Dallas Cowboys 2017 Offseason

[eagle eye]

This is a busy week for the staff of the Cowboys. The coaches, or most of them, are in Florida preparing for the Pro Bowl this week. Everybody else is in Mobile Alabama for the Senior Bowl. Of course you know that the Senior Bowl is the showcase for the country’s top college seniors who are looking to make their first impression for NFL coaches as this event is really the kickoff to the NFL draft season. This game is quite important for both players and teams who get their first look at how these players respond to NFL coaching. It was in this game last year that Dak Prescott came on the Cowboys radar as a player. The Cowboys coaching staff got an up close and personal view of the players on both rosters because they coached one of the teams. That’s what happens when you suck like the Cowboys did in 2015. There should be reports on DallasCowboys.com this week from the Senior Bowl as coaches, scouts, gm’s and fans turn their attention to April’s draft. The NFL rewards teams who do lousy during the season immediately passed. They get to pick highest in the draft, they get the best look at college seniors coming to the NFL and they don’t get penalized like the two coaching staffs coaching this week who have to coach the Pro Bowl. Penalized is the correct word for the Cowboys and the Chiefs because they don’t get to go see these college seniors at all. I’ll bet even the Patriots and Falcons have some coaches in Mobile for a day or two this week but the Cowboys and Chiefs get bupkis. Oh, they get to coach a bunch of pro football players who are mentally done with the season. It’s a social event for the players who don’t give a crap about winning or losing. It’s an exhibition game so why should they care? The only thing they are trying to accomplish is not get hurt. Of all the All Star games in pro sports the Pro Bowl is the worst of the lot. What this week should be is a strictly social event where the players selected interact with fans and the NFL throws a week long party featuring a skills challenge for the quarterbacks. QBs don’t get hurt throwing at moving targets on the field for points . Players and their families get to reap the benefits of the players being the best of the best by getting a free vacation in Florida or Hawaii. I haven’t watched a Pro Bowl in God knows how long because it’s a freaking crock and I won’t be watching this week even though there will be 7 Cowboys on the roster.

 

Speaking of Cowboys on the Pro Bowl roster, Dallas added their seventh player yesterday when Dez Bryant was named to the squad as a replacement for Atlanta’s Julio Jones. Last week Sean Lee was added to the squad and they join Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott representing the Cowboys. Good for them, now don’t do something stupid and get hurt, okay?

 

Today’s post ends with a link to an article by DallasCowboys.com’s Mickey Spagnola who voices the frustration of losing so abruptly to the Packers and the challenges the Cowboys face this spring with 20 unrestricted free agents. Who to sign, who do you let walk and who do let test the free agent market before you try to resign them? Who they sign in free agency could very write the script of what they plan to do in the draft coming in April. Wow, 20 UFA’s. You know that is 38% of the roster? Wow indeed.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/01/20/spagnola-way-too-many-questions-cowboys-not-enough-answers-%E2%80%A6-yet

[eagle eye]

The most relevant thing about this time of year for a team that isn’t in the Super Bowl is the upcoming draft. We saw the Senior Bowl this past weekend and we really didn’t see anything that jumped out and grabbed us, no real big surprises other than the fact that the offensive and defensive MVPs were both from the South team. There was a player we know from the Lamar Cardinals that did stand out and that was the outstanding play of Brendan Langley. Langley not only won 3 All American honors for his play in 2016 for the Cards but he also earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. Langley was 1 of only 4 FCS players invited to the Senior Bowl which speaks to how well Langley played last fall. The reason I mention this is to not only give props to one of our own but to point out that the Cowboys may be in need of a cornerback in this draft. A player like Langley who has cover skills, is fast and isn’t afraid to tackle can make a good living for a long time in the NFL. Langley has ball skills too as he tied for the 2nd most INT’s in the nation, not just FCS but all of college football, with 6 INT’s. The Cowboys currently have 4 DB’s that are unrestricted free agents, 2 CB’s and 2 S’s and it’s a sure bet the team won’t sign them all. The Cowboys drafted

Anthony Brown in the 6th round last year coming out of Purdue. I’ll grant you, Brown’s Big 10 background is better than Langley’s SLC roots but he showed he can play with the big boys last Saturday.

 

There was some injury news of note that Jason Garrett addressed in his Pro Bowl presser on Saturday.

Tyrone Crawford underwent left shoulder surgery last week and Garrett said it went well. No set time table for his return.

DeMarcus Lawrence had surgery on his back for the second year in a row. According to Garrett it went well and, as with Crawford, his availability to the team is up in the air.

Earlier last week DT Cedric Thornton had surgery on his shoulder.

The real good news was that All Pro left tackle Tyron Smith will not need back surgery. The fact is he is feeling much better is a good sign and it’s evidenced by the fact that he played a lot of snaps in the Pro Bowl Sunday night.

 

The link below is from DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman’s article on seven players he came away from the Senior Bowl feeling made the biggest impressions for the week. Helman, besides his regular gig as a beat writer for the Cowboys website invests a lot of time in looking at potential draft picks and he has done this job over the last few years along with former scout and Cowboys.com staff writer Bryan Broaddus as they put out a podcast on DallasCowboys.com called The Draft Show. It’s a once a week show in which Broaddus and Helman, along with CBSSports.com’s NFL draft maven Dane Brugler talk about the top prospects in this year’s draft. I believe this will be the 4th year they have put on The Draft Show and if you care about the draft this is must see TV. The Draft Show also did 3 shows at the Senior Bowl during the week of practice and they will do a daily show at the NFL combine. Check it out when you can.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/01/27/helman-seven-senior-bowl-standouts-who-make-sense-cowboys

 

Former Cowboys great Darren Woodson was on Mike and Mike this morning and they asked him what it will be like if Tony Romo is still on the roster when the team heads into OTA’s after the draft. Woodson said he is 100% sure Tony won’t be on the roster because he will not want to be a backup to Dak Prescott when he feels he can still play at a high level. Woodson also feels like, because of the close relationship between Jerry Jones and Romo, that Jones will do all he can to trade or release Romo to a contending team for Romo’s sake. Woodson said this wouldn’t happen for a lot of reasons on other teams but Jones is loyal to a fault and he won’t screw over Tony if he can help it. Woodson also stated that IF Romo is still on the team when OTA’s begin it won’t be all sugarplums and rainbows. Tony bit the bullet last October when he ceded the starting QB to Prescott but when OTA’s begin Tony will be competing his ass off and he will try to take back his job and Woodson feels it could divide the team and be a major distraction. The bottom line is most people feel Tony will be on either the Texans, the Broncos or another contender in need of a QB by the time the NFL draft rolls around in late April.

[eagle eye]

The most relevant thing about this time of year for a team that isn’t in the Super Bowl is the upcoming draft. We saw the Senior Bowl this past weekend and we really didn’t see anything that jumped out and grabbed us, no real big surprises other than the fact that the offensive and defensive MVPs were both from the South team. There was a player we know from the Lamar Cardinals that did stand out and that was the outstanding play of Brendan Langley. Langley not only won 3 All American honors for his play in 2016 for the Cards but he also earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. Langley was 1 of only 4 FCS players invited to the Senior Bowl which speaks to how well Langley played last fall. The reason I mention this is to not only give props to one of our own but to point out that the Cowboys may be in need of a cornerback in this draft. A player like Langley who has cover skills, is fast and isn’t afraid to tackle can make a good living for a long time in the NFL. Langley has ball skills too as he tied for the 2nd most INT’s in the nation, not just FCS but all of college football, with 6 INT’s. The Cowboys currently have 4 DB’s that are unrestricted free agents, 2 CB’s and 2 S’s and it’s a sure bet the team won’t sign them all. The Cowboys drafted

Anthony Brown in the 6th round last year coming out of Purdue. I’ll grant you, Brown’s Big 10 background is better than Langley’s SLC roots but he showed he can play with the big boys last Saturday.

 

There was some injury news of note that Jason Garrett addressed in his Pro Bowl presser on Saturday.

Tyrone Crawford underwent left shoulder surgery last week and Garrett said it went well. No set time table for his return.

DeMarcus Lawrence had surgery on his back for the second year in a row. According to Garrett it went well and, as with Crawford, his availability to the team is up in the air.

Earlier last week DT Cedric Thornton had surgery on his shoulder.

The real good news was that All Pro left tackle Tyron Smith will not need back surgery. The fact is he is feeling much better is a good sign and it’s evidenced by the fact that he played a lot of snaps in the Pro Bowl Sunday night.

 

The link below is from DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman’s article on seven players he came away from the Senior Bowl feeling made the biggest impressions for the week. Helman, besides his regular gig as a beat writer for the Cowboys website invests a lot of time in looking at potential draft picks and he has done this job over the last few years along with former scout and Cowboys.com staff writer Bryan Broaddus as they put out a podcast on DallasCowboys.com called The Draft Show. It’s a once a week show in which Broaddus and Helman, along with CBSSports.com’s NFL draft maven Dane Brugler talk about the top prospects in this year’s draft. I believe this will be the 4th year they have put on The Draft Show and if you care about the draft this is must see TV. The Draft Show also did 3 shows at the Senior Bowl during the week of practice and they will do a daily show at the NFL combine. Check it out when you can.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/01/27/helman-seven-senior-bowl-standouts-who-make-sense-cowboys

 

Former Cowboys great Darren Woodson was on Mike and Mike this morning and they asked him what it will be like if Tony Romo is still on the roster when the team heads into OTA’s after the draft. Woodson said he is 100% sure Tony won’t be on the roster because he will not want to be a backup to Dak Prescott when he feels he can still play at a high level. Woodson also feels like, because of the close relationship between Jerry Jones and Romo, that Jones will do all he can to trade or release Romo to a contending team for Romo’s sake. Woodson said this wouldn’t happen for a lot of reasons on other teams but Jones is loyal to a fault and he won’t screw over Tony if he can help it. Woodson also stated that IF Romo is still on the team when OTA’s begin it won’t be all sugarplums and rainbows. Tony bit the bullet last October when he ceded the starting QB to Prescott but when OTA’s begin Tony will be competing his ass off and he will try to take back his job and Woodson feels it could divide the team and be a major distraction. The bottom line is most people feel Tony will be on either the Texans, the Broncos or another contender in need of a QB by the time the NFL draft rolls around in late April.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys got some dust collectors this offseason. In the NFL Honors show where all the big awards are given Dallas cleaned up some with several awards given to the Cowboys offensive side of the ball.

