Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Brandon Weeden In The Spotlight

Brandon Weeden in line to be Tony Romo's back-up - Cowboys Ride For Free
The SB Nation site for the Oklahoma State Cowboys has been keeping track of Brandon Weeden's professional career. Mark Travis is pleased to see Weeden in Dallas, as he's been arguing for a while that Weeden simply needed a better environment than what he was drafted into in Cleveland in order to have a realistic chance to prove himself.

Dallas is basically the polar opposite of Cleveland when it comes to making things easier on the quarterback, and the offensive talent they have can help bring out the best in Weeden. He has an incredibly strong arm, he knows where to place the ball and he's accurate. When Weeden has time in the pocket he can deliver some real strikes, and the Cowboys have the playmakers to collaborate with him on big plays.

He's obviously got some flaws; he needs to work on making quicker and better decisions, especially when pressured, and he can be better at making reads. But the physical tools necessary to be a good quarterback have always been there. His skillset enabled him to be a superstar in college and I believe that he can be a competent contributor in the pros. Of course, in today's NFL, competency isn't enough from the quarterback; most need to be able to carry their teams to glory.

Position Series: Orton Cut Latest In Busy QB Offseason - Rowan Kavner, DC.com
Kavner comes to a similar conclusion about Weeden, although he is a little more diplomatic in the words he uses.

If he’s starting at quarterback for the Cowboys, the season hasn’t gone as planned. But the Cowboys brought Weeden in for a reason. Despite his age, they want to develop the former first-round pick and believe in his potential. The Browns didn’t boast the greatest supporting group in the league for a young quarterback while Weeden was there, and the Cowboys hope they can bring him along to become the player Cleveland thought it was getting. But, undoubtedly, the Cowboys also hope they won’t need to resort to that.

Last Time Out: A Look At The Four QBs Remaining - DallasCowboys.com
Bryan Broaddus believes the Cowboys could go with three QBs this year, and that they could go for youth with the third spot.

These scouts are extremely high on Dustin Vaughan and he could very well get the nod over Hanie -- a big picture move for the future. The last two seasons, this front office has decided to go with just two quarterbacks, which has saved the extra roster spot. But with the health questions surrounding Tony Romo going into camp, I don’t believe they can take that chance. With questions at other positions as well, having to keep that third quarterback on the roster will affect some other plans such as an extra receiver, tight end, defensive linemen or linebacker.

Kyle Orton move could aid Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant deals - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer notes that releasing Orton created $2.7 million in cap space for the Cowboys, bringing their total cap space to $10.7 million. That money gives the Cowboys "more wiggle room" to get deals done with Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith.

What to do with Dallas Cowboys' roster spot? - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer writes that while Josh Brent has been touted as a possibility for the open roster spot, the Cowboys are more likely to look for an extra blocking tight end, or perhaps a training camp body at WR or CB to take some of the pressure off the current players.

Barry Church on the (surprising) Cowboys defender who's had the best offseason | DMN
The DMN has a partial transcript of an interview Barry Church gave on KESN-FM 103.3, in which he's asked to give an assessment of a handful of his defensive teammates. Here's what he had to say about Morris Claiborne:

To me he's had the best offseason out of anybody in our secondary and anybody on our defense. He's completely focused. Before, I would have to give him the check to the defense a couple of times, and now, I'm just like, boom - there's the call and he's ready to roll.

Quick look at Cowboys' 2015 schedule - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
No spoilers on this one. If you want to know who the Cowboys opponents will be in 2015, you can go to Wikipedia and figure it out yourself, or you can head over to ESPNDallas and get all the details without having to figure anything out.

Tony Romo better stay healthy this season | New York Post
Like 31 other projected NFL starting quarterbacks, Tony Romo had "better stay healthy."

DeMarco Murray feels he 'can handle' an elevated workload in 2014 | FOX Sports on MSN
Asked if he could handle 300 carries this season, Murray said he can handle it.

"If they decide to do that with me, of course," Murray told FOXSports.com, when asked if he could handle a 300-carry-a-season workload. "Whatever they decide to do with me, I think I can handle it."

"You just have to take care of your body and know when to go and fight for that extra yard or inch and know when not to," said Murray, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. "That's something about just being a smarter football player in general and knowing when you're helping your team and when you're hurting your team."

Eight players primed to regress in 2014 - NFL.com
Gregg Rosenthal and Dan Hanzus offer up players who could be hitting a career valley in 2014. Perhaps this is an oversight, but the list does not contain any Cowboys.

NFL's 10 worst offseason free agency moves - NFL - Sporting News
The list contains two former Cowboys in Miles Austin and Jason Hatcher, but notably doesn't include any current Cowboys.

The 2014 Worst Team In The NFL - The Falcoholic
Oddly, not a word about the Cowboys here either.