Cowboys News: UDFA on fast track, Prescott weighs in on Dalton Schultz, Micah Parsons goes yard in Home Run Derby
A handful of Cowboys stars laid some big hits of a different kind Tuesday night. The Reliant Home Run Derby is an annual event that lets the team’s top names swing for the fences to raise money for The Salvation Army. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Trevon Diggs took some good cuts, and Leighton Vander Esch went on to take first place… but Micah Parsons was the MVP of the night. With a new bat he rushed out and bought right beforehand, Parsons sent two balls out of the entire stadium, furthering the belief that there is nothing the man cannot do.
Elsewhere, the Cowboys learned the final details of their preseason schedule, Diggs is honored by the state of Alabama, CeeDee Lamb is projected to take a massive leap forward, and one undrafted free agent is seemingly taking the express lane to the 53-man roster. We look at how much the Cowboys have riding on keeping last year’s coaching staff together, we explore the league’s new recruiting efforts on the other side of the world, and we visit with a Texas boy who became a nightmare for Cowboys fans… who now admits he couldn’t hang with today’s uber-conditioned athletes in a fascinating interview. That’s all ahead in New and Notes.
Undrafted free agent Markquese Bell has inside path to Cowboys’ 53-man roster :: Dallas Morning News
The safety out of Florida A&M didn’t get to hear his name called on draft weekend, but based what the Cowboys coaches think of Bell and how the front office has already invested in him, he may as well be considered the 10th member of the 2022 draft class. It’s only June, but Bell’s making the final 53-man roster may be a mere formality.
Dak Prescott weighs in on Dalton Schultz's absence from OTAs :: Jon Machota (Twitter)
Dak Prescott is not disappointed in Dalton Schultz’s decision to skip the final week of OTAs. “I went through this process. A lot of people go through this process. I’m confident in that situation.” pic.twitter.com/VB1YlH53Ru
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 8, 2022
Cowboys are betting on coaching continuity in 2022 :: Blogging the Boys
With Mike McCarthy seemingly facing a make-or-break season, much will come down to the two coordinators who were retained in the offseason (despite both being hot commodities on the interview circuit). Kellen Moore will have to deal with a ton of changes and uncertainty on offense. Dan Quinn will need to get the defense to be less dependent on takeaways, as a regression from last year is almost a mathematical certainty. There’s a lot riding on the decision to keep the coaching brain trust intact.
Which NFL players will level up in '22? CeeDee Lamb, Pat Surtain, Jalen Hurts top my GUARANTEED risers :: NFL.com
With Amari Cooper in Cleveland, Lamb almost has no choice but to up his game in Dallas. He tops Adam Schein’s list of players who will undoubtedly improve in 2022. Schein sees Lamb eclipsing 100 catches and 1,300 yards, with double-digit touchdowns.
Cowboys' 2022 preseason schedule finalized with official dates, kickoff times :: Cowboys Wire
The preseason schedule is locked in. Dallas will play the Broncos in Denver on Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. Central time. Next up is the Chargers in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. Central on Aug. 20. The preseason wraps up when the Seahawks visit AT&T Stadium on Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. local time. None of the games will be nationally televised.
Micah Parsons puts on show at Home Run Derby :: Jane Slater (Twitter)
Micah Parsons. Lion was hungry. Dak challenged him. Kept going. 8 homers, 2 left yard. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/GQPVGGseZb
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) June 8, 2022
Parsons' competitiveness carries over to charity baseball event :: David Helman (Twitter)
Micah went to the store & bought a $500 bat for this event. “That’s how competitive I am.” 😂
Sounds like his teammates lost a solid chunk of change for betting him that he could hit any bombs.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) June 8, 2022
Leighten Vander Esch hits most money balls to win Home Run Derby :: Calvin Watkins (Twitter)
Leighton Vander Esch won the Reliant Home Run Derby raising $16,300 for the Salvation Army. Anthony Brown was second ($14,900) and Micah Parsons was third ($13,500). pic.twitter.com/OffCFfz1d6
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) June 8, 2022
Trevon Diggs wins Alabama Pro Athlete of the Year :: Inside the Star
The Alabama Sports Writers Association awarded the Cowboys corner with the honor. Diggs is the fifth Crimson Tide alum to win the accolade in the past six years. Previous winners include Julio Jones, Cam Newton, Derrick Henry, and Shaun Alexander.
Talkin' Cowboys: Mean Joe Greene visits :: The Mothership
One of the most feared members of Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” defense is actually a Texas native who went to North Texas State (now the University of North Texas) before terrorizing the league’s offenses for 13 seasons. “Mean Joe” believes today’s NFL rosters are far more loaded with elite athletes than the squads he played with and against in the 1970s. The Hall of Famer even concedes that, in the modern era of year-round conditioning, he wouldn’t be able to make the team.
NFL holding scouting camp in Ghana later this month :: ProFootballTalk
The league’s first outreach efforts into Africa have some NFC East ties. The NFL will hold its first talent identification camp in Ghana later this month, now that the Eagles have been granted official marketing rights in the country. Former Giants star Osi Umenyiora, born to Nigerian parents, has already been conducting smaller regional scouting efforts across the continent. “You see the number of athletes we have in the NFL right now of African descent,” he said. “There are a lot, and the winds are blowing even stronger in that direction.”
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