> Jason Garrett named Coach of the Year.

> Dak Prescott named Offensive Rookie of the Year

> The Cowboys O-line was given the inaugural Ford Best Offensive Line of the Year award

 

In the OROTY award the only two nominees were Dak and Zeke Elliott. Dak won but both guys went up on stage to accept it.

 

In the same show the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class was announced and at the top of a rather short list was Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones. I don't care if you hate the man you have to acknowledge that he has been the man to reshaped the financial empire of the NFL. Jones deserves to be recognized for his contributions as an owner and GM because of his business decisions that has ended up making the NFL a juggernaut in the business world. People don't like Jones because he's never far from a microphone and he's way more visible than people want their favorite team's owner but there is no denying Jones has changed the face of the NFL. Not just in business but in his annual support of the Salvation Army Red Kettle program and the numerous charities the Cowboys support. When the Black Lives Matter thing was at it's highest the Cowboys with Jones at the forefront led a contingent of Dallas Police and Firemen and ERT members to show support for these people and publicly support them when it wasn't politically correct to do something like that. Jones deserves to be in the HOF and if you don't agree that okay but he's in and nothing can change that.

The other members of the class of 2017 are;

 

> K Morton Anderson

> RB Ladanian Tomlinson

> RB Terrell Davis

> S Kenny Easley

> DE Jason Taylor

> QB Kurt Warner

 

The only one I sort of disagree with is Terrell Davis, I just don't think he played long enough to make the HOF. He played seven years in the NFL, all with Denver, but he only had 3 great years. From 1995 through 1999 Davis rushed for most of his career 7,607 yards with the high water mark in 1998 when he rushed for 2008 yards and 21 TD's. The Broncos won the SB in both 1997 and 1998 but after the 1998 season Davis' career fell off the table. In his final three seasons he rushed for no more than 701 yards in a season and from 1999 through 2001 he only played in 4, 5, 8 games respectively each year before retiring after the 2001 season. He was spectacular for 3 seasons but I just don't think that worth HOF consideration.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have a problem. A 24.7 million dollar problem. You probably know what I'm talking about. One Anthony Romo. Now, some of you may say, "Hey, there's no problem. Romo is old and he's only played in 5 games the past two seasons because of injuries. Cut him or trade him because we have Dak now." I'm sorry I have a problem with the lack of loyalty people have for players. I guess it comes from playing fantasy football. You are the GM and you decide what to do with your roster and, unless you are in one of those high-falutin big money leagues, salary cap and dead money is not something you have to deal with. NFL GM's do have to worry about stuff like that and if you're a Cowboys fan you know this didn't used to be Jerry Jones strong point. Dave Campo was the head coach of the Cowboys from 2000-2002 and in that time he had nothing but old guys past their prime and subpar players acquired in the draft and he had no first round picks because Jerry traded away their first round picks for two years to get WR Joey Galloway who supposed to replace Michael Irvin who was forced to retire in 1999 because of degenerative neck condition. Oh, by the way, Galloway played all of 1 game his first year with Dallas as he tore his ACL in the 4th quarter of the season opener against Philly. Galloway did play all 16 games the next two seasons but his numbers were not worth what Dallas gave up to get him or the exorbitant salary he was being paid. That wasn't all Galloway's fault. Troy Aikman retired after the 2000 season and the Cowboys went through hell trying to find a QB which they never really got done until Romo took over in 2006. Which brings us full circle in our discussion of Tony Romo. As for the options the Cowboys now have I'm going to turn that over to DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola who gives us the lowdown on just what the Cowboys options are and how it affects the salary cap.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/02/17/spagnola-breaking-quarterbacks-has-always-been-so-hard-do

 

 

Here's a link to a slide show on DallasCowboys.com that lists the top 10 Cowboys teams that didn't win a Super Bowl.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/02/17/top-10-ranking-best-cowboys-teams-didn%E2%80%99t-hoist-super-bowl-trophy

 

The next big thing is the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis which begins next week. Mark it on your calendar draft geeks, February 28 is the date and next Tuesday is the day. The week will be capped by the annual running of the 40 yard dash by NFL Network's Rich Eisen, a testament of slow white guys in action. Eisen always runs in his suit and tie and a pair of running kicks as he tries to break the 6 second barrier.

[eagle eye]

We always hear that you can’t judge a draft until after 5 years because it takes that long to determine if the players selected are going to be good long term or a bust. With that, I thought I would look at a draft from 5 years ago but I saw a close correlation between what the Cowboys have become and the draft 6 years ago. The 2011 draft was the first draft of the Jason Garrett era. Garrett actually became head coach of the Cowboys in 2010 at the midseason point after an embarrassing loss to Green Bay under Wade Phillips. Even to casual observers the lackluster effort in that loss seemed to be a clear indication that Phillips had lost his locker room. The Cowboys were 1-7 after that loss and against what Jerry Jones had never done previously he let Phillips go and he promoted OC Garrett to the head coach spot. Garrett led the Cowboys to a 5-3 record in the second half of the season and he officially became the head coach in early 2011. I’ve said it before, the Cowboys franchise began to turn around their culture when Garrett became head coach. Garrett had a plan based on his experience playing for and coaching under some of the best coaches in the last 25 years in the NFL. Garrett’s father was also a successful scout and personnel guy for the Cowboys under Tom Landry and one of Garrett’s mentors was also Mike Kryzyweski long time head coach of Duke. Garrett’s main influences were Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban and Coach K. Garrett had said at the time that he wanted to build a program that would be good for years rather a team that is successful for one season. He obviously had to be looking at New England too who has been the best franchise in the Super Bowl era under Bill Belichick. “The Patriot Way” has morphed into the Cowboy way under Garrett. The Cowboys even stole one of the Patriots catch phrases, “Do your job”. Garrett is always talking about “the right kind of guys” which translated means guys who love football, guys who are totally dedicated to becoming better players, guys who have talent and guys who are good teammates.

The front office of the Cowboys has thrown a monkey wrench into Garrett’s plan from time to time by getting guys that are not Garrett kind of guys. Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain and Pacman Jones come immediately to mind. I don’t think Garrett had any say-so in acquiring those players and I don’t think he really wanted them but he was a good soldier and did his best to make it work. Ultimately none of them lasted long as Cowboys.

Under Garrett’s regime the Cowboys also made another hire in Will McClay who is proving to be one of the best player personnel guys in the NFL. If Jerry Jones wasn’t already the GM of the Cowboys Will McClay undoubtedly would be. McClay and his staff has been able to facilitate Garrett’s plan of stocking the team with those right kind of guys while, along with Stephen Jones, work to dissuade Jerry from making stupid mistakes like drafting Johnny Manziel in favor of offensive guard Zack Martin.

Jerry’s history has been to take a chance on players trying to get something for nothing. It has worked from time to time in the cases of Sean Lee and to a lesser extent Bruce Carter and now Jaylon Smith. These were guys who fell in the draft because of injury. Carter had a torn ACL his senior year in college and Dallas got him in the second round of the 2011 draft and he went on to have good seasons with Dallas before moving on in free agency. Carter was in the same boat as Sean Lee the year before. Lee was a 1st round caliber player who fell in the 2010 draft because he tore his ACL in his senior season at Penn State. When healthy, Lee has been better than good as evidenced by his first Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and being a Pro Bowler and All Pro in 2016. Lee definitely fits Garrett’s mold of being the RKG. If you were to pick two players on the current Cowboys roster that define what Garrett wants in player it would be Lee and Jason Witten. By all accounts Jaylon Smith is cut from the same bolt of cloth as Sean Lee and if he completely heals from the nerve damage suffered when he tore his ACL and MCL in his last college game he should be a dynamic player on the field and an inspirational player off it.

It is why I decided to look at the 2011 draft because that is the year Garrett began to mold the team to the image he envisioned. He already had Romo, Witten and Lee but he just needed to get pieces in place around them to return Dallas to greatness. So, here are the 2011 draft picks and at the end I will rate the draft. I hope you guys weigh in on this too.

 

Rd 1 Pick #9 – Tyron Smith LT USC – Smith is the cornerstone of the Cowboys O-line and he is signed through the 2023 season. Grade - A+

Rd 2 Pick #40 – Bruce Carter LB North Carolina – Solid player for Dallas and part of the 2014 12-4 NFC East Champion team. Departed via free agency in 2015 to Tampa Bay, he’s currently on NY Jets roster. Grade - B

Rd 3 Pick #71 – DeMarco Murray RB Oklahoma – Struggled to stay healthy in his first 3 seasons in Dallas but did record second highest season rushing total in Cowboys history with 1,845 yards rushing and gained 2246 total yards from scrimmage in 2014. Left Dallas via free agency in 2015 making an ill-advised move to Philadelphia . After one season in Philly traded to Tennessee where he rushed for 1287 yards and earned his way back to the Pro Bowl in 2016. Grade - A

Rd 4 Pick # 110 – David Arkin G Missouri State – Lasted 3 years in Dallas but never really was all that good. Since he was released in 2013 Arkin has been on several practice squads and is currently on the roster for the Los Angeles Rams. Grade - D+

Rd 5 Pick # 143 – Josh Thomas CB Buffalo – Thomas was a practice squad player for Dallas in 2011 before being signed by Carolina during the season. In all, Thomas has played for 7 teams in his first 6 years including the past season back with the Cowboys but he missed the season because of a thumb injury. An okay player who was only resigned by Dallas because of injuries to their secondary. Grade - C-

Rd 6 Pick # 176 – Dwaine Harris WR/KR – East Carolina – Core special teams player who got few chances as a WR. Was Cowboys main kick returner until 2014 when he left Dallas as a UFA. Currently on NY Giants roster as their main kick returner. He’s had more opportunities as a WR in NY too. Grade - B+

Rd 7 Pick #220 – Shaun Chapas FB – Georgia – Chapas hasn’t been a factor in the NFL. He lasted one season in Dallas before being released in training camp in 2012. Injured last season with Baltimore. He may not be back on a team in 2017. Grade – F

Rd 7 Pick #252 – Bill Nagy C – Wisconsin – Nagy could have been the steal of the 2011 draft. He made the team and was the starting left guard in the first 4 games of the 2011 season. He broke his ankle against the Patriots and that landed him on IR for the rest of the season. He sprained the same ankle he broke in 2011 during the 2012 training camp. Despite knowing he wouldn’t be able to play in 2012 the Lions claimed Nagy off waivers but they cut him during training camp in 2013 because his ankle never really healed properly. He has been out of football ever since. In two official seasons Nagy played in 4 games. Grade – F (but barring injury it could have been an A)

 

Tyron Smith and Josh Thomas are the only Cowboys on the active roster from the draft. Josh Thomas is on the 90 man roster but at this point he is a just a training camp body. There are 3 players in the NFL that are major contributors; Smith, Murray and Harris. Carter and Thomas are hanging on to flagging NFL careers. The overall grade for this draft class is a C with Tyron Smith the only clear cut star from this class. From a strictly Cowboys perspective since only Smith and Thomas are even on the roster this draft class gets a D.

