Dallas Cowboys

It's looking increasingly like Odell Beckham Jr. will not be a Dallas Cowboy.

Owner Jerry Jones made his weekly appearance Tuesday on Shan & RJ on Audacy's 105.3 The Fan, saying the chances of Beckham signing in Dallas diminish every day.

"I don't have an assessment of that, but as of this morning we don't have anything," Jones said. "I don't have an assessment. The reality is, though, that time is moving down the road relative to playing in the playoffs, and so every day diminishes our chances of going forward."

Beckham met with the Cowboys, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills this month as he explored his options for a return from a torn ACL. The three-time Pro Bowler said he does not plan to play during the regular season.

"I haven't made a decision, and for me, I would like to be in a stable environment, get up at 6 a.m., leave at 6 p.m. for four weeks, and then let's talk about it," Beckham said this month on TNF in the Shop. "I've played football for a long time. I'm not saying that I couldn't step in and play regular season, but I don't see the point. I really don't. I would rather play when the pressure is on."

The longer the situation plays out, the more likely it is Beckham sits out the entire 2022 season and reenters the free-agency pool this offseason. Sitting out would allow Beckham to be fully recovered from the ACL tear suffered in Super Bowl LVI—his second in as many seasons—while increasing the suitor pool and driving up his potential asking price.

Still, Beckham is a 30-year-old who has not made a Pro Bowl since 2016 and has a questionable knee. His name value is much higher than his expected production value.

With the Cowboys signing T.Y. Hilton last week as well, there's no real reason for urgency in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys are headed to the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Dallas lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday but still clinched its spot in the postseason thanks to the Washington Commanders' loss to the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.

While the Cowboys are an iconic franchise and widely known as America's Team, this is the first time they've been to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. But anything short of another postseason berth, given the amount of talent on the roster this year, would have been a massive disappointment.

Few teams can match the star power and name recognition of a roster that includes Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard, among others.

Dallas even added another notable name during the season when it signed T.Y. Hilton after it was connected to Odell Beckham Jr. for so long.

Yet the season appeared to be in jeopardy early on, even with all that talent, when Prescott suffered a thumb injury during a Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Considering he suffered a severe ankle injury in 2020 and saw the team go 4-7 without him, there was genuine reason for concern.

However, Cooper Rush did more than just keep the team afloat and went 4-1 as a starter in the two-time Pro Bowler's absence.

That cleared the way for Prescott to come back for a Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions, and the Cowboys are 6-2 ever since.

Now that Dallas has clinched its spot and looks like one of the top challengers in an NFC field that also features the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, it will look for its first deep postseason run in more than two decades.

The last time the Cowboys made it past the second round was during the 1995 campaign when they won the Super Bowl with Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders leading the way.

If Prescott, Elliott, Pollard, Lamb and others are going to be remembered alongside some of the great Cowboys in franchise history, they will need to establish some playoff success after losing in the wild-card round last season.

They will have a chance to do just that after clinching a postseason spot.

The Cowboys entered the 2022 season with the same goal as every season in Dallas—win the franchise's first Super Bowl since 1995. And for much of the season, the team appeared to have at least a decent chance of doing just that.

Despite quarterback Dak Prescott missing a chunk of the season, the Cowboys headed into Week 15 as a 10-win team that needed just one more victory to lock up a playoff spot.

However, for the second time in as many weeks, Dallas didn't play especially well against a sub-.500 team. While the Cowboys were able survive a spotty performance against the Houston Texans last week, a second-half collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars led to an overtime loss on Sunday that essentially eliminated any chance Dallas had of repeating as NFC East champions.

This mini-slump has raised legitimate questions about the viability of the Cowboys as a contender. The offense is committing mistakes at critical points in the games. A defense that was among the best in league for much of the season has struggled and is now banged up.

The Cowboys are still going to make the playoffs. But Dallas will all but certainly spend the 2022 playoffs on the road. And given how the team has recently fared away from AT&T Stadium, it's hard to see Dallas winning three straight road playoff games to advance to Super Bowl LVII.

For a good portion of Sunday's game, it appeared Dallas was going to shake off the funk from last week's spotty outing against the Texans. Dallas built a 21-7 lead at the half and led 27-10 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. The offense was moving the ball consistently, scoring points on five of its first seven drives. The defense was winning at the line of scrimmage, harassing Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and causing turnovers.

The Cowboys appeared to be cruising toward a postseason berth. Then the wheels fell off.

Even while the Cowboys were winning, there were warning signs that all was not well. Prescott has been turning the ball over with alarming frequency, including interceptions in four of his past five games entering Sunday. He threw multiple interceptions in three of those contests. Prescott's interception percentage of 3.6 percent was the second-worst in the league, and Prescott himself admitted to reporters that he has to cut down on the giveaways.

