Ari Meirov gives updates on some of the top franchise tag candidates coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, including Tony Pollard, Josh Jacobs and Evan Engram. Plus, could we see a surprise trade on the horizon?
No longer working with Kellen Moore on the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy felt free to discuss the differences in philosophy between him and his former offensive coordinator. McCarthy stated Wednesday that Moore wanted to “light the scoreboard up”, while he just wanted to “run the damn ball.”
Dave Wannstedt explains why McCarthy’s decision to air those comments publicly was the wrong way to handle things, and that as a head coach, McCarthy is the one accountable for every play, not his coordinators.
Dak Prescott still has two years remaining on his contract, but because of the way past negotiations went between Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys, the 29-year-old holds all the cards. Ari Meirov breaks down exactly why Dallas might be in a bind as they look to keep their signal caller around long-term.
It happens every NFL offseason. Some position groups are deeper than others, and that affects teams’ offseason moves.
We just saw the Green Bay Packers‘ Aaron Jones — a potential salary cap casualty — take a $5 million pay cut to stay with the team. That’s notable when you consider he rushed for a career-high 1,121 yards and had 59 receptions and seven total touchdowns last season. It tells you where things stand when it comes to the other running backs on rosters.
Unlike receivers, the free-agent running back market this year is really deep, as is the running back draft class, making it even more likely to see cap casualties at the position in the coming weeks.
Here are two running backs who could be on the cutting block:
Owner Jerry Jones and executive VP and director of player personnel Stephen Jones love Ezekiel Elliott, but he has a near $17 million cap hit in 2023, and Tony Pollard, who rushed for a career-high 1,007 yards and scored 12 total touchdowns, is an impending free agent. Something will have to be done with Elliott’s contract, possibly a pay cut, to stick around for an eighth season with the Dallas Cowboys.
If not, this could come to a situation like with Dez Bryant in 2018, when Jerry Jones wanted to keep the receiver but Bryant refused to take a pay cut. He ended up getting released. Elliott has a decision to make here. He and his agent probably will meet with the Jones family at the Combine and try to figure out a solution.
The Dallas front office and the owner love Elliott. In the 2016 draft, the Cowboys had the option to take Jalen Ramsey at No. 4 overall. Instead, they took Elliott to pair with Bryant and Tony Romo. This is an owner and family that love the player, love the person, and it’s hard for them to move on.
But they’re in a situation where there is another free agent running back (Pollard) who probably will get paid despite the broken leg he suffered in the playoffs, and you have to make a decision on what to do with the other one.
>>Read: How Cowboys Can Make Super Bowl Run
Joe Mixon has a $12.7 million cap hit next season. The Cincinnati Bengals could save $7 million if they were to move on from him this offseason.
Mixon’s backup, Samaje Perine, had 394 rushing yards, 287 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns in 2022, and his cap hit was less than $2 million. Perine is an unrestricted free agent, but with contract extensions on the horizon for quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins, the Bengals will need to save money somewhere.
