Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Offseason Program Starts Tomorrow

Dallas Cowboys 2014 Offseason Dates For Mini-Camp And OTAs - Blogging The Boys
Here are the key offseason dates for the Cowboys between now and the start of the season:

April 21: Start of offseason workout program
May 8-10: NFL Draft
Rookie Minicamp (Probably weekend of May 16-18, possibly earlier)
Three OTA sessions (veterans and rookies): May 21-23, May 28-30, June 3-6
June 11-13: Mandatory Minicamp
Training camp opens 15 days prior to first preseason game (Betw. July 24 and July 27)
Week One (Aug. 7-10) — at San Diego
Week Two (Aug. 14-18) — vs. Baltimore at AT&T Stadium
Week Three (Aug. 21-24) — at Miami
Week Four (Aug. 28) — vs. Denver at AT&T Stadium

Cowboys players and workout bonuses - OverTheCap.com
The Cowboys begin their offseason workouts on Monday, and one factor to consider is that some players have a bonus tied to a certain level of participation in these workouts. While it varies from team to team, generally speaking, most teams require their players to participate in at least 80-90 percent of the workouts to realize the bonus. In contrast to other teams, the Cowboys have never had much difficulty in getting their players to participate in their offseason program. As a result, workout bonuses are not a big part of the Cowboys contract structure. Here are the seven players with workout bonuses:

Dez Bryant: $250,000
Bruce Carter: $50,000
DeMarco Murray: $25,000
Dwayne Harris: $10,000
J.J. Wilcox: $10,000
Terrance Williams: $10,000
Tyrone Crawford: $10,000

Instead of finding finished products, identifying 'intangibles' key to Garrett's draft strategy | David Moore, DMN
David Moore argues that the Cowboys need a defensive haul in the draft like they had in 2005, when they landed DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Kevin Burnett, Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff. So how are the Cowboys going to go about that monumental task? By looking for the right kind of people: Talented players, but also "players who possess a blend of ability, temperament and passion that goes beyond what can be measured by the 40 or in the weight room."

"My experience has been when the guys have the right intangibles, they typically are able to fulfill their potential," Garrett said. "There are plenty of examples that we all have throughout our careers of guys who had the right stuff inside of them that allowed them to be the great players that they were. So we got to get to know the player and see what they are all about and what's meaningful to them.’’

"You can’t be afraid to want to coach guys. You don’t necessarily want finished products, but you want guys who have traits as a player and as a person who you feel can develop and find a role on your team.’’

Travis Frederick: My rookie year was OK; fewer distractions will help me become a better player | Jon Machota, DMN
Frederick walked away with All-Rookie Team honors from the Pro Football Writers of America last year, but believes his first year was just "okay."

"I think it went OK," Frederick said. "I saw a great deal of improvement throughout the season. You go back and look at the film, to me, it looks like I’m a different player at the end of the year than I was at the beginning of the year."

Frederick added: "Your rookie year, I think your biggest challenge is not knowing what’s coming next, even from one game to the next, or how to handle practice on this day and this week. But after having been through it, I think it kind of helps you prepare for that and know what you need to be able to do for the next week and kind of that grind of putting it all together."

NFL Draft Needs: Cowboys, Bears good bets to draft defensive tackle in first round | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
Frank Schwab looks at which teams will be in the market at each position, and believes the Bears and Cowboys are the leading candidates to take a defensive tackle.

Dallas needs a lot of help, particularly on its horrible defense, and the line is a great place to start. A good inside presence is almost a must at pick No. 16, someone like Florida State's Timmy Jernigan or Pitt's Aaron Donald.

NFL Draft: 10 worst first-round quarterbacks drafted since 2000 - CBSSports.com
So there's always that: None of the 10 biggest QB busts of the last 13 years was drafted by the Cowboys - although Brandon Weeden, number four on this list, is now a Cowboy.

Source: Dolphins zeroing in on tackles not named Zack Martin | www.palmbeachpost.com
Claiming a source with knowledge of the situation, the Palm Beach Post writes that Miami GM Dennis Hickey prefers Alabama offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio over Zack Martin, whom he considers a guard, and might even take Kouandjio over Taylor Lewan at No. 19, if Lewan were still available.