Jack Easterby, Controversial Exec, 'Parting Ways' with Houston Texans

“I never thought I’d say it,” he said.

Garrett, the Cowboys lifer as a player and coach now part of the NBC crew, made the prediction that the home-standing, undefeated and favored Philadelphia Eagles will win on "Sunday Night Football.''

It's a viable thought. But it still shocked our system. And ... his.

OCT 15 4 MOVES The Dallas Cowboys placed running back Rico Dowdle and receiver Simi Fehoko on Reserve/Injured on Saturday while also making a practice-squad shift for long-snapper Matt Overton up to the active roster.

Also elevated for Sunday's game at the Eagles: Running back Malik Davis (due to the Dowdle injury) and tight end Sean McKeon (as insurance against banged-up Dalton Schultz).

With Fehoko unavailable, look for rookie Jalen Tolbert to possibly get a shot to dress, and to maybe help on special teams.

Speaking of which: Mixed into this juggling act is the possibility of rookie Damone Clark - rehabbing from spinal surgery - to be moved to the active roster 

OCT 14 BEER ME Jerry Jones celebrated his 80th birthday on Thursday, and he is on record as wanting wins as his presents - last week at the Rams and this week at the Eagles - somebody at The Star had other ideas.

So .. 'Beer Me!' it is, as Miller Lite helps Jerry (or whoever it is who's going to gather up all those cases of beer from the practice field) celebrate.

OCT 12 WASHINGTON WINS UGLY The Washington Commanders, despite Carson Wentz's struggles (12/22, 99 yards), used goal-line stands to steal 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football at Soldier Field.

Commanders rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr. scored his first NFL touchdown less than two months after being shot in the knee. Robinson ran the ball 17 times for 60 yards on the day.

But at the end, Chicago had one more chance, as QB Justin Fields ran the ball on a 39-yard gain to get the Bears all the way inside the 10-yard line ... but eventually cornerback Benjamin St-Juste stopped wide receiver Darnell Mooney on the 1-yard line on 4th down to turn the ball over once again and clinch the win for Washington.

The Commanders improve to 2-4 on the season, still trailing the 5-0 Eagles and the 4-1 Cowboys (who play Sunday night) and the 4-1 Giants in the NFC East.

OCT 11 NEW TE The Cowboys have a need at tight end with franchise-tagged standout Dalton Schultz among the Dallas guys dinged up at the position. And so, first came the workout  …

And now comes a signing of the former Houston Texans tight end Seth Green, 24, who was a DFW high school quarterback at Allen High, who after finishing working out today is reportedly getting a job, starting with a spot on the practice squad.

Green (6-4, 240) has speed as he showed after moving from the University of Houston to the Texans as an undrafted free agent. He also played at the University of Minnesota, where he was billed as a "wildcat QB.''

Meanwhile, regarding Dak Prescott’s availability for Sunday night at Philly? See above.

OCT 10 MICAH OK? Dallas coach Mike McCarthy, in Monday's review of the Cowboys' 22-10 win at the Rams on Sunday, is giving a positive update on the health of his star Lion-backer.

How is Micah and his groin issue today?

“Good,'' McCarthy said. "I saw him earlier. He’s getting better.”

Parsons sustained the injury in the Rams game but kept playing in spots, mostly as a pass-rusher. He ended up with two of Dallas' five sacks, including the strip-sack that sealed the victory to push his Cowboys to 4-1.

Dallas is at Philly on Sunday in a battle for first place in the NFC East.

Parsons' philosophy? "If I'm alive, I can go.''

OCT 9 INACTIVES The Cowboys inactives vs. the Rams: QB Dak Prescott (thumb), Jason Peters (chest), Quinton Bohanna (neck/shoulder), Jalen Tolbert, Nahshon Wright, Devin Harper and Markquese Bell, all of which means Tony Pollard (illness) is healthy, as is safety Jayron Kearse.

