Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Will Dez Bryant Play Under Franchise Tag In 2015?

Cowboys and Dez Bryant haven't talked yet - Todd Archer, Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN
In response to a Twitter question, Todd Archer explains what the money from the Romo restructuring is earmarked for, and gives his take on whether a Dez Bryant contract extension could happen in the next few months.

Most of the money the Cowboys have gained by restructuring the contract of Tony Romo is already spoken for. It will go to Greg Hardy's roster bonuses, Rolando McClain's contract and the draft picks. They don't need added cap space to do a deal for Dez Bryant. He's already counting $12.823 million against the cap.

If they get Bryant to sign a long-term deal you could see that number cut in half, but this isn't a deal that will happen in a week or a couple of weeks. The two sides haven't talked. Maybe it picks up by the July 15 deadline, but if I had to guess right now, I think Bryant plays the season on the franchise tag.

2015 Draft Profile – DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville | Bob Sturm, Dallas Morning News
If the Cowboys can't get an extension done with Dez Bryant this year, they have the option of franchising him again for 2016. Would they still be interested in a long-term extension after that? If that's a viable scenario, then the Cowboys may be in the market for a new No. 1 receiver soon, and the 6’3, 212 Devante Parker could be just such a guy, at least according to Bob Sturm.

I think this guy has real star qualities and no deficiencies at all. He is a dominant receiver who should only get better in the NFL where he gets more favorable throws and opportunities to shine. I think he is slightly under-valued because he is not on that Alabama stage and also missed half of his senior year, but make no mistake – DeVante Parker is special.

Playmaker Score 2015 - Football Outsiders
And while we're on the topic of wide receivers, Football Outsiders rate the top receivers in the draft by their "Playmaker Score," an aggregate of college stats and vertical jump score from the Combine. Here's how they rank the receivers (a player with a 75 percent Playmaker Rating scores more highly than 75 percent of wide receiver prospects drafted since 1996).

• Very high on Amari Cooper (95.4%), Sammie Coates (89.9%), Nelson Aghelor (88.6%)
• Down on Dorial Green-Beckham (67.7%), Devante Parker (45.9%), Kevin White (39.1%)

Projecting the top pass-rushing prospects - ESPN
If you completely and utterly disagree with the wide receiver takes above, maybe this is more to your liking. Football Outsiders projects the top pass rushers in the draft with their SackSEER metric. It's an in$ider piece, so here are their top 5:

1. Vic Beasley (34.1 sacks in 5 years), 2. Randy Gregory (32.6), 3. Bud Dupree (24.7), 4. Eli Harold (24.3), 5. Dante Fowler (21.1)

Six prospects who have seen their draft stock rise the most over the past few weeks:- NFL.com
An NFL roundtable identified the draft prospects that improved their draft stock the most: Clemson's Vic Beasley, latest Cowboys fan favorite Byron Jones, speedy Miami receiver Phillip Dorsett, LSU offensive lineman La'el Collins, and Kentucky edge rusher Bud Dupree.

Eight reasons why pre-draft visits are overrated - NFL.com
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

WR Terrance Williams makes ailing young fan’s day | Shehan Jeyarajah, Dallas Morning News
For one young Cowboys fan, a message from one of his heroes meant the world.

Bucs unload Goldson in trade with Redskins | TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune
The Redskins are celebrating their new safety, the Buccaneers breathe a sigh of relief that they finally got rid of Goldson.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been looking for a team to take safety Dashon Goldson off their hands for almost a year.

"Dashon did not play as well as we need him to,’’ Bucs coach Lovie Smith said recently of the eight-year veteran. "We’ll just have to wait and see how everything else plays out.’’

Goldson’s departure played out the way many have expected since late last season, when he started to cede playing time to second-year safety Bradley McDougald.