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Cowboys Let's go.
Are you ready for a break?
Yes?
Are you ready for a break?
Absolutely?
Ready for a break?
Yeah, And so much for that.
It's time for the Break on Dallas Cowboys dot Com. Were right with mbar Garcia, Brian brought us, Patrick Walker and Derek Eagleton.
It is Wednesday, August twenty third, twenty twenty three, Season nineteen, Episode number twenty. Welcome to the latest edition of The Break. We are a live nest WBC Mortgage Studios at the Star and today we've got I've got a lot of different topics We're gonna hit. We're gonna talk about some bubble guys. I got a whole list of guys that I wanted to go through, get some opinions from these folks about how they are performing and where they fit
right now. We also talk about a player that's out there that we just have learned over the last couple of days is a player that might be available for trade and whether the Cowboys might or might not or should or should not have interest in one Jonathan Taylor. We'll talk about that here in a moment. Welcome my co host to the stage, Amber Garcia, Patrick Walker, Brian's out today, but we'll hold it down, right, we'll hold it down today.
So let's first start. I want to get some updates from you, Patrick.
Last night, the Cowboys had a practice here in Frisco at the Star Training Camp continues. It was about a two hour practice and we kind of saw some different things from the standpoint of injuries of people that kind of we're back, some were not. Let's talk about some of those. Ronald Jones, where is he from an injury standpoint.
Ronald Jones was a limited participant in yesterday's practice. He was in full pads and helmet. He did individual drills, but did not participate in team drills. Once the team drills fired up, Rojoe went back to the rehab group. So that comment from Mike McCarthy saying that Jones would be quote unquote challenged to take the field against the Raiders, that it's holding true thus far. We'll see what happens today in paddi practice, but it's not looking good for
Ronald Jones. If he does miss obviously, that means he will have missed the entirety of the preseason with their groin injury. As the Cowboys get into their roster cuts and we see that Rico Daludo and Duce Vaughan have pretty much cemented their spots. Not a lot of space there before will go room jer.
You remember those two games that he's gonna miss in the.
Regular two games?
Suspension these largest that Yeah, I did, that's huge.
Two games suspension looms large as well, Matt. Well, let's go a little bit more promising news. Matt Let's Go was on the field yesterday full uniform, participated in individual drills and select team drills with that shoulder injury that he suffered against the Seattle Seahawks. So well, Let's Go does have appears to have a much better chance of
taking the field against the Raiders. Great news for a Cowboys team that is battling offensive line depth issue and needs Well Let's Go to step in and hopefully be a front runner for that swing tackle position. Spoke with Schoolmaker yesterday as he continues his recovery from plantar fasciaitis.
Great news from the rookie second round pick. Told me directly that his foot feels quote unquote like it was before end quote the injury, and he's just working on getting it stronger now, so sounds as if he's mostly passed the injury, if not in its entirety, and he's just trying to build up strength and of course get his lungs back to be NFL ready for Week one. So all things considered, Cowboys are starting to get healthier. Donovan Wilson still on track for Week one. Israe Mukuamu
returned weeks ago. Obviously, there's the devastating news of losing demarveyon overshown in John Stevens, but they've got a plan for that. Particularly with overshown. Marquise Bell is going to take the lead in that role. We spoke with him yesterday and we'll get into that a little bit today.
Talking about Nashan Wright and Elik Jefferson, anything we're hearing on.
Malik Jefferson still dealing with the foot injury. Didn't see him do much yesterday. I think he'd be hard pressed to get on the field, and that's a shame for Jefferson because he was really flying around against the Jacksonville Jaguars before he left that game with the foot injury, and I spoke with him. He still has a little bit of a limp. I'd be surprised if he took the field, but something to keep an eye on as they have padda practice here today. Nashawan Wright, he's out
of the boot. Did a little bit of work yesterday, nothing of notes. So again, much like Jefferson, let's see
what he does in paddi practice today. But without Nashwan Wright, the onus is going to be on rookie fifth round pick, sixth round pick Eric Scott, and of course Kelvin Joseph former second round pick, to kind of step up as the Cowboys hopefully prepare for the return of Jordan Lewis, which is another positive that's looming on the horizon because me having the conversation with Jordan Lewis as recently as
last week, he said he can do everything. He's doing everything full speed, sprinting cuts, He's just trying to get his stamina back. Now, does that mean that he beats the the September first cut down? And if he does, then he's on the active fifty three man roster. If not, then he starts the season on pupp and he's down for four games before the Cowboys have to figure that out.
So, yeah, that's where they are right now.