Dallas' captains today: Cooper Rush, Leighton Vander Esch and Bryan Anger.

OCT 8: ROSTER MOVES The Cowboys are traveling to Los Angeles to see the Rams in Week 5 and have two new linemen aboard the plane.

The Cowboys have elevated defensive lineman Carlos Watkins - a 2021 starter - from the practice squad for Sunday’s game at the Rams, a move made neccesary by the fact that Quinton Bohanna (neck/shoulder) is listed as questionable.

Also up is new long-snapper Matt Overton, a street free agent in for Jake McQuaide, who is out and injured for the year.

Additionally, concerns about Tony Pollard's illness seem to be subsiding as he is traveling with the team to L.A. while the Cowboys did not make a practice-squad move to replace him.

OCT 6 McCARTHY ODDS SHOCK The question was a good one, and innocuous enough. Does Dallas coach Mike McCarthy ever use the news of a game's point spread to inspire his team? In other words, can be the "underdog'' - using specific oddsmakers numbers - be motivating?

McCarthy made it clear that he has not really done that. And then - proving that odds are not his bag - he asked the media here at The Star what the point spread is for Cowboys at Rams this weekend.

He was told that it's "5.5 points.''

"We ... WE'RE underdogs?!'' said McCarthy, the "Coach of the Year'' candidate coach of the 3-1 Cowboys, with sincere shock.

It was really rather endearing. He truly didn't know about the numbers, likely reflective of the fact that Cooper Rush (though he is 3-0 this year as a starter) is still the first-team QB as Dak Prescott continues to rehab.

Later, gathering himself, he boldly said, “I’ll just say this: We’re nobody’s underdog - if you (media) need a quote.''

OCT 5 INJURY NOTES The Cowboys are getting ready for a Week 5 trip to the Rams, with the official practice/injury report from both teams now available ...

No on Dak Prescott (but good stuff), yes on Damone Clark (really good stuff), and much more here.

OCT 4 BRADY FALLOUT There is no joy in divorce. But there are realities.

There is no joy in divorce of public figures. But in the cases of Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen, they have made highly crafted public images for themselves, meaning the fact that they are reportedly taking steps toward getting a divorce is fodder for rumors ...

And fodder for speculation about what the "distraction'' might mean to the NFL.

The Bucs, especially during Brady's time there after his departure from the New England Patriots, where he won six of his seven Super Bowl rings, have largely been in charge of the NFC South. At this moment, though, the divisional lead is shared by the Bucs and by the Falcons, both at 2-2, and they play in Week 5.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys are 3-1 - and their only loss came in Week 1, at the hands of Brady's Bucs.

Brady was a near-perennial champion as the main man on the roster of the dynastic Patriots, and then won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers upon leaving New England. But now? As with injuries and arrests, "things happen'' ... and Tom Brady, famous for focus and execution and excellence, surely has a great deal on his mind as he and the Bucs joust with the Cowboys and other NFC contenders in an effort to stay on top.

OCT 4 GREGORY OUT The Denver Broncos are going to be without defensive end Randy Gregory, maybe for as long as six weeks, as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery.

Gregory, in the first year of his five-year $70 million deal in Denver after leaving the Dallas Cowboys amid contractual controversy, got carted off the field with the injury during Sunday's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Gregory had been playing well, in four games recording nine tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

OCT 3 INJURY UPDATE The Cowboys Monday afternoon Injury Update

Micah Parsons - No back issue

Zack Martin - no ankle issue

Noah Brown - neck

Quinton Bohanna - shoulder 

Coach Mike McCarthy said that Brown and Bohanna should practice this week in prep for the Rams in Week 5.

Parsons and Martin got dinged up in Sunday’s win over Washington, but both did finish.

“It’s just football,” Micah said.

OCT 2 MARTIN EXITS Zack Martin - the future Hall of Famer - has hobbled to the sideline and is getting his right ankle re-taped in the late-going of the third quarter of the Dallas Cowboys' Week 4 home game against Washington. Martin appeared to have collided with teammate Tyler Smith at the end of a play.

