![\"Cowboys](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Cowboys-Add-Marcellus-Johnson.jpg\")
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The Dallas Cowboys,\u00a0losers of two in a row\u00a0and three of their last four, have a golden opportunity to right the ship coming out of their bye week when they take on one of the most disappointing teams of 2025, the 2-7\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders, in a Monday Night Football matchup.<\/p>\n
But the Cowboys are taking no chances, at least with their offensive line depth, after losing a practice squad lineman on Tuesday when former Washington Commanders\u00a0third round draft pick Geron Christian\u00a0was given a shot at an active roster spot as the Denver Broncos swooped in and signed him away.<\/p>\n
With the 6-foot-5, 302-pound offensive tackle now departed, the Cowboys wasted no time in replacing him with another massive lineman who plays the same tackle position. On Wednesday, Dallas signed 6-foot-4, 307-pound lineman Marcellus Johnson to their practice squad,\u00a0according to the team\u2019s transaction report.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys\u2019 offensive line has not been at the root of the team\u2019s problems, but at 3-5-1 and hopes of returning to the postseason after missing out last year rapidly dwindling, Dallas cannot afford to spring any new leaks. Quarterback Dak Prescott has benefited from the third-lowest sack percentage in the NFL (4.2), going down behind the line of scrimmage just 15 times in nine games,\u00a0the seventh-lowest total\u00a0in the league.<\/p>\n
Though his offensive line has largely managed to protect him from sacks, Prescott has nonetheless found himself under pressure more than he, or the Cowboys, would like. His\u00a0average time-to-throw of\u00a02.6 seconds ranks him only 19th in the NFL, among quarterbacks who have taken at least 100 snaps this season.<\/p>\n
It would probably take a series of injuries to allow Johnson to take his turn on the active roster protecting Prescott. The difference between the 2024 undrafted free agent and his predecessor Christian is pronounced.<\/p>\n
Where Christian has appeared in 63 NFL games, starting 25 for six different teams over seven seasons, Johnson has yet to be on the field for a single snap in game that counts. Since\u00a0signing a $2.85 million, three-year\u00a0contract with the\u00a0New York Giants\u00a0in 2024 \u2014 a contract that was terminated almost immediately in favor of a $225,000 practice squad deal \u2014 Johnson has bounced around between the practice squads of the Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts for two seasons.<\/p>\n
When the Giants signed Johnson initially, they guaranteed $170,000 of his contract,\u00a0the most they gave any UDFA\u00a0in their 2024 class.<\/p>\n
The Colts\u00a0released Johnson from their practice squad\u00a0on October 14, and he remained without a football home for almost a month before the Cowboys signed him on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
At the time of the 2024 draft, one NFL insider said that he had rated Johnson as \u201ca legitimate NFL player,\u201d and\u00a0graded him \u201calmost as high\u201d\u00a0as his former Eastern Michigan teammate, Sidy Sow.<\/p>\n
Sow, a 6-foot-5, 318-pound offensive lineman was drafted in 2023, in the third round, by the\u00a0New England Patriots. The Patriots released Sow in August, and the 27-year-old lineman was subsequently signed to the\u00a0Houston Texans\u2018 practice squad. The Texans elevated Sow to their active roster on November 8.<\/p>\n
The Baltimore Ravens have signaled their desire to sign center Tyler Linderbaum\u00a0to an extension before he hits free agency, but the two sides \u201care not within striking distance of a deal,\u201d\u00a0per ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler.<\/p>\n
The Ravens did not pick up the fifth-year option for Linderbaum this offseason, making 2025 a contract year for the 2022 first-round pick. Because the NFL groups all offensive linemen together for contract designations, Linderbaum\u2019s fifth-year option would have come in at $23.4M. That\u2019s an appropriate price for a top tackle, but far too much money for a center.<\/p>\n
Linderbaum, a two-time Pro Bowler, is likely looking to reset the center market, which\u00a0Creed Humphrey currently tops\u00a0at $18M per year. Inflating Humphrey\u2019s contract to match the 2025 salary cap would yield a $19.7M APY for Linderbaum. That feels a little high given Linderbaum\u2019s struggles in pass protection this year, not just relative to Humphrey, but to the entire league. The fourth-year Raven has allowed 16 pressures this year, the fifth-most among all centers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He is on pace to eclipse the 29 pressures he allowed as a rookie; in 2023 and 2024, he allowed 18 and 19 pressures, respectively.<\/p>\n
Baltimore is in a tough spot. Pay for interior offensive linemen has exploded in the last few offseasons, and Linderbaum would be one of the best centers to hit free agency in recent years. That could create a bidding war if he hits the open market, something he and his representation are sure to know as they negotiate with the Ravens.<\/p>\n
A franchise or transition tag is not an option, either. The first would be $27.2M, and the second would be $24.6M,\u00a0per OverTheCap. Besides the inflated value for a center, the Ravens would also struggle to absorb a one-year cap hit of that size, and their long-term financial situation isn\u2019t pretty, either.<\/p>\n
Quarterback Lamar Jackson\u00a0is set to count for $74.5M against the cap in 2026, and though the Ravens want to lower the number with an extension, past negotiations indicate such a deal will take time. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike\u00a0has an uncertain future after a season-ending neck injury; if the Ravens have to part ways with him this offseason, they will have to account for at least some of the dead money from his contract next year. Defensive tackle Travis Jones\u00a0and tight end Isaiah Likely\u00a0are also key young players whom the Ravens would like to retain. In fact, Madubuike\u2019s injury and the pending free agency of all three of Baltimore\u2019s tight ends could make those Jones and Likely just as much of a priority as Linderbaum. That\u2019s not even mentioning other contract situations with players like running back Keaton Mitchell\u00a0and punter Jordan Stout, among others.<\/p>\n
As a result, negotiating a Linderbaum extension is only one part of a complicated financial picture for the Ravens. Between a potential Jackson extension, clarity on Madubuike\u2019s future, and negotiations with Jones, Likely, and Linderbaum, general manager Eric DeCosta will have his hands full for the next several months as his team navigates the rest of the 2025 season and prepares for 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Dallas Cowboys,\u00a0losers of two in a row\u00a0and three of their last four, have a golden opportunity to right the ship coming out of their bye week when they take on one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t