"I don't like throwing interceptions," Prescott said. "That's what bothers me. It has nothing to do with what other people say or how other people feel. It's something that I've never enjoyed, never liked, never had that accepted as a standard for myself. ... I've just got to dial that in a little bit [and] heighten that focus. But as far as the decision-making and all that, it's tough because I'm not going to change that. I'm going to continue to stay aggressive. … I've just got to stop throwing interceptions. Whether they're picked, deflected, whatever. It just can't happen anymore."

Well, it happened anymore—twice.

After the Jaguars scored a touchdown to close the gap to 27-17, Prescott's first pass attempt of the following drive was intercepted by Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins. The Jags quickly scored another touchdown, and just like that, it was a new ballgame.

In overtime, Prescott threw another pick to Jenkins—and this time it was returned for the game-sealing score.

After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy chalked it up as just a bad break.

"Unlucky bounce for us," McCarthy said. "Great play by them."

Prescott wasn't solely to blame to the Cowboys' collapse. The same Dallas defense that was dominant in the first half had no answers for the Jaguars after intermission. By the time Jenkins high-stepped into the end zone to end the game, the Cowboys had allowed a whopping 503 yards of offense. Lawrence topped 300 passing yards and tossed four touchdowns. Travis Etienne topped 100 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Zay Jones went over 100 yards and found the end zone three times.

The Cowboys also suffered a pair of potentially significant injuries in the game. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (the team's leading tackler entering Week 15) and edge-rusher Dorance Armstrong (second on the team with eight sacks) both left against the Jaguars and did not return.

It was not a performance on either side of the ball that inspired confidence in Dallas' viability as a Super Bowl contender. While speaking with reporters after the loss, Prescott said there's nothing to do but put the loss behind them.

"We've got to move on, just like any other week," Prescot said. "… It's about, at this point, building and trying to clean up and learn from our mistakes to make sure we're carrying momentum—week after week—as we move forward and get into the postseason."

McCarthy agreed that the Cowboys need to have a short memory, in part because of the team coming to Dallas on Christmas Eve.

"Definitely disappointed," said McCarthy. "... We'll take a look at this on the buses and on the [flight] home because when we touch down, we've gotta turn the page [to the Eagles on Christmas Eve]. We'll keep working, and we'll react properly to this."

Given how the Cowboys have played the past two weeks, it's not easy to imagine Dallas beating a one-loss Eagles team. Beating Dallas on Saturday would seal the NFC East in favor of Philadelphia. Things don't get any easier for the Cowboys from there, either.

In Week 17, the Cowboys head to Nashville to face a desperate Titans team trying to cling to first place in the AFC South. Then it's on to Washington to face the Commanders, which are desperate to remain in the hunt for a Wild Card spot.

Now, neither the Titans nor the Commanders are unbeatable by any stretch. But given that the Cowboys have lost three of four on the road, a skid to end the season can't be ruled out.

In any event, the Cowboys will be hitting the road once the postseason starts. If they can hold on to the No. 4 seed, Dallas would be favored against the NFC South "champion." The Cowboys have a blowout win over the second-seeded Vikings as well. To be fair, when Dallas is playing at the top of its game, it can beat anyone—including the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

But it's been awhile since we saw the Cowboys at anything near their best. Instead, it has been sloppy, turnover-filled offense and distressingly porous defense. At a time in the season when teams are trying to build momentum for the playoffs, the Cowboys are barreling in the wrong direction.

That nearly three-decade Super Bowl drought appears to be on the verge of getting one year longer.

The Dallas Cowboys squandered the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with a 40-34 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, blowing a 21-7 halftime lead to drop to 10-4 on the season.

Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 23 of 30 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions. His second pick was returned for a game-winning touchdown by Rayshawn Jenkins in overtime.

While the offense could have been better, the Dallas defense turned in an abysmal performance against second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jags offense, allowing 503 total yards.

Lawrence completed 27 of 42 passes for 318 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in addition to rushing for 21 yards on three carries.

Zay Jones led all Jags receivers with six catches for 109 yards and three scores, while Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 103 yards on 19 carries.

After the game, NFL Twitter roasted the Cowboys for their second-half collapse:

The Cowboys will still likely make the playoffs, but they're essentially out of the NFC East title race as the Philadelphia Eagles sit atop the division with a 13-1 record following a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The Dallas offense and defense have a lot to figure out moving forward, especially if the Cowboys want to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2018 season.

The Cowboys wrap up the regular season with games against the Eagles and then road games at the Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues his push to sign Odell Beckham Jr., even calling the receiver personally after the team signed T.Y. Hilton, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The signing of Hilton seemingly indicated the Cowboys were out on Beckham, who reportedly hasn't progressed well enough from his torn ACL and might not be available until mid-January, according to ESPN's Ed Werder.

