Through their efforts to work with new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Cowboys found themselves on the list of the five teams fined by commissioner Roger Goodell.

According to the Dallas Morning News, several players mentioned working with Ryan to learn his new system. Goodell said in his press conference on Tuesday in New Orleans that five teams were fined for having contact with players during the league's "dead" period.

The Dolphins are one of the other teams to have been fined, as QB Chad Henne met with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

The "dead" period rule is not lockout-related. Per the former Collective Bargaining Agreement, players are not permitted to participate in meetings of any kind before the offseason program begins, usually around March 15.