Dallas City News

Mike Zimmer, back in the NFL, has a lot to say about his Vikings exit: ‘Unfortunately, I hold grudges’ – Mark Craig, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Mike Zimmer doesn’t hold back in discussing the end for him in Minnesota.

This second Cowboys stint suits him. It’s the ideal career rebirth — a much-appreciated resurrection driven in no small part by how miserable Zimmer’s final act in Minnesota played out from the start of the injury-riddled 2020 season to Jan. 10, 2022, when owners Zygi and Mark Wilf delivered the official time of death on the Vikings careers of Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman.

Zimmer was crushed. Angry. Sleep-deprived. The rare coaching lifer who had never been fired.

“They asked me if I wanted to address the team,” he says. “And I said, ‘Hell, no. They got me fired!’

“I didn’t know I was supposed to go to HR and sign out or whatever. No one told me. I just got all my stuff, got in my truck, and left.”

[…]

The criticism that hurt most of all wasn’t from Kendricks, although that one certainly stung. It was from Terence Newman, who was an assistant coach at the time after playing cornerback for Zimmer in Dallas, Cincinnati and Minnesota.

Newman spoke with Tyler Dunne of Go Long and detailed what he called a “toxic” atmosphere in Zimmer’s final days.

“That one hurt me bad,” Zimmer says. “Terence was like my son. I called Parcells about that one. I called Terence. He said, ‘Well, that’s how I felt.’ I said, ‘Then, look, we’re done.’ ”

[…]

With four third-round picks, [GM Rick] Spielman selected, in order, quarterback Kellen Mond, linebacker Chazz Surratt, offensive lineman Wyatt Davis and defensive end Patrick Jones II. Zimmer was there for only the first pick.

“When he picked Mond, I walked out of the room,” Zimmer says. “I left the building. I didn’t even talk to him on the phone.”

The two spoke the next morning.

“Rick said, ‘You mad at me?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I think you took four backups when we had guys there I thought were starters,’ ” Zimmer says. “From that time on, it just kind of got worse between us. And I’m not saying nothing was my fault. I’m sure there were plenty of things that were my fault.”

Cowboys talented roster extends to the practice squad – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star

The Cowboys stashing some good players away for a rainy day.

DE Carl Lawson

Carl Lawson was signed by the Cowboys a few weeks ago to add depth to a defensive end room that suffered the loss of Sam Williams to a torn ACL. The Cowboys appeared to give younger players a chance to shine, but no one outside of rookie Marshawn Kneeland has stepped up to the plate.

Lawson was released by the Cowboys initially, causing Philadelphia fans to mock the team after several of us celebrated his signing and the impact he could have on Mike Zimmer’s defense. However, Eagles fans are usually not smart enough to realize that it was simply smart roster maneuvering because, as a vested veteran, Lawson is not subject to waivers.

He was immediately signed right back to the practice squad as he continues to ramp up into football shape, and he will likely be on the active roster week 1 and beyond. The first three games will be a test for Lawson to determine if he will be signed to the active roster.

RB Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is another veteran that will likely be on the active roster for the first three weeks of the season on a trial basis.

Cook is 29 years old, but he still showed some explosiveness during the postseason as a member of the Ravens’ backfield. Many say that he can still be more explosive than Ezekiel Elliott, who took zero preseason reps.

I’m not sure if the Cowboys did that to preserve his legs, which already have over 2,000 carries, or if he roster spot is so secure that they didn’t feel he needed to take any preseason snaps.

Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys alternate healthy scratches for Elliott and Cook throughout the season in an effort to see which running back is more important to the offense.

Which teams might pursue Dak Prescott? – Mike Florio, PFT

Florio lists 7 teams as potential suitors. In order: Giants, Jets, Raiders, Steelers, Saints, Seahawks, and Rams.

1. Giants.

Their feelings about Daniel Jones became obvious during Hard Knocks. And Jones knows it. And it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Jones contract gives the Giants an escape hatch after this season. Wouldn’t it be great for the Giants to steal Dak from a division rival?

It would be a nice bookend to the Eagles swiping running back Saquon Barkley from the Giants earlier this year.

With bar lowered, a new deal for Dak would feel like Cowboys win – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys could rectify their contract quandaries by signing another one of their own.

Think back to the start of the 2024 offseason. The Cowboys were fresh off their humiliating playoff loss to Green Bay and Jerry Jones was elbow deep in “all-in” declarations in a calculated attempt to quell the uprising within the fanbase.

Draft season was in full effect and free agency was fast approaching. Top 10 free agent lists populated the landscape and Cowboys fans were busy debating which internal free agents Dallas will retain and which external free agents Dallas will target. The window was open for another year the only question was how wide the front office was willing to pry it.

As everyone would soon come to realize, Jones’ “all-in” statements weren’t remotely true under even the loosest of definitions. To make matters worse, not only did the Cowboys have little intention to sign outside talent to their roster, but they also didn’t even plan to retain their own top free agents. The “we like our guys” statements made every year were now suddenly starting to lose traction since they hadn’t even done a good job of retaining their own.

When the Cowboys opened training camp with CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons’ contract situations still unresolved, expectations seemingly fell to an all-time low. In just a matter of months sentiments went from “who are they going to bring in to put them over the top,” to “who can they afford to lose this year and still be competitive,” to “are they even going to keep their own super stars?”

The bar has been dropped so low, even the most obvious re-signing, Lamb, was rejoiced as a wonderful accomplishment. It almost didn’t matter the negotiations dragged on through the entire preseason. Suddenly just retaining their own obvious players for market values felt like wins.

Mailbag: Any concern with Steele at RT? – Nick Eatman, Patrik Walker, Dallas Cowboys.com

Terence Steele has gone a little under the radar this offseason.

With the rookies on the offensive line getting all of the attention, not much has been said about Terence Steele. How has he been playing in practice? And since he struggled some last year, should we be concerned going forward? – Jackson Ray/Fairview, NC

Nick Eatman: To take one of your lines – Not much has been said about Terence Steele. Let’s start there, that’s a good thing. Actually what has been said is from Mike McCarthy, who said Steele by far is having his best camp of his career. Steele was asked to comment about that and completely agreed with his coach. The “struggles” from last year probably came down to him returning from an ACL injury and surgery just six months earlier. Find me a 300-pounder in the NFL, or life, that can come back and play that quickly. Steele didn’t miss a practice or game. But if you remember, he got better and better as the. year went on. He’ll be fine this year. The Cowboys have enough to worry about with two rookies expected to start on the line. I don’t think Steele will be an All-Pro but he’s definitely good enough at right tackle for this team.

Patrik: The fact that not much has been said about Steele is a good thing, yes? That’s rhetorical, my friend. Fact is, the reason you didn’t hear much about the starting right tackle is because he was doing his job at a high level, and so that allowed everyone to focus on the rookies and how they were progressing. There was no semblance in training camp of Steele taking a step back or even struggling at all in Oxnard, and he did indeed look better than ever — now long removed from his torn ACL. You have to remember that, last season, he was thrown right into the fire and that caused him to deal with knee soreness as well as the mental aspect of trying to trust his body/knee again. All of that is gone now, and he’s moving like the injury never happened; and his confidence is through the roof. So, as a veteran, no, you shouldn’t hear his name called. Did you hear anyone saying much about Zack Martin? Exactly.