Matt Farniok is now filling in for him at right guard.

OCT 2 LEWIS OUT A Cowboys injury sustained in pregame warmups means Dallas has a rookie starter today in DB DaRon Bland.

Jourdan Lewis is the usual starter as the nickel corner, but his groin problem in pregame pushes Bland, a fifth-round rookie who experienced a good training camp, into the Sunday spotlight against Washington.

OCT 2 INACTIVES The Cowboys have named their captains for today vs. the Commanders and have released their inactives.

The captains: RB Ezekiel Elliott (offense), S Donovan Wilson (defense) and CB Kelvin Joseph (special teams).

The inactives: QB Dak Prescott (thumb), S Jayron Kearse (knee) WR Jalen Tolbert, LB Devin Harper, T Matt Waletzko and CB Nahshon Wright. ... which of course means Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz and, in a bit of a surprise, Connor McGovern, are officially active today.

OCT 1 QB UP The Cowboys are elevating QB Will Grier from the practice squad, a move that is significant in a couple of ways.

One, the Cowboys need a No. 2 for Sunday’s Fame against Washington, with Cooper Rush still starting and Prescott (thumb) still rehabbing.

Two ….This is the team’s third and final standard elevation that can be used on Grier this season. So from now on, he’ll need to be signed to 53-man roster to be active for the Cowboys … possibly a moot point if Dak can return next week.

SEPT 29 DAK IN RED No, Dak Prescott isn't really practicing on Thursday here inside The Star, and no, he's almost certainly not really playing on Sunday against Washington.

But as you can see here, he is dressed out ...

And he is "gripping'' the football in his surgically repaired right hand.

We still think Week 6 at Philly is the realistic target date for his return. But stay tuned ...

SEPT 28 INJURY UPDATE QB Dak Prescott (thumb) is listed as a non-participant today. 

Listed as limited are DeMarcus Lawrence (foot), Dalton Schultz (knee), Connor McGovern (ankle) and Jayron Kearse. Listed as full are Michael Gallup, Luke Gifford and Simi Fehoko.

SEPT 26 THREE MOVES The Dallas Cowboys moved Jason Peters from the practice squad to the active roster today, and additionally the club also elevated QB Will Grier and tight end Sean McKeon from the practice squad to the active roster for tonight’s matchup against the Giants.

SEPT 26 INACTIVES The 1-1 Cowboys are rolling along with their backup quarterback, Cooper Rush, while starter Dak Prescott continues to rehab his broken thumb suffered in Week 1.

The stitches in Dak's surgically repaired thumb and hand were scheduled to be removed on Monday, meaning the timeline for Prescott's return is sooner than later. ... and indeed, we're told that procedure has occurred.

Meanwhile, coach Mike McCarthy has named his trio of captains for tonight: Offense CeeDee Lamb, Defense Micah Parsons, Special Teams Rico Dowdle.

And the inactives: Prescott (thumb), Michael Gallup (knee), Dalton Schultz (knee), Connor McGovern (ankle), Jayron Kearse (knee), Nahshon Wright and Luke Gifford (hamstring) - which opens up Jabril Cox to play his first game since his knee injury last October.

SEPT 26 NFL BEST? “I think Philadelphia is the best team in football right now.” – Jason Garrett, the former Dallas Cowboys coach, speaking as an NBC "Sunday Night'' analyst.

And he's right.

As the Cowboys ready for a Monday nighter at the Giants, Dallas is hoping to move to 2-1 while maybe needing a "Flu Game'' Micah Parsons to keep the score low with Cooper Rush in for Dak Prescott. Oh, and maybe that will all change in Week 6, if the injured Prescott returns to the lineup just in time to play ... A Sunday nighter at the Eagles.

