NFC East

Ezekiel Elliott is expected to remain with the Dallas Cowboys despite an up-and-down 2021 season, although Amari Cooper's future is less secure, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network:

The @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: #Bucs want Tom Brady back; Tampa will swing big if Brady isn't back; Zeke Elliott will be back for Dallas; The latest on Russell Wilson; #Raiders plan to commit to Carr… & #Packers want to do so for Aaron Rodgers. pic.twitter.com/LYDRncTHkY

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2022

"I am told Ezekiel Elliott will be back for 2022," Pelissero said Sunday on NFL Gameday. "He dealt with that PCL injury last year, they thought he played really well when he was healthy, they appreciate the work ethic."

Pelissero noted Cooper's future is "more up in the air" with the team hoping to re-sign Michael Gallup.

Elliott and Cooper were key parts of a Cowboys offense that finished first in the NFL in both points scored and total yards. The two high-paid skill players still left much to be desired from their performances.

Elliott averaged just 58.9 rushing yards per game, the fewest of his six-year career. He only topped 60 rushing yards once in his final 11 regular-season games en route to 1,002 total yards on the ground. Backup Tony Pollard was much more efficient, averaging 5.5 yards per carry compared to Elliott's 4.2.

Despite the struggles, the veteran still reached 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth time and scored 12 total touchdowns.

Cooper was also surpassed by a younger player as CeeDee Lamb became the go-to option in the passing attack. Cooper finished with 68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns, with his 57.7 receiving yards per game his second-lowest.

With Lamb and potentially Gallup remaining on the roster, Cooper could be expendable going into next season. Even after the wideout signed a five-year, $100 million contract two years ago, Dallas can save $16 million against the 2022 cap by trading or releasing him, per Spotrac. 

Elliott's contract makes him tougher to move, with a release leaving over $30 million in dead cap, per Spotrac. Even a trade would only save $540,000 against the cap, likely ensuring the 26-year-old remains in Dallas for at least another year.    

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder could be losing support from his fellow owners amid new allegations, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. 

"I'm told for the first time ever, there is a sense among ownership that the time may have come for Dan Snyder to move on," Florio said Sunday on NBC's Super Bowl Pregame Show (h/t Grant Paulsen of NBC Sports Washington).

During a congressional committee looking into the organization's alleged negative workplace environment, former employee Tiffani Johnston said Snyder put his hand on her thigh during a work dinner, via Tisha Thompson of ESPN. 

It comes amid widespread allegations of harassment within Washington's organization. There was an independent investigation into these claims, but a new report by Will Hobson and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post stated Snyder tried to interfere with the investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson. 

Thompson reported the findings of the investigation may not be released without Snyder's approval. No written report has been produced, with Wilkinson only presenting her findings orally to the league office.

In July, the NFL announced a $10 million fine for Washington while Tanya Snyder, Daniel's wife, would assume day-to-day operations of the team "for at least the next several months."

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in October that the results would be kept private to maintain anonymity for the employees who came forward. Goodell also said at the time that Snyder has "been held accountable" with his fine and suspension.

According to Florio, a written report would have provided a recommendation that Snyder sell the team.

New allegations against Snyder could make the situation even more untenable for him to remain as Commanders owner.    

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera applauded former Miami Dolphins counterpart Brian Flores for his lawsuit against the NFL and its teams alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.

Rivera told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Friday the case will help bring attention to the need for broader representation within NFL coaching staffs:

First of all, I think what Brian is doing is courageous and it really truly is bringing everything to the forefront and to the light. I think it is important because the biggest problem in my opinion that minorities face is that people don't know these guys. You have to get to know who they are to give them opportunities. I have a friend who's in sales and he's always told me, 'You need three elements if you're going to sell. People have to get to know you, people have to get to like you and people have to get to trust you to buy from you.'

The NFL's latest hiring cycle left the league with five head coaches of color: Rivera, the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the New York Jets' Robert Saleh, the Houston Texans' Lovie Smith and the Miami Dolphins' Mike McDaniel. The latter two were hired this offseason.

Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters Wednesday the NFL "fell short" with its hiring practices:

We believe in diversity. We believe it has made us stronger. People who have come into the league who are diverse have been very successful and made us better, and we just have to do a better job. ... Is there another thing that we can do to make sure that we're attracting the best talent and making our league more inclusive? If I had the answer right now, I would give it to you. I would have implemented it.

Flores' lawsuit filing included specific claims against the Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants concerning their hiring and firing practices.

He alleged his relationship with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross became fractured because he wouldn't purposely lose games to tank for a higher draft pick and wouldn't violate the NFL's tampering rules to meet with a "prominent quarterback."

His claims against the Broncos and Giants centered around the idea they held "sham" interviews with him to satisfy the league's Rooney Rule regarding interviews with minority coaches.

All of the teams involved have denied the allegations, and the NFL released a statement saying the claims were "without merit."

Meanwhile, Rivera told Florio the biggest hurdle that must be jumped is getting more minority coaches to meet and build relationships with NFL owners and high-ranking executives:

We've got to find ways to put people on the owners' radars, the presidents' radars, the GMs' radars. Maybe it takes something like what Brian is doing to get people to focus in and realize this is serious, so let's find avenues to do that. Well, to me, we have a Super Bowl, we have a Combine, and we have owners' meetings. Those are three great opportunities to bring a crowd of people that people say, 'Hey, these are the next ones. Let's bring them in. Let's get them to spend some time with the decision-makers to help them that when now we get into the new cycle.' It's not all of a sudden, 'Well, who's this? ... Well, yeah. I remember him. I got a chance to meet him. Let's sit down, let's talk.' I think if we can educate them on these people that are available, it might help. We got to do something.

Goodell said the league is committed to finding "better solutions and better outcomes," but didn't announce any immediate policy changes during his Super Bowl press conference Wednesday.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons wants to see the NFL expand replay review to include roughing-the-passer penalties. 

Speaking to Mike Florio and Chris Simms on PFT Live (h/t ProFootballTalk's Michael David Smith), Parsons addressed the situation when asked about a controversial penalty called against him during the Cowboys' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. 

"I think some of these flags that they throw should be reviewable. I hate that that’s not reviewable," Parsons said. "Because those cost games."

The call came in the third quarter when Parsons' hand made contact with the side of Derek Carr's helmet as the Raiders quarterback scrambled out of the pocket to complete a pass to Hunter Renfrow. 

Parsons went on to say he would never play dirty during games: "I will never play dirty. That’s not part of my game. I hate dirty players." 

After a brief deliberation on the field, the officials assessed Parsons' a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty. The Raiders were set up with a 1st-and-10 from the Cowboys' 15-yard line instead of the 30-yard line. They scored a touchdown three plays later to take a 24-13 lead. 

Las Vegas went on to beat the Cowboys 36-33 in overtime. 

Parsons tweeted about his frustration after the game: "Lol this was roughing the passer! Never been a dirty guy! But can someone teach me how I could have played this better?!"

NFL team owners did consider voting on making roughing the passer a reviewable play last season during their annual meeting, but nothing came of it. 

Parsons was a breakout star for the Cowboys as a rookie in 2021. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 30 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 16 games. 

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy apparently doesn't have to watch over his shoulder for Sean Payton potentially taking his job.

Payton told PFT Live he hasn't spoken to McCarthy since retiring, but he might reach out to put McCarthy's mind at ease (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk):

"You know what, it’s a good idea because I felt like it took place for a while with Jason Garrett, a good friend of mine who I coached with at the Giants. Still a close friend to this day, and I consider Mike someone who's a close friend. Mike's done it long enough. We both entered the league as head coaches the same year in '06. We're of the same age and we're of the same background. Look, our paths have been different. I'm his big fan, and I think he's one of those guys who's a fantastic coach."

As Florio noted, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has long been a fan of Payton and nearly hired him in 2019. It's enough to create speculation, especially with McCarthy already on the hot seat.

Dallas had a disappointing end to the 2021 season, suffering a first-round playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Jones refused to endorse McCarthy as the coach going forward immediately after the loss, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

Jones later stood by McCarthy and said his job was never in question, while also clarifying his position on Payton.

"I understand the speculation. Sean is an outstanding coach," Jones told David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. "But I haven’t talked to him and am not in any way part of his departure there in New Orleans."

Payton stepped down as coach of the Saints after finishing 2021 with a 9-8 record, the team's first year without a playoff berth since 2016. He totaled 152 wins across 15 seasons in New Orleans, although he didn't rule out a return to the sidelines.

"I don't know what's next," he told reporters in January. 

His latest comments still indicate he isn't angling for the Cowboys job, which is good news for McCarthy.  

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joked that his disappointment about not reaching this year's Super Bowl makes him sound like a wounded animal.

Jones spoke with TMZ Sports in Los Angeles while in town ahead of the Rams' clash with the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.

