Cowboys say Jones will compete to start
Football
The Dallas Cowboys waived backup quarterback Joe Milton on Monday while saying the newly acquired Broderick Jones will compete with Terence Steele to start at right tackle.
The move with Milton presumably means Sam Howell has won the No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott, a spot that Milton held last season. The Cowboys could bring Milton back on the practice squad.
Before the team announced the move, coach Brian Schottenheimer said the competition between Milton and Howell was still open. The Milton move was to clear a spot for running back Emari Demercado, who was claimed on waivers from Kansas City.
The Cowboys got Jones in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday, sending picks in the third and sixth rounds of next year’s draft while getting a fourth-rounder in return.
Steele emerged as an undrafted free agent six years ago but has struggled in recent years.
Jones was the 14th overall pick out of Georgia in the 2023 draft. He started 38 of the 45 games he played in three seasons with the Steelers.
Jones missed the final six games last season after an awkward hit to his neck on Nov. 23 against Chicago. The 25-year-old went on injured reserve and had season-ending fusion surgery that required a lengthy rehab.
“There’s some fundamental things that we’re excited that we feel like we can kind of tighten up,” Schottenheimer said. “I know he’s really excited to be here. Sometimes a change of scenery is a good thing.”
Jones said the change could do him some good, and he was encouraged by Schottenheimer saying right away that the club didn’t plan to move him around.
“I’m just pumped up,” Jones said. “He made it clear where he wants me. So I’ve got to do my part and show up.”
Broncos
Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper pleaded not guilty Monday in a Douglas County courtroom to multiple charges stemming from altercations with his then-girlfriend in June. A jury trial has been scheduled to begin on Nov. 10.
Cooper was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list Sunday, meaning he’ll continue to get paid for the time being and will be allowed inside the team’s training facility but cannot practice with the team or play in any games.
Cooper pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of second-degree assault by strangulation and three misdemeanors, including violating a protection order a week after his first arrest on June 4. The strangulation charge stemmed from his first arrest after a forensic nurse examined Cooper’s then-girlfriend.
Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens now have a second option at kicker.
The Ravens signed Jake Moody to the practice squad after second-year man Tyler Loop struggled a bit during preseason. Loop went 4 for 7 on field goals in preseason games this year, missing from 49, 51 and 58 yards.
“I have a lot of confidence in Tyler still. He’s had a great training camp,” Ravens coach Jesse Minter said. “I expect him to be our kicker going into (Week 1 at) Indianapolis. But I think again, you’re always trying to just have every scenario covered.”
Loop went just 1 for 4 from 50 yards and beyond last season. He missed only one field goal inside 50, but it was a 44-yarder on the final play of the final game. When that kick went wide right at Pittsburgh, it cost Baltimore a playoff spot.
Moody played his first two NFL seasons with San Francisco, then kicked for the 49ers, Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders last season. The Commanders cut him during training camp this year.
Jets
Rookie Cade Klubnik will head into the regular season as the New York Jets’ backup quarterback behind Geno Smith.
The fourth-rounder out of Clemson received the bulk of the snaps during the three preseason games and had a solid training camp performance, giving the Jets confidence he can step in Smith’s place if needed.
“He’s our backup quarterback,” coach Aaron Glenn said Monday while announcing the decision. “And he’ll do a good job.”
Glenn added that the Jets are still likely to add another quarterback to their practice squad. They released Bailey Zappe on Sunday.
Edge rusher Joseph Ossai will be “week to week,” according to Glenn, after he ruptured the plantar fascia in one of his feet against the Giants last Friday night.
Ossai, signed to a three-year, $36 million contract in March after five seasons with Cincinnati, began the summer on the physically unable to perform list and made his preseason debut against the Giants. He played 11 snaps and had two tackles and a quarterback pressure before being hurt.