Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Spencer Hopes To "Be Back By Training Camp."

Anthony Spencer glad to be back with Dallas Cowboys - ESPN Dallas
Spencer gives us the first indication of where he's at in his recovery from microfracture surgery, courtesy of the always reliable Todd Archer:

"It’s getting there," Spencer said. "I’ve probably got another month or so. When I had the surgery, they said it was a six- to eight-month recovery. I’m in the five- to seven-month range now. I just need to continue to get it stronger and stronger."

"I’m taking it day by day and hopefully I’ll be back for training camp. I know it’s not going to be the [organized team activities] but camp is what I’m shooting for."

"I think it would be pretty important [to have some playing time in training camp] just being out for a year," Spencer said. "It takes some time to get the footwork down and your hands ready and get everything coordinated again."

Timmy Jernigan has to be capable of being a 3-technique DT for Cowboys to consider in first round | John Machota, DMN
Stephen Jones lays down the law on which defensive tackles get a first-round grade in Dallas:

"There’s a lot of defensive linemen that merit first round picks," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "If a player’s ceiling may be a one-technique, then it may be hard for him to make our first round."

Mike Mayock's position rankings for 2014 NFL Draft - NFL.com
Mike Mayock released his updated NFL draft rankings Monday. No changes at defensive end, but Ra'Shede Hageman moves ahead of Timmy Jernigan into the second spot behind Aaron Donald on the DT rankings. And BTB favorite Dominique Easley cracks the top five.

Re-setting Cowboys D-line - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer runs through a list of the 12 defensive linemen currently on the Cowboys roster, and correctly concludes that despite the numbers, the Cowboys can still "use an infusion of talent and a natural pass rusher."

Eatman: Schedule Suggests Opponent Ready To Break Out - DallasCowboys.com
Eatman looks at the history of the Week 2 game and Week 2 opponent and draws some startling conclusions, including how the Cowboys' performance in Week 2 "has been rather telling" for the rest of the season, and this gem:

In the last four years, the Cowboys’ Week 2 opponent is averaging a six-game turnaround from the previous season.

I always knew the Cowboys had magic powers, this just confirms it.

Deep receiver pool could help Dallas Cowboys - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
The Cowboys have not had a lot of wide receivers among their pre-draft visitors. In fact, only two of the 27 confirmed national pre-draft visitors were wide receivers. But that doesn't mean they won't draft one at some point, writes Archer.

ESPN Insider Todd McShay said there are 21 receivers with grades in the first four rounds. "And I don't think we're reaching," McShay said in a conference call last week, "and I think four or five others could get into the mix."

For the Cowboys that is good news. They have obvious defensive needs (end, tackle, safety) and could look for offensive line help in the first three rounds as well. With so much depth at receiver, the Cowboys could be able to find a contributor in Rounds 3-5 and feel OK about him playing right away.

Dallas Cowboys will ‘figure out a way’ to get Johnny Manziel, per report | Audibles - SI.com
Jim Nanz, apparently tired of of his gig as the play-by-play guy for CBS, appears to be trying his hand as an investigative reporter, which Josh Sanchez turns into the headline above. Here's the verbatim of what Nanz said when he was talking specifically about Manziel coming to Cleveland:

"I can say this, he’s going to be the guy everyone wants to see. I’ve heard this rumor for a month -- the Cowboys will figure out a way to get Manziel. Wherever Manziel goes, there is going to be more clamoring about Johnny Manziel than there would be about Blake Bortles going No. 1 or (Jadeveon) Clowney going No. 1, or anyone else. This is a guy that there’s just a tremendous interest in everything he does."

"If the Browns take him, the interest in the Cleveland Browns nationally -- and that’s true for any team – is going be just off the charts. The Cleveland opener in Pittsburgh is going to be the most talked about game Week 1 if Johnny Manziel is the quarterback."

That quote somehow became the headline above. Go figure.

Stephen Jones: ‘Purely speculation’ that Cowboys would draft Johnny Manziel if QB fell to No. 16 | John Machota, DMN
This headline does an excellent job of summarizing the entirety of the article it sits on top of.

Vikings, Buccaneers front-runners to draft Johnny Manziel - NFL.com
This article has a more measured take on which team will land Manziel, handicappig the teams as follows: Vikings or Bucs (45% chance); Browns, Jaguars or Rams (30%); Raiders, Texans & Cowboys (15%); Titans, Eagles Cardinals or Jets (7%) - note that by now, this list already includes 12 of the top 20 picks in the draft - Patriots (2%) and any other team (1%).