September 3, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, Football, Miles Austin, NFC East, NFL, Patrick Crayton, Roy Williams (WR) | Comments Off
Jason LaCanfora is reporting the Cowboys have agreed to send wide receiver Patrick Crayton to the Chargers for a seventh-round draft pick.
Yesterday, I gave you five reasons the Cowboys should keep Crayton, but apparently his $2 million salary was too much for the Cowboys to handle. To me, the Cowboys are a better team with Crayton than without him, regardless of his contract.
Now, the team could be in some trouble if either Miles Austin, Roy Williams, or Dez Bryant gets injured. None of those players have much experience in the slot either, although Austin and Bryant have the skill set to benefit from moving inside in three-receiver sets.
The seventh-rounder Dallas received as compensation for Crayton shows that they probably would have released Crayton had they not found a trade partner.
More to come, including an update on my 53-man roster projection.
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September 3, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Football, NFC East, NFL, Patrick Crayton | Comments Off
This morning, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, was on with Newy Scruggs of 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas talking about the final cuts that would be made this weekend.
Scruggs brought up Patrick Crayton and was of the opinion that Crayton was the second best receiver on the Cowboys' roster and that the chemistry between him and quarterback Tony Romo was solid. While Jones didn't disagree directly with Scruggs, he did say that Kevin Ogletree also had good chemistry with Romo and that he was brought in to handle the punt returning duties.
There had been talk since Cowboys' training camp opened that Crayton wanted to be traded or given his outright release. There hadn't been much talk about it until yesterday when the rumors surfaced again the Crayton had asked to be given his outright release so he could sign with the team of his choice.
His agent, Fred Lyles, told ESPN, "It is clear the direction in which the organization is moving in. Crayton is not part of the rebuilding plans."
It appears Lyle was right. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Cowboys traded Crayton this afternoon to the San Diego Chargers though it's not known who the Cowboys will receive a player or a draft pick in return.
Crayton spent six seasons with the Cowboys, totaling 2,888 receiving yards and 23 total touchdowns during his time in Dallas.
He will now head to a team that already has a talented receiving corps, but you have to believe that this marks the end of the Vincent Jackson era in San Diego. Bringing Crayton in could mean that the team is close to trading Jackson.
This is a deal that absolutely benefits the Cowboys. Crayton, as his agent said before, was not going to part of the Dallas Cowboys this season and it was just a matter of time before this move was made.
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August 8, 2010 | Filed Under AFC North, Best Slideshows - Team, Breaking News, Chad Ocho Cinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Terrell Owens | Comments Off
The NFL season is officially one step closer to starting with the kickoff of the preseason with the Hall of Fame game at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, OH.
While the first team offenses and defense played only a couple of drives fro each team, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Cincinnati Bengals 16-7.
The game was nearly a shutout for the Cowboys until Bengals rookie receiver Jordan Shipley had a fantastic punt return, using his speed and making defenders miss, to bring the Bengals to the two yard line.
But this is not a typical game recap, because you can go to any other sports source to find those, this is my personal observations since I was the lucky recipient of receiving press credentials to cover the game exclusively for Bleacher Report.
It also helps that I live in Cleveland which is only an hour away too.
Without further adieu, here are my observations of the Hall of Fame Game.
(I do apologize to Cowboys fans, but I was on the sideline of the Bengals for the game and most of my observations are of the Bengals because they were closer.)
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July 30, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, NFL | Comments Off
This is not how Jerry Jones envisioned Dez Bryant's career starting as a Dallas Cowboy. Bryant sustained a high ankle sprain in practice on Friday. The preliminary timetable puts Dez Bryant out for four to six weeks.
This happened the same week that the star rookie wideout was put in the spotlight for not carrying Roy Williams shoulder pads. Instead now the only thing Bryant will be carrying is a set of crutches to support his injured ankle.
What this means for the Cowboys is that they will have one less explosive weapon to start the season. This team expected Dez Bryant to come in right away and contribute. That's why Jerry Jones moved up to sign him in April's NFL Draft.
Bryant had the same plan. He was the first first round draft pick to sign a contract. He has done everything right early in his NFL Career, until today with this unfortunate ankle injury.
Injuries happen and are part of the game. This should put the Dez Bryant is better then veteran Roy Williams talk on hold for a while. Bryant now will miss all of the preseason, and will probably be slowly put back on the field once the season starts.
With any high ankle sprain there is no set timetable, because it all depends on how he recovers and how the ankle feels. For a wide receiver it is difficult because you need to have the ability to plant and cut while running routes.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy now can only watch from the sideline and learn mentally from what happens during training camp into the regular season. This is not how Dez wanted to start the season, but he needs to use it as a learning opportunity.
Dallas still has high quality wide receivers in Miles Austin and Roy Williams. Patrick Crayton remains a guy that can come in and contribute. His punt returning skills is where his impact has been made. Even Sam Hurd is a player who has remain dedicated and working hard during the Cowboys offseason.
