Dallas City News

Dak Prescott: “Good conversations” going on about contract – Josh Alper, NBC Sports

After practice, Dak Prescott addressed the progress of his contract negotiations with reporters.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is involved with one of them as he moves into the final year of his current deal. There’s a clause in that deal barring the Cowboys from using a franchise tag, so Prescott would be a free agent if no new deal is in place.

Prescott didn’t put any odds on getting a deal done when he spoke to reporters on Thursday, but he did sound an optimistic note about the direction of the conversations.

“Good conversations are going on,” Prescott said, via Patrik Walker of the team’s website. “Lots of good things are going on there. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys and these guys in getting things done.”

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s contract stalemate has gotten more notice since he has not reported to camp, but the Cowboys are still working on many things at once as the start of the season draws closer.

Cowboys signing former Jets DE Carl Lawson, source confirms – Todd Archer and Rich Cimini, ESPN

After trading for DT Jordan Phillips, the Cowboys added another piece to help bolster the defensive line.

Lawson had worked out for the Cowboys in Oxnard, California, after the team lost pass rusher Sam Williams to a torn ACL in one of the early training camp practices, but Dallas signed Al-Quadin Muhammad and Shaka Toney instead. Toney has since been waived/injured with a groin injury.

The 29-year-old Lawson had been trumpeted as a major addition for the Jets in 2021, when he signed a three-year, $45 million contract in free agency, but he fell short of expectations and wound up playing in only 23 games in three seasons.

He missed the 2021 season after rupturing an Achilles tendon in a preseason practice with the Green Bay Packers. The injury required additional surgery a few months later, but Lawson made it back for 2022 and played the entire season, finishing with seven sacks.

The 2023 campaign was a washout. Lawson missed most of the preseason due to a back injury and lost his starting job to second-year defensive end Jermaine Johnson. By the time he was healthy enough to play, Lawson had been removed from the defensive line rotation, reducing him to spot duty and causing frustration.

Mazi Smith reacts to Cowboys’ trade for Jordan Phillips, more – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

There has been a lot of growth for Mazi Smith this offseason, physically and mentally.

Following the final full practice of the week before heading to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders, Smith held court and spoke about the Phillips’ trade, the vocal coaching style of defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina, his brand-new Cowboys tattoo and plenty more.

It was a conversation that revealed plenty of psychological growth within the mind of the budding 23-year-old, matching what he’s showing on the field this summer in Oxnard…

…On his biggest takeaways from 2024 preseason opener:

“I like the player that I know I can become. That’s the thing I like the most. I like the journey of getting there. It doesn’t happen overnight. I think I left a lot of plays out there, to be honest. I think that I’m talented enough to make any play that comes inside, and I’ve gotta get to that point where I’m doing that.”

On the impact of newly-hired defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina:

“Coach Z, he [does] his thing. He’s talking at you, and he’s demanding things of you at the start of practice, during practice and at the end of practice. It’s all the same energy. You don’t really have a choice but to get better.”…

…On what Mike Zimmer’s scheme demands of him:

“I try to keep my head down. We’ve got real games to play and I want to make those plays in those games. Just keep my head down and keep working, and not really worry about feelings. It’s the next day, let’s do it again — let’s recreate it.”

Mailbag: Can Trey Lance’s accuracy be improved? – Dallas Cowboys Mailbag & Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

What can Trey Lance do to improve from his first preseason game?

Seeing Trey Lance’s accuracy issues last Sunday has me wondering if accuracy can indeed be taught. Troy Aikman once said that when it comes to accuracy, you either have it or you don’t, but I do think Dak Prescott’s accuracy has improved through the years. Then again, he was getting all the reps and playing every game. What do you think? Is this something Lance can improve upon despite receiving limited reps in practice and being a backup? – Royce Withers/Phoenix, AZ

Patrik: I’m of the opinion, having covered the NFL for many years and been an analytical fan for decades, that accuracy can absolutely improve with reps and commitment — as is true with literally every facet of the sport. That said, I believe there are levels to it, as with anything, and that some ceilings are higher or lower than others. The problem is we don’t know yet where Lance’s ceiling is, and he won’t have the opportunity to log thousands of reps in Dallas to determine that so he’ll need to progress extremely quickly in a limited time, i.e., three preseason games with only two remaining to take the necessary strides toward trying to beat the long odds of supplanting Cooper Rush as QB2. I believe Lance has the skill set to play football at the NFL level, I just don’t have the data yet to determine what that looks like. He’s putting in the work and I’ve seen improvement over this time last year and, honestly, that’s all you can ask and then you evaluate from there. So, no, there’s nothing more he can do than what he’s doing.

Predicting Every NFL Division’s Standings for 2024 Season After Preseason Week 1 – Maurice Moton, Bleacher Report

Maurice Moton predicts that the Eagles will win the NFC East this season, with the Cowboys coming in second.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-7)

The Eagles lost projected wins from our previous predictions because of rumors about a “fractured” relationship between head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts (h/t ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus). Sirianni and Hurts’ differences could have a catastrophic impact on the team. Still, Philadelphia has enough talent (welcome aboard, Saquon Barkley) to overcome a tense locker room. Also, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio are upgrades over the team’s play-callers from 2023.

Dallas Cowboys (9-8)

The Cowboys will likely sign CeeDee Lamb to a massive extension before Week 1. He’s Dak Prescott’s go-to receiver and the team’s best offensive playmaker. On the other hand, Dallas may lack offensive balance with ninth-year year pro Ezekiel Elliott and an unproven group of running backs in the backfield. The Cowboys’ transition from former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer, whose last two units ranked 24th or worse in scoring and total yards, seems like a downgrade.

Cowboys DT Albert Huggins has apologized after ‘unacceptable’ incident with Rams coach, Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

Mike McCarthy believes that Albert Huggins understands his behavior that got him ejected from practice is unacceptable and has apologized for it.

“I wouldn’t say it was a tiff, his behavior is unacceptable,” McCarthy said. “It’s something that’s been addressed, he has apologized. I’m comfortable with his apology.”

Huggins spoke with team owner Jerry Jones following Thursday’s practice.

The temperament of practice rose after defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa got into a scuffle, which prompted some trash-talking. Huggins pushed past a Rams’ blocker and then knocked down the Rams’ assistant coach. Two Rams’ players approached Huggins who backed up toward the Cowboys’ end of the drill. It prompted McVay, who was on the other end of the field, to approach the Cowboys, yelling at Huggins.

“I was on the offensive side of the field when it happened,” McCarthy said. “I had a chance to talk to [defensive coordinator] Mike Zimmer and Sean McVay and we removed him from practice. And frankly, when I saw the video a few hours later, I called Sean again and his response to me: ‘You would have been proud, the way your coaches reacted.’ I just wanted to make sure that behavior is not accepted. Emotional discipline. That’s not what we’re about. He clearly understands that.”