NFC East

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup, who is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last January, told reporters that it doesn't appear he'll be ready for his team's Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 11.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup on playing Week 1: “It’s not a reasonable possibility.”

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 28, 2022

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup (knee) isn’t sure when he’ll be ready to return. He said playing Week 1 is not a realistic possibility. “We got a little ways to go. It’s gotta get a little bit stronger. … I’m ready to get back out there and help the team win.” pic.twitter.com/ofkK4GO1cP

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 28, 2022

Gallup, a four-year NFL veteran, caught 35 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns in nine games last season. A calf injury landed him on injured reserve in September. He sat for two months before returning in November.

Unfortunately, Gallup was lost for the year after tearing his ACL on Jan. 2 while catching a touchdown pass against the Arizona Cardinals. He had surgery in early February.

After the season, Gallup signed a five-year, $62.5 million contract to remain with the Cowboys.

The question now is when Gallup will return, but good news has emerged on his progress. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy provided an encouraging report on Wednesday:

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup “has not missed a target yet,” coach Mike McCarthy said, in his rehabilitation from February ACL surgery. “He hasn’t had a setback.” In the “fourth quarter” of his rehab. “He looks really good.” McCarthy gave no timeline on return.

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 27, 2022

ESPN's Todd Archer reported in June that Gallup should be good to go "sometime in September."

The Cowboys' Week 1 wide receiver depth chart this year will be far different than last season's version.

Gallup, who is currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, figures to be out.

Amari Cooper (traded to Cleveland Browns) and Cedrick Wilson (signed with Miami Dolphins in free agency) are out of town. CeeDee Lamb will be the unquestioned No. 1 wideout now.

Free-agent signee James Washington and rookie Jalen Tolbert should see action early and often alongside Noah Brown, who had 16 receptions and 184 yards as the team's WR5 last year.

Jon Machota of The Athletic reported July 13 that Tolbert is expected to start Week 1. The former South Alabama star, who went 88th overall in this year's draft, caught 82 passes for 1,474 yards and eight scores last season.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley is in the final year of his rookie contract, and he has something to prove.

"I just want to show the Giants that the guy that they drafted is still here," Barkley told reporters after the team's second training camp practice on Thursday.

New York selected Barkley second overall in 2018 and he made an immediate impact, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl as a rookie and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Through his first two seasons, Barkley missed only three games and totaled 3,469 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns.

While Barkley appeared to be arguably the most promising young running back in the NFL, his promising career trajectory took a hit when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 season. The Giants still picked up his $7.2 million fifth-year option prior to his return in 2021.

Barkley struggled to regain the form from his first two years in the league. In 13 games last season, he carried the ball 162 times for 593 yards and two touchdowns. The four games he missed were due to an ankle injury suffered in Week 5, plus a stint in COVID-19 protocols.

However, Barkley looks to have gotten back to his old self this summer. The 25-year-old is expected to thrive in the offense installed by new Giants head coach Brian Daboll, which will use him frequently as a receiver out of the backfield.

"I can still go out there and make the plays and help my team be successful," he said. "And that is the only thing I'm focusing on—taking care of myself, taking care of my body, taking care of my mental and trying to be the best teammate I can be."

Despite playing in a contract year, Barkley said he isn't putting too much pressure on himself because he has faith that he'll be able to prove his worth this year.

"Honestly, that stuff is in the air and I know coming into Year 5 and coming into the option year—or whatever it's called, something like that—my thing is just, and I keep saying, if I keep taking care of the little things and God blessed me and nothing crazy happens, I think the rest will take care of itself," he said.

The Dallas Cowboys signed free-agent wide receiver KaVontae Turpin.

In an accompanying move, the team released fullback Nick Ralston.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday the Cowboys were planning to add Turpin.

Turpin was the leading receiver in the USFL, catching 44 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns in seven games. He was honored as the league's MVP for the 2022 season.

The 25-year-old played for TCU in college. He was a solid pass-catcher (145 receptions for 1,748 yards and 13 touchdowns) but an even more dynamic return man. He averaged 28.0 yards on his 71 kick returns and 14.3 yards per return on punts.

