Cowboys Corner

UT linebackers will attend Cowboys' Dallas Day workout

Texas linebacker Emmanuel Acho always has been a Cowboys fan. Not that he had a choice.

"You grow up in Dallas, you grow up a Cowboys fan," Acho said Tuesday.

Acho and Keenan Robinson both said they will attend the Cowboys’ Dallas Day workout next month for local prospects. Robinson played at Plano East. Acho is a Dallas St. Mark’s product.

Robinson said he also get another visit lined up with the Cowboys. He did not grow up a fan of the Cowboys, though, or at least he doesn't want to admit it since he might end up somewhere else on draft day.

"I grew up a fan of the game," Robinson said. "I watched Dallas, obviously, because that's what was on Fox every Sunday as the hometown team. I really don't have a team. I like football, the sport. I like to watch linebackers. No matter what team is on, I'm going to watch guys like Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis, all those guys."

Acho has a torn right quadriceps that prevented him from doing anything more than position drills at UT's Pro Day. But Robinson ran a 4.70 in the 40, had a 10-foot, 5-inch broad jump and went 361/2-inches in the vertical jump Tuesday. Robinson is projected as a third- or fourth-round pick, while Acho is projected to go in the fifth round.

-- Charean Williams

 

 

Mike Zimmer says Terence Newman could fit in with the Bengals

Mike Zimmer wasn't in Cincinnati on Monday when free agent cornerback Terence Newman arrived for his visit with the Bengals. But Zimmer knows all about Newman, having been the Cowboys defensive coordinator for the first four years of Newman's career.

The Cowboys released the nine-year veteran last week, and Newman has begun his search for a new home.

"I've known Terence for so long," Zimmer said Tuesday during the University of Texas' Pro Day in Austin. "You know sometimes it's just good for guys to get a change and get a new start on things. I always loved Terence. I always thought he was a good, competitive kid with a lot of ability. I think sometimes you get in different systems and things work out better for you, because it's a better scheme fit or whatever. I'm not saying it is or it isn't. I know when I had him, which was a few years, so you've got to see that in person, but I know what kind of person he is. I know what kind of character he has. And I know how he would fit in with our football team. To me, that's important, too."

Newman, who turns 34 in September, was cut to save the Cowboys $6 million in salary-cap room and to make way for Brandon Carr. Dallas signed Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million deal last week.

Newman has missed time due to injuries in three of the past five years. Although he played all 16 games in 2010, he played through a pain rib injury for much of that season. He was only the 97th-best cornerback in the NFL in 2011, according to Pro Football Focus. He was targeted 78 times and gave up 49 catches for 797 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterbacks completed 62.8 percent of their passes against him and had an 88.5 passer rating. Newman did have four interceptions.

-- Charean Williams

To all asking about Tim Tebow to the Cowboys, remember this Jerry Jones comment on Tebow in 2010

To all those wondering if the Cowboys should make a play for Tim Tebow, remember Jerry Jones' slam of the former Florida quarterback before the 2010 draft when he was secretly recorded while drinking at a bar.

Jones was asked if the Cowboys had any interest in draft Tebow and here was his response.

"Why?" Jones said. "He'd never get on the field. I can't get him out there."

Jones later clarified the comments saying he meant that he was satisfied with the quarterbacks on the team, led by starter Tony Romo.

Given that Romo is still the starter and the Cowboys just signed Kyle Orton to a three-year deal, the answer to any question of about the team's interest in Tebow should be the same.

"Why?" Jones said. "He'd never get on the field. I can't get him out there."

Clarence E. Hill Jr.

 

Here is the Cowboys' official release of G Kyle Kosier

The Dallas Cowboys released guard Kyle Kosier today. For his career, Kosier started 120 of the 143 games he appeared in while with San Francisco, Detroit and Dallas. He was originally a seventh round draft choice (248th overall) in the 2002 Draft by San Francisco out of Arizona State and played three years in San Francisco before signing with Detroit in 2005, where he played one year. Kosier signed with Dallas in 2006 and started all 16 games in four of his six years with the club. He missed all but three games in 2008 after landing on Reserve/Injured with a right foot injury,  and he also missed three games in 2010 due to injuries.

-- Clarence Hill

 

Per source, Kyle Kosier will be released, saving Cowboys $1.5 M

As one Cowboys team source put it, "It's a crazy day."

Indeed, hours after the Cowboys seemingly planned to wait until after the NFL Draft to make a decision on the future of guard Kyle Kosier, the team has decided to part ways with the 10-year veteran.

Kosier, who tore a medial collateral ligament in the 2011 season final, became expendable when the Cowboys signed free agent guards Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau to contracts totaling $30 million.

Livings got $19 million over five years on Friday and will likely move into the starting lineup. He started the past two seasons in Cincinnati and 47 total starts in six years.

The Cowboys also are expected to target Stanford guard David DeCastro in the first round of the 2012 Draft.

Kosier's expected departure completes a massive overhaul of the offensive line which began before the 2011 season when the Cowboys released guard Leonard Davis, center Andre Gurode and tackle Marc Colombo. They had parted ways with tackle Flozell Adams the off-season prior.