Talk to me about best case scenario. Let's assume for a second that Jordan is ready to play week one of the season. Do you think he steps in and immediately becomes your slot guy or do you keep Deryan Bland there? Because it's clear Deryn Blan is the future. He is the future for the Cowboys when it comes to that slot position.
I would not mess with Darron Bland at all. Whatsoever he's been. He did an amazing job last year, his first year, and then this year he just taking a step forward. Everything I see him doing it's good and I'm like, wow, I'm impressed by what the just the work he's been putting out there, the athleticism, the way
that he's competing. There might be sometimes where he's missed a couple of plays things like that that just happened by nature of the sport in the game, but all in general, there's nothing that he has done that would make me want to even consider taking him out on the field. He's one of the guys that I would want out there as much as possible.
I agree, and I've put this out there on Twitter as well when the question was posed, do you play do the Cowboys play the roster numbers game when it comes to Jordan Lewis and sit him down for four games and then have to figure it out later but buys you time? Well, number one, this was pre injury
to overshown and John Stevens. I still wouldn't have done that because while I don't believe Jordan Lewis is going to hit the ground running as prime Jordan Lewis, I still think that Jordan Lewis at eighty percent is better than Eric Scott trying to figure it out as a rookie, and he's better than Kelvin Joseph trying to figure out
how to play nickel. So Deron Bland in that instance, you bring Jordan Lewis back, let Deron Bland remain your starting nickel and then rotate Lewis in so that he can be in mid season four when mid season comes around.
And that's how I would play it that way.
Yeah, I agree with you, and I look at Jordan Lewis, man, I know, I like Deron Bland's game a lot. I think he is one of the more talented young players on this team. And ever since he's gotten here, he's been flashing since he got here, So I don't want to slow that down. But at the same time, I look at Jordan Lewis and I'm like to run. Jordan
Lewis is a really good player. I think he's one of the more underrated players over the last several years for the Yeah, he's always been and I think it's probably because of his size a little bit people underestimate him. But he's got to make mix plays. He's not afraid to get in there and make the tough tackle like. He does everything you would want a slot cornerback to do, and he does it well, and so I'm not really ready to write him off.
Just shit.
I look at that and I'm like, it's nice to have a deron Bland and to know he's going to be your future. But I want to get everything I could possibly get out of Jordan Lewis.
Look what happened last year. You had struggles there at corner and guys getting injured going out or players not being to play to the level that you needed them, and you just didn't have anybody else to put it in there. So I think that at the end of the day, it's all gonna saw itself out, and Jordan Lewis will see time on the field. I think he will make the roster. It sucks that he's missed all this time because it just does it takes away from what you're trying to build and on top of what
you already have on the defense. But I just think that at some point, you know you're gonna be like, Okay, we need a corner Well, there's your.
Guy, perfectly said.
And to that point, I want every Cowboys fan who has this thought in their head of potentially using Jordan Lewis's trade bait get it out of here, because there's this perennial act or attitude of, oh, well, we are already said at this position one, two, three, let's go ahead and start trading guy's way. But then what happens is you see twenty twenty two and you lose Jordan Lewis, and then you lose Anthony Brown, and then you lose in Jacksonville, and then you lose in Green Bay because
your cornerback play dropped off quite a bit. Bottom line is, Jordan Lewis could have been a breakout player for the Cowboys long before he became one high Chris Rachard, but at one point pre digs, Jordan Lewis was the only ball hawk in the secondary less people forget so Jordan Lewis was doing it and he's not the prototypical corner
or even nickel corner. So the fact that Jordan Lewis will be back to full health, that gives you four dominant impact cornerbacks Digs Gilmore, Bland, and then Lewis in rotation, and then that buffers you also against potential injury and you don't have to worry about you know what you had to worry about in the second half of last season.
Yes, good, Sorry, I was were you gonna ask no, NodD Okay, I was just gonna say, since we're on topic at the cornerback position, I wanted to ask you guys your thoughts on Kelvin Joseph were his ad because just a training camp, different practices, I've seen them given him a lot of opportunity, Like he's gotten a lot of reps with the first team defense, so and he's always seems to be out just wondering, like, have y'all's opinion changed.
As far as like gury evaluation of the player.
Well, here's what I'm gonna do. That was a great setup amber, because that was where we were going to go in the next, in the next, in the next part of this show. We actually that's our top bubble guy, because I think he is a very very interesting player, and quite frankly, I do think he relates quite nicely to the conversation having about Jordan Lewis, because if Jordans oldin roster, what does that mean? How does that affect somebody like a Kelvin Joseph. We're gonna take our first
break when we come back. We're gonna talk a little bit about that. We're gonna talk about some players and evaluate some different players. We're gonna start with Kelvin Joseph'll be back Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Back to the Break.
