Cowboys news: Marist Liufau already being called a potential ‘draft-day steal’

The news of the day for the Dallas Cowboys

NFL Rookies Who Already Look 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 catches on really quick. He wants to be so good and so intense that he’s almost too much at it right now. The other thing is I think he’s a really good pressure player and I think having that with (Micah) Parsons and another pressure player that is a linebacker or he can move somewhere else and Parsons can move somewhere else. I think those pieces add to confusion for the offense, plus he’s a really good rusher. “

Liufau isn’t just a box player, though. He didn’t allow a single touchdown when in coverage over the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

For the Cowboys, the coaching staff has a good problem on its 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 all of them around to give opposing offenses different looks.

Even if Liufau doesn’t find himself in the starting lineup, he’ll be a sub-package performer providing flexibility for the entire unit.

Cowboys 53-man roster projection ahead of mandatory minicamp – KD Drummond, Cowboys Wire

Not a whole lot of surprises from KD, but he does have Trey Lance beating out Cooper Rush and provides a ranking of the crowded RB room.

QUARTERBACK

Roster Locks: QB1: Dak Prescott, QB2: Trey Lance

Practice Squad: Cooper Rush

RUNNING BACK

Roster Locks: RB1: Rico Dowdle, RB2: Ezekiel Elliott

Pretty Secure: RB3: Deuce Vaughn

Practice Squad: Malik Davis, Nathaniel Peat

Best Remaining 2024 NFL Free Agents Still Available Entering June – Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

Now that the Cowboys have some extra cash, maybe they will go free agent shopping. Bleacher Report wants them to get offensive linemen.

OT D.J. Humphries

To be fair, teams aren’t likely to pursue former Arizona Cardinals starting left tackle D.J. Humphries with the intention of playing him early in 2024. The 30-year-old suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve and then had his surgery delayed by an MCL injury, which makes a return by Week 1 highly unlikely.

There’s a chance that Humphries will be ready to contribute before the midpoint of the season, which makes him an intriguing insurance option for teams that need 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 best current 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-savings move.

Like Humphries, Cole has never been among the best players at his position. However, he’s started 34 games over the past two years and has 73 starts on his resume. He’s still young enough to be considered a viable long-term option too.

Dallas used a third-round pick on Cooper Beebe to fill its void at center, but Beebe has 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 then help round out Dallas’ line.

The 10 Running Backs With the Most Rushing Touchdowns in NFL History – Mike Thomas. GiveMeSport

With the NFL in a slow time, let’s take a trip down memory lane.

Emmitt Smith not only owns the NFL’s all-time rushing yards record but the all-time rushing touchdowns mark as well.

The 1990s Dallas Cowboys had so many offensive weapons with Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, and others, but if they needed a touchdown, their best bet was to put the ball in Emmitt Smith’s hands.

Smith, the league’s all-time leader in rushing yards, is also tops among players with the most rushing touchdowns in NFL history. His 164 rushing TDs 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 get-go. He rushed for 11 touchdowns as a rookie and collected 96 in his first six seasons in the league, leading the NFL three times in that stretch. Twice, he had more than 20 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 came in 1993. He finished with only nine but was named NFL MVP anyway, and then went on to win Super Bowl MVP as well, helping the Cowboys to their second of three titles in four seasons.

Bold predictions for 2024 NFL season: Cowboys make an early playoff exit, fire Mike McCarthy and hire Bill Belichick for 2025 – Judy Batista, NFL.com

Buried in a piece from last week, Batista warms up he Belichick to Dallas story, but packages it as a bold prediction.

This doesn’t even really seem like that bold a prediction. The Cowboys have had a startlingly quiet offseason, while the Eagles have upgraded 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. Neither will Jones hiring Bill Belichick. It’s still bizarre that Belichick doesn’t have an NFL job, and it feels a little like owners overthought things a little bit. If you have a talented roster and need someone to address details and mindset, Belichick is your guy. He won’t coach for long — maybe a few years — but Jones can figure out a succession plan after he finally hoists another Lombardi Trophy.