But for now? Philly is 3-0, the roster is loaded, Jalen Hurts is playing like a QB who can run instead of like a running back who can't throw ... and the Eagles have outscored opponents 86-50, with just seven points given up to Minnesota last week and with this week's 24-8 drubbing of Washington.

SEPT 21: SOURCE - COWBOYS WORK OUT WR The Cowboys on Wednesday are working out former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ra'Shaun Henry here at The Star, an NFL source tells CowboysSI.com. 

Earlier this week, Henry visited the San Francisco 49ers. 

The 6-3 receiver from Virginia is a rookie UDFA who had been on the Panthers practice squad.

Dallas just cut rookie UDFA receiver Dennis Houston ahead of a visit to the Giants, a game that might feature the season debuts of Michael Gallup and Jalen Tolbert.

SEPT 19 RIDGEWAY TO WASHINGTON The Cowboys over the weekend cut fifth-round rookie defensive tackle John Ridgeway (6-5, 322), with the plan that he might slip through waivers and be re-signed to the practice squad.

Unfortunately for Dallas - but maybe fortunately for the colorful Arkansas product who upon his arrival at The Star announced that he wanted to "break necks'' - the D-line-needy Washington Commanders put in a claim and so the self-named "Vanilla Gorilla'' makes a move to an NFC East foe.

SEPT 18 HIGGINS IN Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins (concussion) is active for Sunday’s game here at AT&T Stadium against the Cowboys.

The third-year Bengals receiver last year finished second on the team with 74 catches and 1,091 yards and pairs with Ja'Marr Chase as perimeter challenges today for the Dallas D.

SEPT 16: BIG DECISIONS The Dallas Cowboys on Friday announced that receiver Michael Gallup will miss against the Cincinnati Bengals. No shocker here; Gallup is dealing with a knee rehab and the idea of playing next week, in Week 3 at the Giants, has always been a more realistic target.

“There is still a process of return to play that he has to finish,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said adding that Gallup is experiencing a "good soreness'' following his first two days of actual practice all year.

The Bengals also have a wideout issue. Tee Higgins is officially questionable with him trying to recover from a Week 1 concussion.

What to do with Dak Prescott (out for at least a month after thumb surgery) obviously tops the decision-making list otherwise. Stay tuned.

SEPT 10 COWBOYS CALL-UPS The Dallas Cowboys on Saturday elevated Kicker Brett Maher and QB Cooper Rush from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

SEPT 5 PETERS PRACTICING "Deadlines Make Deals,'' as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones likes to say. And now the Jason Peters deal is done - complete with plans to have him join practice on Monday here at The Star.

Coach Mike McCarthy said that adding Peters "is about adding depth,'' though obviously it can be much more than that.

McCarthy also said Peters - a Texas native - would “love to finish his career here.”

Read more here.

SEPT 4 HOW ABOUT MONDAY? Want a blow-by-blow on what's going on with the Cowboys and Peters? Here you go ... a "Still Grinding'' update from here inside The Star.

And yes, Monday remains a logical goal, timetable-wise, for reasons we have detailed in the link.

Meanwhile ... A member of the Dallas Cowboys "family'' is carrying on a tradition ...

SEPT SEPT 3 EJ SCORES EJ Smith is a junior at Stanford and is getting his first crack at being the full-time starter.

So far, so good for the son of Emmitt Smith, E.J. who recorded an 87-yard touchdown on his first carry in the season opener against Colgate.

E.J. was a top recruit coming out of the DFW area as he works to follow in the footsteps of Dad, who happens to be the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Smith finished his first game as Stanford's starting running back with 118 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also contributed five catches for 37 yards as Stanford won, 41-10 to start the year.

E.J. starred at Jesuit in Dallas before accepting an invitation to attend Stanford.

AUG 29 ZAMPESE PASSES Ernie Zampese passed away this morning at the age of 86, one of the most influential offensive coaches in NFL history.

"Ernie was doing stuff in the 70's and the 80's that people today think are new and it isn't," said star pupil Norv Turner. "If Don Coryell were here today, he'd tell you."

