DALLAS — Gil Brandt, overshadowed by Coach Tom Landry and GM Tex Schramm as part of the trio that built the Dallas Cowboys into “America’s Team” in the 1970s, has died. He was 91.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame said Brandt died Thursday morning. No cause of death was given, but Brandt had been in declining health in recent years.
Brandt was the player personnel director alongside the stoic, fedora-wearing Landry and media-savvy Schramm, but had to wait almost 30 years longer to get into the Hall of Fame.
By the time Brandt was enshrined as a contributor, it was as much for his ability to remain involved in the NFL by adapting to the social media age as for the innovation the Cowboys brought to the draft process with computers in the early 1960s.
“You can’t tell the story about the success of the Dallas Cowboys and their two-decade run of winning seasons from the mid-1960s to mid-1980s without mentioning Gil Brandt,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said.
“To me,” said former Dallas running back Calvin Hill, a first-round pick in 1969, “Gil should have been the first one in terms of certainly from a personnel standpoint.”
In 2019, Brandt finally joined Landry (1990) and Schramm (1991) in Canton, Ohio, and always said he never felt overshadowed.
“I think we all got credit,” Brandt told The Associated Press before his induction. “And I think Tex rightfully so got more credit than Tom and myself. Because he was really a very media-savvy person. When somebody from Sports Illustrated called, they didn’t talk to Tom, they didn’t talk to me. They talked to Tex.”
Schramm, Landry and Brandt were together for the franchise’s first 29 seasons, and Brandt was the last of the three to go after Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989 and immediately fired Landry. Schramm resigned shortly thereafter (Jones has been the GM for all 34 years he has owned the team).
BROWNS: QB Deshaun Watson, who was suspended 11 games last season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, was one of five players elected by their teammates as team captains.
Watson was banned by the league after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for Houston.
Along with Watson, All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, left guard Joel Bitonio, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. and long snapper Charley Hughlett were selected in a vote announced after practice.
STEELERS: The Pittsburgh Steelers signed former All-Pro defensive back Desmond King, fortifying their secondary.
King, 28, spent the past two seasons with the Houston Texans, intercepting five passes and recovering two fumbles.
King’s arrival gives Pittsburgh’s secondary another veteran to a mix that includes Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and cornerback Patrick Peterson, who arrived in free agency during the spring.
DOLPHINS: The Miami Dolphins signed fullback Alec Ingold to a three-year contract extension.
The deal is reportedly worth up to $17.2 million, which would make Ingold the highest-paid fullback in the AFC, according to Spotrac.com. Only San Francisco Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s five-year, $27 million contract is worth more.
Ingold signed with the Dolphins in 2022 and was set to become a free agent in 2024. He’s now signed through 2026.
• Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. will start the season on injured reserve because of midsection and finger injuries.
The Dolphins placed Wilson, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and offensive lineman Robert Jones on the injured reserve list, sidelining them for at least four games.
Coach Mike McDaniel said there is a possibility that Wilson can play this season.
BRONCOS: The Denver Broncos brought back swing tackle Quinn Bailey, veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau and nose tackle Mike Purcell to their 53-man roster. They also placed three players on short-term injured reserve.
Out a minimum of four weeks are safety P.J. Locke, who sustained a lower left leg injury in camp two weeks ago, rookie tackle Alex Palczewski, who injured a hand in the preseason finale and slot cornerback K’Waun Williams, who recently underwent ankle surgery.
VIKINGS: The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a contract extension with tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Hockenson was the eighth overall pick by Detroit in the 2019 draft out of Iowa. The two-time Pro Bowl pick was acquired in a deadline-day trade last year by the Vikings and had 60 catches for 519 yards in 10 games. His season total of 914 receiving yards was a career high.
RAMS: Receiver Cooper Kupp did not practice because of a nagging hamstring injury.
Coach Sean McVay said it was “a little muscle strain” but added it was a setback for the Super Bowl 56 MVP.
Kupp sustained the injury during the first week of training camp. The Rams open the season Sept. 10 in Seattle.
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