Jones still continues to speak to Beckham "almost exclusively" with the attempt to sign the star wideout.

Jones was confident the team would sign Beckham when speaking about the situation on Thursday.

"Odell's going to join us," Jones told Jarrett Bell of USA Today. "There's a good chance he will, with the complete goal of getting ready for a playoff game or two, and then I'll look to the future. But most of it being about now."

The Cowboys have put on a significant recruiting effort to land Beckham, who sat courtside at the Dallas Mavericks game alongside Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs earlier this month.

The Buffalo Bills and New York Giants are considered his other top suitors.

According to Rapoport, Beckham wants guaranteed money this year and next season but could be as much as six weeks away from playing.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler previously reported another option for the veteran could be sitting out all this season before signing as a true free agent in March, where he would be arguably the top option available.

Beckham can be a difference-maker whenever he does play, as he showed last year with the Los Angeles Rams. He totaled five touchdowns in eight regular-season games with the team before adding two more in the playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl title.

The Cowboys also have Super Bowl aspirations this year after improving to 10-3 with a four-game winning streak.

The Dallas Cowboys' decision to sign T.Y. Hilton apparently wasn't an indication they were pivoting from Odell Beckham Jr.

Speaking to USA Today's Jarrett Bell, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said there is a "good chance" they will sign Beckham,

"Odell's going to join us," Jones said. "There's a good chance he will, with the complete goal of getting ready for a playoff game or two, and then I'll look to the future. But most of it being about now."

There has been so much speculation about Beckham in recent weeks that it's hard to know what him signing with a team would even mean for this season.

It looked like Beckham was on the verge of signing with Dallas after visiting the team last week, but he wound up leaving Texas without a deal.

Per NFL Network's Jane Slater, the Cowboys had concerns about Beckham's potential availability because they "can't see him run routes" and "can't see him cutting" because he didn't go through a workout.

Slater noted it "would be a push" to have Beckham available even if the Cowboys advanced to the Super Bowl.

Something appears to have changed with Beckham's status, or Jones has just decided he would rather take the risk of bringing him with the hope he can play in the postseason.

Bell noted that Jones maintained Beckham's deal with the Cowboys could become official after Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this week that "several NFL teams believe" Beckham was leaning toward sitting out this season and would wait to sign when free agency begins in March.

"Beckham isn't expected to be ready to play football until the playoffs, and joining a new team and offense for a playoff run comes with injury risk," Fowler wrote. "Leaguewide attrition at the position could change the outlook and prompt a team to sign Beckham to a strong offer this year."

The contract terms will also be interesting if a deal does happen. Jones didn't provide financial details to Bell, but he said he expects the deal will be for the rest of this season.

Beckham previously indicated he wanted to sign a multiyear contract that would cover the rest of his prime years.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Beckham has been a free agent since March. He suffered a torn ACL while playing for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI.

If the Cowboys only sign Beckham for the rest of this season, there's very little downside for them. They have the third-highest scoring offense in the NFL this season without him.

If Beckham is able to play in the postseason, he can be a difference-maker for a team that already looks good enough to be the NFC representative in the Super Bowl.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons doesn't believe he disrespected Jalen Hurts with his recent MVP remarks about the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback.

"I was just having a good conversation with Von [Miller], a person I look up to, helped him on his podcast and the next thing I know it's a...storm. Not once did I ever disrespect Hurts," Parsons told reporters Thursday. "I mean, you guys [media] get to talk—all day. Why can't we talk a little chatter?"

Still, he knows how the Eagles probably feel about him following his remarks to Miller.

"I'm pretty sure they hate me," Parsons said, via ESPN's Todd Archer.

During a recent appearance on Miller's The Voncast, Parsons questioned Hurts' MVP candidacy. He suggested that Philly's "system and team" are what has propelled the third-year quarterback to the top of the MVP debate.

Miller added that the Eagles have a "great offensive line, which helps Hurts" and noted that the Alabama and Oklahoma product has some of the best wide receivers in the game in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Miller said the numbers Hurts has put up this year make him "MVP-worthy," but he then brought up Patrick Mahomes before Parsons declared the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback this season's MVP.

In 13 games this season, Hurts has completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,157 yards and 22 touchdowns against three interceptions, in addition to rushing for 686 yards and 10 scores.

While Hurts is having a career year, this is also the first season he has had a complete, capable offense, which is certainly worth considering when discussing the MVP debate.

With the offense firing on all cylinders, the Eagles are atop the NFC—and the NFL—with a 12-1 record. They have already clinched a postseason berth and will be the team to beat come playoff time.