Welcome Back at is the second segment of the Break with lot from that s WBC Morrigang Studios at the Star. You know I was mentioned I was thinking I'd love for hear to hear from you. Guys on what you think of our new studio. We had this this new studio redesigned.
I'm loving it.
I think it's actually really nice. But I want to hear from you guys what you think. So if you want to get out on Twitter and let me know what you think of the studio, we'd love to hear your feedback.
You know we're here.
We'll show the people, So we want to hear from the people. Let's know what you think, and we can also adapt as we go. If there are certain things that you kind of like don't like, we can maybe adapt some things. So we'll see how that goes. All right, here's what we're gonna do. Let's go ahead and get into some of these player evaluations. A lot of these guys whose names I'm going to bring up are guys that I consider to be bubble guys.
Some of them may not.
Some of them may be clearly guys that won't make the team or clearly will make the team, but I think they're worth discussion. So we'll start first with the player that we mentioned right before the break, Kelvin Joseph. He is a very interesting player from the standpoint that he was a former second round pick. I would think by most people's account, he has not lived up to what you would have expected from a second round pick, although I think here over the last couple weeks, I
think we've started to see some lashes from him. I know in this last game he had two pass defenses. Now again he's playing against guys that probably won't be playing on Sundays come the fall. But that all being said, it still is you.
Know, preferable.
You want guys making plays, and he was making some plays. That being said, what is your assessment of Kelvin Joseph as it sits today? We'll start with the Amber since you asked me question.
My own question.
Let's right, Well, we were talking about it during the break a little bit, and I just personally, I'm in a weird spot where I don't necessarily know how to feel because looking back at last year, I personally was not a fan every There were so many times that he would make mistakes on the field and he would just like completely piss me off, like not me, but a lot of people as well, mistakes that cost you
at times. And yes, looking at it now, though, what he's been doing working with the first team, going against some of the veteran.
Guys and not winning though winning those, But there.
There have been a little, very few, very few where it's been competitive enough where he's right there competing. This is back in Oxnard, very small moments that I'm the fact that he's going up against them, That's what made me keep an eye on him and be like, Okay, what's going on here?
Uh?
And it impressed me the fact that they're giving him so many opportunities and here on lately, and I feel again, this is a practice. I just it's hard to tell whether you're pulling a flag or you know, like.
Making those mistakes.
But just all in all, I think he's gotten better, But I don't know I'm budding yet. Now you have to look at those other guys are on the roster as of now and see who you would rather keep.
But I don't know. You guys, tell me what y'all feel.
It's just the fact that I see him so much out there, the fact that the coaches are putting him out there so much as opposed to other guys.
I feel like, to be blunt, I'm not the component of him seeing a lot of time versus the ones over the first half of training camp doesn't impress me because I know that that's out of necessity. That's because Jordan Lewis was on the pup list, and that's because the Cowboys are trying to give Kelvin Joseph every possible opportunity to show his value as a former second round pick. They do not want to move on from him because that would be an admission that it was a failed pick.
They want to see some value here.
So because it's out of necessity and it's basically them pointing at him saying, show me something. The number of reps against the ones isn't going to impress me. It's the quality of those reps in the beginning of camp. The first half of camp. Alluding to Derek's point, he struggled against the ones, struggled against some of those twos as well. A little more handsy than I would like to see. A lot of those plays that he made in practice, they would.
Have been flags.
That's just being objective about it now. In keeping with the objectivity, timing is everything. He started to come on strong right when he needs to come on strong because it's almost time for roster cuts. He had a pass breakup against the Jaguars. He had two pass defenses against the Seattle Seahawks, so he's starting. It looks like he's
starting to find his stride. The question that I now pose to myself, to the panel, to the Cowboys front office and coaching staff, is is he showing enough right now wherein you make a decision that moves you on from Eric Scott. I don't think that's the case. Because you traded up to get Eric Scott. You don't want
to move on from Eric Scott. Jordan Lewis is coming back, if he's healthy, then you want your Jodan Lewis, because, as I said, eighty percent, Jordan Lewis is already better than everybody not named Diggs, Gilmore, Bland, Okay, Nishan Wright. Where's he on the injury for?
It does matter though, despite the trade that he had a higher draft value are you.
Talking about at this point?
That doesn't matter the time.
Expire, It doesn't matter if you can't keep riding the drafts.
What three three?
For some reason I had.
To this is the third season, This is yeah expired.
It doesn't matter anymore honestly that in my opinion now, and of course I'm not using the draft picks, so they may have a very like Will McClay may have a very different look at that of how much latitude you give a guy based on the draft pick, I'm telling you, for me, that gives you one year, Like I don't want to cut my draft pick the year I draft them. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that one off season will allow them to get to wherever I'm trying to wherever I projected
them to be. Once you get past that, you have to you have to prove it or I'm dropping somebody else to come in to take your spot.