[eagle eye]

Okay I haven’t posted about the Cowboys in a while simply because there isn’t anything new to write about. The NFL is focused on the scouting combine and preparing for the draft. There have been some interesting rumors flying around the last couple of days so let’s take a look..........

 

The rumor mill is hot and heavy on reporting that there may be a deal in the works that would send Tony Romo to Denver and all it would be is a swap of first round picks and a 3rd round draft pick for Dallas. In other words Denver would get Romo and to make it happen Dallas would get Denver’s 1st round pick at #20 while Denver gets Dallas’ pick at #28 and Denver would give Dallas their 3rd round pick. The caveat to this trade could be a restructure of Romo’s contract to lessen the current $24 MM and change cap hit. Romo has said recently that he would be willing to restructure his deal to facilitate a trade so this seems like a real possibility of happening. I hope so because Tony deserves a shot with a good team and the Broncos have the best defense he’s ever played with by a wide margin. If Romo went to Denver it would make the AFC West a bitch of a horse race between the Broncos, the Raiders and the Chiefs. Romo is no stranger to strong divisional rivalries coming from the NFC East so he would feel right at home in a knock down drag out division race.

If this Romo deal does materialize it will change the whole landscape of the Cowboys draft. The difference in picking at #20 versus #28 is huge and opens up a whole lot of potential draft pick opportunities for the Cowboys. Also getting another 3rd round pick is big. You can still get a high impact player in the 3rd round or either of the 3rd round picks could be bundled with the Cowboys 1st round pick to move up a couple of spots if a player they really want is sitting there. If this deal is real and actually goes down as rumored it is a clear win-win for the Cowboys and Broncos. The Broncos get a top 5 QB that instantly puts them in the conversation about potential Super Bowl contenders and Dallas would get a better 1st round pick and extra 3rd AND they save a bunch of money on their salary cap by trading away Romo and his 24 million dollar salary or whatever it would be worth if he restructured. BTW, the Broncos have $55 MM in cap space so they can take the hit on Romo’s salary whatever it turns out to be. The downside of course is that Romo would be leaving the Cowboys, the only team he’s known for 14 years. I’ll bet he’s bitter over the way he was treated last season, I know I still am and I’ll never forgive Jason Garrett for screwing over somebody who is supposed to be a friend the way he did.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Another rumor going around is just that a rumor. It has been reported that starting right tackle Doug Free is considering retirement after 10 years in the NFL, all with the Cowboys. He is only considering retirement which doesn’t mean squat. I’ve been considering retiring for a long time now and I’m still going to work every day. This is the last year of Free’s contract and he just turned 33 in January. It’s time to find his replacement anyway but until they do the Cowboys also could give Free a 2 year extension with a lot of up front money and a low base salary to give themselves some more cap room. It’s not unusual for an O-lineman to play into his mid-thirties which is where he would be with a 2 year extension. Dallas has already restructured Tyron Smith’s and Travis Frederick’s deals to free up some cap space and since Dallas has no clear cut replacement standing in the wings to take over for Free this type of extension could be the best move Dallas makes in his regard.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The number one priority for the Cowboys this offseason is get an impact pass rusher. According to Cowboys COO Stephen Jones that isn’t true at all. He has repeated said the most important priority is to sign All Pro guard Zack Martin to a long term deal. The Cowboys don’t have to do anything for Martin contract-wise because he will entering the 4th year of his rookie contract with the Cowboys own the option for a 5th year since he was a first round pick so the Cowboys would actually be about a year early worrying about his next contract. The caveat here is in his first 3 seasons as a pro Martin has made the Pro Bowl 3 times and made All Pro twice. They already have Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick locked up long term and, according to Jones, Martin is the biggest priority to get done this season. Understandably, the Cowboys front office want to keep

this “big three” core of the O-line together for a long time to come.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

One last thing, the Cowboys have 6 draft picks this year. They gave up their 5th rounder last year in a deal so they will not have that pick. It’s no big deal Dallas didn’t have a 5th last year and it doesn’t seem to have hurt. If the Romo deal goes down like it was described about they would gain a 7th pick but it would come in the 3rd round instead of the 5th which is even better. Dallas will likely get another two draft picks this coming year by virtue of Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper being healthy and actually playing this season. Smith was the Cowboys 2nd round pick while Tapper was the second 4th round pick in last year’s draft. Unfortunately, for the players and the Cowboys, they never played a down in 2016 for the Cowboys because of injuries. Both players project to be high impact players so adding them to the talent Dallas will accumulate in the draft could be a major influx of talent at positions of need.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys are going wrap up their week in Indianapolis today with the final set of workouts. The combine concludes with the defensive backs which means that this is a big day for Lamar’s Brandon Langley. I hope he does well and really hope that either Dallas or Houston takes him in April. DallasCowboys.com’s Bryan Broaddus has been part of the Cowboys contingent in Indy for the past week and he has been giving a quick snapshot of what he’s seen each day. On-field workouts began last Friday and linked below are his impressions of the workouts beginning with Friday’s look at O-linemen and running backs.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/03/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-rb-workouts-surprise-performances-impressive-tight-end

Saturday featured WR’s, QB’s and TE’s with the one real standout item being Washington WR John Ross breaking Chris Johnson’s combine record 4.24 – 40 time. Ross blazed down the runway at an incredible 4.22. There is one thing I’ll bet Ross wishes he had done prior to running that 40 and that was to sign with Adidas rather than Nike. Adidas was offering players who signed with them the chance to win an island, a whole freaking island, if one of them broke CJ2K’s 40 record. Oh well, C’est la vie.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/04/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-eye-popping-40-times-disappointing-workouts-combine-day-4

So, Broaddus hasn’t posted his Scout’s Eye for Sunday when the D-line and LB’s take center stage. I will tell you, according to Mike and Mike this morning, TAMU DE Myles Garrett’s workout probably solidified his spot as the #1 pick in this year’s draft. Unless the brain trust in Cleveland is collectively stupid MG’s next stop will be in the city by Lake Erie in upstate Ohio. Garrett is compared to Jadeveon Clowney. Both are tall, around 6’5”, and weigh pretty much the same. In fact the combine workout results are all pretty spot on except Garrett had a higher vertical jump and he had more reps on the bench press. The bench is done at a standard 225 lbs and in 2014 Clowned benched 21 reps. Garrett pushed up 33 reps. He also beat Clowney’s vertical by 3-1/2”, 37-1/2” to 41. Clowney’s 40 time was better, 4.53 to 4.61 but that’s moving for guys as big as they are.

Earlier in the week Alabama LB Reuben Foster acted like an ass during the weigh in and physical so much so it got him kicked out of the combine. He is supposed to meet with NFL scouts on Tuesday evening to explain, if he can, his rude behavior. Foster is being touted as the best inside LB in the draft unless you consider immaturity a bad thing. “Lucy, Little Reuben has some ‘splainin’ to do”, if he is going to recover his lost good will and his slot in the draft.

 

This post will end with a link to DallasCowboys.com’s article from senior writer Mickey Spagnola who talks about the other free agents Dallas has to worry about. I know Tony Romo isn’t really a free agent but he’s about the only one anyone is worrying about.

 

Spagnola: And Now For The Rest Of The Stories Heading Into Free Agency

 

Spagnola: And Now For The Rest Of The Stories Heading Into Free Agency

FRISCO, Texas – Happens this time every year, where molehills turn into mountains, when common sense takes a bac...

[eagle eye]

The official beginning of the NFL league year of 2017 and the beginning of the free agent signing period begins today at 3 o’clock. A very important event concerning the Cowboys will occur around the same time according to a report by Ian Rappaport. He reported late yesterday afternoon that the Cowboys have informed Tony Romo they will release him today. Folks, this is Jerry Jones doing the right thing for a player he thinks very highly of despite it being the worst thing for the Cowboys. It gives Romo the absolute best opportunity to hook up with a team of his choice without his huge contract being an issue. It a win-win for Romo and the team that eventually signs him. The Cowboys it’s the worst option of any involving Romo’s status with the Cowboys. In discussions with Jones he has maintained he didn’t know what was going to happen with Romo not even ruling out that he could stay with Dallas as Dak Prescott’s backup. If you’re Jones, that would be the ideal situation. He would keep a player he really loves while also having the best quarterback situation in the NFL and he would worry about Tony’s cap hit later because he would at least be getting something for his money. The 2nd best option would have been a trade that would make Romo’s contract, and cap hit, somebody else’s problem not to mention the benefits the Cowboys would get on their end of a trade. The problem is team would be willing to wait for Dallas to release Romo because why trade for the guy and take on his huge contract when we can wait for him to be released and negotiate our own deal. Jones and Cowboys were not in a strong bargaining position for a trade to get done. The 3rd option was designate Romo for a post June 1st release. This option was realistically the best of all the scenarios for Dallas because 1) the Cowboys weren’t going to keep Romo, he made it clear he didn’t want to hang around Dallas and be a backup because he still wants to be a starting QB so playing second fiddle to Dak wasn’t going to happen. 2) Nobody will trade for Romo when they can get him cheaper after Dallas releases Romo. Releasing Romo post June 1st was the best available business decision the Cowboys could make but that wasn’t going to happen. Why? Because of Jerry Jones loyalty to his players, especially the ones he holds in high regard. Romo may be at the top of Jerry’s list of favorite people. Jerry knows the sacrifices Tony has made for the Cowboys and Jerry also knows he failed to field a team worth of Romo’s skill. Jerry desperately wanted Romo to get a Super Bowl ring but now he will have to see somebody else try and make that happen because he never could field a defense that could help the Cowboys get to the elite level with Romo under center. Romo will leave Dallas owning every single passing record in Cowboys franchise history and there were 3 seasons during Romo’s tenure as the Cowboys QB where their offense was good enough to win a Super Bowl. In 2007 Dallas went 13-3 but lost to eventual Super Bowl champion NY Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs. Why? Patrick Crayton dropped a pass that could have iced the victory for Dallas but the throw hit in stride right between the 8 and the 4 of his jersey but the pass bounced right off his hands and harmlessly to the ground on a critical 3rd down late in the game. The other reason was the defense needed to step up and make a stop and couldn’t do it. This is a theme that was occurred all too often in the Romo era. The next season was 2009 when Dallas again lost in the divisional round after an 11-5 record during the regular season. Why? The defense failed to do anything at all on defense as Dallas was thoroughly whipped by Minnesota 34-3. The last time was in 2014, arguably the best team of the Romo era. Dallas went 12-4, won the NFC East and had a first round winner in the playoffs over Detroit. The Cowboys went into Green Bay and lost in the divisional round yet again. Why? A horrifically bad call on a 4th down Dez Bryant catch that would have either been a TD or give the Cowboys a first and goal at the Packers 1 yard line setting the Cowboys up to get the go ahead score that ended up being disallowed giving the Packers the ball on their own 35 with 2 minutes and change left in the game. The other reason being the defense couldn’t mount any pressure at all on an injured, one legged Aaron Rodgers who picked apart the Cowboys defense, a defense that miserably failed to get a stop on multiple 3rd downs during the Packers final clock choking drive. Try as he might Jerry just did not have the same luck he had in building his offense when the Cowboys tried to build a good enough defense to compliment the Cowboy high powered offense.

As a result there was to be no rings for the Cowboys during the Romo era and Romo will forever be compared to Cowboys greats in the past and be found lacking because he didn’t win a Super Bowl like they did. People forget Roger Staubach didn’t do it alone. He had great offenses but he also had the Doomsday Defense that helped the Cowboys go to 5 Super Bowls during the 70’s. Troy Aikman didn’t do it alone either. Yes, he had the other ‘triplets’, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, along with a great offensive line but those Cowboys teams also had the #1 defense in the NFL that helped become the first team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. Romo has had great offensive weapons to work with and even when he didn’t he made the ones he had look great. The trouble was Dallas never had a great defense. Let’s be honest, Dallas never has had even a good defense during Tony’s time as the Cowboys starter. Good bye, Tony. I will be rooting for you. Bon chance mon ami -- and I really hope you end up in Houston and get that long overdue SB ring.

[eagle eye]

This is going to be posted on both the Texans and Cowboys offseason threads because it is so much about both the teams. Of course I’m talking about Tony Romo. I went into detail about the scenarios around Romo yesterday on the Cowboys thread so no rehash here. What is happening is the latest on what is happening with Tony in relation to his status in the NFL.

It was reported Wednesday that Dallas was going to release Romo when the free agent signing period began at 3:00 CST on Thursday. That was Jerry Jones doing the right thing for Romo to allow him ample time to find a new team. When it was clear the Cowboys were moving on from Troy Aikman back in 2001 Jones did the right thing as the best business decision for the Cowboys by not releasing Aikman until after June 1st. By that time free agency and the draft were completed and any opportunities for Aikman to catch on with another team had dried up and blown away. Considering Dallas decided to move on from Aikman because of concerns over numerous concussions he suffered, especially in his last couple of seasons in Dallas it might also have been Jerry doing the right thing for Troy Aikman’s long term health.

Just before 3:00 o’clock yesterday Tony posted a thank you to Dallas fans on Instagram which sounded like a goodbye if I ever heard one. Tony thanked fans for their love and support while listening to Bob Dylan’s “These Times They Are A-Changin’” on his Iphone.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/watch-tony-romo-says-thanks-to-cowboys-fans-with-sad-music-playing/

 

After the free agent signing period began Houston worked out a deal to send Brock Osweiler and their 2018 2nd round draft pick to Cleveland. The link below from NFL.com analyzing the winners and losers of this deal sums it up pretty well. Note that Houston only gets rid of Osweiler and his salary with virtually nothing in return and that Cleveland gets a QB who is arguably better than RGIII at this point plus a 2nd round draft pick. The only thing bad about the deal for Cleveland is having to eat Osweiler’s contract but considering Cleveland is required to spent a lot of money to meeting the minimum salary requirements NFL teams have to pay, this isn’t such a bad deal at all--for either team.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000792045/article/winners-and-losers-from-brock-osweiler-trade

 

The deal sending Osweiler to Cleveland is, as noted in the article above, is a win for Bill O’Brien because he didn’t want Osweiler in the first place and he wanted him even less seeing his performance on the field. The main thing about the deal is Houston has dusted off the red carpet and they are free to welcome Romo to Houston. Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden, who Romo is familiar with since their time together in Dallas, would be the backups and Houston would have the best QB situation maybe in franchise history IF Romo goes to H-town.

 

The fly in the ointment is that Dallas DIDN’T release Romo as reported yesterday. In his Instagram post Romo never actually said goodbye but he did say the previous 48 hours had been crazy. So, maybe Romo knew Jerry wasn’t going to release him yesterday but he knows he won’t be in Dallas in 2017. Maybe this Romo doing the right thing by allowing Jerry a little time to work out a trade so the Cowboys can salvage something of his salary cap hit Dallas will take when Romo is gone. Adam Schefter said this morning on Mike and Mike that he thinks Romo will be free sooner rather than later but the Cowboys are trying desperately to get something for Romo via a trade. Schefter also said he thinks it is highly unlikely any team will agree to a trade because the Cowboys have no leverage. Schefty thinks teams will just wait for Dallas to release Romo and then pounce on making a deal with him rather than agree to a deal which will require them to bear the brunt of Romo’s $24 MM cap hit. It is just good business.

 

On Wednesday the Cowboys brought in Josh McCown for an interview. McCown would be an ideal backup for Dak Prescott. He’s a veteran guy and a career backup so he knows his role on a team. McCown was released by the Cleveland Browns a few weeks ago which, if Dallas ends up signing McCown, would complete the symbiotic cycle of recent events that would complete the Houston-to-Cleveland-to-Dallas-to-Houston cycle that was set in motion with the Osweiler deal yesterday. Of course Houston would have to strike a deal with Romo but this almost feels so Karmic that it is almost a case of manifest destiny. The only thing left to do for the Texans is buy Tony Romo and Slip-n-Slide to help him learn how to get down without somebody breaking his back and a get Will Fuller III a part of super sticky gloves so he can catch the damn ball and the Texans become a favorite to win Super Bowl LII.

 

Houston Free Agent Losses

S Quentin Demps signed by Chicago to a 3 year $4.5 MM per year deal

CB A.J. Bouye signed by Jacksonville to a 5 year $67.6 MM deal (This gives the Jags two really good CB’s in Bouye and last year’s 1st round pick Jalen Ramsey. This is a big loss for Houston and yet another mistake by GM Rick Smith IMO.)

Dallas Free Agent Losses

DL Jack Crawford signed by Atlanta to a 3 year $10.3 MM deal which includes $3.75 MM due the first year.

OG Ronald Leary signed by Denver to a 4 year $35 MM deal. This is a big loss for Dallas IMO as I believe he is better than La’el Collins who missed most of this past season due to injury. A big blow to the Cowboys O-line.)

Rumored to be close to a deal is S Barry Church coming to terms on a deal that will send him to Jacksonville.

Another player said to be close to a deal is DT Terrell McClain and the Washington Redskins. Neither of the previous deals are official and Dallas could still opt to keep one or both players if they can match the offers of those teams. In truth, Dallas has no cap space and will likely lose both. Losing both these players would be huge blow to the Cowboys who have been trying to build a good defense for 20 years and have failed to do so.

 

Dallas did sign WR Brice Butler to a deal the terms of which have yet to be made known. With Dallas facing the prospect of losing Terrence Williams to free agency they signed Butler on the cheap to maintain some semblance of stability to the Cowboys WR corps. Butler is a poor man’s Will Fuller III, a guy who can run fast but has questionable hands.

 

Wow, lots going on. Like rust in that Neil Young song the NFL never sleeps.

[eagle eye]

Former Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware announced on twitter that he is retiring from the NFL. This is probably old news to some but I think it is significant. The NFL isn’t like baseball in that players don’t go into the Hall of Fame under a team name. Like Jeff Bagwell will go into the HOF this summer as an Astro Ware will go into the Pro Football HOF in 5 years as a football player with no particular team associated with his name. It’s too bad because Ware posted his best seasons of his 12 year career in Dallas. Wearing #94 in Dallas brought to mind the great Charles Haley but unlike Haley, who played for great teams in both San Francisco and Dallas, Ware never had a great supporting case in Dallas. His best years were already behind him when he was released by the Cowboys and signed with the Denver Broncos but John Elway did what Jerry Jones couldn’t and that was put other great players around Ware that enabled him to succeed. Dallas had good and even great offenses at times during Ware’s career but he was woefully unsupported on defense. It seemed as if Jerry felt like Ware was good enough to carry the team even with other players being just average. If this was the case then I guess Jerry forgot Charles Haley had Tony Tolbert, Tony Casillas, Leon Lett, Chad Hennings and Jimmy Jones on the D-line and Darren Woodson, Ken Norton Jr and Orange’s Kevin Smith at CB among the really good players on what was, at the time, the #1 ranked defense in the NFL. Because of this Ware often disappeared in the 4th quarter of games because he was exhausted fighting double teams all game long. Can you imagine if Dallas had had a Von Miller, Aqib Talib and a Danny Travathan? That defense was among the best in the NFL and helped carry the Broncos to a Super Bowl 50 win which gave Ware his first and only Super Bowl ring. So, D-Ware is saying goodbye to the NFL. At 34 years old he says he could still play at a high level if he wanted to but he says he is considering his long term health and he’s just ready to quit. Good for you, man. See you in the Cowboys Ring of Honor soon and in the HOF in 5 years. You’ve earned the right to a good life for the rest of your life.

 

The Cowboys have officially lost 2 of their 3 top safeties this past week. Barry Church has signed a deal with Jacksonville while JJ Wilcox has signed a deal with Tampa Bay. All I can say is the Cowboys must think quite highly of Jeff Heath and Kavon Frazier playing along ‘side Byron Jones or they have their eyes on a stud in the draft. My friends and I agree that we wish Dallas would have kept Church.

 

Dallas has signed three players who may or may not be worth a crap.

CB Nolan Carroll comes from Philadelphia and he’s touted as being a faster, more agile Brandon Carr. The comparison coming from the fact neither is a very good tackler.

