The Cowboys got back on the field Tuesday night, but it was finally a field in Dallas. With the first of two evening practice sessions at The Star open to fans, early reports from the press box showed one key rookie nursing a new injury, another back in action, and the team’s young receivers getting valuable reps with Dak Prescott. That comes despite the announcement that Prescott and most of the starters will not suit up versus Seattle in the preseason finale on Friday, so these practices become all the more important.
Meanwhile, penalties continue to plague the team, although one outlet says it’s not yet time to panic. Five more cuts were announced on Tuesday, and one moved the club didn’t make could hint that Michael Gallup is returning sooner rather than later. “Madden NFL 23” has simulated the whole season and hands Prescott some records and hardware, ESPN is projecting sack totals for Micah Parsons, and an injury to one rival’s superstar will affect an early-season matchup for the Cowboys. All that, plus Dak has a new deal to add to his portfolio, and a Hall of Famer talks about the dramatic turnaround that special teams phenom KaVontae Turpin has made in his life both on and off the field. That’s all on tap in this edition of News and Notes.
Dallas Cowboys plan to keep Dak Prescott, most starters out of preseason finale :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy says he’ll stick to the same routine with most of his starters that got the Cowboys through the first two preseason games. Prescott and most of the first team will get “the bulk” of the work during Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s practices, but then sit out Friday when the rookies and bench players take on the Seahawks.
Cowboys OL Tyler Smith misses practice with injured ankle :: 105.3 The Fan
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The first-round draft pick sat out Tuesday’s work with a new ankle injury of some sort. McCarthy told reporters after practice that it was “minor” and offered reassurances that Smith’s health is not a serious or long-term concern.
Cowboys didn’t change Gallup’s PUP status, did they say something by doing nothing? :: Cowboys Wire
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The Cowboys could have placed Gallup on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday. While it would have ruled him out of the first four games of the season, it would also have cleared a precious roster spot. That they didn’t make the move could mean the club believes his rehab is on track and he’ll miss fewer than four games.
Cowboys put veteran TE on IR, cut four others, to make 80-man deadline :: Cowboys Wire
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Jeremy Sprinkle’s Achilles injury landed him on injured reserve, ending his 2022 season and getting the Cowboys one player closer to Tuesday’s 80-man limit. Linebacker Christian Sam, cornerback Quandre Mosely, and wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson were also waived, joining kicker Lirim Hajrullahu. The team must be at 53 players by Aug. 30.
Report: Cowboys make decision at kicker, waive Lirim Hajrullahu :: Cowboys Wire
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Brett Maher, the one-time Cowboy who has multiple field goals of over 60 yards, is now the only kicker on the team’s roster after CFL star Lirim Hajrullahu was waived Tuesday. Hajrullahu had been brought to camp to compete with UDFA Jonathan Garibay; Maher was then brought in to compete with Hajrullahu.
Waletzko makes appearance at Tuesday night practice :: Michael Gehlken (Twitter)
Young WRs continue to get work with Prescott and first team :: Jon Machota (Twitter)
https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1562230039684321281
Jourdan Lewis trending upward for Week 1 :: Patrik Walker (Twitter)
Penalties still plaguing Cowboys at practice :: Todd Archer (Twitter)
How concerned should Cowboys be about preseason penalties? :: NFL Total Access
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The Total Access crew, by and large, says they’re not panicked about the Cowboys continuing their flag-drawing ways into the regular season. It’s just preseason, after all. And Mike Garafolo says of the 25 penalties committed so far this preseason, only three were by players he projects to be starters.
‘Madden NFL 23’ predicts the 2022 season, including 16-1 Colts and Dak Prescott winning MVP :: Yahoo Sports
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In a season-long simulation, the game has the Cowboys winning the NFC East with a conference-best record and Prescott taking home MVP honors. In the sim, the Cowboys set season-long records in both yards and touchdowns, but the team ultimately lost to the Saints in the NFC Championship.
NFL sack total projection leaders for 2022: Ranking top 50 pass-rushers, including TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald :: ESPN
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Predicting sacks is tricky. What makes it even harder when it comes to Micah Parsons is the way the Cowboys bounce him back and forth between off-the-ball linebacker and edge rusher. Seth Walder used a complex projection model to forecast Parsons as finishing this season with 10 sacks, a total that would put him fifth leaguewide.
Exclusive: LaDainian Tomlinson says Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin has matured from TCU days :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Cowboys fans and the rest of the NFL may be just getting on board the KaVontae Turpin train, but Hall of Famer LaDanian Tomlinson has been watching the speedster closely since his freshman year at their shared alma mater of TCU. The longtime running back said Turpin has changed for the better since his often-immature college days that landed him in some serious trouble. “I think he has matured a great deal,” Tomlinson said. “I was looking at his interactions with his teammates on the sideline… That is a different young man.”
NFL’s Dak Prescott signs multiyear deal with Blockchain.com :: Bloomberg
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The cryptocurrency firm is already a major partner of the Cowboys; now they have the Pro Bowl quarterback doing endorsements. While financial terms weren’t released, Prescott will star in ads and make appearances at company events.
Dak Prescott takes Blockchain.com into Cowboys huddle in debut ad :: Dak Prescott (Twitter)
Cowboys dodge bullet with latest NFL news :: A to Z Sports
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The Cowboys already know that when they line up against Washington in Week 4, their rivals will be without their best defensive pass rusher. The Commanders placed Chase Young on the Physically Unable list, scratching him from the active lineup for their first four games. Young missed both meetings with Dallas in 2021; the Cowboys won both by a combined 83-34 score.
Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire