Weight, lack of production coast Poe his job
The Dallas Cowboys' release of defensive tackle Dontari Poe on Wednesday was due to his weight and lack of production, team owner Jerry Jones told ESPN.
“When you're 30 pounds overweight and you're not doing anything about what's keeping you from performing well on the field, there is no reason to get into the other stuff,” Jones told ESPN.
According to ESPN, the “other stuff” Jones was referring to is Poe being the only Cowboys player to protest during the national anthem. Jones had been among the strongest voices in the NFL opposing the form of peaceful protest in its early days. He had insisted players stand at attention. Jones softened his tone heading into the 2020 season.
In the offseason, Poe — a nine-year NFL veteran and a 2012 first- round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs — signed a twoyear, $8.5 million contract with the Cowboys. That deal included $ 3.5 million guaranteed. In seven games — all starts — for the Cowboys this season, Poe had just seven tackles and no sacks.
EXTRA POINTS
PATRIOTS: Julian Edelman has been dealing with a knee problem all season. It's the reason why he's played limited snaps over the course of the first six games, and why the receiver has been limited in every practice this season. As it turns out, it's also the
reason why the Patriots will be without their No. 1 receiver this weekend in Buffalo. Edelman missed Thursday's Patriots practice and apparently won't
play this weekend. According to ESPN, Edelman “under went a precautionary standard knee procedure” on Thursday morning. He's expected to be sidelined for “some period of time.”
JAGUARS: Quarterback Gardner Minshew has suffered multiple injuries to his throwing hand, and his status is uncertain for their Nov. 8 game against the Houston Texans, a person with knowledge of his injury confirmed to the Florida Times-Union, a member of the USA TODAY Network. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report that Minshew has multiple fractures and a strained ligament in his right thumb.
GIANTS: New York will place starting left guard Will Hernandez on the COVID-19/reserve list Thursday after his positive test was revealed, a person with knowledge of the situation told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network. All but four of the team's offensive linemen are in quarantine. In addition, two assistant coaches — outside linebackers coach and senior assistant Bret Bielema and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson — were sent home due to contact tracing.
CHARGERS: The Los Angeles Chargers shifted their meetings to virtual sessions after the team was informed Wednesday night that it had a player return a positive COVID19 test. Though the team did not identify the player, it said he was immediately notified and that contact tracing was initiated. ESPN's Schefter reported that the player who tested positive is reserve guard Ryan Groy. The team placed Groy on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.