Cowboys News: Cooks restructured, Emmitt’s warning after Zeke’s release

The newest Cowboys wide receiver says he’s eager “to be a part of something,” his old employer admits that he’s got plenty left to offer, and the front office has already worked its magic on his contract. Just as Cowboys fans get used to the idea of seeing Texans star Brandin Cooks in blue and silver, one of Dallas’s playmakers will take his place in Houston. Dalton Schultz wasn’t the only Cowboy on the move Monday; a longtime specialist is taking his unique skill set to the Motor City… and a project of the Cowboys coaching staff is staying with the club but swapping offense for defense.

All that, plus why the Gilmore trade matters so much, what words of warning Emmitt Smith had for the league’s current workhorses after the Ezekiel Elliott release, and which three free agents were in The Star to possibly start a new week of free agency. We’ve got a new seven-round mock draft with movement, new details from Michael Irvin’s witnesses about what else happened that night in Phoenix, and the writing is on the wall for Roger Goodell to get yet another contract extension. Here’s the News and Notes.

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The Cowboys have already done some tweaking to the contract of the receiver they traded for Sunday, turning $8 million of Cooks’s $12 million base salary into a signing bonus. He’ll now count $6 million against the cap.

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The Cowboys got their man, five months after first kicking the tires with Houston for a trade. Cooks is one of just two players in NFL history (Brandon Marshall is the other) to log 1,000-yard receiving seasons with four different teams, and now he’ll look to make it five. “To be able to put that star on your helmet is definitely a privilege,” Cooks said, “and I just want to be part of something. Great group of guys from afar with a great quarterback like Dak leading the way.”

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The Houston GM wouldn’t elaborate on the receiver’s failed bid to get traded last year, but explained that when it comes to trades, “we have to make the decision whether or not we feel comfortable and it makes sense, or we want to wait around and see if you can ‘get a better deal.’” Caserio added that he believes Cooks will “be a good player for a number of years here moving forward.”

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The Cowboys opted not to offer the five-year tight end a $13 million franchise tag. Some outlets had his projected salary pegged at $15 million. In the end, Schultz will leave for Houston on a one-year deal worth up to $9 million. He was the Cowboys’ third-leading pass-catcher in 2022 despite a PCL injury.

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The all-time rushing champ didn’t hold back when he learned of Elliott’s release by their former club. “The NFL stands for not for long,” Smith posted on social media. “Everyone else, go get your money because they have no love for you. It doesn’t make sense and this is one of those things that make you [shake] your head.”

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Running back Ronald Jones II, linebacker Travin Howard, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga were expected to undergo physicals and be evaluated Monday at the The Star in Frisco.

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The veteran long snapper hadn’t missed an NFL start in over 11 seasons before a Week 4 triceps injury ended his 2022. Now the longtime John Fassel special teamer will play in Detroit after signing a one-year deal. With his Cowboys replacement, Matt Overton, also in free agency, Dallas could be looking for a new specialist.

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If a player like Gilmore makes Dallas a 13-win team rather than a 12-win team, that carries much more weight than a team with four wins becoming a five-win team. But the fact that the Cowboys added that extra win with little to no risk because of Gilmore’s low price? That’s hugely opportunistic… and shows the perfect blueprint for how to build a roster.

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The 6-foot-6-inch, 315-pounder apparently filled in on the scout team defense some last year. He impressed his coaches enough that he’ll make the full-time switch to defensive line this offseason. Now that the Mexican-born Alarcón has no roster exemption for being a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, he’ll have to make the team on his own talents, and in a brand new position.

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Following two savvy trades and a string of re-signings, the Cowboys’ draft board is taking shape. In this mock, Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith is the first-round pick. Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson goes in the second, Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. falls to Dallas in the third. The Cowboys trade up to take Tulane running back Tyjae Spears in the fourth, get Washington guard Jaxson Kirkland and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., and round out the draft by trading up to grab TCU quarterback Max Duggan.

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The men who posed for a photo with Irvin just before the alleged Feb. 5 incident in Phoenix say seeing the hotel video only reaffirms their belief that nothing improper happened. One says Irvin made more physical contact with him than with the female staffer who accused him of misconduct. Another says their waitress spoke to the woman just after learning from them who Irvin was but before she began speaking with Irvin. They also claim the staffer seemed especially talkative and friendly the next day. They say neither the hotel nor the NFL has interviewed them about what they saw or heard.

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Goodell and NFL owners are thought to be ready to finalize a multiyear contract for the commissioner. The sides have discussed a three-year extension, but that has not been agreed to yet. It would be the fourth extension for Goodell, 64, since taking the job in 2006.