Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Cowboys Still Looking For WR, Safety?

Free Agent Safeties, WRs Still Remain As List Dwindles - Rowan Kavner, DallasCowboys.com
Kavner writes that the Cowboys still have a little over $5 million in cap space remaining, and that's before another $5 million are set to kick in on June 1 after Miles Austin’s release. Many of the top free agents remaining are safeties and receivers, Kavner writes, and suggests three names at each position: Major Wright (25), Thomas Decoud (29) and Mike Adams (33) at safety; Nate Burleson (32), Santonio Holmes (30) and Jason Avant (30) at wide receiver. The Cowboys may still do something in free agency this year, but proposing a bunch of guys on the wrong side of the age curve doesn't seem to fit the direction the franchise is currently pursuing.

Former Cowboys TE Jay Novacek on Dez Bryant: Issues that ‘plagued him in the past are gone now’ | David Moore, Dallas Morning News
Jay Novacek has been a mentor for Bryant since the two met two years ago in Oxnard, and Novacek is pleased with the progress Bryant has made.

"The game is 100 percent mental. You’ve got to be able to mentally control things in all parts of your life.

"I think that’s what he’s done more than anything. The things that have plagued him in the past are gone now. Whether it was his fault or someone else’s fault or the situation, whatever it was, they’re past him and he’s able to be able to say, ‘you know, life is good. Life is all-right. Things are going to happen. I’m going to get over that and I’m going to go out and play the game.’

"I think that has allowed him to really free up mentally and concentrate more or where I need to be and when I need to be there.’’

Who gets paid first, Tyron Smith or Dez Bryant? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Neither player is going anywhere, as they'll both eventually sign long-term contract extensions in Dallas. Archer thinks Smith will get his extension first.

2014 Cowboys Weekly Draft Notebook, Big Board #1 | Bob Sturm, FOX Sports
Bob Sturm puts together his first big board of the season from a "hypothetical Dallas Cowboys perspective". It is limited to the seven most likely position groups for the top two picks for Dallas (QB, T, G, DE, DT, LB, S), but it is an interesting read nonetheless.

Five Skill Position Prospects To Know | SportsonEarth.com : Russ Lande Article
Many Cowboys fans reacted negatively when news surfaced that the Cowboys had a private workout with tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz out of Iowa. Russ Lande has nothing but positive things to say about Fiedorowicz, who's one of five skill position players flying under the radar.

The craze in the NFL is to find dynamic tight ends who run like receivers and can change games, but the reality is there are very few tight ends like that who actually exist. Fiedorowicz is a vastly underrated athlete who possesses the skill set to be a complete tight end.

2008 NFL Draft do-over - NFL.com
How would the 2008 NFL Draft play out if held with the benefit of hindsight? Bucky Brooks revisits the first round, suggesting that the not draft Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins again. Instead, Brooks offers OG Carl Nicks and safety Thomas DeCoud for consideration. What makes this do-over especially noteworthy is that Brooks has Martellus Bennett (already on his third team) going 18th overall, and Orlando Scandrick going 27th.

Final Four 2014: AT&T Stadium is a perfect host in size, scale - SBNation.com
The Final Four is coming to Jerry's World. Scott Coleman runs down what you need to know about AT&T Stadium and includes a time-lapse video of how the football stadium was converted into a basketball court in what looks like six days.

How to see through the noise of draft season | theScore.com
During draft season, "too often hope is mistaken for knowledge," Sean Tomlinson writes, and proceeds to dole out some sound draft advice that's well worth checking out.

An inside look at NFL prospect visits - ESPN Boston
A timely reminder by ESPN Boston on what the pre-draft visits by draft prospects mean:

Here's the skinny: Beginning April 1, each NFL team is permitted to bring 30 prospects in for a visit, not to exceed one full day (players may travel in the night before, but they cannot stay for multiple nights). The visits are not workouts -- players do not do any on-field work. They are, more accurately, one-day interviews that also involve medical exams.

There's no precise blueprint for how these visits work, but they often begin with the medical exam for teams to answer any outstanding questions. Players then meet with coaches and members of the personnel department, reviewing film or just speaking more extensively than they have previously. The visits also often include a sit-down meal so the players can enjoy and familiarize themselves with the city.

NFL running backs' decreasing value amplified in 2014 free agency | The MMQB
Andy Benoit: Decreasing big-play potency, ever-evolving offenses and just plain cheaper alternatives leading to dramatic decline in the worth of RBs.

Vikings' Kyle Rudolph says he's NFL's best tight end - NFL.com
Who?