Dallas Cowboys CanFan Weekly Wrap Up | April 22nd, 2023
Terence Steele Signs Second Round Tender
It took a month, but Terence Steele signed his second round tender and will be “ready” for the Dallas Cowboys training camp.
We can celebrate the fact that Steele is going to be returning to the Cowboys after what would have been a Pro Bowler, and, more importantly, an All Pro 2022 season. But the condition was too high for any team, as the Dallas Cowboys would be able to match the offer and if they chose not to, they’d get a second round pick in a draft I think is pretty offensive line friendly.
That, and Steele is still recovering from an ACL and MCL tear that required reconstructive knee surgery.
That shit scares the fuck out of me.
This type of injury can take up to 10 months to recover. It could take a year or longer to start to feel “normal”.
So, if Steele went down Week 14 and started this process immediately, we can expect him to be “ready” between mid-August and mid-October of this year. It makes sense that he will be “ready” to play, but it’s hard to believe Steele is going to be 100%.
But in reality, no football player is ever “100%”, so it really matter what kind of dawg Terence Steele has inside of him.
Dak Prescott Helps Scout WRs
This is what I like to see! Maybe…
Dak Prescott did this last year and on his list was Jalen Tolbert who the Dallas Cowboys drafted in the third round. Tolbert has yet to prove himself, but there is a growing vibe that the second year wide receiver is going to get a little bit of time to do just that.
Now, Cowboys Nation is one of the most polarized fan bases on the planet Earth. Therefor, the Dallas Cowboys organization’s moves simultaneously do and don’t always align, depending what side you take on any topic.
At the end of the day, I like an organization that involves their quarterback, especially with the investment the Dallas Cowboys have made in Dak Prescott.
And if they can pack Prescott’s offense with high quality receiving options, that could help lower his interception issues that plagued the 2022 season. That includes tight ends! Don’t sleep on the fact that Dak has played with Jason Witten and Dalton Schultz throughout his career — he is used to a safety net tight end. And I don’t think the Dallas Cowboys have that safety net currently.
Ex Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had some words of confidence for Dak, regardless of what his offense looks like in 2023:
“It’s learning, evaluating. The year you have the most interceptions … you have four balls dropped in two games that were easy interceptions, but [the receiver] didn’t catch them … that still falls on you. That’s why you play quarterback because it’s your job to overcome it.”
A First Round Option No One Is Talking About
While Offensive Line, Running Back, and Tight End have been hotly, highly, and humungously debated options for the Dallas Cowboys first round pick, there’s one option that probably would piss a lot of Cowboys Nation off.
But for me, I wouldn’t mind it one bit…
Trading back the first pick!
This really has a bunch of asterisks, including if certain players are available at 26. But, if no one is there who is a sure fire day one team improvement kind of player, then trading back works for me.
Here are my top options:
Buffalo Bills at 27 (Low Chance) — this doesn’t really offer much in return as it’s only down one spot, but if the Bills see a player they want and the Cowboys don’t, it could land an extra fourth round at best, most likely a sixth though. I don’t love it but it would be an extra pick that could make a QB decision that much easier!
Pittsburgh Steelers at 32 (Medium Chance) — The Steelers already had a pick at 17, but they are a team that is hungry for players to help jumpstart the franchise. Moving up 6 spots to secure another first round talent should be tantalizing, and the Cowboys could get a third round for sure at 80, plus a sixth or seventh round pick to sweeten the deal.
Indianapolis Colts at 35 (High Chance) — The Colts are in the same boat as the Steelers. They have a high need to add draft talent in key positions. That might be a description you can tape to anyone. But the Colts moving up 9 spots is probably the maximum I’d want to drop, and I’d want at least a third and some change in addition to the 35th pick overall. If the Colts see someone they really want, they would make a trade.
LA Rams at 36 (Low Chance) — OK, I lied, I’d make one more trade back to 36. The Rams don’t have a first round pick this year. They have two third round picks. It’s a stretch, but if they want to move up, 36 and the two thirds is what I would ask for in return. Maybe they want a late round pick tossed in, I’d commit to that.
There is also an argument that the Dallas Cowboys could trade up. This could happen with the Seahawks to 20. We would probably have to give up our third this year, or second or third next year.
I don’t like this as much, but if they can package next year’s pick, I like the win now mentality that this shows, because the Dallas Cowboys have a closing window with this championship calibre team.
Philadelphia Eagles Ranked Above Dallas Cowboys By NFL.com
I hate it, even if it’s true.
The top dogs in order for the NFC are the Shitgles, San Francisco 49ers, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Philly (Sucks) made it to the Super Bowl and have two first round picks. They signed their star franchise QB to a salary cap friendly deal for the next 4 seasons. They also have the top ranked GM, which I highly dispute (Team Jerry), but there seems to be a consensus that disagrees with me.
The 49ers would be top pick if they could close the carousel at QB, which might happen with Brock Purdy’s emergence. It’s not a terrible position to be in, having both Trey Lance and Sam Darnold waiting in the wings, but the fact that they all have starting potential means that the 49ers don’t have a starting quarterback. Everything else in San Fran is dandy, except the homeless situation and their big question mark at QB.
Finally, the Dallas Cowboys, who are banging at the door and would be an easy second place. Easy! Had Dak Prescott kept it together. Had Tony Pollard’s leg been made of adamantium. Had the Cowboys offense been able to score just ONE touchdown in the second half of the Divisional.
Alas, those things did not happen, nor exist, and we find ourselves quietly pouting because you can’t really argue with being slotted 3rd.
Cowboys Pick Up Fifth Year Option For CeeDee Lamb
The Dallas Cowboys locked up CeeDee Lamb through 2024 by picking up the fifth year extension on his rookie contract signed in 2020. Right now, his salary cap for the 2024 season would be just shy of $18M.
That seems like pretty fair value for a two time Pro Bowler, but this seems more like a “commitment to a future signing”, than a “wait until 2025 to sign him” kind of deal.
And some people in Cowboys Nation like our brother @LawsNation believe that a deal needs to be made NOW.
According to Spotrac.com, CeeDee Lamb has a current value of $23M, or $90M over 4 years. Ouch!
We know that the front office in Dallas can make magic happen with contracts, so I expect one to be signed before the start of the 2023 season and I wouldn’t be surprised if it hit $90M, either. But I don’t think we are going to see a higher cap than the near $18M the Dallas Cowboys have already committed to in 2024.
Micah Parsons Is A National Treasure
We can’t get enough of Micah Parsons and he loves to share his thoughts on just about anything!
And it’s hard to disagree with the dude.
Parsons voiced his opinion on the Fast and Furious series recently, stating the series should have stopped at 7.
And shortly after, Micah Parsons defends on of my favourite cinematic universes in Marvel:
If there’s one thing that we can thank the Government for, it’s motivating our dude! Here’s what he had to say about the upcoming season:
Speaking of next year, we wrote an article about three things Micah Parsons needs to do to elevate his game for next season. You can read that here.
NFL Draft Big Board Top 1-40 @BoysNtheZone
We are less than a week away from the NFL Draft and our boy and brother @BoysNtheZone has been doing the hard work to help educate us here at Cowboys CanFan.
Check out his Top 1-10 NFL Draft Prospects here.
And Top 31-40 here!