DE Demontre Moore coming from Seattle. The big deal with Moore is that he came into the NFL in Chicago when the DC was Rob Marinelli who just happens to be the Cowboys current DC. He’s billed as an underachiever and a bit of a head case.

DT Stephen Paea (pie-a-ah) come to Dallas from Cleveland. He is said to have a high effort and a good motor. A really good and productive rotation tackle which is something Dallas needs since they lost Terrell McClain.

Here’s a fairly detailed breakdown of these player from DallasCowboys.com’s Bryan Broaddus.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/13/scouting-reports-grading-tape-all-3-cowboys-free-agent-signings

 

Dallas also signed two of the their free agent WR’s. Last week I posted that Brice Butler was given a one year $1.1 MM deal and on Saturday the Cowboys signed Terrence Williams to a 4 year deal worth $17 MM.

 

There is a rumor that RT Doug Free may retire but he still has one year left on his last contract. I think it has been erroneously reported that Free WILL retire when all he said is he’s thinking about it. I’ll bet the Cowboys don’t want him to retire just yet because their tackle situation is not all that great. The prime candidate to take over for Free is 3rd year player Chaz Green but Green can’t stay healthy and he’s missed more games than he’s played in the his previous 2 years in the league. The Cowboys other options are either La’el Collins or Who Is That and I Don’t Know. I think the Cowboys want to keep Collins at left guard but he was a tackle at LSU and if he can handle the speed of D-ends could be a crackerjack RT. Collins projected as a guard in the NFL and they may not want to mess with the success they have had with Collins in between Travis Frederick and Tyron Smith. The Who Is That and I Don’t Know guys are not who you want starting on the “best offensive line in football” so although a free agent is unlikely it may be more possible than getting a decent tackle from a weak tackle draft.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have lost 6 starters so far during free agency, 5 on defense and 1 on offense. Ouch. They have potentially signed 3 starters to replace those departed. They lost 3 starters in the defensive backfield in Barry Church, Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr not to mention losing their primary backup JJ Wilcox. What we’re left with is Byron Jones, Jeff Heath and Kavon Frazier to fill vacant safety positions. Not exactly a situation that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling of security does it? The Cowboys, right now, are looking at CB having veteran Orlando Scandrick and Anthony Brown returning from last year’s team and newcomer free agent Nolan Carroll. In his scouting report on Carroll Bryan Broaddus characterized Carroll as a faster, more agile, Brandon Carr so he is an upgrade but Carroll doesn’t have what Carr did, durability. Carr never missed a single game in 9 years in the NFL. That feat is almost unheard of so Carroll has some big shoes to fill in that regard. The other starters that have new homes are DT Terrell McClain DL Jack Crawford. Crawford signed a deal with Atlanta that will pay him $10.3MM over 3 years while McClain got a 4 year $21MM deal with the stupid Redskins. McClain was pretty good for the Cowboys when he was healthy which was about a 50-50 proposition over the two years he was with Dallas. To replace those two players Dallas has signed DT Stephen Paea and DE/DT Demontre Moore. Paea signed a 1 year deal with, as yet, undisclosed terms and Moore signed a 2 year deal for $1.65MM. To give you an idea of the bargains the Cowboys found they have signed seven players as of last Friday for around $10MM. That is some serious stretching of your available bucks. Yesterday Dallas resigned QB Kellen Moore to serve as Dak Prescott’s backup. Moore must have seemed like the best available as he was signed on the heels of Josh McCown signing a deal with NY Jets. McCown made a visit to The Star in Frisco to meet with the Cowboys when free agency began but evidently Dallas couldn’t make the offer the Jets did. Tony Romo has yet to be released or traded so I suppose there is still an outside chance Romo could remain with Dallas but, I wouldn’t count on it. Dallas also lost their LG Ron Leary to Denver who ponied up a 4 year deal worth $30MM with $20MM guaranteed. That is a big blow to the O-line but Dallas has resigned G Jonathan Cooper to a one year deal terms not disclosed. Cooper gives Dallas 4 first round draft picks on their O-line and opens the door for a move to RT by La’el Collins if Doug Free does, in fact, retire. If Free doesn’t retire then Collins will return to LG and Cooper will be his backup who is reportedly also going to work at center so he can be the swing guard and backup center going forward. The biggest question on the O-line is at tackle. Of course Dallas will have Tyron Smith on the left but with the uncertainty at RT because you don’t know what Free is going to do and Chaz Greene can’t stay healthy you need a starting RT and a good backup to solidify the position. In a perfect world Free retires and Greene steps in and plays ten years and earns 5 or 6 Pro Bowls. Unfortunately, Greene has missed more games (24) than he’s played or been available (8). Not exactly a warm, fuzzy here either. Dallas had 20 players who were or are unrestricted free agents and Dallas has signed 4 of them while 9 now have new teams. DL David Irving was an exclusive rights free agent and he signed his tender offer made by the Cowboys that, technically, means Dallas has signed 5 of 21 free agents. The only guy who we know for SURE will not be signed by Dallas, or probably anyone else, is head case LB Rolando McClain. The fact he’s even listed as unsigned is a joke. He probably has marks all over his chest where NFL teams keep poking him with ten foot poles to keep him as far as possible from the NFL. The draft is still six weeks away but the Cowboys have pretty much shot their wad in available cap space with the players they have signed so until the Romo situation or some contract restructuring or both is done Dallas is likely done in free agency.

 

Here is an article from DallasCowboys.com that lists the top ten 7th round draft picks in Cowboys history. Leading the way is HOF WR Bob Hayes who was chosen in the 7th round in 1964 and HOF T Rayfield Wright chosen in 1967. That was back in the day when the NFL draft was actually 30 rounds because there were only 12 teams in the NFL. As the NFL expanded and because of the merger of the NFL and AFL football leagues the number of rounds was reduced over time. In 1976 there were 12 rounds and that lasted until 1993 when the draft was only 8 rounds but the next year it was reduced to the current 7 rounds. That reduction in draft rounds corresponds with the growth of the NFL from the 12 teams that made up the NFL in the 1960’s to the current 32 teams that make up the current NFL. The reduction of the draft in the early 90’s came in tandem with player free agency and the salary cap in 1993. The precursor to genuine player free agency was the sort of weird “Plan B” free agency in 1992. In Plan B teams could protect 37 players on their roster and the those left unprotected were free to sign with other teams without compensation to their original team. Dallas used Plan B extensively in 1992 with their best signings being their starting and backup TE’s in Jay Novacek and Rob Awalt both coming from the Phoenix Cardinals. The 37 protected players on a team’s roster were still available to be signed but teams had the right to match any offer or, if they lost a player, they were entitled to compensation from the team who signed their player. It was actually what a restricted free agent is in today’s NFL. But, as usual, I digress. Here’s the top ten 7th round draft picks in Cowboys history from DallasCowboys.com.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/17/top-10-hayes-wright-among-best-seventh-round-picks-cowboys

[eagle eye]

Does what they do in free agency. They plug holes in the roster with reasonably priced free agents so they won't have to do something stupid in the draft. In the Jason Garrett era that's pretty much been the modus operandi of the Cowboys in the offseason. This past week they signed yet another bargain free agent in offensive tackle Byron Bell. Bell began his career in Carolina as their starting right tackle in 2011. In 2014 Bell switched to left tackle where he started 15 games. As a free agent in 2015 Bell went to Tennessee where he started all 16 games all along the Titans offensive line. Last season he dislocated his ankle which caused him to miss the entire season. He was again a free agent this season when Dallas signed him to a one year deal on Friday. This mitigates the possible retirement of Doug Free and the uncertainty of whether or not Chaz Greene will be able to play more than he has in the past. I don't think Free will retire this year. He has just one more year left on his contract and I'll bet he would love a super bowl ring and he'll be willing to give it just one more shot. Chaz Greene is talented and in a perfect world he would be Free's replacement but he has not proved to be reliable so far as a Cowboy. Veteran guy with starting experience at both tackle spots. Sounds like a smart signing to me especially since Bell is just 28 years old having just turned 28 in January.

 

What the Cowboys signings have done is fill holes in their roster setting them up to actually take the best player available in the draft. It is a formula that has served them well in the past 5 drafts.

 

Friday was also a big day for scouts as that was the day for the University of Michigan pro day. The Wolverines have several players who look to be going to the next level in this year's draft. Dallas scouts will be looking mainly at S Jabrill Peppers and DE Taco Charlton but they should also be looking at CB Jourdan Lewis and TE Jake Butt. Here's a look at that pro day from DallasCowboys.com by The Michigan Daily reporter Max Bullman.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/24/pro-day-tour-charlton-peppers-chesson-stand-out-michigan

 

As the cowboys website looks at the top ten picks in Cowboys history by round. My last post was the Top Ten 7th round draft picks, this post will feature the Cowboys Top Ten 6th round draft picks that feature some interesting names indeed.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/24/top-10-early-doomsday-members-among-cowboys%E2%80%99-best-6th-round-picks

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys lost a lot of experience in free agency but they also got some good players too and they are younger than the players they lost. The Cowboys still have a lot of homegrown talent too and the Cowboys see these players as not only big contributors this coming season but as players who will provide leadership as well.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/27/despite-free-agent-losses-cowboys-see-young-leadership-defense

 

Gosh, if you go strictly by the scouting report of new offensive tackle Byron Bell by DallasCowboys.com’s Bryan Broaddus you’d think Dallas has stumbled upon the savior of the right tackle position. Bell does have starting experience having started for Carolina and Tennessee but he has been out of football for a whole year due to injury. Strictly speaking, if Broaddus is right even if Doug Free doesn’t retire he could lose his job to this guy. Bell is 28 and in the prime of his career. The only question is why didn’t Dallas sign him to more than a one year deal?

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/27/scouting-report-new-signing-byron-bell-powerful-versatile-savvy

 

After Dallas lost 2 or their top 3 safeties in free agency you have to wonder what’s up. The Cowboys look at film and see a guy who just might be better than either of the guys who left. Jeff Heath got a bad rap as a rookie when injuries forced Heath into a starting position and he was not ready for what was thrown at him. Since then he has progressed into a playmaking safety. His play in the NFC Divisional round of the playoffs this past January was pretty damn good. He certainly has earned a shot at taking over for Barry Church at strong safety. The Cowboys also have late round draft pick Kavon Frazier who the Cowboys claim made a lot of progress in his rookie season in 2016. Would that stop Dallas from drafting Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers if he’s there when Dallas uses their 28th pick in the first round of this year’s draft? No, but, it doesn’t mean the Cowboys will reach to draft a safety out of desperation. They claim that isn’t warranted because of how they feel about Heath and Frazier.

