Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Dez Bryant Is Taking Care Of Business

Turmoil hits Dez Bryant’s inner circle; rift between old adviser, new agents clouds contract talks | Brandon George, Dallas Morning News
Brandon George details how Dez Bryant has begun severing business ties with some longtime associates, and how that process hasn't been as smooth as it could have been. You'll have to read the entire article to get a picture of what is going on, but as you do, bear in mind that Bryant's old associates get a lot of space in this piece while his new ones don't.

Dispute in Dez Bryant camp one hurdle in Cowboys contract talks - Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Dallas
JJT explains that the legal wrangling for control over Bryant's contracts and finances is among the reasons the star receiver has yet to reach a long-term deal with the Cowboys.

Spagnola: Dez About To Discover Just How Much He’s Grown | Dallas Cowboys
Spagnola puts his usual positive spin on things.

But times have changed. Dez no longer is that 21-year-old kid floating in no-man’s land. He is 26, going on 27. He has five years of NFL experience. He has earned the right to make more money this coming season than his first five years combined in the NFL. He has made a name for himself. Has become a good teammate, and to the naked eye a responsible citizen, if only suffering a few blips on the radar.

It’s almost as if Dez is saying, thanks, but I got this.

And with that, Dez Bryant is about to face life’s man coverage, as if outgrowing that nurturing zone that has guided him through some murky waters to this point. It seems as though this is going to be all on him now.

2015 NFL Draft: How will playoff teams approach first round? - NFL.com
Daniel Jeremiah explains how playoff teams might attack Round 1, and suggests the Cowboys might trade down if they miss out on both Gurley and Gordon.

Back in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Cowboys traded one spot ahead of the Ravens to take Dez Bryant and keep him from Baltimore. If Gurley starts to slide a bit, the Cowboys could do the same thing -- leapfrog Baltimore and get their hands on the Georgia running back.

But if the Joneses can't get to one of the top two backs in this draft, they could trade out of the pick, use some of the extra draft currency to address defensive needs and look to scoop up Boise State's Jay Ajayi in the second round. One way or another, Dallas needs to add a quality player to the backfield in the wake of DeMarco Murray's departure.

Todd McShay: Cowboys have chance to draft cornerback with ‘the tools to be great’ | Jon Machota - Dallas Morning News
Todd McShay was asked Friday about which corner would be a good fit for the Cowboys.

The four names McShay mentioned were Michigan State’s Trae Waynes, Washington’s Marcus Peters, Wake Forest’s Kevin Johnson and Connecticut’s Byron Jones. McShay said he has first-round grades on the first three with Jones coming in "slightly behind."

McShay then provides a detailed evaluation of each player.

Bob Sturm’s Top Ten: Cornerbacks | Dallas Morning News
Luckily for the Cowboys and others in need, this year's cornerback class is impressive and deep. Sturm provides his top ten ranking for CBs and conveniently adds a link to his scouting report for each prospect.

Bob Sturm’s Top Five: Safeties | Dallas Morning News
Sturm is keeping busy, and added a safety ranking to to his earlier cornerback ranking. Of interest: He ranks Utah's Eric Rowe as the No.2 safety, and only has Damarious Randall as his No. 5.

Mike Mayock's 2015 NFL Draft position rankings 4.0 - NFL.com
Mike Mayock's updated position rankings contain only one noteworthy change: Alabama's Landon Collins, long considered the top safety in the draft, loses his top spot to Cowboys favorite Damarious Randall.

2014: The Year Offensive Line Continuity Died - Football Outsiders
There was not a single team in the NFL that started the same five offensive linemen in all 16 regular-season games. FO tracks offensive lines based on the number of different starters they had over the course of the season, the number of times the starting line changed from one game to the next, and the longest stretch of starting the same five players in the same five positions.

The Cowboys come in with a surprisingly low score of 32, tied for just 13th-best in the league. The reason: Mackenzy Bernadeau started for Ron Leary once, and Jermey Parnell stepped in for Doug Free for two stretches.

Efe Obada Diary - NFLUK.com
The Cowboys' most recent signing, London-based Efe Obada, is keeping a weekly diary on NFL UK.com. Here's an excerpt from this week's instalment:

The attention I received from the media at the time of signing with the Cowboys was unreal. I wasn’t expecting the story to be that big. I knew the Dallas Cowboys were a big team and I knew this was big for me, but I didn’t think the reaction would be like that. It was amazing.

From a football point of view, I’m learning two positions at the moment in defensive end and tight end and I actually prefer that. Now, if I’m rushing the man, I know what I would do as a tight end trying to block. It helps me a lot and I’m understanding both sides of the ball.

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