🤫 Dallas Cowboys: The Sound Of Silence

For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys aren’t playing host to the biggest player-centered plotline of the offseason. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: There isn’t much buzz coming out of Cowboy Nation this offseason, and it feels a little odd ... we take a look at why Kevin Durant is deserving of validation from his peers ... and we celebrate Lefty’s 51st birthday. There was the summer of Zeke and there were the summers of Dak (plus a couple of springs and winters, too), times when the Dallas Cowboys would be smack in the center of the sports conversation, even with no games in imminent sight. Yet as this peculiar year progresses and the little things that remind us how the National Football League restart actually isn’t so far away - with the schedule all set and minicamps underway - what’s that noise? It’s the sound of silence. [STORY IMAGE 1] Compared to what we’ve become accustomed to consider normal, there isn’t a lot of buzz coming out of Cowboy Nation, and it is all a little odd. There is no Dak Prescott contract situation to talk about, for the first time in what seems like a long time. When Prescott signed a blockbuster of a deal in March, $160 million over four years, it seemed like a significant enough number and the culmination of such a drawn-out negotiation that it would remain a subject of lingering chatter. But it hasn’t. “Over the past couple of months, it just doesn’t feel like we’ve heard much about a team that’s typically a fixture in our lives,” [wrote Robert Mays of The Athletic](. [STORY IMAGE 2]( The pro football audience, even the part of it that lives and breathes by whatever Dallas is doing, is discovering that soap operas between a player and a franchise are much more interesting when there is a discrepancy between what one party thinks he is worth and what the other is prepared to pay. Once it’s done, when it just involves an elite QB getting paid a whole bunch of cash and waiting for the chance to prove he’s worth it, there’s isn’t much more to be said, for now at least. The Cowboys’ quiet summer is all relative. It just feels different because while there are discussion factors and items requiring resolution within the team framework, the Cowboys are not playing host to the biggest player-centered plotline of the offseason. Whereas Ezekiel Elliott’s wish to get handsomely paid and willingness to hold out in pursuit of it dominated things in 2019 and Prescott’s brinkmanship with Jerry Jones dragged on for two entire years, this summer the Cowboys don’t have any such sagas to navigate. They’ve already paid their big money, and, as a result, won’t have much wiggle room for a while when it comes to cap space. [STORY IMAGE 3] Of course, there is no particular reason why a team that lost almost twice as many games as it won should be the most talked-about team in the NFL. But remember, this is the Cowboys, and it’s just what we are used to. Aaron Rodgers and his spat with the Green Bay Packers has ensured that if there is only room for one summer gossip-fest, it’s going to be centered in Wisconsin. Let’s not make the mistake of believing this means all is calm and quiet down in Dallas. There is real and present pressure on second-year head coach Mike McCarthy, who was spared being the first team leader fired by Jerry Jones without completing a full opening campaign following a 2-7 start. McCarthy may not get so much rope this time, as the revival to a 6-10 finish (still nearly good enough to win the NFC East) convinced no one and certainly didn’t satisfy Jones. Unless Dallas posts a strong start, McCarthy’s future is going to be a talking point you’ll be hearing a lot of. Having Prescott’s deal inked will be a relief to many, but it only ramps up the heat on McCarthy, who faces games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first three weeks of the 2021 campaign. “One of the NFL’s staunchest realities for head coaches (is) the fact that quarterbacks are now eating up such a significant piece of salary cap space, having even one disastrous season with them instantly pitches the head coach into a perilous trajectory,” [wrote Charles Robinson on Yahoo Sports](. [STORY IMAGE 4] Prescott will continue to be at the forefront of everything as he returns to action following the gruesome compound fracture of his right ankle he suffered last October, an injury that required multiple surgeries to repair. "I'm close," Prescott told reporters in early May. "I can go play in a game right now." Still, the franchise QB’s recovery is hardly dominating the news cycle. [FOX Bet]( has the Cowboys as favorites to win the NFC East, but tied for 11th favorite (+2500) to claim a Super Bowl title. It would be wrong to suggest that there is overt optimism among Cowboys fans, or even emanating from the franchise itself. If anything, the lack of chatter seems to have created some nervousness in itself. Does being off the radar make the Cowboys somehow less relevant? Or is it the sign of a smoother summer than in past years? In truth, the Cowboys are never truly off the radar, summed up by the reality that when there is frenetic activity it feels normal, and even when we’re not talking about them, we talk about that too. [STORY IMAGE 5]( Here’s what others have said ... Colin Cowherd, The Herd: “They're a great brand, but there's not a lot of special there... Dallas is just not a topic to me.” John Williams, Inside The Star: “The questions the Dallas Cowboys have aren’t nearly as daunting to answer as they were when the Dallas Cowboys season ended in January. They still have work to do to put themselves in contention for the 2021 season. At the same time, this is a team that is heading in the right direction.” Skip Bayless, Undisputed: “The weight of the Cowboy world and the NFL world has been lifted off Dak's shoulders. I believe he's made of the right stuff. I love Dak Prescott, I believe in Dak Prescott.” Learn to Speak a New Language in Three Weeks Sponsored Content [Babbel]( the #1 selling language learning app, teaches you a lot more than just vocab words. It helps you truly understand a new language and discover its people, places, culture, history and more. In addition to app-based lessons, you can also learn through games, podcasts, videos and even live virtual online classes with top teachers - Babbel Live. You only need 10 minutes to complete a lesson so you can start having conversations in a new language in as little as 3 weeks. [For a limited time, get up to 60% off your subscription - get started today!]( [IN OTHER WORDS] - Willie Calhoun almost gave up on the game of baseball. That was before a junior college season for the ages. [FOX Sports MLB Writer Jordan Shusterman has the story](. - Kevin Durant has long craved validation from his peers, and after his dazzling Game 5, he’s earned it, [FOX Sports NBA Writer Yaron Weitzman writes](. - It’s rare when both the Cubs and White Sox are good, but when it happens, like this season, Chicago comes alive. [FOX Sports MLB Writer Jake Mintz has the story](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Happy Birthday, Phil Mickelson! To celebrate, we are featuring a post from the PGA Tour, which features some of Lefty’s top soundbites. Mickelson’s career accolades include being a six-time major champion, which includes three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), two PGA Championship titles (2005, 2021) and one Open Championship (2013). He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, which is tied for eighth all time, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Mickelson is one of 17 players in the history of golf to win at least three of the four majors. He has won every major except the U.S. Open, which he is set to tee-off at on Thursday. He has finished runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times. Here’s to a happy, healthy birthday, Lefty! [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Boston Red Sox at Atlanta Braves (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET) Garrett Richards takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox, who go up against Ian Anderson and the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers (TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET) Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks take on Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers in a pivotal Game 5 matchup. LA Clippers at Utah Jazz (TNT, 10 p.m. ET) Paul George and the LA Clippers take on Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of this second round Western Conference playoff matchup. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers: 76ers -6.5 Winning in the City of Brotherly Love is no easy task, especially when taking on the 76ers in the NBA playoffs. Joel Embiid and the 76ers finished with the second-best home record in the NBA this season, sporting a 29-7 mark, and are set to host Trae Young and the Hawks in a pivotal Game 5 matchup in this second round Eastern Conference playoff series. The 76ers have outscored their opponents by more than 12 points per game on their home court this postseason. Taking the Sixers at -6.5 looks like a great play. 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