The top team in the NFL is now known, the Eagles

Tom: Sorry if I’m too predictable, but what has me excited is not seeing any Jerry fingerprints on these hires. It really feels like Schotty is calling the shots - so far. But this is a much better start than I expected.

Jess: I agree with my colleagues here. It’s nice to see less nepotism and more creativity in the hires. The assumed run-game focus could be great for Dak Prescott, but will mean making sure the offensive line has what it needs to function consistently. The onus moves to the front office to to give these coaches what they need to succeed.

Sean: The hires so far all point to a sense of cohesion in what they’ve talked about wanting to achieve. Already this is a step in the right direction compared to not backing up any of their talk - as incoherent as it was anyway - from last offseason’s disaster. The hires can be as good or bad as anyone thinks though, they give no indication at all to the job Schottenheimer will do at the head of it all, and without that I don’t see many fans buying back in fully anytime soon, even after the slight optimism generated by these hires so far.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...ll-of-fame-draft-options-offense-defense-line
 
First came the new Offensive Coordinator, Klayton Adams, then Offensive Line Coach, Conor Riley. These two coaches excel at getting the most out of their offensive linemen and running games with their schemes. These hires should benefit the entire offense, but the big boys up front will lead the charge in improving it.

One thing is apparent about hiring these two coaches: the offensive line needed work, and with new blood at the helm, these guys will get the job done. Klayton Adams and Conor Riley’s offensive linemen’s blocking schemes for the run game mirror one another very well. Klayton Adams in Arizona liked the gap scheme for his linemen. 64% of the run plays were gap scheme plays, which would benefit our more athletic than strong linemen. Meanwhile, 30% were zone scheme plays in Arizona.

A gap scheme leverages offensive linemen’s positioning to gain an advantage over stronger defensive linemen. In this approach, linemen on the playside block down or away from the gap where the runner is headed, leaving one defender unblocked outside the gap. To counter this, a lineman is pulled from the backside to block the unaccounted defender, creating a hole between the pulling lineman and the down blocks for the runner to exploit.

https://insidethestar.com/a-major-line-improvement-coming-to-dallas

A need for a new style of runner?
 
Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Terence Steele are three linemen who will benefit from the change in philosophy.

Tyler Guyton will be able to use his athleticism to get out into space and take on defenders with a full head of steam.

Too many times, fans witnessed Guyton getting overpowered and pushed back by defenders. A year in the weight room and the two offensive line geniuses he is getting in coaches will allow his potential to soar.

https://insidethestar.com/a-major-line-improvement-coming-to-dallas
 
And if new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus - who is skilled at coaching the position - wants to push to spend money at linebacker? Guys like Nick Bolton and Dre Greenlaw are on the open market and can be in the conversation ...

Or, COO Stephen Jones can push to add a $3 million linebacker who is superior to Clark. (If it was up to just-departed coordinator Mike Zimmer, that push would be to bring back Eric Kendricks.)

Damone Clark has a heck of an impressive story to tell. But next up comes a difficult chapter - a $3.3 million chapter.

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/arti...after_spinal_fusion_surgery/s1_17615_41820376
 
ESPN's Aaron Schatz took some time to advise each of the NFL's 32 teams on moves they should make during this offseason, and for Dallas he suggests they extend Bland now instead of waiting until his contract expires after the season.

There may be some questions about extending Bland, who is going into the final year of his rookie contract, after the cornerback missed much of 2024 with injuries. And frankly, he could be a bit overrated after his performance in 2023 because there's a lot of randomness involved in getting five pick-sixes. Still, Bland is strong in coverage. Even without any interceptions in 2024, he had an above-average coverage DVOA in his seven appearances. Extending Bland would lock down the cornerback spot across from Trevon Diggs and allow Dallas to add roughly $3.3 million in cap space.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/st...n-bland-potential-extension-espn/79423655007/
 
Now, to create operating room, since right now the Cowboys would be like $4 million over the cap on the top-53 cap hits, they must either restructure a few of these contracts and/or lower Micah Parsons' $24 million fifth-year option by signing him to an extension. Because right now, Dak Prescott's 2025 salary cap hit is $89.89 million; CeeDee Lamb comes in at $35.45 million; Terence Steele is at a cool $18 million; and Trevon Diggs is at $14 million.

Add those five contracts up and that totals $189.34 million. In other words, five guys are taking up 67.6 percent of the salary cap. For sure, they will trigger restructure clauses already in the contracts of Dak and CeeDee just to drop under the salary cap maximum by March 12.

Mentioned last week that Cowboys' four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence intimated to me he still wants to continue playing after successfully rehabbing from his Lisfranc injury that cut short this past season by the final 13 games, though had the Cowboys' playoff chances been on the line he might have been able to play the final few.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/mick-shots-salary-cap-limitations-linger-into-2025
 
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