Eric Scott.
Now, and I'm wondering because when this comes to a roster equation, how many cornerbacks are you carrying? Because the cornerbacks that are at the bottom of your CB depth chart, they got to do special teams. Okay, so Kelvin jokes if that would be his big and a special teams and then he at that point as they need nickel coverage,
they can kind of filter him in. But if you're keeping him, is Nashaun healthy or are you starting Nashwan on the pup list to sit him for four games and then you figure things out four weeks out Eric Scott. I don't think they move on from Eric Scott.
C J.
Goodwin doesn't play defense during the regular season. But you lost Noah Brown as you're oh, he's on there, I mean, he's right. You can lost Lou Gifford as a special team. That's why you brought CJ back on a one year deal so he could be. So if you're not going to move on from c J. Goodwin, you're not going to move on from Eric Scott. If Nashaun Wright is healthy, Andeordan Lewis is healthy, where do you squeeze Kelvin In? So again, Kelvin He's come on strong at the right
time these couple of games. Question is has he come on strong enough to defeat those guys if they're healthy Nashaun and Jordan in addition to Eric Scott and c J.
Goodwin. Who's your special teams? You're a loan special teams ain't at this point.
As an aside, I actually think of all the years I've been covering the Cowboys. I've been here now for twenty something years, and yeah, I know you're right there with me, but I actually think c J. Goodwin may be the best special teams player I've ever seen with the Cowboys in the time I've been here. This guy is some of the things he does on special teams and it's consistent, like every single time he's the first
one down there, he's the one making the play. Even in times when something goes wrong he gets blocked, he still has a way to recover to get back into the play. I've just I've never I have not seen and have There's been some good special teams player. Keith Davis comes in mind. He was really good here on special teams. Actually when I got here, I want to say, I'm not sure anyway there there there have been. There have been some really good ones. There have been some
really good ones. I would make the argument, really he is the best that I've seen. He is the best I've seen in the time I've been here. He is a true special team's ace. All right, let's move on to another name I'm gonna throw out for you guys. Isaiah Land. Very interesting player. Uh this last game he did have a forced fumble and a sack.
What do you what do you think about him?
I do love me some Isaiah Land. He was just a menace against the Jacksonville jag Wars, which rolls over what he was doing in camp.
Practice is out in Oxford and you hit an Oxnord ox nerd?
Did you hit?
Did hit?
You got me a little bit? Georgia Twain came out. But it's funnily enough. Against the Seahawks, uh not a few minutes before he did the forced fumble. He got the forced bumble. I was like, Isaiah has been kind of quiet, and then two reps later, force fumble. I guess he heard me from the press box. So, I mean he's impacting games over these last two preseason games. I anticipate he will impact the game against the Raiders. I think you got to find a way to get
him on to the roster. I really do. Who does that push out? That's the question mark because the Cowboys are absolutely stacked on the defensive front. I mean, Quentin Bohanna's coming on strong, Devill Gallamore is coming on strong, Chauncey Ghosten his December last year.
Total guys, you're keeping.
That's been discussion.
That depends on how many you're running on the offensive line. I think those two things are on a scale. So if you go plus one O L then your minus.
Well, we know who needs it more exactly.
The point, so you might run ten I'd say ten defensive linemen.
I can't figure out just yet.
I really, I really do need this game against the Raiders to figure out who I would take away to add Isaiah Lan. I don't know yet, but I do know that you need to put him on this roster.
I do think you could get him to your practice squad though. I think I think every year there are guys like this that you're like, he'll never make it to the practice squad. Yeah, he'll never make a practice squad, and he'll make it to the practice squad.
It's okay.
I do think he's a guy that.
Becomes a very good practice squad player for me that I think I can develop if I'm making that decision, I think I can develop a future years.
And what are your thoughts.
I'm right there with what he just said. And it's a tough one because of how competitive this whole group is, and you look at forget Mikah Parsons everything, the spotlight that he usually takes. There have been times where I feel like every guy, most of these guys have had a flashy moment I saw some of the one on one drills out of training camp, which is my favorite drill of all of them, and there is strength in a lot of these guys. There's quickness, how fast they
just get off and go. So it's a tough battle because I feel so many of them are just right there.
So it makes me I would love to know the opinion.
What the coaches are thinking and what are the kinds of traits that they value the most, because I think that it's just gonna come down to that. But that's that's a very hard question.
Derek, Yeah, what are you thinking?
