NFL news that indirectly affects the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are the cog that drives what is the NFL yet there are a few headlines that could affect the team moving forward.

The first item I want to get out of the way is the recent release of former top ten pick and current free agent quarterback Josh Rosen. I have to admit that I was wrong about Rosen. I liked Josh Allen the best out of all the 2018 NFL Draft quarterbacks but I had Rosen better than Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield,  Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, and Carolina’s Sam Darnold.

Yes, that looks bad now but there could still be some value with Rosen.

Rosen is now free to sign with any team he chooses and I have to think the Dallas Cowboys should at least bring him on for a look. With questions behind quarterback Dak Prescott, it could only help to bring in this former top ten pick.

At the very least, having an emergency quarterback familiar with the franchise could only potentially help. The Denver Broncos had to start a wide receiver at quarterback last season because of Covid-19 so having him as an option could be beneficial.

NFL teams can now be affected in the win/loss column by Covid-19 or rather those who are unvaccinated so with news the Falcons were the first team to get to a 100% vaccination rate because they cut the final two unvaccinated players left on their team leads to some questions.

Could the Dallas Cowboys make a close final roster decision based on vaccination status? I’m sure nobody wanted to be the first team to make a decision based on whether you are or not but now that an NFL team is in the news because they were the first to do so, will the Dallas Cowboys follow suit?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is in the headlines again after he was involved in a practice altercation.

Tamp Bay, the Dallas Cowboys week one opponent, is currently conducting a joint practice with the Tennesse Titans. Brown apparently threw a punch and was subsequently kicked out of practice.

Brown is already on thin ice from his past actions and it took a request from quarterback Tom Brady to keep him around in Tampa. I wonder if there exists a possibility that Brown will not be a participant in the NFL season opener.

One player who will not participate is punter Hunter Niswander who was released. The former undrafted free agent came to the Dallas Cowboys and played well for a partially injured and partially ineffective punter in Chris Jones. He was released to make room for newly signed kicker Liram Hajrullahu.

Hajrullahu played sparingly in the NFL but is mostly known for his time in the CFL. From the research I have done, it appears this kicker can also handle punting duties. With Greg Zuerlein still sidelined with an injury, questions remain.

Could the team place Zuerlein on the PUP list and allow this new face to handle both kicking and punting duties until Zuerlein is ready? The team does punter have Bryan Anger but his brief outings do not give me a great feeling about his future here in Dallas.

This could possibly allow the team to go heavy on a roster spot until they have a better understanding of where they need help.

Finally, we get to the special team’s conundrum regarding what is looking more and more like former starting linebacker duo Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith. There are reports suggesting both players might be playing special teams.

This is especially concerning when you think of how many young players were planning on those special team’s snaps to separate themselves from their competition.

I started watching football when starters were regulars on special teams so to me this isn’t a big deal. In this day and age, special team’s play is mostly relegated to the bottom of the roster guys. The future of both of those players is now in serious jeopardy.

The Dallas Cowboys season opener is right around the corner and an enormous amount of NFL hopefuls are going to be without jobs soon. What is happening around the NFL could affect the 2021 Dallas Cowboys.