Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
3 trades Cowboys should make during 2024 NFL Draft (and 1 they shouldn’t) – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Dallas should make these trades. Whether they will is an entirely different question.
2. Cowboys should trade for Treylon Burks
Piggybacking off of Bateman, the Cowboys need another receiver. Treylon Burks is a far more compelling than the out-of-favor Raven. The Titans used the first-round pick they got in return from the A.J. Brown trade on Burks, and it hasn’t panned out for them.
Burks has fallen victim to injuries (just 22 games played in two years) and a porous Titans passing offense and he enters his third season down the WR pecking order after Tennessee signed Calvin Ridley to a massive deal in free agency. He also has to fend off DeAndre Hopkins for targets and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has turned himself into a nice player.
Burks has just 49 catches for 665 in two seasons, but he’s not far removed from being one of the most coveted WRs in a stacked 2022 class. He was a 30-visit with the Cowboys before the 2022 draft and will only cost $3.918 on the cap in 2024 and $4.572 million in 2025 before his fifth-year option comes into focus in 2026.
3 Late Round Players for the Cowboys in 2024 Draft – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star
With limited draft capital, Dallas must make every pick count.
British Columbia OT, Giovanni Manu
If you’ve never heard of the 6’8″, 350 lb, Giovanni Manu, it’s because he has not played a lick of football in America his entire life.
Born in Tonga, an island country in the South Pacific, Manu eventually played his college ball in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Manu’s basketball skills initially brought him into sports.
His switchover into the football world is what will make him his money, however.
At the British Columbia University pro-day, Manu shocked scouts and fans on social media.
He ran a staggering 4.96 40-yard dash after weighing in at 352 lbs and produced a 33.5″ vertical jump.
Here’s a fun one: The best kept secret in the NFL Draft is Tongan OT Giovanni Manu, who checks in at a freakish 6.073, 352lbs. Manu ran 4.96 at his Pro Day, which featured half the league in attendance. He also verted 33.5 inches.
Manu just concluded his first 30 visit, with… pic.twitter.com/cnVzwD35F5
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 5, 2024
Since then, Manu’s been getting a ton of interest from NFL teams, and the Cowboys are at the very top of that list.
They were the first team to hold a top-30 visit with Manu.
His combination of size, freak athleticism, and sky-high potential that is just waiting to be tapped into makes him a fascinating late-round candidate for Dallas.
The team’s weakness on the offensive line is huge.
Dak Prescott’s contract demands are music to Cowboys, Jerry Jones ears – Christopher Kline, FanSided
Now, it’s time to get the extension done.
“I’m not trying to be the highest-paid, necessarily. I’ll wait until negotiations begin and obviously want to put this team in the best situation.”
Dak Prescott doesn’t need a historic contract from the Cowboys
It is, again, notable how little momentum there is toward a new deal. Negotiations haven’t even started and Prescott is a free agent at season’s end. There’s a long time between now and next spring, of course, but Dallas is taking an unexpectedly circuitous and vague approach to determining their Pro Bowl quarterback’s future.
Prescott’s agent is probably isn’t thrilled with his client’s comments. Even if the sentiment is true, Prescott is handing free leverage to the Cowboys, who will no doubt try to make Prescott live up to his own words. The idea of QBs taking salary cuts to maintain financial flexibility for their team is nice in theory, but it almost never happens. Joe Burrow’s historic contract in Cincinnati will probably push out one of his favorite targets. Patrick Mahomes has restructured his deal with Kansas City a dozen times it feels like, but he’s still making an ungodly amount of money that puts serious strain on the Chiefs’ finances.
The Cowboys are America’s team. Jones talks a big game, and one has to believe he would be open to spending a bit of extra money to keep a competitive group together. Something has to change in the playoffs, but Prescott isn’t that change. He was the Cowboys’ best offensive player last season, comfortably, and he’s still smack in the middle of his prime.
Re-Grading the Cowboys’ 2023 Draft Class After Rookie Seasons – Devon Platana, Sport DFW
Needless to say, the grade isn’t superb.
DL Mazi Smith (R1, Pick 26): D
When the Cowboys announced they were taking Mazi Smith with the 26th overall pick, fans hoped that he was going to be a premiere run-stopper for years to come. He showed plenty of potential during his time at Michigan but was still seen as somewhat of a project that might take a few years to fully develop.
Unfortunately, Smith missed the majority of expectations as a rookie. For starters, he didn’t see as much playing time as first-round picks tend to see, playing only 304 defensive snaps (28%) across 17 games with only three starts. His playing time fluctuated throughout the year, reaching as high as 47% (Week 14) and as low as 7% (Wild Card Round).
Unsurprisingly, Smith’s stat line left much to be desired as he only registered nine solo tackles and one sack. His 31.8 run block grade highlights his struggles against the rush as it was the seventh-worst grade among interior defenders. It didn’t help that a big part of his shortcomings had to do with the Cowboys forcing him to lose a lot of weight and putting him in unfamiliar positions.
Dak Prescott doesn’t ‘fear’ playing elsewhere after 2024 with his Cowboys future uncertain – Dan Martin, New York Post
It is definitely not a statement that breeds confidence.
Dak Prescott’s future is unclear and according to the quarterback, who is heading into the final season of his deal with the Dallas Cowboys, that’s fine with him.
As it looks more and more like Prescott won’t get an extension on his four-year, $160 million deal prior to the NFL season, the QB sounded OK with however it works out.
“I’m not gonna say I fear being here or not. I don’t fear either situation, to be candid with you,” Prescott told reporters Friday at a charity event. “I love this game and love to play and love to better myself as a player and my teammates around me. Right now, it’s with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s where I want to be, and that’s where I am, and that’s the focus. After this season, we’ll see where we’re at, and if the future holds that, then [great]. If not, we’ll go from there.”
His comments came as the Cowboys appear to be prepared to let him play the upcoming season without a new contract.
Cowboys draft 2024: RB Jaylen Wright scouting report- Mike Poland, Blogging The Boys
An option to fill the void left by Polard’s departure.
Jaylen Wright
History:
Jaylen Wright was a three-star recruit out of high school and joined Tennessee in 2021. In his freshman year he played in nine games and had 85 rushing attempts for 409 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2022, Wright continued to play as the backup running back for Tennessee. Regardless, he featured in all 13 games and led the team in rushing yards (875) and scored ten rushing touchdowns.
In his junior year, Wright finally played as the starting running back for the Volunteers. He had 136 rushing attempts and rushed for 1,010 yards. He scored four touchdowns and averaged 7.4 yards per carry (which ranked second-most in the SEC)
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