The Dallas Cowboys and Jeremy Mincey are close to a new contract to end the holdout for the defensive end, as reports have the team activating him for training camp and this comes as Joseph Randle has the lead on the starting running back job for Tony Romo on offense over Darren McFadden.
The Cowboys were set to fine Mincey if he held out of camp and the defensive end up previously on the "Reserve/Did Not Report list" for the team. According to the Dallas Morning News, Mincey has reported to camp and the team is "working on a deal" with the defensive end to keep him with the Cowboys. Mincey was the team leader in sacks last season and it came as the Cowboys were one of the worst defenses overall at getting to the quarterback.
Check here for an UPDATE on Mincey and the Cowboys deal.
Dallas signed Greg Hardy to a contract and drafted Randy Gregory to bolster the defensive line and now Mincey looks like he will be part of things as well. Mincey was coming in with a $1.5 million contract for this season and he played in all 16 games last year, putting up six sacks for the Cowboy and 37 total tackles. The Cowboys look like they are going to keep Mincey and that comes with Hardy serving a suspension for part of the season.
The Cowboys are in camp in Oxnard and the team is looking to have a strong performance after the disappointment of last season. The team lost to the Packers in the playoffs and coming into this season the team has DeMarco Murray gone for the Eagles and Dez Bryant on a lucrative new contract. The team did not add any major free agents at running back this offseason and that likely means Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden will be the top running backs on the depth chart.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Randle is the favorite for the job for the Cowboys and it's "his job to lose" with McFadden dealing with a hamstring injury. McFadden and the Cowboys expect the running back to be out for a short period of time and the team called the injury "day to day". McFadden was injured earlier in the offseason with a hamstring issue, but this time it's the other leg and not the one he previously injured.
The Cowboys released Ryan Williams before training camp and the team has Lance Dunbar, Gus Johnson and Lache Seastrunk as the running backs on the roster with McFadden on the PUP list. The team reportedly could consider Chris Johnson or another free agent down the line, but the Cowboys have said they are comfortable with Randle as the lead back.
Check here for more on the Dallas Cowboys training camp and more on the team's offseason moves.