Cowboys Take Dip Into QB Pool

Sam Howell made his NFL debut against Micah Parsons and the Cowboys on January 8, 2023, at FedEx Field, running for one TD and passing for another in a 26-6 Commanders win. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

By Bill Jones

The Jones Journal

For the first time since they signed Brandon Weeden on March 17, 2014, the Cowboys have dipped into the free agent pool in the month of March to sign an Unrestricted Free Agent quarterback from another team.

Former Washington starting QB Sam Howell, who started 17 games for the Commanders in 2023, is signing a 1-year deal with Dallas.

The 25-year old Howell has been a journeyman the past couple of seasons after the Commanders dealt him to Seattle in 2024 when they drafted Jayden Daniels with the #2 overall pick.  Howell got mop up duty in two games in Seattle two years ago and didn’t get on the field with Minnesota or Philadelphia last season.

But now the former 5th round draft pick out of North Carolina gets a new opportunity with the Cowboys, his 5th team in the last 24 months.  He will likely compete with Joe Milton to be Dak Prescott’s backup.

Howell led Washington to two straight wins to start the 2023 season, but the Commanders lost 9 straight games to the end that season.  Head Coach Ron Rivera and his entire coaching staff lost their jobs.

Howell led the league with 21 interceptions, 612 pass attempts and 65 sacks as the Commanders went 4-13 in his 17 starts that season.  However, he was playing behind an offensive line that included four starters who were on the last legs of their respective careers.  

Charles Leno (13 starts), Saahdiq Charles (10 starts), Nick Gates (10 starts), and Tyler Larsen (7 starts) combined to make 40 starts that season.  Leno, Gates, and Larsen retired from football shortly thereafter, and Charles hasn’t started a game since then.

All of that to say Sam Howell has some intriguing abilities and traits that could give him a viable chance to win the backup QB job in Dallas.

A 3-year starter in what was a record-setting career at North Carolina, Howell has played a lot more high level football in the last five years than either of Dak Prescott’s backups the last two years, Milton or Trey Lance.

Cowboys Free Agency: There’s Safety In Numbers

Taking a safety in numbers approach to improving their defense, the Cowboys are adding another free agent defensive back to their secondary, agreeing to a reported 1-year, $5 million deal with former Denver Broncos safety P. J. Locke.

A former Texas Longhorn, the Beaumont native has played in 90 games with 26 starts in 6 years with the Broncos.  He had his most productive season in 2023 when he played for new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker in Denver, making 53 tackles with 3 sacks and 1 interception in 12 games.

Locke adds depth to a safety position that includes returning starter Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson, a former Arizona Cardinal who agreed to a 3-year, $33 million contract on Monday.

NFL unrestricted free agents can start signing contracts with their new teams when the new league year officially begins on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Cowboys Sign Veteran Safety Jalen Thompson

The Cowboys upgraded their secondary on the 1st day of NFL free agency by agreeing to a 3-year, $33 million contract with safety Jalen Thompson.

Entering his 8th NFL season, Thompson has been a starting safety for the Arizona Cardinals the past 7 years, averaging 98 tackles per season the past 5 years with 9 career interceptions.

New Cowboys secondary coach Ryan Smith has familiarity with Thompson, having served as a Cardinals assistant coach the past 3 seasons.  

Thompson was part of an Arizona secondary that allowed the fewest passing touchdowns (10) and the 4th fewest points in the league last year.  The Dallas defense gave up the most points last season.

Earlier in the day the Cowboys were finalizing a trade with the Green Bay Packers to acquire edge rusher Rashan Gary for a 2027 4th round draft pick.

Cowboys Trade For Packers Pass Rusher

The Cowboys kicked off NFL free agency by finalizing a trade with the Green Bay Packers for outside linebacker Rashan Gary, who has 46.5 career sacks in 7 NFL seasons.  In exchange, the Cowboys are sending a 2027 4th round pick to Green Bay.

Gary became a salary cap casualty in Green Bay just 7 months after the Packers acquired Micah Parsons from the Cowboys and signed him to a $186 million contract extension.

A 2019 1st round pick (#12 overall), Gary has two years ($42 million) left on his contract.  The Cowboys are expected to negotiate a contract extension with the 28-year old Gary, who made the Pro Bowl in 2024.

The Cowboys have a glaring need for not only pass rush help but also defenders who can stop the run. Gary fills a void on the edge of the Dallas defense which was never filled last season after DeMarcus Lawrence signed with eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle in free agency.

To help accommodate Gary’s salary, the Cowboys freed up around $13 million in salary cap space when offensive tackle Terence Steele agreed to a restructured contract that reduces the remaining 3 years on his contract from $48 million to $33 million.  By agreeing to the new deal, Steele gets $22 million in guaranteed money.

50 Years Ago In Texas Rangers History

Throughout the 2024 season, we will take a look back at some memorable moments 50 years ago — when the Texas Rangers first became a relevant franchise. Billy Martin’s 1974 Rangers were the first winning team in club history, going 84-76 & finishing 5 games behind the World Champion Oakland A’s.

April 6, 1974: Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins made his Rangers debut, tossing a 1-hit shutout of the World Champion Oakland A’s. The only hit was a Bert Campaneris 4th inning swinging bunt single.

Time of game: 1:56

Fergie won 25 games with 29 complete games in 1974.

