Rob Ryan

The Saints are planning to hire former Cowboys assistant coach Rob Ryan as their new defensive coordinator, according to an ESPN report that credits league sources.

Ryan, who was fired as Cowboys defensive coordinator on Jan. 8, said at the time, “I’ll be out of work for like five minutes.” Dallas owner Jerry Jones had said that he would make significant changes to the Cowboys after they finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

Ryan spoke with the St. Louis Rams earlier in the offseason, but they eventually decided not to hire him. Saints coach Sean Payton said Wednesday on ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” that Ryan will interview with the Saints at the end of the week.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not have a good day Sunday. Before, during, and after the game, things just did not go his way.

In an interview with Bob Costas prior to the game, Jones, the team’s owner and GM, said he would have fired another general manager who was in the position he’s in.

“Well, I think so, because he was there to dismiss,” Jones told Costas. “I have always worked for myself, and you can’t do that. You basically have to straighten that guy out in the mirror when you work for yourself. But certainly, if I’d had the discretion, I’ve done it with coaches and certainly I would have changed a general manager.”

Jones also affirmed his support for coach Jason Garrett.

“This is a long-term thing with me,” Jones said. “I like what I’m seeing. I don’t like that we are 3-4, but I like the direction.”

The Cowboys lost a close game to the undefeated Falcons, 19-13. The game could have gone the Cowboys’ way if they’d made a few key plays.

“Very disappointed that we didn’t have a chance and play better in the second half,” Jones said. “A play here, a play there might have made a difference. They’re 8-0 because they’re a good team. They play tough at home.”

Matt Barrie of NBC5 in Dallas-Fort Worth tweeted that following the game, Jones was seen pounding angrily on the Cowboys’ locker room door because he was locked out.

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten will not need surgery on his spleen, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As Witten’s internal bleeding has subsided, doctors will now let the spleen heal on its own.

The 30-year-old is hoping to play in the Cowboys’ season-opener against the Giants Sept. 5 but is more likely to make his first appearance Week 2 in Seattle on Sept. 16.

Witten has missed just one game in his nine-year career, thanks to a fractured jaw suffered in his rookie season. The seven-time Pro Bowler is 55 receptions away from passing Michael Irvin as the team’s all-time leading receiver, and his 696 catches are third most by a tight end in league history.

Jason Witten

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten suffered a spleen injury in Monday’s preseason game, and his availability for the team’s regular-season opener is uncertain, a team source told ESPN’s Ed Werder and Todd Archer. 

The Cowboys have reportedly not determined the seriousness of the injury, and while there is internal bleeding, indications are that Witten’s spleen is not ruptured.

According to the report, if the bleeding continues and surgery is required, the 30-year-old will be out indefinitely. If surgery can be avoided, Witten is expected to miss up to three weeks but will be re-evaluated before the Sept. 5 season opener against the Giants, and could be available for that game.

If Witten does miss time, the Cowboys will be thin at tight end, as back up John Phillips has missed the past week with a sprained ankle and has just 22 career receptions.

Witten has been remarkably healthy over his nine-year career, missing just one game thanks to a fractured jaw suffered in his rookie season. The seven-time Pro Bowler is 55 receptions away from passing Michael Irvin as the team’s all-time leading receiver, and his 696 catches are third most by a tight end in league history.

Andre Gurode

Unable to resolve contract problems, the Cowboys cut five-time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode Monday, according to an ESPN report.

The Cowboys drafted Gurode in 2002, making him the longest-tenured Cowboy entering the 2011-12 season. He had played both guard and center at the University of Colorado, played primarily guard for the first four years of his career, then switched to center in 2006. Since the switch, Gurode has made the Pro Bowl every singe season.

Gurode has started 122 NFL games and come off the bench in 16 more. Since becoming the starting center in 2006, he has only missed two games.

After Tashard Choice‘s disappointing season for the Cowboys in Dallas in 2010, The Dallas Morning News suggested that the running back could be moved out before the start of the 2011 season, since his trade value is higher than ever. In a question-and-answer segment, SportsDayDFW.com’s Gerry Fraley wrote that Choice’s value on the market is high, and that Cowboys fans shouldn’t expect him to return to the team next season.

With Marion Barber and Felix Jones ahead of Choice on the depth chart, the No. 3 back probably will seek a different role. Injuries to Barber and Jones this season gave Dallas a good look at Choice’s ability, and Fraley wrote that he believes the third-string back deserves more touches. When the offensive-minded Jason Garrett took the helm at the end of the 2010 season, Choice was rarely used until forced in by injuries.

Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams has been a disappointment since his trade to Dallas and the former Lions star’s production has dropped significantly. Now the receiver is receiving questions about whether he will be playing somewhere else next season.

“I can only do what I can do,” Williams said. “Started off nice and then fell off the face of the earth somehow.”

Williams’ contract adds up to $20.4 million, but his production, according to the Morning News, is significantly less than where it should be. Granted the former first-round draft choice no longer had Tony Romo throwing to him, and now that Jon Kitna is sidelined with an injury, rookie Stephen McGee will likely get his first career NFL start.

Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer was fined $12,500 for his late hit on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, which was near the head area, ESPNDallas.com reports. Spencer was flagged for a personal foul penalty on the play for a late hit, which is what drew the fine.

According to ESPN, the fine takes nearly 30 percent out of Spencer’s weekly pay check, which amounts to $43,588 per week. Earlier in the game on Sunday night, Spencer hit Vick near the sideline, which did not draw any fine form the league.

Jaguars defensive back Will Middleton was also fined by the league on Wednesday for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell. Middleton’s fine was $5,000. Middleton’s hit resulted in a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, but was waved off due to a flag on the hit.

It was a postgame oddity to see Cowboys running back Tashard Choice receive an autograph from Eagles quarterback Michael Vick in Sunday night’s Eagles versus Cowboys matchup. The attention stirred up the national media, and had everyone watching ask, “Why did an NFL player ask an opponent for his autograph?” However, three days after the event occurred, Choice said that his teammates have no issue with him asking for a signed Vick glove, The Associated Press reports.

It turns out Choice had planned on asking Vick for his autograph even before the game had started, as he told his fellow Cowboys running backs prior to kickoff. Choice planned on getting Vick’s autograph for his 2-year-old nephew. Choice and Vick knew each other while Vick was with the Falcons and Choice with Georgia Tech.

Choice said that the NBC cameras that caught the autograph session and all the attention it received afterwards “messed up my doggone surprise for my little nephew for Christmas.”

The Eagles narrowly escaped Dallas with a 30-27 win.

The Cowboys placed wide receiver and kick returner Kevin Ogletree on the season-ending IR list with a toe injury, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday. Ogletree was injured on Sunday night in a loss to the Eagles. The Cowboys are 4-9 on the season.

Ogletree was a direct replacement at the wide receiver and kick returner positions after the Cowboys placed rookie receiver Dez Bryant on IR. Ogletree had three catches for 34 yards and six kick returns for 109 yards this season. The Cowboys promoted practice-squad receiver Manuel Johnson to the active roster after placing Ogletree on injured reserve. Johnson was a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2009.