FRISCO, Texas – The NFL is known for Friday afternoon news dumps, but the Cowboys had one all to themselves this Friday.
Following his team's preseason finale, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones joined 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas and covered a variety of topics, from roster cuts to player availability and more.
Here are the highlights:
- It's not much, but there's finally something in the way of an update on Randy Gregory. Jones was asked about the suspended defensive end, and gave something in the way of an update – albeit a vague one.
"It is my understanding that he may have filed for reinstatement," Jones said. "And then it's just time that we don't control in terms of when they ultimately make a decision."
That doesn't provide a ton of clarity, but it's at least intriguing to hear that Gregory may be moving in the right direction.
- Speaking of reinstatement, the Cowboys got some surprise news Friday when they found out that Rolando McClain had been reinstated by the NFL. The former first-round draft pick played for the Cowboys for two seasons back in 2014-15, before he was suspended and promptly disappeared from the league radar. Even though he hasn't played for the team in several years, the Cowboys still own his rights.
"We just got that as well, so it's a little early for me to comment on anything like that," Jones said. "I had no idea that that was a work in progress, but we'll certainly look at that as we would anything. We'll do our diligence and make a decision."
Theoretically, the Cowboys could bring him back to their roster if they wanted to. If they aren't interested, they could also release him, which would allow him to sign elsewhere.
- Jones also updated an injury issue, as he revealed that Donovan Wilson's ankle problem might be more serious than initially anticipated. Wilson said Thursday after the Tampa Bay game that he'd be fine, but Jones said it might be a little while for the rookie safety.
"It looks like he found his way to this roster," he said. "Unfortunately, he did have a little setback that could keep him out of games for a couple of weeks, but we'll continue to monitor that."
- Lastly, it sounds like you can forget about further Ezekiel Elliott from the younger Jones. Elliott's contract standoff with the Cowboys continues. But as the regular season approaches, Jones said he doesn't see the use of continuing to comment on the negotiations.
"For me, I'm just taking the stance now of, you know, as we get down to the midnight hour, I've got zero comments," he said. "I don't think it does any good to talk about, did we talk once, twice, three times, did you exchange offers. I think we need to just stay focused with the people that we're working with and see where we end up."