Turpin was a first-team All-Big 12 member as a return specialist in 2017.

The Louisiana native did not finish his career with the Horned Frogs. He was dismissed from the program in October 2018 following his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend. He pleaded guilty in April 2019 and was sentenced to two years' probation while also being required to complete a domestic violence intervention program.

Turpin should have an opportunity to carve out a role in a passing game that's adjusting to life without Amari Cooper. Michael Gallup is still recovering from a torn ACL as well and opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

The Cowboys had limited financial means with which to address the receiver position. James Washington and third-round pick Jalen Tolbert are the most notable additions so far.

After putting together one of the most prolific seasons ever for an NFL defensive back, Dallas Cowboys star Trevon Diggs still wants more.

Diggs said his goal is to "be higher than last year," per USA Today's Jori Epstein, in reference to his 11 interceptions in 2021.

"Beat my 11 and just keep going and improving," he said.

Diggs was only three interceptions away from matching Dick "Night Train" Lane's single-year record. It looked like the mark might fall when the 23-year-old had seven picks through Dallas' first six games.

Diggs' mindset is understandable, and it's one anybody else in his position would probably share. When you're a top-level athlete, you have keep raising the bar higher and higher regardless of whether your target is achievable.

Some, however, may counter that the 2021 All-Pro shouldn't overlook the value in simply knocking a pass away.

Per Pro Football Focus' Anthony Treash, Diggs allowed more yards in pass coverage (1,068) than any other player. The stat seemed to draw the player's ire:

pff put out a fake stat for RT & y’all believed them.

— TRE SEVEN (@TrevonDiggs) July 21, 2022

Still, you don't have to get bogged down in advanced analytics to see Diggs adopts an aggressive approach on the field. That can result in a lot of interceptions and also lead him to get beat on double moves.

Brandon Aiyuk ROUTED Diggs 😳

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/c864jag5C1

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 17, 2022

Intercepting a lot of passes isn't as valuable if the trade-off is allowing a higher frequency of big plays.

Deion Sanders is one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history, and he never had more than seven interceptions in a single season. The same is true for Patrick Peterson, a future Hall of Famer. Richard Sherman (eight in 2012 and 2013) and Darrelle Revis (six in 2009) never hit double digits either at their peak.

The Cowboys' schedule features a number of top pass-catchers right out of the gate.

WR1 matchups for Trevon Diggs next season 🍿 pic.twitter.com/rY3EFn5xbC

— PFF (@PFF) May 16, 2022

It should become clear very quickly whether Diggs will make a run at the record book or if he needs to modify his style a bit.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder will testify for Congress' House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Thursday, but his appearance won't be under oath.

ESPN's John Keim reported committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney agreed to allow Snyder to testify voluntarily over Zoom about allegations related to the NFL franchise's workplace culture after he'd turned down previous requests to speak under oath.

A statement from the committee said the Commanders owner has "committed to providing full and complete testimony, and to answer the committee's questions about his knowledge of and contributions to the Commanders' toxic work environment, as well as his efforts to interfere with the NFL's internal investigation, without hiding behind non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements."

In June, Maloney announced she planned to subpoena Snyder for a deposition because of his "continued and unfounded refusal to provide voluntary testimony."

"Mr. Snyder's refusal to testify sends a clear signal that he is more concerned about protecting himself than coming clean to the American public. If the NFL is unwilling to hold Mr. Snyder accountable, then I am prepared to do so," Maloney said at the time. "The Committee will not be deterred in its investigation to uncover the truth of workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders."

The subpoena wasn't served because the Commanders owner has remained out of the country, telling the committee his family is in Israel commemorating the one-year anniversary of his mother's death, but the committee noted it remains "prepared to compel his testimony on any unanswered questions upon his return to the United States," according to Keim.

Snyder's testimony will occur in private, but the committee has the option to release all or a portion of the transcript, per Keim.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell testified before the Oversight and Reform Committee in June, saying the conduct unearthed within the Washington organization during an independent investigation ordered by the league was "not acceptable."

"I have not seen a workplace in the NFL that is anywhere near what we saw in the context of that period of time for the Washington Commanders," Goodell said.