The Cowboys have to move on for now without Dez Bryant. At the same time Dez needs to remain focused on getting healthy so he can play when Dallas needs him most.
It's still unfortunate to see his rookie season begin with an injury that is going to cost him valuable time.
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July 26, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, NFL, Roy Williams (WR) | Comments Off
As training camps throughout the NFL get underway, rookies find themselves submitting to self-deprecating tasks at the behest of veterans.
There is one rookie who simply isn’t having any of it.
Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Dez Bryant made headlines Sunday by refusing to carry a veteran’s pads during practice.
The veteran was none other than Roy Williams, who figures to spend much of training camp trying to fend off Bryant from stealing his starting wide receiver spot.
Now that there is some pre-fight chatter, let’s take a closer look at one of the biggest heavyweight position battles in NFL Training Camps this season:
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July 26, 2010 | Filed Under Best Slideshows - Team, Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, NFL | Comments Off
The Dallas Cowboys were one of the first teams to open their 2010 training camp this week, kicking off their preseason tune-up in San Antonio. But it took just one day for the NFL's most recognizable franchise to grab recognizable headlines.
The Cowboys tumultuous receiver and their newest first round pick both did their best to impersonate the former Cowboys receiver who famously made his own headlines.
Roy Williams and Dez Bryant already generated conflict and storylines, and the Cowboys haven't even filled out their invite list to camp. So what exactly happened that already has Cowboys' camp in a twist? And what other news is circulated training camps, including three more that open today?
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July 22, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, NFL | Comments Off
The Dallas Cowboys' first-round draft pick (24th overall), Dez Bryant, has agreed to terms on a contract.
According to ESPN, the contract will be worth $11.8 million over five years with $8.5 million guaranteed.
Bryant was a standout receiver for the Oklahoma State Cowboys until he was suspended last season for lying to the NCAA about working out with former Dallas great Deion Sanders.
In his three seasons at Oklahoma State, Bryant had 2,425 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.
In 2008, his final collegiate year, Bryant was second in the NCAA with 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns.
He was also 22nd in the NCAA with 17 yards per catch.
He was many people's preseason pick to win the Heisman going into the 2009 season and was expected to be a top-five pick before he was suspended.
He will likely start the season as the Cowboys' No. 3 receiver behind Miles Austin and Roy Williams, but many people expect him to have a big impact and work his way ahead of Williams on the depth chart before the season is over.
Bryant will be the first player that was selected in the First Round to ink a deal with his team.
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July 22, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, NFL | Comments Off
The Cowboys are reporting that they have agreed to terms on a contract with rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant.
Bryant becomes the first player selected in the first round to finish a deal, despite widespread speculation that he would hold out, perhaps for an extended period of time.
Of course, Dallas Cowboys Times readers weren’t worried.
Two weeks ago, we gave you five reasons Bryant wouldn’t hold out .
One of the primary reasons provided was that the Cowboys have a great relationship with Bryant’s agent Eugene Parker.
Parker has represented Deion Sanders, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, among others. He was also likely eager to show he can strike a deal quickly after advising Michael Crabtree through a lengthy holdout last season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the deal is worth $11.8 million over five years, including a gaudy $8.5 million signing bonus.
The Cowboys must still sign second-round pick Sean Lee, although that deal figures to be completed by tomorrow.
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July 22, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, NFL | Comments Off
The Cowboys are reporting that they have agreed to terms on a contract with rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant.
Bryant becomes the first player selected in the first round to finish a deal, despite widespread speculation that he would hold out, perhaps for an extended period of time.
Of course, Dallas Cowboys Times readers weren’t worried.
Two weeks ago, we gave you five reasons Bryant wouldn’t hold out .
One of the primary reasons provided was that the Cowboys have a great relationship with Bryant’s agent Eugene Parker.
Parker has represented Deion Sanders, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, among others. He was also likely eager to show he can strike a deal quickly after advising Michael Crabtree through a lengthy holdout last season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting the deal is worth $11.8 million over five years, including a gaudy $8.5 million signing bonus.
The Cowboys must still sign second-round pick Sean Lee, although that deal figures to be completed by tomorrow.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
July 22, 2010 | Filed Under Breaking News, Dallas Cowboys, Dez Bryant, NFL | Comments Off
Dez Bryant, former Oklahoma State wide receiver and the Dallas Cowboys' first-round pick, has agreed to a five-year, $11.8 million dollar contract with $8.5 million guaranteed
Bryant could provide a much needed spark for the Cowboys' underachieving receiving corps and is expected to overtake Roy Williams for a starting position.
Bryant is known for his speed and elusiveness, two elements that could provide a jolt to the Dallas Cowboys' offense this coming season.
I will provide an update tomorrow on this article as more information becomes available.
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