Well, I mean, like I said, I think he's a guy you can get to your practice squad, and my expectations that's where he will end up. I just don't I think this roster is too deep that It's one of the things I love about this defense right now is they are so deep at so many positions. The one that that that they're actually not as deep at because of the injury as a linebacker. I was thinking, you know, you at overshown into what they already have.
The linebackers are even deep. There would have been no position on the defense where if I would have sustained one injury, I would have been like, oh my god, that thinks except for obviously eleven. He's eleven. You're not going to replace him with anybody because he's just so special. But anybody else, I felt like, hey, you could sustain ain't that because you have enough depth that the next guy you don't drop off too much from the guy that preceded him. So I just look at this defense
and I'm just so impressed with that. And that's why a guy like in Isaiah land that it's flashed and shown you something in camp, just it's hard for him to make a roster like this.
It's just too deep.
That's fair.
Do you have any PTSD from the Ridgeway And obviously Ridgeway wasn't lost in the initial cutdowns in waivers, but when they played the waivers game as the beginning of the season rolled along, then the commander swooped in and got Ridgeway. Do you think there'd be any kind of flashback there as far as risking Isaiah laying and saying, hey, well if we put them on waivers, we might lose him to a division rivle.
Here's my question for you. I'll answer that question. With a question, do you feel like right now, f Ridgeway, we're here, that he would be among the top two or three? Would he be right on the bubble again.
He'll be in the bubble again here we go.
So you didn't really lose anything, like you're so deep at the position. Yeah, you basically replaced him with other guys that were comfortable, So it's not like you lost anything. It's not like you lost the guy that has turned out to be an easy you know, he is your plug in starting defensive tackle. He's not better than Osu right, agreed, He's not better than than Hankins. He's not going to
be better than Mazi. So all those things considered, like, he still is going to be a guy that would be down there that you'd we'd be talking about him today as a potential bubble guy.
I look at a player like Junior for Hoko, and they're not going to move on from their rookie fourth round pick. But I would have loved to see more
from Junior for Hoko and camp. And I know that he was battling the shoulder injury that slowed a lot of his progress this camp, but I just would have liked to see what he can do more so to this point, which makes the conversation easier for me as far as the Isaiah land because and I'm not saying it's Lamb versus for Hoko, but in the grand scheme, if you're looking at the macro of trying to figure out the roster, I would have just loved to see
more from for Hoko. But I mean, he'll be on this roster.
But that's the thing, Like, that's the hard part of this. You say, for Hoko is going to be on this roster. Defensive end might be the deepest position on the actual team. Like Nick was talking about this yesterday on another show. I heard him talking about it. He was like, when you start thinking about this defensive end position, you get second team, you even get to the third group of guys, and for some teams that would be their first group of guys as pass rushers. I don't know where Fooko
fits on this team. When you start just thinking about the raw numbers there are probably right now, there are probably six defensive ends that you would say are better than for Hoko.
Are you going to carry a seventh?
Contrarily, are you willing to cut or wave your rookie fourth.
I hear what you're saying. It all makes sense.
In a normal in a normal situation, you'd be like, absolutely not, I'm not letting go of my fourth round pick. But okay, So if you're not gonna let go of your fourth round pick, which of those guys that we just that that that we could throw out there at defensive end?
Are you?
Are you willing to let go to keep.
Your fourth round pick? That's the discussion, right.
All those guys can play right and their experienced players.
So who are gonna let go?
Mm?
Drrence? You gonna let Drans go?
Hell? No, okay, I didn't want to let Dorance go last year.
You're gonna let Fouler go? No, you bought You're gonna let Sam go.
That's my point. But that's my point.
That is the difficulty of this cut right now is is you're gonna have some good players and some players that you really want for your future that you're gonna actually they're gonna actually have to be having discussions about letting some of these guys go.
It also depends on how you how you file Michael Parsons. Now, in reality, we know he's an Edgers.
Yeah, I see what you're saying. In reality, you think of him as if you could think of him.
But if you mind him as a linebacker, now you're plus one on linebacker, which gives you the vacancy on the defensive end. So that's how I think, that's how you ultimately get justified junior for Hoko and not having to cut your.
They can play mind games with themselves.
He's more.
We'll linebacker.
We'll call him a linebacker just for the purposes of making our roster making.
There you go, it's magic.
All right, let's move on. I'll throw out another name for you guys. This one's another interesting one, another polarizing one, probably as much as as Kelvin Joseph Josh Baul mhmm.
Hold on, I'm looking at all the guys. Uh we got on here.
Okay again, back to the question, how many are we keeping?
We don't.
We don't have those numbers. We don't have those By the way, that's the show.
That's the show.
That's the show that we will do.
