Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
Cowboys’ Tyron Smith Makes Retirement Decision – Mike Fisher, Sports Illustrated
The 33-year-old vet has no plans to hang it up.
It seems not, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, with a report that Tyron isnt calling it quits just yet.
“I don’t know (if Smith is returning to the Cowboys) but I talked to Tyron’s agent and Tyron is not retiring,” reporter Clarence Hill told 105.3 The Fan. ”So he will play here or somewhere else next year.”
In Mike McCarthy’s season-ending press conference, the Cowboys head coach praised Smith for his elite work
“I think the biggest thing for Tyron is … the training plan that was in place for him,” McCarthy said. “This is clearly his best season that I’ve experienced with him since 2020. So, he felt really good about that.”
Now comes the next question: Assuming the report on Tyron’s plan is accurate – and knowing as we do that while he would leave the Cowboys if necessary but that he doesn’t want to – can both sides find a way to capitalize on the situation?
Micah Parsons: We need to get one of them big old, nasty, pass-rushing defensive tackles – Josh Alper, PFT
Listening to the lion might not be the worst move.
During an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show, Parsons said that he recently spent some time telling Jones just what he has in mind. Parsons said that he spoke to Jones during the Super Bowl “about players I want to bring in, players I want to be around, who do I need, who do I want to be with, future of our team.” His focus was on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the impact players like Chris Jones, Alim McNeill, Arik Armstead, and Javon Hargrave had this year.
“I said look at every team that was in that final four,” Parsons explained. “Who did they have? San Francisco, Detroit. Who did Baltimore have? A great linebacking corps, right? Who did San Fran have? Great linebacking corps. K.C. [Nick] Bolton, and they came along. I said we need to get us another bigger linebacker who’s gonna come down — I said we need to get a super, 330 nasty interior. . . . I think we’ve got a lot of rushers. I think Osa [Odighizuwa], he can play inside, outside, one of the most versatile DTs. When we lost [Johnathan Hankins], he’s a big dude, but we need to get one of them big old, nasty, pass-rushing, get-going [guys].”
Jones could hit free agency next month, but the price tag probably won’t be realistic for a Cowboys team that is currently set to be over the cap and has a need to sign players like Parsons and CeeDee Lamb to contract extensions in the near future. Whether they can find someone who can make a similar on a more modest contract will be a question to answer in the coming months.
3 Cowboys who could breakout in 2024 – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
These three players taking the next step would be massive for the team’s 2024 potential.
Nose Tackle, Mazi Smith
To say 2023 first-round pick, Mazi Smith, had a disappointing rookie season would be a major understatement.
Drafted 27th overall last year, Smith had fewer total tackles and the same amount of sacks as 4th-year Defensive Tackle Neville Gallimore, who he was supposed to replace.
The Cowboys defensive line got virtually nothing out of Smith.
Another rough night for Mazi Smith. He just has a lot of troubles vs double teams right now, getting displaced almost every time. Not good. #Cowboys
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) December 31, 2023
Additionally, reports have come out that they him lose over 30 lbs since the draft, which is strange when you consider they drafted him to be a nose tackle.
Overall, Smith underperformed and the organization bungled his development. That is just about as bad a mix as you can possibly get for a rookie season.
Heading into 2024, it is close to make-or-break time for the former Michigan Wolverine.
Dallas is already looking at potentially adding another big man to the defensive line, and new Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer is not going to give a guy he did not draft snaps on name alone.
Smith is going to have to earn playing time, and even more than that, he is going to have to have a breakout performance in 2024.
If Smith plays to the level that Dallas drafted him to, it would essentially be like getting two first-round picks in this year’s draft.
Bill Belichick replacing Mike McCarthy just became much more realistic – Jerry Trotta, Ther Landry Hat
The former Patriots HC might have been more hands-off than the media believed.
“All the issues and questions about Bill relative to power structure were completely unfounded and untrue and based on nothing. All of my discussions with him, he was nothing but collaborative, inclusive, anxious to work with personnel and scouting alongside him. He did his referencing on our organization and felt very comfortable working with them. It really had nothing to do with any of that.”
– Arthur Blank
That changes a lot. Even though Jerry Jones left no doubt after the season that he and Belichick could work together, it’s easy to see how it would create a funky dynamic. Jones has the final say in all Cowboys personnel decisions, while Belichick served as the Patriots de facto GM for all of his 24 years in New England.
Belichick coming in and wanting near-full control of an organization would cause significant turnover in the front office. Folks would either leave or get squeezed out. Even though the Cowboys haven’t been to an NFC Championship in 27 years, why would they cause such upheaval for a coach who turns 72 in April?
If Belichick is willing to convert to the Cowboys structure, though, the Joneses will absolutely give him a long look about replacing McCarthy if it comes to that. They will have competition, however, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently reported that “multiple owners reached out to Belichick about next year’s hiring cycle.”
Greg Ellis’ Cowboys reunion conjures memories of when Dallas passed over Randy Moss – Staff, DMN
Oh, what could have been.
That year, Dallas used its No. 8 overall pick on Greg Ellis. While the franchise came away with a productive pass rusher, a Pro Football Hall of Famer in Randy Moss was left on the board.
Moss made sure Jerry Jones and Co. knew what they missed out on when he faced the Cowboys, torching the team for 789 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions in eight meetings. He also won all eight of those games.
In the past, Jones has expressed regret over passing on Moss. Before a 2010 game between the Cowboys and Vikings, Moss admitted that the draft snub still served as motivation in his career. A key note: Moss was a 13-year NFL veteran at that point.
Going into the 1998 draft, Moss believed the Cowboys would select him with their top-10 pick after pre-draft meetings. Dallas backed off from the Marshall product due to character concerns, seeing him slide to No. 21 to the Vikings.
“I think that has been ingrained in him,” Jones said in 2010. “I apologize, I apologize, I apologize. I don’t believe that’s going to do any good. He’s too much of a competitor. He’s a real competitor, and I’ve known all my life that when people say you can’t do it or when people pass over you saying somebody else can do it, all that does is inspire you. We probably awoke a sleeping giant if it meant that much to him. Certainly, he’s made us pay, and I’m sorry we’ve got to play him.”
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