Dallas

Cowboys

Cobb is walking away from the field and entering the broadcasting game as a studio analyst for the SEC Network. The former Kentucky wide receiver was a second-round pick of the Packers in 2011 and established himself as one of the league’s top slot receivers during his second season when he went for 80-954-8 on 104 targets. Cobb’s production topped out at 91-1287-12 in 2014, but the veteran receiver strung together a long, productive career in which he totaled more than 7,600 receiving yards along with 54 receiving touchdowns. His final season, which came last year with the Jets, was an underwhelming one. After being brought in by long-time Packers teammate Aaron Rodgers, Cobb played a minimal role for the team in 2023, catching just five passes over the 11 games he appeared in.

Prescott is entering the last season of a four-year, $160 million contract. The Cowboys have waited to get a deal done with Prescott, who has leverage with Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence signing for over $50 million a year this offseason. Jerry Jones has his hands full with Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb in line for extensions. Prescott seems confident that his deal will get worked out while Lamb said he will not discuss his contract heading into camp.

Prescott was spotted in a boot while on a fishing trip last week. Prescott told reporters he had a “couple of hard days of training” before the vacation and wore the boot as a precaution. It was on the same ankle that he suffered a compound fracture and dislocation in nearly four years ago. Prescott was out of the boot while at his youth camp today and said he doesn’t expect it to be an issue for training camp. Backup quarterback Trey Lance could see a few extra reps if the Cowboys want to manage Dak’s workload early in camp, but the ankle issue should be a non-factor for fantasy purposes.

Prescott was spotted in a walking boot while deep-sea fishing earlier this week. Prescott said he was wearing the boot because the last time he went deep-sea fishing, his ankle swelled up. He also added that it’s the “same ankle, same issues” he’s been dealing with since he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in 2020, but told the Star-Telegram, “I’m great,” when questioned about the status of his ankle. There doesn’t seem to be any major concern about Prescott or the health of his ankle heading into training camp. We’ll assume everything is good to go until we have reason to believe otherwise.

The original photo of Prescott in the walking boot was posted to social media on Wednesday, with Rapoport confirming the reason for the boot the next day. According to Rapoport, Prescott has been dealing with the sprain for “a few days” and the injury is not expected to affect his preparation for the upcoming season. Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed in 2021, and could be playing for another new deal this season if he and the Cowboys remain at an impasse before the start of this season. While this injury is certainly something to monitor, it doesn’t sound like there’s much to be concerned about at this time.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Lamb skipped voluntary workouts and also passed on attending mandatory minicamp. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported earlier that Lamb and the Cowboys were “expected to ‘speed up’” in early June, shortly after the Vikings signed Justin Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million extension, but there’s but little word on the two sides being anywhere closer to a deal than they were a few months ago. The Cowboys’ first day of training camp is scheduled for July 25, giving the team a soft deadline to get a deal done before this becomes a major headache before the start of the season. Lamb is set to earn $17.991 million on his fifth-year extension and went for 135-1,749-12 last season.

McCarthy noted the rise of split backfields in the modern NFL and said the Cowboys — who last season had the league’s fourth highest pass rate over expected — would divvy up backfield touches among Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and a yet-to-be-named third running back. Royce Freeman would be the likeliest third option behind Elliott and Dowdle. Zeke would be the odds-on favorite to get goal line work, though Dowdle could split the pass-catching role going into the regular season.

Lamb hasn’t been present at voluntary OTAs as he eyes a contract extension before the start of the season. Last year’s receptions leader (135) is set to earn $17.991 million in the final year of his rookie deal, but with Jefferson’s $140 million extension now setting the market for other receivers, Lamb and the Cowboys now have a number to work within as they hope to hammer out a deal. The Cowboys are low on cap space and have to figure out new deals with Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons in the near future. A new deal with Lamb gets one big extension out of the way and allows Dallas to move on to other deals they need to work on.

Lance continues to work his way back to relevance after being traded to the Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick last summer. Lance didn’t play a regular season snap in 2023, but McCarthy said, “He’s close to being a master of the system” and that Lance has a “really high understanding.” He added that getting Lance as many reps as possible will be key to him taking the next step in his development. Lance’s long-term NFL future is very much up in the air at this time, but the Cowboys may have some underlying incentives — particularly when it comes to Dak Prescott’s contract situation — to develop him as best they can. If he displays the potential that made him the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, it’s possible he will eventually get a chance to battle for a starting job with the Cowboys or elsewhere.

The departure of Michael Gallup this offseason immediately opened the door for Tolbert to step into a bigger role. Couple that with the fact that the Cowboys didn’t take a receiver until the sixth round of the draft, and his path to snaps becomes all the more clear. Archer reports that Tolbert has “joined [Dak] Prescott at the hip” this offseason, spending additional time with Prescott in hopes of developing additional familiarity and trust with the quarterback come game day. Head coach Mike McCarthy also praised Tolbert’s growth, saying he’s “taken leaps and bounds” with his confidence and understanding of the game. Tolbert entered the league as a third-round pick out of South Alabama and turned in a solid combine, posting an 8.76 RAS. He’s played sparingly through his first two years in the league, amassing 24 receptions for 280 yards and two touchdowns for his career, and has likely faced a steep learning curve going from the Sun Belt conference to the NFL. Any significant role would make him an interesting dart throw in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, as an injury to either Cooks or Lamb could thrust Tolbert into a starting role.