Uh maybe Friday or next Tuesday is we will actually cut this roster down. But right now we're just having the discussion of where he fits, like how has he performed. What's your evaluation of him, because my opinion is he's been very similar to Kelvin Joseph, a guy that coming off last year you didn't really think necessarily had it.
They moved him to.
Guard moments, but he's been I will say this the preseason game, this last preseason game, I thought he played as well as I've ever seen him play. I think there towards the end of training camp I saw him play maybe as well as I've ever seen him play. So going back to your point, Patrick, timing is everything. He's starting to kind of make some headway, and.
This is a new position for him.
None of us, I think I can say this with some pretty good confidence. I don't think any of us expected that Josh Ball would actually be a player at guard when we heard they were moving to guard, when we are like, he's too tall, that's not gonna work. But I will say here, over the last couple of weeks, we have started to see some signs that maybe he's getting better at it.
Yes, to me, again, I feel like he's had certain moments where he's flashed and you can see a slight curve of him getting better. But I'm gonna cheat on this. I'm gonna go based on this roster depth chart that Cowboys pr I mean, he's listed right behind Zach Martin. Hey, I'm saying we don't go really based on all this, But hey, according to Peter, I'm cheating because I don't
have an answer for you right now. I feel that honestly, the fact that you're gonna have to keep so many guys, I think he makes it and he's gonna be here.
Just because you don't have a lot of the options.
Is that what you're saying, Yes, I think you need the bodies. I think he will make the roster because of that, unless there was some kind of move that happens and the Cowboys go out and acquire somebody else to help on the O line. Otherwise I don't see him not being on the team.
I do agree that the Cowboys need the bodies, and that's why they get a sixteen man practice squad. And I am not of the opinion that if you wave Josh ball he's going to get scooped up by another team. He's still very much development developing in his new role.
Timing is everything.
Yes, he's starting to come on strong, but his coming on strong for me is just enough to show the Cowboys they need to continue to develop him there.
But I think it's from.
A practice squad capacity because if you look at if you carry ten, even if you carry eleven, all right, you know who you're starting five is. But when you go to the second level, Austin Richards, he's that rookie. He's starting to come on now. Brock Hoffman, he had a rough game in Pass Pro, but for the most part, very strong camp Matt FARNIACI has potential to swing, and he has potential as a backup center behind Linstrom.
Don't forget TJ.
Bass.
I'm getting there. Sorry, That's exactly my point. As I go down the list.
TJ.
Bass not necessarily the best practice guy, but boy, he is an absolute gamer. So the question that you would then't have to ask yourself whether you're carrying ten or eleven offensive linemen, do you want Josh Ball or do you want TJ Bass on the fifty three mans roster. I think that's where it comes down. It's versus farniac versus Ball, and in that equation it's Bass and farnioc I give the nod too, and I get Josh Ball back on the practice squad to protect against injury to
either of those players. I think that's how the Josh Ball equation should be played out.
Fact of the matter is, I'm not certain. I know we've given a lot of we've given them a hard time quite a bit. I'm talking about Ball, but I'm not certain that. I'm not certain that Ball is a guy you could put out there that somebody wouldn't pick up, because.
I know how tough.
Right now, the Cowboys are not the only team in
the NFL that are looking for offensive linemen. Offensive linemen are hard to come by this time of the year, and I think there's probably some teams that have There are certainly some teams that have lesser fortunes on the offensive line than the Dallas Cowboys, and from that standpoint, I think they're probably intrigued to some degree by the same things that the Cowboys are intrigued by his traits, because his traits tell you, man, this guy ought to
be able to play in the NFL. There's some team out there that I think would probably be a little bit intrigued and has the room to say, yeah, we could definitely make him fit here because he's he's still gonna be better than what we got.
Okay, So I'll say this one, love you, but don't agree in the event that we're you're.
Not supposed to.
In the event that were.
To happen, I'm going to flip. This is putting your energy right back on to you in the event that were to happen. Is he irreplaceable?
No?
It having the Ridgeway conversation right.
So thirty one other teams is going to let go of back up left guards who probably that's their base position and maybe could step in and be a more of an immediate impact as a backup guy than Josh Ball in his development state. So I say all of that to say, I believe the Cowboys like what they're seeing as of late. I believe Josh Baul is a strong practice squad candidate. I feel like he's risk worth risking.
He's worth risking to Waivers as a way to avoid risking a guy like TJ ask the waivers, Matt Foarniac the waivers and try to get him back on the practice squad. And if you happen to lose Josh Ball to Waivers, somebody's going to fall onto the waiver wire that or into free agency outright that you can bring in and still add to the practice squad.
