NFL Rookies Already Looking Like Draft Day Steals After 2024 OTAs – Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Marist Liufau is getting some love as a draft day steal.
The Dallas Cowboys see another defensive chess piece in third-round linebacker Marist Liufau.
“Number one, he’s brilliant,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer told reporters. “He realizes it very quickly. He wants to be so good and so intense that he is given too much right now. The other thing is I think he’s a very good pass rusher and I think having that with (Micah) Parsons and another pass rusher who is a linebacker or he can move somewhere else and Parsons can move somewhere else. I think those pieces add confusion to the offense, he is also a very good runner. “
However, Liufau is not just a boxing player. He did not allow a single touchdown when he was in coverage over the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
For the Cowboys, the coaching staff has quite a problem on their hands. Veterans Eric Kendricks, Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown are the projected starters. Liufau is going to push Overshown in particular for a spot. But Zimmer can move them all to give opposing offenses a different look.
Even if Liufau is not in the starting lineup, he will be a supporting player that provides flexibility to the entire unit.
Cowboys 53-man roster projection ahead of mandatory minicamp – KD Drummond, Cowboys Wire
There aren’t many surprises from KD, but he has Trey Lance beating Cooper Rush and provides a ranking of the crowded RB room.
ATTACK PLAYER
Roster Blocks: QB1: Dak Prescott, QB2: Trey Lance
Practice Team: Cooper Rush
RUNNING BACKWARDS
Roster locks: RB1: Rico Dowdle, RB2: Ezekiel Elliott
Pretty sure: RB3: Deuce Vaughn
Practice Squad: Malik Davis, Nathaniel Peat
Top remaining 2024 NFL free agents still available as of June: Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
Now that the Cowboys have some extra money, maybe they’ll go shopping for free agents. Bleacher Report wants them to get offensive linemen.
DJ Humphries
To be fair, teams aren’t likely to pursue former Arizona Cardinals starting left tackle DJ Humphries with the intention of playing him in early 2024. The 30-year-old suffered a torn ACL in his New Year’s Eve and then his surgery was delayed for a medial collateral ligament injury, making a Week 1 return highly unlikely.
There’s a chance Humphries could be ready to contribute before the season’s midpoint, making him an intriguing insurance option for teams in need of one at left tackle.
Dallas may also want to consider Humphries after losing Tyron Smith in free agency. Dallas is chasing a deep playoff run, and its current best option at left tackle is rookie first-round pick Tyler Guyton, whose college experience came at right tackle.
C Mason Cole
The Pittsburgh Steelers released the 28-year-old, who started all 17 games last season, in a cap-saving move.
Like Humphries, Cole has never been among the best players at his position. However, he has started 34 games in the last two years and has 73 starts on his resume. He is still young enough to be considered a viable long-term option.
Dallas used a third-round pick on Cooper Beebe to fill its void at center, but Beebe had never played the position before. If Guyton doesn’t quickly adapt to playing on the left side, and the Cowboys don’t find a veteran alternative, they may have to consider moving Tyler Smith from guard to tackle and starting Beebe at left guard. Adding Cole would help round out Dallas’ line.
The 10 running backs with the fastest touchdowns in NFL history: Mike Thomas. GiveMeSport
With the NFL in a slow era, let’s take a trip down memory lane.
Emmitt Smith not only holds the NFL’s all-time rushing yards record, but also the all-time rushing touchdowns record.
The Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s had plenty of offensive weapons with Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek and others, but if they needed a touchdown, the best thing they could do was put the ball in Emmitt Smith’s hands.
Smith, the league’s all-time leader in rushing yards, also leads among players with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. His 164 rushing touchdowns are the most ever by an NFL player.
Selected by the Cowboys with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith was a touchdown machine from the start. He ran for 11 touchdowns as a rookie and racked up 96 in his first six seasons in the league, leading the NFL three times in that span. Twice, he had 20-plus in a season, recording 21 in 1994 and a career-high 25 in 1995.
The only time he didn’t have double-digit rushing touchdowns in those first six seasons was 1993. He finished with just nine, but he was still named NFL MVP, and later won Super Bowl MVP as well, helping the Cowboys to his second of three titles in four seasons.
Bold predictions for 2024 NFL season: Cowboys exit playoffs early, fire Mike McCarthy, hire Bill Belichick for 2025 – Judy Batista, NFL.com
Buried in an article from last week, Batista brings the Belichick story closer to Dallas, but presents it as a bold prediction.
This doesn’t even seem like that bold of a prediction. The Cowboys have had a surprisingly quiet offseason, while the Eagles have improved their roster. The Cowboys have enough talent, including Dak Prescott, to make the playoffs as a wild card, but with another early playoff exit in the offing, Jerry Jones does what many expected him to do this offseason: let Mike McCarthy go. McCarthy is coaching in the final year of his contract, so that won’t even be a surprise. Jones also won’t hire Bill Belichick. It’s still strange that Belichick doesn’t have a job in the NFL, and he feels a little like the owners overthink things. If you have a talented roster and need someone to take care of the details and mentality, Belichick is your guy. He won’t be a coach for long, maybe a few years, but Jones can come up with a succession plan after he finally lifts another Lombardi Trophy.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Sports News, Follow Keynote USA Sports on Twitter.