 

The biggest need the Cowboys have is still the right defensive (pass rusher side) end. Dallas needs to get more pressure on the passer but it’s not just DE. The Cowboys have some talented guys along the line like Maliek Collins, David Irving, Tyrone Crawford and Cedrick Thornton and they have some DE’s on the roster that were either slowed or ripped from all playing time by injuries like DeMarcus Lawrence, Charles Tapper as well as a guy who is nothing but rotation player, Benson Mayowa. Dallas signed two players to try to solve the riddle of the missing pass rush in DT Steven Paea and DE/DT Demontre Moore. Still no pass rushing stud that I can see. We don’t know about Charles Tapper, last year’s 2nd 4th round draft pick. He never saw the field last year because of a bad back. If he’s healed he could be that guy but who knows? Just because you draft someone doesn’t necessarily mean they will be the next DeMarcus Ware. You almost need a top 5 pick to get THAT guy and Dallas definitely won’t move that high. It just isn’t going to happen so, all you guys who think Dallas will mortgage their draft to get Myles Garrett please wake up, the world needs you to start thinking clearly.

[eagle eye]

The Tony Romo situation is beginning to stink. There is an aura of funk hanging in the air much like when a skunk gets hit by a car and is lying dead by the highway. You can’t see the skunk’s carcass but you can smell it for a long time before and after you pass the body. What seemed like a done deal prior to the beginning of free agency way back on March 9 is now just a mess. What started out as a deal where Jerry was going to be willing to eat all but about $5MM of Romo’s projected $24MM cap hit to “do the right thing for Romo’s sake” is now flipped to where Jerry said at the NFL owner’s meetings yesterday that a final decision may not happen until training camp in August. It seems unlikely Jones will wait that long but now the gauntlet has been thrown down. It’s likely Jerry has been listening to his son Stephen and others who are demanding the Cowboys don’t release Romo until after June 1st which is the date the Cowboys will at least get the most savings on their cap hit. It’s good business for the Cowboys but it screws Romo and his chances of catching on with his most likely landing spot in Houston with the Texans. I don’t see any way in hell for Romo to put up with this situation if he’s really committed to being a starting QB in the NFL and I can’t believe Jones, who is notoriously loyal to his players especially ones like Romo that hold a special place in his heart, would screw over Romo even though he can contractually speaking.

The Bleacher Report reported that Romo has distanced himself from Cowboys staff and head coach Jason Garrett who were responsible for Romo losing his job to Dak Prescott. Garrett admitted yesterday that he hasn’t spoken to Romo since the end of the season which is totally against past years when Romo and Garrett and a couple of selected players would go on trips together. It appears that Romo is understandably bitter over the way Garrett screwed him out of his job. It is the reason the Cowboys are in the situation they are in now. If Romo was allowed to resume his job when he was declared healthy which would have been around Week 9 or 10 the outcome of the Cowboys season would have been the same which is they would have won the NFC East and gotten a first round bye in the playoffs. The upside is Romo would be the starter and the Cowboys would get their money’s worth out of Romo’s contract AND they would have their QB of the future waiting in the wings to take over. Maybe behind Romo the Cowboys would not have gotten down 20+ points in the first half of the NFC Divisional Round playoff game but I think the Cowboys defense would have been their undoing because they just weren’t that good, and haven’t been for the entirety of Romo’s career, to advance very far in the playoffs. I believe the Cowboys were not the best team in the NFC because of the deficiencies of that defense. Even if they made the Super Bowl the Patriots would have picked the Cowboys apart like vultures on a dead carcass. It’s a moot point because that’s not what happened.

My plea is to Jerry Jones, stop listening to your best business options and do the right thing. You and Jason Garrett are responsible for the situation you’re in right now. Do the right thing for Tony. Give up this ridiculous quest to trade Romo because you know in your heart that isn’t going to happen. Release him and say goodbye before this becomes such a bitter pill for Romo any relationship you had with him becomes beyond repair. This situation has already cost Romo and Garrett their friendship, don’t let it get that far between you and Tony.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys series of Top Ten Draft Picks for each round continues with the 10 best from the 5th round of the drafts in Cowboys history. In the teaser to the article found on DallasCowboys.com and linked below says that Dallas’ 5th round features a lot of good roll players. I tend to disagree with that assessment especially when you have guys who pretty darn good players like the #1 guy on the list, Herschel Walker as well as guys like Walt Garrison, Blaine Nye and Ron Springs were simply more than just role players. Herschel Walker was the only thing Dallas had for the offense at the time he was traded but the promise of Walker to the Minnesota Vikings turned into the trade heard round the world when Dallas got players and draft picks enough for the deal to be referred to later as “The trade that made the Cowboys Dynasty”. Linked below is a recap from Wiki about the trade.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Walker_trade

 

Here’s the link to the Cowboys top ten all time 5th round picks from DallasCowboys.com.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/03/31/top-10-solid-role-players-among-best-5th-rounders-one-stands-out-most

 

The Cowboys website is featuring articles in a series called Possible Pick: and today’s “pick” is DE/OLB from the University of Houston Tyus Bowser. This is as good a place to start because if there is one weakness we, as Cowboys fans, can agree it’s that Dallas needs a stud pass rusher. This is actually a guy who could be around as pick #56 in the second round of the draft which, by coincidence is just where Dallas picks. The great thing about this draft class is it seems to be deep in DE’s and CB’s so Dallas should be able to get better later this month in the draft.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/03/possible-pick-houston-pass-rusher-tyus-bowser-unsung-star

 

The Gavin Escobar experiment in Dallas is over. After taking Escobar in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft the Cowboys allowed him to leave via free agency. Last Friday Escobar signed a one year deal with Kansas City ending his time as a Dallas Cowboy. It’s actually the only move made since Dallas signed OT Brian Bell last Tuesday. No updates on Romo and no other player news worth mentioning.

 

According to the countdown clock on the NFL.com homepage there is only 24 days and change until the 2017 draft. Boo--yaah!

[eagle eye]

The Tony Romo era is over in Dallas. The Cowboys released Romo per his request yesterday afternoon and it looks like he will be joining CBS as a part of their #1 NFL announcing crew as he appears to have bid his playing career farewell. Or has he?

The Cowboys released Romo not so much as a favor to him but so when he does actually file his retirement papers he won’t be a Cowboy which means the Cowboys won’t be liable for $19MM of his salary in 2017. That’s a big deal when you need some cap space like the Cowboys do.

The fact is, since Romo was released and he hasn’t officially retired he could actually sign with a team and tell CBS thank you but I’ll wait a couple more years before I move to the broadcast booth. He said yesterday he is 99% sure he won’t play anymore but he didn’t rule out the possibility he could still play. So, a team like say, Houston, who dumped a high priced QB of their own when the worked a trade with Cleveland over a month ago in a move that seemed to clear the way for the Texans to sign Romo, could ring up Tony’s agent and suggest that maybe he shouldn’t retire from the NFL and that he should chase his Super Bowl dreams in Houston with the Texans. It’s still not etched in stone that Tony Romo is done playing football. I hope he does sign with Houston. I would love to see what he could do with the Texans offensive weapons. There is no doubt he would make that team a scary offensive team to match an equally scary defense. It would be hard to look at Romo in a Texans uniform but as a fan of Romo I would love to see him win a Super Bowl and if Dallas doesn’t win it all I would be rooting for the Texans all the way.

Here’s an article from the Cowboys website that logs their Top Ten Tony Romo plays in his 14 year career.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/04/top-10-looking-back-best-moments-tony-romos-cowboys-career

 

As an honorable mention I’d like to add the one and only drive Romo led in 2017. It came in Week 17 against Philadelphia as Romo entered the game in the second quarter and led the Cowboys to their only TD drive of the day. The thing was, he made it look so easy capping a 6 play drive with a perfect TD pass to Terrence Williams. Dak Prescott led the offense the entire 1st quarter and only managed 3 points and he definitely didn’t make it look easy. The word out of the Cowboys training facility was the best QB in practice the final 6 weeks of the season was not starting. Romo was clearly better than Dak but Jason Garrett shat on his friend when he took away Romo’s starting job when he clearly should not have. I will never forgive Garrett in his handling of the Romo-Prescott situation as well as the way he coached Zeke Elliott out of setting the rookie rushing record. He coached like a little bitch and he doesn’t deserve credit for 13-3 when the Cowboys should have been 14-2.

[eagle eye]

Once around the NFL.

 

Aaron Hernandez just a week removed from being acquitted in a murder trial apparently committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell with a bed sheet. Hernandez is reported to have had “John 3:16” written on his forehead as well as odd marking on his hands and feet. It is being speculated that he was putting stigmata markings on himself prior to committing suicide. I had to look up ‘stigmata’ because I didn’t know what it meant and it turns out it means marks on a body coinciding with the marks on the body of Jesus suffered during his crucifixion. In this case, the nails used to nail Jesus to the cross that went through his hands and feet. It has also been reported that just hours before his death Hernandez allegedly smoked K2, a synthetic marijuana, and that K2 has been known to have side effects that include erratic behavior. Hernandez’ attorney and former manager, as well as family members, believe that Hernandez was the victim of foul play because they didn’t believe he would commit suicide.

The Hernandez news broke on the morning of the same day the New England Patriots were to visit the White House and meet with President Trump to celebrate their latest world championship. Media like ESPN wanted to know how the news of Hernandez’ death would affect the Patriot’s visit. I didn’t think it was an issue because Hernandez hasn’t been a Patriot for several years and there are hardly any players left on the team that played with Hernandez. As it turns out it wasn’t an issue because the Patriots did not let it. There were no comments from owner Robert Kraft or head coach Bill Belichick or any of the players in attendance at the White House ceremonies.

6 Players from the Patriots Championship team did not go to the White House in protest over President Trump, whether that be against the man or his policies. Tom Brady also missed the trip to the White House but it was because he chose to stay in Boston to spend time with his mother who has been battling cancer over the past two years. How can you hate a guy who does stuff like that? I’m jealous of him for sure, he’s married to a super model, has 3 healthy children and is rich as hell not to mention he’s generally acknowledged now, with his 5th World Championship, as the greatest QB of all time. If you look up the term “idyllic life” in the dictionary Brady’s picture would be beside the definition.