Zampese capped off his fine career after taking over for Turner in Dallas and helping the Cowboys’ Super Bowl XXX team. 

Said Aikman of winning that ring with Zampese: One of my favorite memories … a friend and mentor to so many.”

AUG 24 MICAH TV “Eleven From Heaven” (no, we don’t get that, either), writes FOX Sports. “Micah Parsons will be joining ‘Undisputed’ throughout the NFL season!”

Parsons, the Cowboys defensive star, confirmed the deal on Twitter, writing, “Blessings! Excited to start this journey!”

There will be Cowboys fans worried that Parsons might be spreading himself too thin here, as brilliant as he is likely to be on TV.

There will be other Cowboys fans who recognize that alining with Bayless can be a poisonous experience.

AUG TOM BRADY - 'THE MASKED SINGER'? It's been labeled a "wacky theory,'' but is it really so ridiculous that the reason Tom Brady is skipping a big chunk of training camp is so he can appear on "The Masked Singer" television show?

Brady is taking an alleged 10-day break away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is that he's expected back at some point after Saturday's preseason game at the Tennessee Titans. Coach Todd Bowles insists all is fine.

"I know exactly when Tom is coming back, and I’ve consistently said it would be sometime after the Titans game," Bowles said.

That means he's probably good for Bucs at Cowboys in NFL Week 1. But why isn't there a firm date for when the seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller will return?

"I’m not worried, so I don’t know why anyone else would be worried," Bowles said.

Maybe there is no reason to worry because Brady is simply filling an obligation to FOX, where he is about to make a trillion bucks as an analyst when he's done playing.

Is there any QB in football more "show-bizzy'' than Brady?

And yes, "The Masked Singer'' airs on ... FOX.

AUG 19 COMMANDERS FIRE TRAINER The Washington Commanders officially fired head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion Friday after the conclusion of a months-long investigation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Vermillion was placed on administrative leave in October 2021 after the DEA raided his home and work office. Vermillion agreed to a deferred prosecution at U.S. District Court today in Virginia, which won't see him face any charges.

The NFL responded by suspending Vermillion indefinitely and opening an investigation with the NFLPA.

AUG 17 ZEKE VS. THE HELMET Yes, Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys has spent the last two offseasons trying to make sure he's got elusiveness and "sweet feet'' as he's dropped, at different times, from 228 pounds to 218.

But can he still pound an opponent with force?

The Los Angeles Chargers, in a Wednesday joint workout in LA, just found out.

The victim is Chargers starting safety Nasir Adderley, and Zeke literally knocks the poor guy’s helmet right off his head.

"That,'' Elliott said later, "is the type of tone I'm trying to set every time I step on the field, period.''

Tone set. Period.

Ezekiel Elliott might be an elusive runner. We will see.

But he remains a punishing runner. A Chargers helmet proves it is so.

AUG 16 COWBOYS CUTS The Cowboys must cut down by Tuesday from 90 to 85 on their roster and have now done so. As first noted by the Dallas News, they are moving on from ... 

CB Kyron Brown

FB Ryan Nall

TE Ian Bunting

WR Ty Fryfogle

DL Austin Faoliu.

The first four players are being waived-injured. Depending on the severity of their injuries, they could return to the club later, which seems a possibility for Nall, a newcomer vet who has an NFL history as a special-teamer.

FATAL SHOOTING A fatal shooting at a youth football game in DFW has police searching for Yaqub Talib, the younger brother of former NFL cornerback and Amazon TV pregame analyst Aqib Talib.

A warrant has been issued for Yaqub Talib, with police in Lancaster saying there was a “disagreement among coaching staff and the officiating crew.” The argument led to coaches getting into a fight. Someone fired a gun, killing a man.

Per TMZ.com, DFW resident Aqib Talib was present at the scene of the shooting.

Aqib Talib played 12 years in the NFL for the Buccaneers, Patriots, Broncos, and Rams.