With the Scouting Combine really kicking off today, the medical examinations and most importantly personal interviews of offensive line prospects highlight the Cowboys radar. Stanford OG David DeCastro will undergo the Wonderlic Test, and Wisconsin C Peter Konz will be checked out by NFL medical guys for his blood clots from two years ago and his ankle injury from 2011.
DeCastro and Konz are the top two interior line prospects for the Cowboys, but hardly the only ones available for them in the first two rounds. Gerogia's Cordy Glenn, Miami's Brandon Washington, Troy's James Brown, Wisconsin's Kevin Zeitler and Iowa State's Kelechi Osemele are just some of the guard prospects rated as second round talents by Drafttek.com. Throw in Georgia center Ben Jones to the mix, not to mention the dozens of prospects for rounds 3-7 and Dallas' job of collecting information in Indianapolis is in full swing.
Still, without the insights leaking from the Lucas Oil Stadium, Cowboys scribes still have to pump out articles, which means we still need to provide you with the news round up. Follow the jump to see what folks are saying about your Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys hopeful Bruce Carter is ready | ESPN Dallas
Head Coach Jason Garrett says that Carter contributed exactly what they expected last season, coming off of ACL surgery late in his final collegiate campaign.
So, he misses training camp and he doesn’t practice for the team until the middle of the season and he comes in and contributes on teams. We still like him a lot. He came back from the injury as well as can be expected. Typically, coming back from those injuries is a year-and-a-half to two years. Ask anybody who has had an ACL surgery and they say, ‘I didn’t feel quite right in Year One. I felt a lot better in Year Two.’ He’s coming up on Year Two. We’re excited about getting him in the offseason program, getting him with Mike Woicik and making sure he is physically ready and stable and ready to roll. We’re [excited] to see how he progress into OTAs and training camp."
Inside the NFL Draft: Cowboys Team Needs | National Football Post
NFP took some time to put together their top priorities for Dallas, and then went and provided some names for each position. The strange thing is that their descriptions didn't always put the prospects in the best light. In certain cases, it highlights the lack of depth at the position, like safety.
TOP PRIORITY: CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins
SECONDARY PRIORITY: S Mark Barron, George Iloka
NFP calls Kirkpatrick someone that should excel as both a zone and a press coverage corner. As we all know, press coverage isn't something the Cowboys have done much of in recent years. They also say that Jenkins size shouldn't be an issue and he'll be able keep up with NFL receivers with no problem. I worry about jump ball situations with players like Megatron and Hakeem Nicks, and possibly Dwayne Bowe if he joins the NFC East.
Here are a couple other of their write-ups:
George Iloka SS, Boise State: Iloka is a tall kid with solid balance for his size and has some natural athleticism and pop. Has experience playing corner and being a physical press coverage man. However, he isn't a guy who can quickly re-direct and close on the football in the deep half. He needs to play with his hands on defenders, but is a more coordinated bigger safety than say Seahawks starter Kam Chancellor and he could start at the next level.
Mychal Kendricks ILB, California: Is a thick, shorter compact backer who explodes through contact and is a real violent striker. Finds the ball quickly vs. the run and has the range to make plays in pursuit. Lacks ideal size however to stack and shed and lacks a great feel in zone. However, as a thumper inside with the potential to get into the backfield as a blitzer who should get plenty of looks from 34 teams in need of a versatile, high motor backer.
Cowboys talk with Anthony Spencer's agent | ESPN Dallas
As Rabble alluded to in his post from earlier today, it appears that Dallas is seeing what can be worked out to bring Spencer back into the fold for 2012. While I've softened my stance a little, I still wonder where the additional pressure will come from is Spencer is the man opposite Ware next year.
"We just have to continue to talk about it and figure out what we want to do," Garrett said. "We've had a lot of discussions on this topic right now. We have some time to do it. Anthony Spencer has been a very good player for us and we have some different options that we can explore and that we've talked about. We're not ready to make that decision. We don't have to make it yet. But you have to evaluate the landscape of how you can acquire talent. You have to look at who's available in the draft, who's available in free agency and who's available on your team, and then you try to make your best decision. We're just not there yet with Spence."
Abram Elam hires CAA's Tom Condon | ESPN Dallas
The free agent safety fired Drew Rosenhaus late last season and has now signed on with the guy that represents Cowboys Tony Romo, Doug Free, Jason Witten and Terence Newman. Good call, Abe.
Cowboys alter secondary coaches' duties | ESPN Dallas
"Jerome Henderson is the secondary coach and Joe Baker is the assistant secondary coach, so at different times Jerome will be with the corners and Joe will be with the safeties," Garrett said. "That’s just the mechanics and logistics of practice. Like an offensive line coach, he’ll have centers and guards today and the assistant offensive line coach will take the tackles, but it’s not like he’s the tackle guy and he’s the center/guard guy. Or he’s a safety or cornerback guy. It’ll be a different set up than what we had before."
Under The Cap: NFC East Overview | Football Outsiders
FO consolidates the cap situation of all the NFC East teams, but comes up with a different total for Dallas than what we've been seeing floating around.
Cowboys: $12 million under(corrected) | Giants: $5-7 million over | Eagles: $18 million under | Redskins: $45-48 million under