Cowboy news: Dak Prescott goes deep in last padded practice before Jaguars game

Dak airs it out in Friday’s practice, the Cowboys restructure Ezekiel Elliott’s contract, Amari Cooper speaks on criticism, and more.

Practice Points: Dak Goes Deep; Collins Exits- David Helman, DallasCowboys.com

With Dak Prescott off his ‘pitch count’, he returned to full form in Friday’s practice.

In their last padded practice before the preseason finale, the Cowboys got after it in a spirited session. With Saturday’s practice serving as a lighter workload, this was the last opportunity for full look at the roster before Sunday’s kickoff against Jacksonville.

Here’s a notebook from the practice field:

Dak Prescott let it rip on Friday morning, to put it simply. As he continues to ramp up his activity coming off the shoulder strain, Prescott keeps opening up his throwing more and more. This practice saw him making the longest and strongest throws since the injury. Most impressively, he connected with Malik Turner on a 45-yard go ball during the pat and go period of practice. Later, during team reps, he found Cedrick Wilson and Michael Gallup on 25-yard completions that saw him lace the ball over the middle of the field. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Thursday that Prescott is not working with any limitations, and that looks to be the case.

Financial ramifications of Cowboys restructuring Ezekiel Elliott’s contract- K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire

Ezekiel Elliott’s contract has been restructured to allow for greater salary cap flexibility. But the reason for such a move is still in question.

Normally teams like to enter the offseason with at least $4 million and $6 million in available cap space. This allows them to sign free agents during the year, when injuries occur and help is needed. It also allows them to handle any bonus incentives a player achieves which were classified as not-likely-to-be-earned; those aren’t counted against the cap during a year.

Dallas already had that room carved out. The restructure pumps their cap space up over $12 million for the upcoming season for when the regular season cap goes into effect September 8 at 3:00 pm CT.

So what do they need the extra room for? Could it be that Dallas is prepared to acquire a veteran player with a big salary that can help them chase a championship? That probably makes the most sense.

DeMarcus Lawrence returns to team drills during Cowboys’ Friday practice- Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

After a minor back surgery, the Dallas Cowboys’ 2020 sack leader returns.

The Cowboys’ top pass rusher participated in a handful of team drills on Friday during the team’s open practice at the Ford Center. Lawrence started training camp on PUP, as he recovered from minor back surgery, and after he passed his physical on August 3, the Cowboys slowly brought him along.

Friday was his day to showcase himself in full pads with the 2021 regular season 13 days away.

Lawrence wasn’t available for comment after the practice but earlier this week he expressed a desire with getting back on the field.

“Very anxious just being in this space of mine, [not] being able to make contact and being able to be out there with your teammates to party and celebrate on the field, it hurts,” he said. “It really hurts and I’ve been doing this a couple of years. Just to be able to have this time now to approach the game and have my mentality straight and focused on beating ass that’s all we need. So I’m just ready to go.”

Source: Cowboys Work Out Former Second-Round D-Lineman- Mike Fisher, FanNation

The Cowboys are looking to add to their defensive line depth, potentially with Breeland Speaks.

The Dallas Cowboys are working out defensive lineman Breeland Speaks – a former second-round NFL Draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs was spent time last year on the Dallas practice squad.

Waived by Kansas City at the September 2021 final cuts, Speaks (6-3, 285) spent a month on the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad prior to his Nov. 3 release.

He came to Dallas and was on the practice squad for the final two months of last season before his deal expired.

But it was his flashing in Kansas City that remains the highlight of his resume – and the reason that, at just 25, he could get another chance.

“That defensive line position is probably our deepest position,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach told the media a year ago in September. “With Breeland, a different scheme from when he got here. I, and our staff, thought in his rookie year he did some things that you can really lay a foundation on. … I will say this – credit to the kid – he did come in in shape and worked hard to get that weight off. Again, he was just up against a very deep and talented defensive line class.”

Saints to evacuate to Dallas ahead of Hurricane Ida – Amie Just, Nola.com

With Hurricane Ida coming, the Cowboys are helping the Saints out.

The New Orleans Saints plan to evacuate to the Dallas-Fort Worth area because of Hurricane Ida, according to sources.

The team plans to leave Saturday afternoon ahead of the storm, which is projected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Louisiana coast Sunday afternoon.

If Ida forces the club to stay for an extended period of time, plans are in place for the Saints to practice at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.

The Saints’ original practice plan called for workouts Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The team’s tentative plan is to stay in the area until Wednesday.

‘Just let my play talk.’ Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper fueled by burning passion inside- Clarence Hill Jr., Star Telegram

Amari Cooper is unaffected by criticisms surrounding his quiet nature and is ready to produce in 2021.

Cooper has heard it all from fans, coaches, former teammates, opponents and coaches — not just in the last three seasons with the Cowboys but since he entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the then-Oakland Raiders in 2015.

Cooper lacks passion. He doesn’t love the game. He is too nonchalant. He has bad body language.

But he doesn’t care.

Not because he doesn’t value the opinions of others in real time, well except for former Raiders teammate Michael Crabtree.

But we will get back to that.

It’s just that he knows firsthand the fire burning deeply inside of him belies his laid-back demeanor and causes many to misconstrue his stoic nature as a lack of desire.

“There are 16 different personality types,” Cooper said. “I just attribute it to people not really understanding personality types. There’s so many different personality types, and I guess if somebody doesn’t have the same personality as me or as the next person, they won’t really understand. That’s what I attribute it to.”

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