Mahomes, meanwhile, has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,160 yards and 33 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, in addition to rushing for 280 yards and two scores. He arguably doesn't have as good of an offense to work with, but the Chiefs are still 10-3 and can clinch the AFC West with a win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Hurts responded to Parsons' comments while meeting with reporters Wednesday, noting that he's focused solely on the Chicago Bears, whom Philadelphia will face Sunday. A win at Soldier Field would only widen the Eagles' gap over the Cowboys (10-3) and the remainder of the NFC East.

The Eagles and Cowboys will meet at least one more time this season, and Parsons' remarks should make for a great matchup between the two on Christmas Eve.

Philly and Dallas last met on Oct. 16, when the Eagles beat the Cowboys 26-17.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested this week that the organization still has interest in free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Jones provided a somewhat cryptic message when asked about the Cowboys signing OBJ at the NFL owners meetings, saying: "I don't want to talk about that, but stand by. This thing could break."

Beckham, who is still working his way back from a torn ACL suffered during the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals last season, has visited with the Cowboys, New York Giants and Buffalo Bills over the past couple of weeks.

Jones noted that Beckham still isn't fully ready to play, but explained why the Cowboys continue to keep tabs on him and could ultimately sign him: "Great players make great plays. Great ones make exceptional plays. And so I hope we advance here where a handful of great plays, if I may be arm waving about it, could be the difference in a world championship."

At times this season, there were some who thought that Beckham would sign with a team, return to the field during the latter part of the regular season and be primed for a strong run in the playoffs.

Beckham himself seemed to shoot down the idea of seeing any regular-season action last week when he said he doesn't "see the point" of playing before the postseason.

Now, doubt is creeping in regarding whether he will play at all this season, with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reporting Wednesday that "several" NFL teams believe OBJ is leaning toward sitting out the entire 2022 campaign and signing with a new team after the season.

The speculation was fueled this week by two of the teams in the thick of the Beckham pursuit signing other veteran wideouts.

Buffalo brought back slot receiver Cole Beasley, who played for the team from 2019 to 2021 and appeared in two games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season before retiring. Meanwhile, the Cowboys signed longtime Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton.

Jones' comments seem to suggest that the signing of Hilton doesn't preclude the Cowboys from signing OBJ, but their receiver room is getting a bit crowded with Hilton joining CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Noah Brown.

When healthy, the 30-year-old Beckham is a potential game-changer, and the Rams learned that last season.

OBJ was a Pro Bowler in each of his first three seasons with the Giants from 2014 to 2016, but injuries slowed him down in subsequent years, and he was waived by the Cleveland Browns last season before signing with L.A.

Beckham went on to record 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight regular-season games with the Rams, followed by 21 grabs for 288 yards and two scores in four playoff games.

While the Cowboys are 10-3 and have one of the NFL's best offenses statistically, they haven't received consistent production from their wideouts outside of Lamb.

That is why interest in Beckham seemingly still exists, but there are no guarantees when it comes to OBJ seeing any on-field action this season.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn't about to give Micah Parsons any bulletin-board material, even if that is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher did for him.

During a discussion with Von Miller on The Voncast, Parsons suggested Hurts is an MVP candidate more because of Philadelphia's "system and team" than his individual talents:

When asked for a response to Parsons' comments on Wednesday, Hurts told reporters, "I'm worried about the Bears," the Eagles' upcoming opponent in Week 15.

Offensive lineman Jordan Mailata echoed those sentiments:

After facing the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Hurts' Eagles will square off against Parsons' Cowboys on Christmas Eve in a game that could decide control of the NFC East.

The 12-1 Eagles are two games up on the 10-3 Cowboys, and they beat Dallas in Week 6, although the Cowboys were without quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys will now be at home for this Christmas Eve clash against a motivated Hurts.

Although Hurts didn't publicly take exception to Parsons' comments, he surely internalized them ahead of the latest chapter in the rivalry.

The MVP candidate has completed 68 percent of his passes for 3,157 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 686 yards and 10 scores on the ground in 13 games this season. He has taken tremendous strides after throwing for 22 touchdowns to 13 picks in his first two seasons and is a major reason why his team has the best record in the NFL.

Yet there is something to be said about the talent he has around him, which Parsons hinted at.

The offseason addition of wide receiver A.J. Brown has made everything easier for the offense. He is nearly impossible to stop with single coverage, and he opens up passing and running lanes for everyone else when he draws double-teams.

Playmakers such as DeVonta Smith and Miles Sanders are also dangerous, and defenses have to account for Hurts' legs as well.

Quarterbacks will always benefit from having more talent around them, but Parsons' comments will surely turn heads ahead of the Christmas Eve game.