The commissioner stopped short of saying he'd recommend forcing Snyder to sell the franchise, though.

In July 2021, the NFL announced a $10 million fine for the Commanders based on "highly unprofessional" actions within the workplace "both generally and particularly for women" that included bullying, intimidation and multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

The committee's probe expanded in April when former team employee Jason Friedman alleged the organization falsified financial records in order to convert money ticketed for the NFL's revenue-sharing system into non-shareable revenue, per Keim.

Washington denied the claims, calling them "false and reckless."

Snyder, a 57-year-old Maryland native, became the majority owner of the Commanders in 1999 and bought out his business partners in April 2021 to make his family the sole owner of the franchise.

The team has qualified for the playoffs just six times in 23 seasons under Snyder's guidance, and it's never advanced beyond the divisional round of the postseason during his ownership.

Dalton Schultz will play the 2022 campaign on the one-year franchise tag, but the Dallas Cowboys are optimistic about locking up the veteran tight end on a long-term deal after the season.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told reporters Tuesday:

"We tried. It wasn't that we weren't necessarily talking about a long-term deal. . . . Sometimes it's just when you're getting your hands around what this team is not only going to look like this year but look like in the future, then you have to play that hand that way. I certainly understand where Dalton's coming from. He represents everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy, on and off the field. . . . He's an available player who plays at a high level.

“So it's not that we didn't want him on a long-term deal. It's just about getting to the right answer on that, and I think we ultimately will. I think Dalton's going to be a long-term Cowboy here.

"It just didn't work out to get the long-term part of that figured out this time around.”

Schultz and the Cowboys failed to agree to an extension before the July 15 deadline, so he will play the 2022 season on the franchise tag worth $10.9 million.

The Cowboys selected Schultz in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. While he didn't have much of an impact in his first two seasons, he has improved in each of the last two years.

During the 2020 campaign, Schultz caught 63 passes for 615 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games. He had a breakout 2021 season, catching 78 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games.

The Stanford product also impressed in Dallas' playoff loss last season, catching seven passes on eight targets for 89 yards.

With the departure of wide receivers Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns and Cedrick Wilson Jr. to the Miami Dolphins, Schultz could be in for more targets in 2022 alongside wide receivers CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and James Washington.

The 26-year-old reiterated his desire to remain in Dallas while speaking with reporters in April, so it would be no surprise to see the two sides come to an agreement once the 2022 season comes to a close:

"Obviously, I think this is the place that I want to be. I've got a good rapport with a lot of the guys here. I love being here. I love this organization.

"I was grateful that I was able to at least come back here for a year. I want to work out a long-term deal and I think they do too -- hopefully we can get that done. But just knowing where I'm going to be for the next year, I'm happy with."

While there have been rumors swirling about Ezekiel Elliott's future in Dallas beyond 2022, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reiterated the veteran running back's importance to the offense while speaking with reporters Wednesday.

"Ezekiel Elliott is one of our rocks on this team," McCarthy said. "He's a keystone player. … You need those types of individuals to win championships."

Last week, 105.3 The Fan Cowboys insider Bobby Belt suggested on the Washington Football Talk podcast (h/t Peter Hailey of NBC Sports) that Elliott's time in Dallas could come to an end after the 2022 season because of his contract:

"Zeke could rush for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns this year and I think he's still probably done here. They need to move on. That contract has been such an albatross for them, one of the worst deals in football and, as much as they love his toughness and things like that, it's about time to rip off the Band-Aid. He's not the same player anymore."

Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million deal with the Cowboys in September 2019 after posting two seasons with at least 1,400 rushing yards in his first three years in the NFL.

The 27-year-old also posted 1,357 rushing yards in 2019, but his efforts over the last two seasons haven't been as impressive.

In 2020, he rushed for 979 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. He then rushed for 1,002 yards and 10 scores in 17 games last season. With his game appearing to be on the decline, it's hard to imagine the Cowboys would want to keep him around with his cap hit set to be at least $14 million over the next four campaigns.

The Cowboys also have Tony Pollard, and he will come at a much cheaper price than Elliott when he becomes a free agent after the 2022 season. Pollard impressed in 2021, rushing for 719 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry compared to Elliott's 4.2.