Kosier, who joined the Cowboys in 2006, missed 16 games the past three seasons but none in 2011. He played three seasons in San Francisco and one in Detroit before coming to Dallas.

Releasing him will save $1.5 million against the salary cap for the Cowboys in what indeed has been a crazy whirlwind week. The Cowboys have signed a team-record seven free agents in addition to parting ways with long-time veterans Kosier and cornerback Terence Newman.

-- Clarence Hill

Cowboys bring back Ogletree to shore up wide receiver depth after loss of Robinson

When the Cowboys declined to tender receiver Kevin Ogletree a restricted free agent contract of $1.2 million on Tuesday, making him an unrestricted free agent, it was more about the money than an desire to get rid of him.

They always left open the possibility of him returning at the league minimum.

After Ogletree took a free-agent visit to the New York Giants on Wednesday, the Cowboys reeled him back in with a one-year deal for $700,000.

Ogletree, a New York native,  announced the move on his twitter account: "Loyalty Over Royalty. I'm really excited about what's in front of us #Cowboys".

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett hinted at the move on Thursday when said Ogletree was "still in the mix" when asked how team was going to address the third receiver spot after losing free agent Laurent Robinson to the Jaguars.

Ogletree is not the targeted answer at the position. He has largely been a disappointment since making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He has 25 career catches and no touchdowns and was beating out by Robinson last year for the third reciever spot.

The Cowboys will still look at receivers in free agency and the draft.

They also like the potential of some of the young receivers on the roster, including Andre Holmes, Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris.

Ogletree gives them a veteran option who has played before in case one of the young players doesn't develop.

Clarence Hill

 

 

 

Despite signing two guards in free agency, Cowboys will still target David DeCastro

Never mind that the Cowboys have signed two guards in free agency _ Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau _ for a combined $30 million, that will not preclude them from targeting Stanford guard David DeCastro with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 Draft.

Livings and Bernadeau got good money but no jobs have been given too them. Berrnadeau is a career backup. Livings started for the last two years in Cincinnati but there is a reason the Bengals made no real push to keep him.

Both however were targeted by the Cowboys for their size and strength. Livings is 6-foot-5, 332 pounds. Bernadeau is 6-4, 308. Both upgrade the depth at the position and will promote a fierce competition in training camp with veteran Kyle Kosier, who could to center or be released, and second-year players David Arkin and Bill Nagy.

But DeCastro is considered a special talent at guard who could be paired with left tackle Tyron Smith for years to come.

It's also telling that a source said the team will make a decision on Kosier's future on the roster after the draft.

Upgrading the interior of the line is important to the Cowboys because of quarterback Tony Romo's slight stature. Pressure up the middle is just as troubling as pressure from the blindside. He needs to be able to step in the pocket  and not have his lineman pushed back in his face.

So while the free agent signings weren't sexy, they were part of an overall plan to improve the offensive line which was an offseason priority.

Clarence Hill 

 

 

 

Cowboys sign their second guard, getting Nate Livings

The Cowboys didn't make a big splash at offensive guard, but they did get the two players they wanted. Former Bengals guard Nate Livings agreed to a five-year, $19 million contract Friday, according to a source. He joins former Panthers guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, who signed a four-year, $11 million deal that included a $3.25 million signing bonus.

The Cowboys now have signed seven players, the most they have ever signed in an off-season since unfettered free agency began in 1993.

Livings, who turned 30 today, is 6-5, 332 pounds. He has started 47 games in the past four seasons with the Bengals, including all 16 games each of the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus rated him the 56th-best guard in football last season, behind the Cowboys' starting guards, Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland.

Bernadeau, 26, has 20 starts in four seasons, including 12 in 2010. He started one game last season, though he appeared in 15.

The Cowboys have overhauled their offensive line the past few off-seasons. Gone are Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo. They drafted Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick last year, and he will switch from right tackle to left tackle this season. Doug Free will move from left tackle to right tackle.

Kosier, the one constant in the line over the past six seasons, with 80 starts at guard, could be moving to center to compete with Phil Costa and Kevin Kowalski for the starting job.

"Kyle has shown some versatility," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said in a conference call Thursday. "He's played left guard for us and right guard for us. He has been our backup center at different times during his time here. What we're trying to do is create competition, bring players in from the outside, evaluate the players that we have, and then when the time comes to get out on the football field, we'll see how it all shakes out.

"There is a business aspect to all this stuff. You've got to make sure the numbers all work and you're allocating the appropriate resources throughout your football team. But competition is good, and we're excited to see the progress those guys can make as we get going here in the spring."

The Cowboys started three left guards last season. Bill Nagy started four games as a rookie before going on injured reserve with a fractured right ankle. Veteran Derrick Dockery started two games before a fractured tibia and sprained knee. Holland, who was released before the season and then re-signed after Nagy was injured, started 10 games before being injured himself.

Holland and Dockery are free agents. Besides Nagy, a seventh-round pick last year, the Cowboys have another young lineman in David Arkin, a fourth-round pick last season. Arkin did not play as a rookie.

"We like what some of the young guys were able to do last year, stepping in and really playing and having a role for us on our team," Garrett said. "But we want to get better throughout our team. We want to get better on our offensive line."

-- Charean Williams

Courtship of CB Brandon Carr included private jet, dinner at Cowboys Stadium and Super Bowl talk

The courtship of cornerback Brandon Carr began just after the 3 p.m. opening of free agency on Tuesday. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, secondary coach Jerome Henderson and assistant secondary coach Joe Baker jumped into a car and headed to the airport.

Once there, they boarded owner Jerry Jones’ private jet and flew to Kansas City to pick up Carr and bring him back for a free-agent visit.

Talk about the epitome of “you had me at hello”.

“I got the phone call to head to the airport,” Carr said Thursday, one day after signing a five-year, $50.1 million contract to join the Cowboys. “The coaches greeted me. I saw the private jet. I got goose bumps.”

But the Cowboys didn’t stop there. The plane ride back consisted of talking football and then there was the fly over Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. After landing, the Cowboys whisked Carr to the stadium for an up close and personal look along with dinner with several of his future teammates, including receiver Miles Austin, tight end Jason Witten, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and linebacker Sean Lee.

“I heard so much about the stadium,” Carr said. “I could see the stadium from the air. When I got there, it was everything I thought it was and more. Stepping on the field and seeing the Jumbotron, I was ready to play there.”

It was all a surreal experience for Carr, who was not a big-time recruit out of high school and played in college at Grand Valley State before being a fifth round pick of the Chiefs in 2008. He said he still hasn’t come down from the emotional high.

“I didn’t know what to expect with whole free agency process,” Carr said. “I took it all in and absorbed it. I enjoyed the moment. At the same time I knew I had to take care of myself and my family.”

Carr can do that and more with the whopping $50.1 million contract that includes a $10 million signing bonus and $26.5 million in guaranteed to money.

“I was hoping for a good contract,” Carr said. “That’s why you grind so hard in the off season, putting in all the work and them playing your tail off. Now with that comes bigger responsibility. I am up for the challenge. I plan to work twice as hard as before and help set a tone in the locker room."

Carr grew up a Cowboys fan. He said the first uniform he ever put on was a Cowboys uniform. Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders was his favorite player and he imitated Prime time’s high stepping dance many times as kid envisioning himself as a Cowboys player.

Now that he’s here, his focus is bringing a Super Bowl back to Dallas for the first since Sanders and company last won 1995.

That was one of the themes of his courtship at Cowboys Stadium as well from the players and the coaches.

“It’s a dream come true for me to put that helmet on and grind. The No. 1 goal now is to win a Super Bowl. That’s what everyone I talked to expressed. They talked about adding the right pieces, getting better and winning. Once the season starts, that’s the No. 1 priority.”

 

Cowboys still in need of a third tight end and don't have anyone in mind at the moment

The Cowboys have filled most of their needs in free agency, with six signings. But they still have some work to do. Dallas still has need for a No. 3 receiver to go with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant and a third tight end to pair with Jason Witten and John Phillips.

They have three young receivers on their roster who, despite no catches among them, have shown potential. There also is the possibility the Cowboys will re-sign Kevin Ogletree to a minimum contract. (Ogletree visited with the Giants on Thursday.)

But at tight end, the Cowboys have no one they are “specifically… targeting to bring in,” according to coach Jason Garrett. 

"We'll just continue to go through this process, evaluate our needs at all positions and then figure out who might be available, who might fit," Garrett said. "We've talked about a lot of different guys [at the tight end position], but nobody really specifically right now that we're targeting to bring in. We're talking about a lot of different guys, watching tape, just seeing if anybody is interesting to us as we go along here."

The Cowboys are set at the starting spot with seven-time Pro Bowler Witten, who led the team with 79 catches for 942 yards and scored five touchdowns. They used no tight ends or one tight end on 671 plays last season, according to STATS, Inc. But they went with two tight ends on 320 plays and with three tight ends on 26 plays.

Phillips had only 15 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown last season, a year removed from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The Cowboys are hopeful Phillips can ascend to the No. 2 tight end role that Martelluls Bennett has held.

"That's certainly a possibility," Garrett said. "He's been that No. 2 tight end at different times when Martellus hasn't been available to us over the past couple of, three years, and has gone in and done a really nice job both as an on-the-line tight end, the backside tight end and he's a guy that can go in the backfield and can play the quasi-fullback position. So John's done a really good job. He's a versatile. He's the right kind of guy. He's only getting better."

But there is no one on the roster to replace Bennett, who left for the Giants one-year, $2.5 million offer. The Cowboys had Kellen Davis in for a visit, but he opted to return to the Bears with a chance to be the starter. John Carlson, another tight end in whom the Cowboys had interest, signed with the Vikings.

Kevin Boss, Leonard Pope, Dante Rosario and Dallas Clark are tight ends still on the market. Clark will sign somewhere he can start, possibly following Peyton Manning.

Bennett had only 17 catches for 144 yards, but he was the team's best blocking tight end.

"Martellus did a really nice job for us in the role he had since he's been here," Garrett said. " He's an outstanding blocking tight end, ...and he's grown as a receiver since he's been here."

-- Charean Williams