Team news: Dallas Cowboys | Page 68

Patriots WR Brandin Cooks has been impressive throughout the offseason, and he has put on a clinic against the Jaguars during two days of joint practices at Gillette Stadium. Remarkably, despite actively scheming to defend the deep post, the Jaguars still were vulnerable to Cooks’ speed.

Cooks is anything but a one-trick pony. His route tree is complete, and he is lethal when he builds off his deeper patterns. By comparison, the Patriots used to shrug off less-defined opposing deep threats like Mike Wallace who only ran one route. That’s easier for a smart defense to contain.

Cooks does it all, and when he decides to turn on the jets, the artist can turn the field into his blank canvas.

When receivers change teams, they usually experience a dip in production unless they see an upgrade at quarterback or an increased role. Cooks is unlikely to see significantly more targets, so given his 2nd- or 3rd-round ADP, he’s not without some risk. Camp reports of Cooks have been glowing, so it appears that he’s quickly earning the trust of Tom Brady. The Patriots aren’t going to force him the ball, so he’s bound to have a few down games, but he should be a key cog in what’s shaping up to be the league’s best offense.

The Vikings on Monday activated running back Latavius Murray from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List.

The veteran running back signed with Minnesota in March, disclosing at the time that he would need ankle surgery. He spent all of the offseason program rehabbing and was placed on the Active/PUP list when veterans reported to training camp.

Murray was not listed on the Vikings initial depth chart ahead of their first preseason game, with rookie Dalvin Cook listed as the starter.

Murray has a lot of ground to make up on Cook at this point. It's looking more and more that Cook will line up as the starter in Week 1. The Vikings had a lot of problems running the ball last year, but signed tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers and drafted center Pat Elflein (3rd round) and guard Danny Isidora in an effort to rebuild the offensive line. Cook has had a good spring and Murray, at this point, is likely in a RB by committee at best.

Vikings rookie RB Dalvin Cook is the starter, ahead of Jerrick McKinnon. Yes, it's just the first depth chart ahead of a preseason opener, but it confirms all the praise that Cook has received from his teammates and coaching staff in training camp. Free agent acquisition Latavius Murray is not on the depth chart, still on the PUP list, recovering from offseason ankle surgery.

Head coach Mike Zimmer said of Murray last week, "He is a smart guy, but he needs to get out there” on the practice field.

Related players: Sam Bradford, Stefon Diggs

It's looking more and more that Cook will line up as the starter in Week 1. The Vikings had a lot of problems running the ball last year, but signed tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers and drafted center Pat Elflein (3rd round) and guard Danny Isidora in an effort to rebuild the offensive line. Cook has had a good spring and his primary competition (Latavius Murray) has been sidelined as he recovers from ankle surgery.

It appears the wait for word on potential disciplinary action against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will stretch on for at least another week.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that no decision in the Elliott case is expected to come this week.

Owner Jerry Jones said "everything's in place" for a decision but the story added Commissioner Roger Goodell is waiting for "outside advisors" to weigh in before making a decision.

The Vikings announced that running back Latavius Murray and linebacker Shaan Washington have been placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Related players: Dalvin Cook

This is perhaps good news for Dalvin Cook owners. He was already getting a bit of a head start with the rookies, but with Murray on the PUP list, Cook seems to be in line for a lot of reps.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was the breakout star of the NFL last season, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

That’s the word from Cowboys Executive V.P. Stephen Jones, who said Prescott is committed to improving and will be better than he was as a rookie.

“He knows he’s got to take his game to another level,” Jones said. “The great ones get better each year. I think he expects that from himself, I know he puts in the work, I know he’s a leader, the team responds to him, the team wants to play hard for him. That’s rare. I think he’s going to answer the bell and I think he’s going to be better than he was last year.”

The story said the team wants Prescott to be the face of the franchise and they think he's up for the challenge. With a strong offensive line and a boatload of weapons, including a great running game, Prescott should have some fantasy value as a QB2 or streaming play.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of the victim moments after he was struck in the face by an assailant at Clutch Bar in Dallas.

The person who shot the video tells us the man was involved in a verbal altercation with a woman who was in Ezekiel Elliott's party ... when Ezekiel got involved.

The witness says she saw Ezekiel punch the man -- corroborating the story the victim's friend told police.

However, cops at the scene could not confirm Zeke was the attacker and he has not been arrested or charged with a crime.

We spoke with the NFL -- and we're told the league is now looking into the matter to "understand the facts."

Per Adam Schefter, Elliott is already "bracing" for a short suspension (1-2 games?) for another incident. We'll see how this story develops over the next few days. If there is a complaint filed against Elliott or if charges are brought, the NFL will be sure to investigate.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that while the investigation is still ongoing, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is bracing for a short suspension stemming back to his alleged domestic violence incident in 2016.

We have reduced our projections for expected games played from 15 to 14, allowing for a one-game suspension and one missed game due to injury. He's still a top 4 running back in both PPR and standard formats, but owners may want to nab his handcuff, Darren McFadden, to cover their bases.

Dalvin Cook has yet to run in pads for the Minnesota Vikings, and it will be some time before coaches begin to establish a pecking order for a backfield that hasn't really needed one for the better part of a decade. But Cook's early work has coach Mike Zimmer believing the Vikings might have a unique player on their hands.

"I think he's got a chance to be special," Zimmer said on Thursday. "There was a play yesterday that, Xavier Rhodes is trying to catch him, and he's hauling now. I just think this guy has got a chance to be pretty good. Now, he's got some things he's got to work on, like all young backs, but I've been very impressed with him this spring."

It's looking more and more that Cook will line up as the starter in Week 1. The Vikings had a lot of problems running the ball last year, but signed tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers and drafted center Pat Elflein (3rd round) and guard Danny Isidora in an effort to rebuild the offensive line. Cook has had a good spring and his primary competition (Latavius Murray) has been sidelined as he recovers from ankle surgery.

Ezekiel Elliott will be held out of practice again today after suffering a head injury as a passenger in a minor car accident Sunday night.

This is probably nothing to worry about with regard to Elliot's Week 1 availability, but head trauma is always worth monitoring.