Well, here's how I would look at that. Though that sounds good for us, I don't know if I don't know if the guys. I don't know if the guys upstairs necessarily see it that way. And what I mean by that is they invested a fourth round pick in this guy, and the way they look at him, they may say, hey, we really really believe that his traits suggests he's going to be a really good player, not just a guy we can just throw in as a number.
We think he can be a really good player. He needs development.
So those kind of guys you look at and you're like, yeah, I don't know if I necessarily want to lose him.
You're right.
For right now, I could bring in somebody that's probably comparable. But a year from now, am I looking at a Josh Ball who they may say his traits suggests A year from now he's a guy that's one of the better guards in the NFL.
Right, So that's where I.
Don't know what their assessment is of him to where they're willing to let him go or not.
So we're talking because you mentioned draft pick status. Yeah, aren't we passed the expiration date on Met Milk?
Yeah we are.
That's fine, that's fine, But that's also where once again, that's also where it goes back to and I said this when we're talking about Calvin Joseph as well, that's that's our assessment.
That's not their assessment.
Necessarily, their assessment has to include we're based on what we're seeing and based on what we thought of him coming out of out of college. Where is he in that trajectory and do we still see that runway where he can grow If we think he's still ascending, are we giving up too soon on him? Like Ridgeway, I don't know, Ridgeway. I'm looking at and saying he's still ascending. I think he is a good player and he's going
to be a good solid though. Yeah it did, it did not like but that that is a I don't I don't know that. I look at him, and they may look at Josh Ball and say we think he's going to be an ascending player. We're not willing to let him go for what's comparable right now because what he will be a year from now will be much more than that. Again, I'm not saying that's my assessment. I'm saying that could be could be their assessment.
Do you go deeper a gar or tackle?
Well, you know what complicates that conversation is.
Tyler Smith because Tyler Smith can swing out to tackle.
Answer both conflicts. Yeah, answer is keep the guys who can flecks the versatility. That's where versatility really comes into play. That's the answer to the question. The answer is yes, you go deep, at deep, retguard and at tackles.
Let's say, backup guys that do have those kinds of that kind of versatility.
Well, hell, real quick, we're going to take our final break close to the end of the show. We'll take that final break. When we come back, we'll answer that question. We'll be back Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of Doctor Pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller, would you.
Dear Doctor?
My friend supported me during a tough time.
But what's the right gift that says thanks for being the soldier to cry out?
Okay, this one's easy, I say, give her a delicious Doctor Pepper. Nothing says thanks good better than one of a kind soda. Yes, any Doctor Pepper flavor will do. Now, just a reminder that I don't need to be a real doctor to know that doctor Pepper is the one you deserve.
Back to the break.
Did't you want me to read.
Come? We were going there smooth and you just threw that off.
Sorry?
Yeah.
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Welcome back to the final segment of the break by from SWBC Mortgage Studios. At the start, we literally have about three minutes, so we don't have much time here. I did promise, I did promise at the beginning of the show that we would have a conversation about Jonathan Taylor, and I know we were in that other conversation, but I think we got at least addressed that before the show is done. Jonathan Taylor, for those that don't know,
he's running back for the Indianapolis Colts. He is a player that has been a little disgruntled, and the report is that he now has gotten permission from the Colts to seek a trade. And so, obviously, as is the case with any player in the NFL, as soon as he's able to seek a trade, the Dallas Cowboys become a part of the conversation because fans love to put them in the conversation and media loves to talk about it, and so we're going to talk about it and just
give you our thoughts. Now, the question was asked to Jerry Jones yesterday. Here was his response. He said, We'll look at every opportunity, but the way our young backs are playing, I am very comfortable where we are with our backs right now. I feel good about our running back position if we didn't add anyone. Now, before we get into the conversation, what I want to say real quickly is everything that said after that that starts now. These are our opinions. These are not the opinions of
the Dallas Cowboys. They are not the opinions of Jerry Jones. They are our opinions of what we think the Cowboys should do as media people. All Right, now that we've gotten that out there, what are your thoughts on Jonathan Taylor and specifically the possibilities of the Cowboys may be making a move.
I'll make it asked.
I will not partake in this conversation because it doesn't make any sense to me. You just said it in the quote that Jerry said, and I have the same opinion with the way that these young running backs have been performing and playing. I just don't see any reason to add somebody else. You still have Tony Poller, who you gave the franchise tag to and I just don't see where he would fit.
Now.
You can post a conversation of him being a talented player and the type of firepower that he can bring. But at the same time, I don't think you're necessarily missing there are other positions that I would rather make a trade for than the running back.