The Tampa Bay Bucs will be the team featured in the next edition of HBO’s Hard Knocks. That could be a very interesting choice because there are some interesting storylines including QB Jameis Winston as he’s about to begin his 3rd year in the NFL.

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000800955/article/tampa-bay-buccaneers-on-hard-knocks-giddy-up

 

Former Cleveland WR Terrelle Pryor claimed in an interview he should have had 1,500 yards receiving last year. Not such a bold claim when you consider he actually had 1,007 yards on 77 catches for a Cleveland team who couldn’t field a starting QB for more than 3 games in row last season. Last year was Pryor’s first full season as a WR and he was the best playmaker on the Browns offense this side of RB Isaiah Crowell. It is amazing that Cleveland allowed Pryor to leave via free agency when they had the cap space to sign him. That would automatically have given the Browns 2 ++ receivers for a playmaker starved offense. Instead the Browns made a trade with Houston that netted them Brock Osweiler and his bloated contract and a 2nd round draft pick in 2018. Now Browns GM Sashi Brown is saying Osweiler will compete for a starting job when clearly he fell flat on his face in Houston. Let’s see, blue chip WR vs a QB with poor field vision and questionable decision making skills. Hmmmm. Could it be just the same old Browns different verse? We’ll see.

With the NFL draft just one week away here’s a look at the CB’s in this year’s draft according to NFL.com. Note there are tabs to the other positions except linebacker in the draft which should keep you busy until next Thursday evening.

 

2017 NFL Draft: Marshon Lattimore atop deep CB class

 

2017 NFL Draft: Marshon Lattimore atop deep CB class

Who's the 2017 NFL Draft's most overrated CB? Most underrated? Boom-or-bust prospect? Sleeper? Lance Zie...

Edited April 24, 2017 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys had a press conference today that was supposed to be about the upcoming draft this week. Part of it was about the draft but the first 30 minutes was devoted to former and current Cowboy DeMarcus Ware. The Cowboys have officially signed Ware to a one day contract as he will retire a Dallas Cowboy. Jerry Jones announced that Ware was going to retire as a Cowboy at the 12:00 PM presser this afternoon. Ware made a brief statement and took some questions from the media before leaving the press room so the rest of the time could be devoted to draft talk.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/24/demarcus-ware-ceremonially-re-signs-cowboys-retire-dallas

 

Between Jerry and Stephen Jones and Jason Chickensh*t none of them revealed anything of substance and you wouldn’t think they would because no group of NFL front office people reveal their draft strategy unless they are stupid and those types don’t remain GMs for long.

 

I nearly forgot about the series on DallasCowboys.com that ranked the 10 best players from each round of the draft. The last round I linked was the Top Ten 5th round picks after having done the 6th and 7th rounds previously. So here I am playing a little catch-up as I give you the Top 10 4th and 3rd round picks.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/06/top-10-where-does-dak-rank-among-best-4th-round-picks-club-history

 

Spoiler Alert: This edition of the Top 10 ranked Dak Prescott as the #1 4th round pick in Cowboys history. Everybody has a boner for Dak and after going 13-3 in his rookie season you could understand why. DallasCowboys.com has drunk the Kool-Aid for Dak. I find it hard to believe he would be #1, I can certainly see why he’s in the top 10 but not #1 after just one year.

 

Here’s the Top Ten 3rd Round picks and it’s a lot more easy to swallow than the crap we were force fed in terms of Top 4th round picks. I’ll bet there are no surprises here but it’s incredible how many of the no-brainer selections there have been for Dallas coming from the 3rd round. There is no argument whatsoever about the #1 on this list.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/13/top-10-nearly-40-combined-pro-bowl-selections-among-best-3rd-round-picks

[eagle eye]

Dallas had it's big pre-draft press conference yesterday and at the same time announced that DeMarcus Ware would retire as a Dallas Cowboy. Feel good stories to be sure but, that wasn't the only news out of The Star. Ware's signing/retirement is a real nice feel-good story as 4 years ago the Cowboys decided to let Ware go via free agency because the previous two seasons Ware spent most of the time injured and missing games. It was one of the those situations where the Cowboys had to decide to let an injured player go a little too early rather than hang on to him a little too long. It was a decision made for the right reasons that didn't turn out so well for the Cowboys. As everyone knows Ware signed with the Denver Broncos and under Wade Phillips the Broncos defense became one of the best in the NFL. In the first season with Ware the Broncos went to the Super Bowl but they were ambushed by the Seattle Seahawks. In year two the Broncos went all the way and DeMarcus Ware won his World Championship. In year 3 injuries hampered Ware and the Broncos struggled to find their way with new QB Trevor Siemien and the Broncos failed to make the postseason. This spring Ware decided, based on his concerns on his long term health, that he was going to hang up his cleats for good. Judging from what was said at the press conference it appears that Ware will be involved with the Cowboys either as an assistant coach or consultant. There is no one that will complain about that.

 

I think I posted this at the time but on March 24th Dallas signed offensive tackle Byron Bell to a one year deal. This adds to the Cowboys depth at OT as a hedge against the possible retirement of RT Doug Free and the shaky dependability of 2015 2nd round draft pick Chaz Greene. Bell was an UFA signed by Carolina in 2011 and he started for 4 seasons with the Panthers. His play enabled him to earn a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans. Bell started all 16 games in 2015 at left tackle but in 2016 during OTA's Bell dislocated his ankle and was placed on injured reserve and was out for the entire season. In all Bell has appeared in a total of 78 games logging 72 starts at both left and right tackle. This is a really nice pickup for the Cowboys and addresses a real need on the Cowboys roster.

 

One week ago today the Cowboys signed a safety to add depth at a position of need. The Cowboys signed 6th year vet Robert Blanton who will bolster a safety position that was hit hard in free agency when Dallas lost starting strong safety Barry Church and his primary backup JJ Wilcox. Blanton was a 5th round draft pick by Minnesota in the 2012 draft and he played four years in Minnesota making 17 starts along the way. Blanton signed with Buffalo last year and he played in 10 games including 2 starts for the Bills.

 

These two signings add depth to two positions of need for the Cowboys. They aren't sexy picks by any means but the Cowboys needed depth at tackle and Byron Bell fits that need to a T. The Cowboys like their projected starters at safety, Byron Jones and Jeff Heath with last year's 6th round pick Kavon Frazier as the main backup but adding an experienced safety and a good special teams guy in Blanton allows Dallas to take the best available player in the as the draft unfolds which is a huge luxury. The only real positions of dire need is at pass rusher and cornerback and I would expect pass rusher is the top priority for the Cowboys. Picking 28th in the first round and late in every other round Dallas will just have to trust in their draft board and if that means they choose a CB at 28 that's okay because after losing Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr Dallas needs to restock the cupboard. Dallas has Orlando Scandrick returning as well as another 6th round pick Anthony Brown who impressed replacing Morris Claiborne when he was injured last season. Dallas could also move Byron Jones to CB if needed but Dallas really needs to address CB in this draft. I would expect at least CB's drafted if not a 3rd. This is a CB rich draft and in later rounds I am hoping the Cowboys will take Lamar's Brendon Langley if he's available in the 7th round.

 

In the article linked below from Dallas Cowboys Star magazine draft preview issue is a look back at the Cowboys 1992 draft. It is a draft that occurred just prior to their first Super Bowl under Jimmy Johnson and was the first of 3 Super Bowls in 4 years which had never before been done. So, let's crank up the old time machine and let's go!

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/26/star-taking-look-back-25-years-1992-cowboys-draft

 

This article from DallasCowboys.com is the final look at all the mock drafts around pro football with the only consensus being that Dallas will go defense with their 28th pick in the first round.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/26/mock-draft-roundup-no-clear-consensus-cowboys%E2%80%99-pick

 

This article from DallasCowboys.com is from it's Extra Points feature and it has news of several Cowboys including a signing, a suspension and a surgery.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/extrapoints

 

The 2017 NFL Draft is just hours away and I, for one, can hardly wait! The draft will be in Philadelphia and judging by what I've heard on Mike and Mike the City of Brotherly Love has pulled out all the stops for this event. Dallas won't pick until late in the evening assuming they don't do something crazy and trade up. I don't expect them to trade up but they could trade down if the player they want isn't available. I don't expect any movement at all as a matter of fact the Cowboys haven't traded a first round pick since 2013 when Dallas traded down to pick #31 with San Francisco when they picked up an extra 3rd round pick. At 31 Dallas selected All Pro and Pro Bowl center Travis Fredrick and they also got Terrence Williams with the 3rd round pick. I'd say that was a productive deal for the Cowboys. Prior to 2013 the Cowboys only made on 1st round move and that was in 2012 when they traded up to Pick #6 to get Morris Claiborne. Since 2010 Dallas has stood pat making their selections as they came with the exceptions of 2012 and 2013. In 2010 Dallas took Dez Bryant at pick #24. In 2011 the Cowboys took OT Tryon Smith with pick #9. In 2014 Dallas took G Zack Martin at #16, in 2015 they took S/CB Bryon Jones at #27 and last year, of course they took RB Ezekiel Elliott with the 4th pick in the draft. In the past 7 drafts you can see that Dallas has been successful picking at various spots in the draft including at the tail end of the first round. Siince the Jason (Chickenshit) Garrett era began the Cowboys, under the guidance of player personnel guru Will McClay, they have had very successful drafts. Most of that time the Cowboys stayed pat with their draft position and have made the most of their picks and I don't expect any less this weekend. According to Todd McShay on Mike and Mike this morning this draft class has the best depth of talent in the 2nd and 3rd rounds as has been seen in a while so if Dallas does make a move I would expect them to trade back and get some extra picks. I would love it if Dallas could trade down but stay in the 1st round while also getting an extra early 2nd or 3rd round pick. That would give Dallas 5 picks in the top 100 and that ain't nuthin' to sneeze at.

 

The Draft Is Here, People!!! Have some fun!!!!

