J.J. Wilcox, Danny McCray, Eric Frampton, Jeff Heath: Six safeties made the club. It’s somewhat surprising that both McCray and Frampton made the team. McCray had to take a considerable pay cut but the Cowboys will need his special teams experience. Cutting both Sterling Moore and Micah Pellerin was a surprise as well. The Cowboys currently have just four cornerbacks.

Specialists (3) – Dan Bailey, Chris Jones, L.P. Ladouceur – No surprises here. These three were the expected group last January and nothing has changed.

NO TERMS OF ENDEARMENT: Plaintiff attorney in NFL concussion suit calls Jerry Jones a “hard-ass”

NO TERMS OF ENDEARMENT - Plaintiff attorney in NFL concussion suit calls Jerry Jones a “hard-ass” - The Boys Are Back blog 2013

There was a humorous, Dallas Cowboys-related moment today during a media conference call to announce terms of the concussion lawsuit settlement between the NFL and 4,500 former players.

Christopher Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, was asked if he is concerned the players left money on the table by settling the suit.

“I think you all can assume that the NFL and the NFL owners are pretty tough individuals,” he said. “In fact, you’ve got one down in Texas who I would call a hard-ass. I think that’s a fair characterization.

“These are not easy people to negotiate with, and these were contested, hard-fought battles. And I believe we got everything we could possibly get out of the NFL in this litigation.”

Seeger was asked to clarify the Texas owner to which he was referring _ not that there was much doubt about the answer. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is a power-broker on several key owner committees, so it seems likely that he was directly involved in negotiations.

“Oh, oh, oh, sorry,” Seeger said. “I don’t even know who the owner in Houston is, frankly. I hope I didn’t offend him. I’m talking about the one in Dallas.”

DALLAS COWBOYS SPECIAL TEAMS: Danny McCray agrees to salary reduction

DALLAS COWBOYS SPECIAL TEAMS - Danny McCray agrees to salary reduction - The Boys Are Back blog

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys have apparently decided to keep Danny McCray on the roster for a fourth season.

But not before he reduced his salary from the $1.323 million price he was initially slotted for during the offseason.

McCray, one of the team’s top special teams players the past three seasons, has been a special teams captain the last two years. He was a restricted free agent this year and the Cowboys issued him the original draft tender of $1.323 million considering he was undrafted.

Terms of McCray’s new salary were not revealed by the Cowboys, but it’s expected the backup safety is now making in the range of $700,000.

McCray had to start 10 games at safety last year when Barry Church went down with an Achilles injury. White he finished with 87 tackles, good for second on the team behind Anthony Spencer (107), McCray struggled at times at safety, especially in coverage.

In 2012, McCray was second on the team with 18 special teams tackles, finishing behind Eric Frampton (21), who has been injured the last three weeks with a calf strain. His spot on the roster is still up in the air. His $715,000 price tag is favorable to the Cowboys, along with his experience to play safety and special teams. But his injury status could be a reason the Cowboys might be forced to go long at safety when they reduce to 53 players by Saturday.

McCray made the team as an undrafted rookie from LSU in 2010 and promptly led the special teams in tackles with 28. He came back with a team-high 19 during an injury-riddled 2011 season. But McCray became the first player since Bill Bates (1989-90) to lead the Cowboys in special teams tackles in consecutive years.