"When y'all hear what sounds like—over these Los Angeles hills—when you think they got one of these mountain lions with its tail caught, that's me screaming into my pillow for not being in that Super Bowl," Jones said Thursday night.

The Cowboys had the look of a potential championship contender during the regular season. They posted a 12-5 record to win the NFC East division title and earn the No. 3 seed in the conference while leading the NFL in total offense (407 yards per game).

That success didn't translate into the postseason, however, as Dallas lost at home in the Wild Card Round to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17.

Jones didn't shy away from his frustration following the quick playoff exit.

"Extraordinarily disappointed. Very disappointed. Disappointed for our fans," he told reporters after the Jan. 16 loss. "This is quite a letdown. ... They outplayed us."

The good news for Jones and the Cowboys is their championship window should be open for a while.

Quarterback Dak Prescott quickly returned to form after missing most of the 2020 season with an ankle injury, and most of the talent around him, both in terms of playmakers and the offense line, is set to return in 2022. Wide receiver Michael Gallup and guard Connor Williams are the most notable free agents.

Dallas also made major strides defensively, jumping from 29th in scoring defense in 2020 (29.6 points allowed per game) to seventh in 2021 (21.1). NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons played a key role in that rise, and the emergence of cornerback Trevon Diggs with a league-high 11 interceptions gave the Cowboys a playmaking weapon in the secondary.

The front office will have to work some salary-cap gymnastics in the offseason, as Spotrac projects the Cowboys $21.1 million over the cap based on the top-51 roster, but those types of concerns rarely lead to major roster-altering changes. Teams find a way to make it work by moving money around within individual player contracts.

So, while Jones' disappointment about last month's playoff loss hasn't quite worn off, he can take solace in the fact that the Cowboys should remain firmly in the title picture for the foreseeable future.

After a tumultuous end to his run as Atlanta Falcons head coach in 2020, Dan Quinn revitalized his reputation as Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. For his efforts, Quinn was named the 2021 NFL Assistant Coach of the Year at the NFL Honors ceremony Thursday.

.@dallascowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn is the 2021 Assistant Coach of the Year! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/zkf5ewDWmW

— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022

After taking over a Dallas defense that allowed a franchise-worst 473 points in 2020, Quinn led a swift turnaround. Under his guidance, the Cowboys ranked seventh in scoring defense at 21.1 points per game and led the league with 34 takeaways.

Quinn was one of the most coveted candidates to land a head coaching position this offseason. He had been linked to openings with the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, among others.

But Quinn eventually reaffirmed his commitment to Dallas and withdrew his name from head coaching searches to return to the Cowboys for the 2022 season.

Dallas will look to improve on a 12-5 record after a season that saw them get eliminated in the NFC Wild Card Round by the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys return a strong crop of players on defense that includes linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive back Trevon Diggs.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league as a whole have received criticism for not publicly releasing the findings of an investigation into the Washington Commanders' team culture, but the league said in a letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that the team is blocking access to some of the documents pertaining to the investigation.

Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reported Thursday that the letter was sent to Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), who sent Goodell a letter in October seeking more transparency into the investigation.

Attorney Beth Wilkinson, who conducted the investigation, submitted oral findings instead of written ones, and the NFL defended that decision as well in its letter.

"It is simply not correct to suggest that submission of a written report is either necessary or the universal practice of other companies or the NFL," the league wrote. "The NFL concluded that an oral report was appropriate, given the sensitivity of the subject matter and confidentiality promises to those who participated in the investigation."

After Wilkinson submitted the oral findings, Washington was fined $10 million and owner Daniel Snyder stepped away from some of the team's day-to-day responsibilities while his wife, Tanya Snyder, took over as co-CEO.

The NFL explained the team is blocking access to some documents after the two sides entered into a "common interest agreement" when the league took over oversight of the investigation from Washington so it wouldn't have to restart the entire process.

The league said it attempted to access approximately 109,000 team documents that were in possession of a third-party vendor, but that vendor did not share them "unless the team consented because of its concern that it could be sued by the team or its owner. The NFL promptly directed the team to provide its consent to the vendor, but the team repeatedly has refused to do so."

The letter also suggested "in no way is the NFL obstructing or seeking to obstruct the Committee's investigation, and valid assertions of applicable privileges by the NFL should not be characterized as doing anything of the sort."

Jordan Siev, who is the attorney for Dan Snyder, released a statement in response:

Jordan Siev, attorney for Daniel Snyder, in a statement to @NickiJhabvala: "The Commanders have never prevented the NFL from obtaining any non-privileged documents and will not do so in the future.” https://t.co/2Le7OH1cAI

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 10, 2022

This comes as new allegations against Dan Snyder have been made public.

