Dallas Cowboys 2022 NFL preseason round-up: Jason Peters, Gallup, Elliott…

Jason Peters signing in the works

Tackle Jason Peters worked out with the Cowboys on Thursday and Friday, and now it looks like they’re working toward a deal.

This would be a huge move for the Cowboys, who desperately need to replace Pro Bowl tackle Tryon Smith, who’s out until at least December. Jason Peters is a former Eagles player who spent 11 seasons in Philly. There, he made it to seven Pro Bowls in his first seven seasons, nine straight in his career. As weird as it will be to see Peters with the Star on his helmet, it will be much better to be with him than against him.

Even at age 40, Peters has the versatility to be a swing tackle or to play at left tackle to potentially replace Tyron Smith, which would put rookie Tyler Smith back at left guard. All of these are very positive things for the Cowboys.

And yet the deal isn’t done, so what’s the holdup? It basically seems we’re just waiting for the offices to open back up for the day today and that it will be official within the next few hours. The Cowboys will have to make space for him, so we could see Josh Ball being waived/moved to the practice squad Waletzkno left on. So even once Peters is signed “officially”, we may have to wait to see him play until he gets a feel for the offense. Which would mean we would see Tyler Smith and Connor McGovern starting against the Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 11. It won’t be long before he’s official and working with the starters though, I am sure.

Michael Gallup injury update

As we know, Gallup, who tore his ACL last year and has been recovering from surgery, was taken off the PUP list - meaning, they expect him to be ready before Week 5 sometime. At the same time, we know it’s not going to be Week 1. We’re hopeful - not delusional. Either way, things are still looking good as far as his recovery.

While he’s out, we should expect to see CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz getting the majority of the targets from Prescott. After them, it should be rookie Jalen Tolbert who is expected to pick up some of the slack with Gallup out. It’s a big ask for the third-round pick, but the pressure is on anyway.

What to expect from Zeke in Week 1

Running back Ezekiel Elliott has not had his best seasons these last few years. There’s pressure on him to prove himself this year as the lead back after only barely making it over 40 yards on the ground 4 times last year. Can he get back to is old self?

The Cowboys will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their season opener rematch on Sunday, September 11. The Bucs’ run defense will be a challenge for Zeke. Last year, the Bucs defense was ranked third in rushing yards allowed (1,573) and opposing RBs were only able to get an average of 4.3 yards per carry in the regular season.