World Champion Rangers Try To Run It Back

This will be an Opening Day like never before in Arlington, Texas.  The Texas Rangers will unfurl a World Championship banner just prior to the 6:30 1st pitch against the Chicago Cubs.

The Rangers will then set out to defend their world title.  It’s a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in Major League Baseball in 24 years, since the New York Yankees won three World Series in a row from 1998-2000.

On paper, it appears the Rangers have the makings of another true championship contender.  They return 4-time World Series Champion Manager Bruce Bochy and an everyday lineup that may be more potent than even last year’s unit, which was the most prolific in the American League, averaging 5.44 runs per game.

All-Stars Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, Marcus Semien, Jonah Heim, and Josh Jung weren’t even the most talked about players at Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.  Instead, the rave reviews have been reserved for rookies Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford.

Teammates gave the 21-year old Carter the nickname “Little Savior” last fall when he ignited the Rangers offense after being called up to the big leagues in September.  Carter set a postseason record with 9 doubles.

However, when it comes to Spring Training hyperbole, even Carter has taken a back seat to the 22-year old Langford.  The 4th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of the University of Florida, Langford led the majors with 20 runs batted in this spring, slugging 6 home runs and batting .365.

The Rangers do have question marks as they enter the season.  1st Baseman Nathaniel Lowe is on the injured list, nursing an oblique injury.  Veteran newcomer Jared Walsh and Ezequiel Duran will split time in place of Lowe.  Meanwhile, shortstop Seager and 3rd baseman Jung each played only 3 exhibition games as they return from ailments.

Staff ace Nathan Eovaldi has looked sharp all spring and will get the start against the Cubs in the opener.  The rest of the rotation features veterans Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning.  Young Cody Bradford rounds out the rotation, at least until newly-signed Michael Lorenzen builds up his arm strength.

The bullpen has undergone some changes with the addition of veterans David Robertson and Kirby Yates to supplement the return of closer Jose LeClerc and Josh Sborz, who recorded the final out of the World Series.

There will be potential big-name additions to the pitching staff this summer if all goes well with the rehabs of Max Scherzer, Tyler Mahle, and Jacob deGrom.  However, before that happens, there’s a lot of work to be done and games to be won --- starting tonight, on the biggest Opening Night in the history of the World Champion Texas Rangers.

Stars Have Aligned For World Champion Rangers

The Rangers World Series triumph was the culmination of 51 years of trying, but coming up short. 

But the Rangers finally put together a championship team filled with players that resemble so many of the players who endeared themselves to Rangers fans through the years. 

https://youtu.be/uHw-Fc24XHQ?feature=shared

21-year-old rookie Evan Carter, a country kid from Elizabethton, Tennessee—who set an all-time postseason record with nine doubles—is not unlike Mike Hargrove, a country kid from the Texas panhandle town of Perryton, who at age 21 in 1974 became American League Rookie of the Year. 

But the more I see Carter play left field, maybe he's more like Rusty Greer, a red-headed country kid from Albertville, Alabama, who became one of this club's all-time fan favorites. 

No one knocked in runs at the rate that two-time American League MVP Juan Gonzalez, the Puerto Rican sensation, did. That is, until Adolis Garcia came along. The Cuban refugee set a postseason record with 22 RBIs. 

The left-handed hitting, North Carolina-born and bred Josh Hamilton had moments that rivaled the left-handed hitting, North Carolina born and bred Corey Seager, but never with the same Hall of Fame level consistency. Seager is what Hamilton could have been. 

The Rangers captain for so many seasons—including the previous World Series years—was Michael Young, a Californian who was the model of consistency day in and day-out, both near the top of the batting order and in the middle of the infield. The captain of this team is Marcus Semien, a Californian who was the leadoff hitter and 2nd baseman for all 179 games last year. 

The Rangers have been blessed to have two of the best defensive catchers of their eras in six-time Gold Glover Jim Sundberg and 13-time Gold Glove Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez. But Catcher Jonah Heim, who stands 6 feet-4  and looks more like Pudge Fisk than Pudge Rodriguez, won his own Gold Glove last year. 

 3rd baseman Josh Jung sometimes plays defense like he's six-time Gold Glover Buddy Bell, plus he sometimes hits like he's four-time Silver Slugger Adrian Beltre, but he always treats others like he's all-time Rangers good guy 3rd baseman Steve Buechele. 

Speaking of good guys, the ever-affable 1st baseman Nathaniel Lowe out of Mississippi State is nothing like the ever-edgy Will Clark out of Mississippi State. The former 13th-round draft pick is more like the ever-popular former 15th-round draft pick Pete O'Brien, one of the few bright spots on those 1980s Rangers teams.

Relief Pitcher Jose Leclerc from the Dominican Republic brought back memories of another Dominican closer named Neftali Feliz, whom they built a statue of after he struck out Alex Rodriguez to send the Rangers to their first World Series in 2010. But unlike Feliz, Leclerc was able to close out three World Series wins last year. 

And finally, there's Big Game Nate, Nathan Eovaldi, who won 17 games last season, including a 5-0 record in the postseason. Eovaldi is from Alvin, Texas. He's the 2nd best pitcher to ever come out of Alvin, behind only the legendary Nolan Ryan, who crafted the most memorable moments in Texas Rangers history...that is until last fall. 

The stars aligned just right for this club to travel a magical road to a place it had never been before. But, if you gaze closer, you'll see that these stars look a lot like some of the same stars we've seen here before. We just had never seen them all together in the same place before.