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys stayed true to their board and they got a player they really wanted and that player can hopefully fill big need for the Cowboys going forward. Of course I'm talking about Dallas' 1st round pick last night of Michigan DE Taco Charlton. Charlton is big (6'7", 277 lbs) with long arms (34"+) and he's played in a Power 5 school and had success for them. Jerry Jones pointed out during the post 1st round press conference last night that Charlton isn't a player who gets hurt (knocking furiously on every piece of wood in sight) and that was also a big factor in what made the man his grandmother nicknamed Taco when he was a kid so attractive. Just think about this, Dallas will have Charlton AND they will have last year's first 4th round pick DE Charles Tapper from Oklahoma who missed all of last season with a bad issue. In effect, Dallas has two draft picks to plug into the right defensive end slot when OTA's begin in May. Add to that, assuming he can remain drug free, the Cowboys will get DE Randy Gregory who everyone agrees has freakish talent next season after his year long suspension for substance abuse is over. Dallas could have the best D-line since the NY Giants had Michael Strahan, Osi Uemenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka and Tuck. For this season if both Charlton and Tapper are really good it will help the Cowboys pass rush exponentially. If you look at the video linked below of the phone call to Charlton from Jerry Jones in the Cowboys war room last night and you see the look on DC Rod Marinelli's face when he spoke with Taco you know he's pleased as heck with the pick too.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2017/04/27/secret-audio-taco-charlton-becomes-cowboy

 

The Cowboys.com writer Rob Phillips has written an article talking about why the Cowboys believe Taco Charlton's best football is yet to come.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/28/why-cowboys-believe-taco-charlton%E2%80%99s-best-football-ahead-him

 

The Cowboys website writer and former NFL scout Bryan Broaddus gives a detailed scouting report on Taco Charlton.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/28/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-early-scouting-report-cowboys%E2%80%99-pick-taco-charlton

[eagle eye]

Rounds two and three are in the books and Dallas has gone all defense with their first three picks. In the 2nd round they took CB Chidobe Awuzie from Colorado who, according to CBSSports.com was ranked at the 4th best CB in the draft behind Marshawn Lattimore, Gareon Conley and Kevin King. Dallas came right back in the 3rd round and got another CB, Michigan's Jourdan Lewis.

 

Here is CBSSports.com's pre-draft assessment of Awuzie that includes his combine and pro day workout results. Notice that he is fast running a 4.43 40 at both the combine and his pro day.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/2079069/chidobe-awuzie

5'

This article linked below from DallasCowboys.com talks about how Awuzie will fit into the Cowboys defense.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/28/how-second-round-pick-chidobe-awuzie-will-fit-defensive-plans

 

Jourdan Lewis is short with his 5'10" listed height reportedly being pretty generous and he is not overly fast as he ran a 4.54 40 at both his pro day and the combine. He is known as a playmaker and a really good man coverage guy. Here is the CBSSports assessment of Lewis.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/2071724/jourdan-lewis

 

Again, from DallasCowboys.com is the article that describes how Lewis will fit into the Cowboys defense. My own opinion is I don't understand why Dallas chose Lewis when Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley was available. Tankersley is bigger at 6'1" and much faster running a 4.40 at the combine and his pro day. I am really scratching my head over this pick as Lewis was not the best CB available when he was selected. This is one case where we have to trust that Will McClay and the Cowboys scouting department know what they are doing.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/28/how-third-round-pick-jourdan-lewis-will-fit-now-crowded-secondary

 

Here is an early scouting report on all three of the Cowboys draft picks so far from Bryan Broaddus from DallasCowboys.com.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/29/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-early-scouting-reports-draft-picks-awuzie-lewis-charlton

 

In the link below, Broaddus lists 9 players who would make sense for the Cowboys on Day 3 of the draft.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/29/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-9-draft-prospects-who-could-make-sense-cowboys-day-3

[eagle eye]

The draft is over and I’m exhausted. Not so much by the draft itself but by the draft, the astros and my wife’s honey-dos. It was a busy weekend that started last Thursday night. I did not know the end of April could be so damn tiring! I love that May has begun under a cool front and the low temp this morning was 54o! Just a nice cool morning to make Monday seem a little less unbearable.

Did I like the Cowboys draft? Yes, I think so but I’m disappointed they didn’t draft a little more depth for the O-line.

I’ve already posted who Dallas picked in the first 3 rounds but it was on Day 3 of the draft that Dallas really made some moves. Dallas made their regularly scheduled pick in the 4th round and they chose North Carolina WR Ryan Switzer. This kid is cocky bragging that he is the best kick returner in this draft. He actually may be right considering he had 7 kick returns for TD’s in his career at UNC. When you look at Switzer think of him as a better Lucky Whitehead.

The Cowboys didn’t have a 5th round pick because they traded that away when they signed Matt Cassel 2 years ago. It sucks that Cassel is still screwing the Cowboys over long after he is gone from the Cowboys roster. Dallas made their first move by trading up 20 spots with NY Jets in a deal that Dallas also gave up their 2018 5th round pick. The Cowboys must have a phobia for 5th round picks. Anyway, with pick 191, the 6th pick in that 6th round Dallas took S Xavier Woods from LA Tech. What sets Wood apart from past safeties is he has a penchant for turnovers. In his college career Woods had 14 INT’s and 9 forced fumbles. Thank you for getting a playmaker Jerry.

With their second 6th round pick Dallas selected their 3rd CB of the draft getting Marquez White from Florida State. Dallas actually traded down from pick 211 to 216 with New England and the Cowboys also picked up an extra 7th round pick as well. White makes 4 DB’s selected in this draft which will make for a very crowded secondary roster. The Cowboys denied rumors they wanted to deal away Orlando Scandrick but you would think it would be hard to keep 6 CB’s on the roster.

The Cowboys first 7th rounder, pick 228, Dallas took a defensive tackle from Florida named Joey Ivie. Ivie is a big bodied 1 technique player who will give depth to the D-line.

The Cowboys 2nd 7th rounder is another WR, Noah Brown, from Ohio State. Brown is a big bodied WR in the mold of Dez Bryant. He is also like Dez in that he is very physical and he can and will go up and fight for the ball and more often than not come down with it. With the depth Dallas already has at WR it is very likely Brown will end up on the practice squad when all is said and done.

The Cowboys used their final pick in the draft at 248 to get another DT. This time they are said to have used the pick to get a guy they were targeting as a priority free agent but they were afraid he wouldn’t make out of the draft so they selected him in much the same vein as they picked up TE Rico Gathers last year with their last pick. This is another project player who is believed will make it as a practice squad member. His name is Jordan Carroll and he’s from Colorado giving Dallas two draft picks from CU. The first was their 2nd round pick CB Chidobe Awuzie.

 

Here’s a look at all six day 3 picks by the Cowboys from both ESPN.com and DallasCowboys.com.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4759059/dallas-cowboys-2017-draft-picks-analysis-for-every-selection

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/04/29/broaddus-gives-scouting-report-all-6-cowboys-day-3-selections

[eagle eye]

The most awesome news for the Cowboys actually came prior to the draft during Jerry Jones and company’s pre-draft press conference. During that presser Jerry told the media present that one of the things the Cowboys are most excited about is that last year’s 2nd round pick and their first 4th round pick from last year, Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper will be available for OTAs with Smith attending the rookie minicamp next weekend. Jones went on to say that Smith is making significant progress in getting the feeling back in his injured knee. The torn ligaments suffered against Ohio State in the bowl game which was Smith’s and Ezekiel Elliott’s final college game have been surgically repaired. The knee is structurally sound and healthy. The other part of that injury was the damage to the peroneal nerve that caused Smith to lose feeling in his lower leg. It also caused a condition called drop foot which basically means he can’t flex his foot. To be able to walk or run Smith has had to wear a brace. The fear all along was that the nerve would never fire and Smith would have to wear the brace for the rest of his life and also prevent Smith from ever reaching his potential as a football player. Now, Smith has been said to be able to run and cut well enough with the brace to be able to play football but the reports that the damaged nerve is getting feeling back means that Smith is well on his way to a full recovery. The fact that he’s been cleared as a full participant in the Cowboys OTA’s along with news of his nerve starting fire again is excellent news. Not just for the Cowboys but for Smith who appears to be returning to a normal life which is, in the end, the most important thing of all.

Dallas had a really good draft and according to ESPN they are one of the teams considered winners in this year’s draft. When you add to this draft class the ability of two of last year’s top defensive picks Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper as what amounts to redshirt freshmen, the Cowboys have, in effect, added 7 important defensive players out of 9 draft picks and 2 might-as-well-be rookies. The excitement Jones showed when he talked about having both Taco Charlton and Charles Tapper was apparent. The hope was that Tapper, who ran a scorching 4.59 40 at the scouting combine and a 4.56 at his pro day workout, would blow up as a 4-3 defensive end for Dallas after being buried as a 3-4 defensive end with Oklahoma. The speed is one thing but couple that with his 6’3” and 271 pound physical size and that speed is scary fast. Hopefully, the back issues that sidelined Tapper for all of 2016 are all in the rearview mirror.

If WR Ryan Switzer is as good as he has been billed then Lucky Whitehead might be looking for work as early as training camp.

Having a Dez clone in 7th round pick Noah Brown who also comes from a very good Power 5 school in Ohio State is a good thing. The competition in the wide receiver room is going to be very intense and that is a very good thing from the Cowboys point of view.

An interesting article from DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman is linked below as Helman talks about a brand new perspective of this Dallas Cowboys roster after last weekend’s draft.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/01/helman-all-sudden-roster-looks-deeper-it-has-years

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys finished their draft nearly two weeks ago and in the first week after the draft all eyes began turning toward the signing of priority free agents. This article from DallasCowboys.com is basically a list of 14 apparent UDFA's if you believe what the 14 posted on social media. The official list of signings will occur this week as Dallas looks to finalize their 90 man roster and get all their rookies into next weekend's rookie mini camp.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/01/cowbuzz-rookie-free-agents-take-twitter-announce-expected-signings

 

Since the 14 were tentatively announced DallasCowboys.com has been posting profiles of the players and it's way past time I played a little catchup and I will link each article about these players in the order they were posted on the Cowboys website.

 

QB Cooper Rush - Central Michigan

TE Blake Jarwin - Oklahoma State

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/02/undrafted-series-breaking-down-14-rookie-free-agents-starts-cmu-qb

 

OL Nate Theaker - Wayne State

OT Dan Skipper - Arkansas

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/03/undrafted-series-taking-look-two-new-cowboys-offensive-linemen

 

DE Lewis Neal - LSU

LB Lucas Wacha - Wyoming

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/04/undrafted-series-analyzing-2-more-rookie-defenders-expected-sign

 

LB Kennan Gilchrist - Appalachian State

RB Jahad Thomas - Temple

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2017/05/05/undrafted-series-temple-rb-among-rookie-free-agents-expected-sign