Liz Clarke and Jhabvala of the Washington Post reported last Thursday that Tiffani Mattingly Johnston, who is a former marketing manager and cheerleader for the team, said Snyder sexually harassed her. She also said she was told not to tell anyone about his actions and did not have a readily available option to report them to human resources.

Snyder released a statement addressing the allegations:

Statement from Dan Snyder, via his PR representative: pic.twitter.com/JGDsG1ouoP

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) February 3, 2022

Maske and Jhabvala noted the Commanders announced they would investigate Johnston's allegations, but the NFL said it would conduct the investigation instead. Goodell said Washington conducting an investigation into itself in this instance would not be appropriate.        

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen apologized Wednesday for saying he wanted to dine with Adolf Hitler.

"Early I tweeted something that probably hurt people and I apologize about what I said," he tweeted. "I didn’t express properly what I was trying to say and I realize it was dumb!"

As TMZ Sports explained, Allen responded to a Twitter prompt asking which three people—dead or alive—one would choose to dine with if given the chance. He said his grandfather, Michael Jackson and Hitler.

Allen went on to call the German dictator "a military genius" and added, "I love military tactics, but honestly I would want to pick his brain as to why he did what he did."

What Hitler did was orchestrate the murder of 6 million Jewish people, as well as hundreds of thousands of Roma and Sinti people during the Holocaust. That Allen would choose him and express curiosity toward his "tactics" led to plenty of backlash across Twitter on Wednesday.

The defensive lineman has played for Washington his entire NFL career since he entered the league as a first-round pick in 2017.        

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder reportedly hired the Pallas Global Group consulting firm for an independent investigation into allegations made against him by former employee Tiffani Johnston during a congressional hearing last week.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday on details of the probe, which will include a public release of the group's findings:

Washington said it is committed to a thorough and independent investigation of Johnston's allegation, and pledges full cooperation with the investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation, Pallas Global Group will release the findings to the public.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 9, 2022

However, the NFL released a statement later Wednesday saying it planned to take control of any review of the allegations with its own plans to hire an investigator still in progress:

The NFL says the league — not Daniel Snyder and the Washington Commanders — will conduct an independent investigation into an allegation against Snyder.

From @NFLprguy: pic.twitter.com/xGZZ6ygo1z

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 9, 2022

Johnston, the team's former marketing and events coordinator, said during last week's hearing Snyder placed his hand on her thigh and later tried to convince her to enter his limo at a work event, per ESPN's Tisha Thompson.

Snyder described all of the allegations made against him during the congressional roundtable as "outright lies."

The Commanders and the NFL have come under fire for a lack of transparency following a previous investigation into the franchise's workplace culture by attorney Beth Wilkinson and her law firm. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell levied a $10 million fine against Washington in July based on findings that members of the organization acted in a "highly unprofessional" manner with a "general lack of respect in the workplace," which included allegations of bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment.

Goodell said in October the league wouldn't release any further details to protect the "security and privacy and anonymity" of those who were interviewed throughout the investigation. He also said Wilkinson only gave a verbal presentation and that there is no formal documentation to release.

Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi and Carolyn Maloney, members of the U.S. House Committee for Oversight and Reform looking into the league's response to the allegations against the Commanders, said their review of legal documents raised "serious doubts" about Goodell's justification for shielding details from the investigation, per Thompson.

"After assuming oversight of the investigation, however, Mr. Goodell personally instructed that Ms. Wilkinson was to present him with oral, not written, findings in a stark departure from the league's previous practices," the committee said in a statement Friday.

Snyder and the NFL responded with statements saying they're in the process of providing the committee with all documents that "did not run against attorney-client privilege."

Meanwhile, a league spokesperson confirmed in a statement to ESPN it would review the allegations brought forward by Johnston, which weren't included in the prior investigation.

"The NFL is reviewing and will consider Ms. Johnston's allegations as we would any other new allegations regarding workplace misconduct at the Washington Commanders," the spokesperson said. "We will determine any further action as appropriate."

Johnston said she didn't initially provide the information to Wilkinson due to "fear of retaliation from Snyder," per Thompson.

The House Committee for Oversight and Reform launched its investigation into the NFL's handling of the Washington probe in October.

A timetable for the completion of the committee's review or the newly formed independent investigation, either by the team or the NFL, haven't been announced.