Cowboys Trade Prediction Lands Them $36 Million Linebacker
The Dallas Cowboys got some great news on Wednesday when it was announced that the the franchise has officially opened the 21 day practice window for inside linebacker, DeMarvion Overshown, to be promoted to the active roster, alongside center, Cooper Beebe and rookie corner, Shavon Revel.
However even with the return of Overshown over the ensuing few weeks, the Cowboys could use some additional help at the off-the-ball linebacking position group.
2024 third round pick, Maris Liufau, has failed to kick on in his second year as a prof. And neither offseason addition, Jack Sanborn nor Kenneth Murray, has really impressed at the position – so little so that Sanborn lost his spot as a starter on ahead of week 8 to fifth round rookie, Shemar James.
The Dallas Cowboys Need Additional Help At Linebacker
So ESPN’s Matt Bowen and Jeremy Fowler suggest that the team be one of the most likely franchises to make a move for Cincinnati Bengals linebacker, Logan Wilson.
Wilson signed a four year, $36 million extension with the Bengals back in the 2023 offseason, and has been a good to very good player for Cincinnati over his half-decade plus stint in Ohio. But after paying both top wideouts, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this past offseason, Wilson could be seen as potential move-off spot on the roster.
“The Bengals are going younger at linebacker, relegating Wilson to a reserve role in favor of rookie Barrett Carter despite Wilson’s status as a team captain.” Fowler wrote on Wednesday. “Teams I’ve talked to believe Cincinnati is open to dealing Wilson, whose base salary is $5.4 million this season. Next year, Wilson has a base of $6 million.”
Logan Wilson Could Help Improve A Weak Point Of The Cowboys Defense
Despite getting demoted to the second string, Bowen still maintains that Wilson is a good, easily starter-worthy player in the middle of the defense.
“Wilson is a three-down defender with the coverage instincts and range to impact the pass defense.” Bowen wrote. “He has 11 interceptions and 11 pass breakups over his career, plus he has averaged seven tackles per game during his five-plus seasons. Wilson would be an upgrade in the middle of the defense for multiple teams.”
Yankees Legend's World Series Journey Saw Many Detours
The New York Yankees were in Toronto when they clinched the Wild Card in 1995. The moment was special for more reasons than it being the organization's first postseason appearance since 1981. It would mark the first time that Don Mattingly would be playing October baseball.
A cathartic Mattingly got on his knees and pounded Toronto's turf after the clincher. Mattingly, who debuted a year after the Los Angeles Dodgers bested the Yankees in the World Series, waited 1,785 days to get there. In those final weeks of the season, he hit .346/.417/.558 in 60 plate appearances, playing his part to ensure that he felt what it was like to play in the fall.
Mattingly's Long Journey
Reaching the World Series has been another story entirely for Mattingly. That journey has been longer. Between playing, coaching, and managing, Mattingly has finally arrived after 5,231 games.
"Obviously, it feels great to get there, and I feel like we're gonna play well too," Mattingly told Sweeny Murti for MLB.com. "Paul O'Neill told me once you get to the World Series, it's almost like this is the fun part. The feeling of fighting to get there is so tense. So, yes, I'm going to enjoy it. It's been really fun."
Very few have seen the things Mattingly has seen. In his prime, he got to play with Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson. His first and only playoff home run had Yankee Stadium shaking.
Mattingly would return to the postseason as a coach. He sat beside Joe Torre as the organization collapsed in 2004. Those Red Sox leapfrogged over the Yankees to snap their 86-year curse. In 2015, he was in a similar position. In the NLCS, Mattingly watched a Chicago Cubs team snap their 108-year-old drought as his Dodgers fell in six games.
It looked like another team with another long World Series drought would send Mattingly home. It didn't happen, though, and it proved to be a full circle moment on two fronts. Those same Mariners who eliminated his Yankees in 1995 took the Blue Jays to seven games, but a George Springer home run sealed the deal for Toronto. Now, Mattingly's journey to the World Series ends in the same country where his playoff road began decades earlier.
Mattingly's Own Words
Mattingly described his route to the World Series as a "long road" to columnist Bill Madden of the Daily News.
“To be honest, I still don’t have the words,” Mattingly said. “It’s been a long road, but I always believed, although I didn’t think it would be Toronto. But this is a real team, a tough team that’s grown together and shown what can happen when you play good defense, put runners on base, keep making contact. All of that.”
What's most unfortunate is that if Mattingly does win his first championship, it won't be with the Yankees. He has two Steinbrenners to thank for that one. George's meddling in the 1980s kept the Yankees out, and Hal's conservative approach to roster building, often prioritizing costs over the product on the field, made the Blue Jays' dismantling of the Yankees feel like light work.
While Mattingly probably never guessed this opportunity would happen in Toronto, he'll probably take it. The captain has earned it after all these years.