I'm out on that. I'm out on Jonathan Taylor, and not because of the skill set. Jonathan Taylor is in an absolute minuce. But and yes, and arguably he's better than as much as I love Tony Poller than Rico, o'dowdell and Duceval coming in. And yes, Jonathan Taylor is more proven and better. That being said, is he so much better? It is so much far ahead of this current group that you would give up premium picks plural for the right to bring him in and give him
a chunk of Micah's and CD Lambs's money. Keeping in mind that de Marcus Lawrence is also coming due during Armstrong is coming due. Yes, Terrence Steell, Terrence Steele, you still have to get the deal do on Terror Steel,
Scott Dak Prescott is coming. A lot of contracts coms, so a lot of contracts coming up, and for those that are fantasizing and you know, getting romantic about Jonathan Taylor, keep the numbers game in your conversation as well, because it's not fantasy football where you just drop the guy in and you start racking up points. You have to
pay this guy. The reason he's disgruntled with the Coats is because the way the RB market is shaped shaping out, and then that led to his you know, the team owner and Indy making comments.
He wants to get paid.
The Cowboys are not in a position where they should do that given everything they need to get done contractually. So from a player standpoint, he's a great guy and I hope he winds up in a great spot that is not in the NFC East. But as hard as the Cowboys are concerned, it's a hard noe for me.
And you know that's the hard part for Jonathan Taylor, I think is that I think he wants more money, and I think, as is the case for a lot of the great running backs in the NFL that are really great right now, they're looking at the market and how the market is shake me out, and they're realizing that there isn't the big money out there for running backs, and that's where I think the draw that the hang
up is going to be and impossibly getting traded. Yeah, teams may be willing to give the picks to get the talent of Jonathan Taylor, I'm not sure they'd be willing to give him that new deal. And if he's not willing to get that, and if they're not willing to give him that new deal, is he really getting any a better situation going somewhere else than where he is right now.
With the Colts.
And that's not to pay for that is just but you know, that's the hard part. And I just I believe that this is a market situation. The market is just saying I don't have to pay that higher price for running back, and it sucks for running backs.
But that's the market.
And I don't know how you change that unless you start getting less running backs to where it drives the price back up. I talked about this earlier in camp. This is basic economics, guys. You know your demand will affect your price, right, And so unless they're that number of good running backs shrinks down quite a bit to where teams are like they're aren't enough of them to go around, as is the case with quarterback, as is the case with left tackles, as is the case with cornerbacks,
as is the case with pass rushers. Like all those positions where it's not enough to go around or you can always have more, those those numbers keep going up. There are just a lot of really good running backs, and what teams are figuring out is even running backs that may not be as great as some of the other as some of the better players, you can still make things happen. You can still go win a Super Bowl, as the Kansas City Chiefs did with a guy that's
a six round pick. And so it's just you don't necessarily have to spend the big money. And because of that, that's just where the market is. So I don't know that this is going to help Jonathan Taylor move into another team. So know, if there's another team that's going to be willing to give him that new deal.
Well, I think it's more interesting if Cowboys fans hear what Jerry said. It's more interesting first and foremost, Tony Rico deuce let him cook. Let's right, But it's more interesting that Jerry said. You know, don't count us out of the waiver wire when it comes to RB talent. So the Cowboys might be on the lookout for RB talent that falls from the other thirty one teams. That's the more intriguing thing to see because that tells me that they still want to see more from Elite Davis.
You know, he'll have a chance against the Raiders. Like, where do they view Elite Davis in the capacity of your team owner just stood up there and said, Hey, we're not out on probably bringing in the guy from a waiver wire next week.
That would make me nervous.
It's nervous if I were Ronald Jones.
Very would him at the top of the show. So, Malie Davis, Ronald Jones, what does that put them? But that's the actual conversation. Jonathan Taylor, for as great as he is, it just it doesn't make sense for Dallas.
All Right, we appreciate you guys join us. We're back on Friday. Actually, these guys will be back on Friday.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
Amber will host on Friday, and actually I think Nick's gonna join you guys. Yeah, so so you guys have a great show. I will be Yeah, I have Daddy taking my daughter.
To college, and I'll be out of state because my daughter turns eleven.
Daughters, girls enjoy.
No, it's gonna be a lot of crying, but we'll get through it.
We'll get through it all right. Appreciate you guys, Jones. We will be back. They'll be back on Friday.
We'll be back next Tuesday, and we'll get Tuesday and Thursday wrapped up. The Cowboys will make their cuts and then guess what we will be.
Into the season. It will be week one of the season.
We'll be back to our daily schedule every day Monday through Friday. Uh, starting that in two weeks from now, so check that out until then for Amber Garcia, Patrick Walker, and Derek Eagles. And this has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio.
This has been a production of Dallascowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.