Dallas can get rid of Elliott's contract in spring 2023 by eating $11.9 million. That's not ideal, and it doesn't seem like the franchise wants to part ways with him anyway. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones also said in February that Elliott was a valuable asset to the team.

"I want that guy on my team. You talk about playing through some injuries," Jones said. "He's a competitor. I think he's a damn good running back. … Obviously, his money is guaranteed. He's going to be here; there's no question. We're fortunate to have him."

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup is starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

The team announced the roster move on Wednesday. Gallup is prevented from practicing while on the PUP list, but he is allowed to participate in meetings and use the team facilities.

The Cowboys can activate Gallup at any point during the preseason. If he has to begin the regular season on the PUP list, he won't be eligible to play or practice for at least the first four weeks.

Gallup was limited to nine appearances in 2021. He missed a stretch of eight weeks with a calf strain before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in the Cowboys' penultimate game of the regular season.

The latter injury didn't stop the Cowboys from handing Gallup a five-year, $57.5 million contract in the offseason. Keeping the 26-year-old also effectively signaled the end of Amari Cooper in Dallas, as he was traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Still, Gallup's status for the 2022 season remained unclear. Team vice president Stephen Jones cautioned that the veteran pass-catcher could be out for the start of the campaign and miss two to three games.

Dallas still has CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz coming back from last year's squad. The front office supplemented the passing game by signing James Washington and selecting South Alabama's Jalen Tolbert in the 2022 NFL draft.

Dak Prescott has plenty of options through the air when taking Gallup out of the mix.

But the Cowboys clearly envisioned Gallup as a key part of the offense when they re-signed him, and they'll want to see a return on their investment starting this year.

Dallas opens the regular season on Sept. 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones used a derogatory slur for little people when speaking to reporters as his team opened training camp.

Jones was discussing former Cowboys director of college and pro scouting Larry Lacewell, who died in May at the age of 85, and used the offensive term while making a hand gesture suggesting he was looking for a smaller person.

"Lace held court out here," Jones said. "I'm going to get me somebody, a m----t, to stand up there with me and dress him up like Lace and think Lace is still out here helping us. Look at the practice with us."

In September 2015, the Little People of America issued a statement saying the word is "a derogatory slur" and should be abolished.

"Over 90% of our members surveyed stated that the word should never be used in reference to a person with dwarfism," the statement said.

As for Lacewell, he officially was a member of the Cowboys from 1992 through 2004 during a period that saw the team win three Super Bowl titles. However, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News noted Jones' "confidant" was still involved with the franchise even after retirement.

"Jones continued to use his friend as a sounding board, especially on defensive matters," Moore wrote. "Lacewell would frequently spend time with the team at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. and pop up periodically at the club's headquarters during the regular season."

The New York Giants may add a veteran tight end to their depth chart ahead of the 2022 season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday the NFC East team worked out Eric Ebron, the No. 10 pick in the 2014 NFL draft who has played for the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.

While Ebron has never fully lived up to the elevated expectations that come with being a top-10 pick, he has multiple impressive seasons on his resume.

The University of North Carolina product was a Pro Bowler in 2018 for the Colts with 66 catches for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. While it was the only season in his career he had more than five touchdowns, it was one of five seasons in which he reached 500 receiving yards.

One of those efforts came in 2020 for the Steelers, as he posted 56 catches for 558 yards and five scores, but he appeared in just eight games for the AFC North team last season and had a mere 12 catches.

Ebron went on injured reserve in November with a knee injury, but he tweeted in February that he was cleared and "good to go."

Just got cleared by the Doc. Knee is good to go!

— Ebron85 (@Ebron85) February 16, 2022

That would be welcome news for the Giants or whichever team signs him ahead of the 2022 campaign.

New York is not exactly loaded at tight end with Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins as veteran options and fourth-round draft pick Daniel Bellinger as a potential building block. Yet Bellinger was placed on the physically unable to perform list with a quad injury, so depth could be even more important for training camp.

Ebron is a proven playmaker who could help in the passing game and provide leadership for Bellinger as the rookie adjusts to the NFL.