Cowboys News & Notes: Are You A QB-Truther Or A QB-Skeptic?

Despite QB Priority, Cowboys Must Be Judicious With 4th Pick - Mickey Spagnola, Dallas Cowboys
Mickey Spagnola outs himself: not a QB-Truther.

All I’m saying is be careful what you insist on, other than the Cowboys absolutely do not – repeat, do not – reach for need this high in the draft.

Twitter mailbag: The Cowboys' draft dilemma - Todd Archer, ESPN
Archer answers a mailbag question about whether the Cowboys should select an instant starter with the fourth pick or select a QB who'd be likely to sit.

You have hit on the dilemma the Cowboys face. I can understand arguments on both sides. The best quarterbacks come early in the draft. The Cowboys hope never to be in this position again, so why not grab Tony Romo's successor? People always bring up Aaron Rodgers as an example of taking a first-rounder and having him sit. Well, Rodgers went No. 24 overall. It’s easier to take a player that late and have him sit.

At No. 4 I think you need immediate impact if you’re not completely sold on a quarterback. By drafting at another position, offense or defense, the Cowboys get the instant benefit presumably of seeing their first-round pick play. If I’m convinced one of these quarterbacks is a lock to be successful, I’d probably take him, but if I have any question I’ll go with another position and take a chance in the second or third round on a quarterback. There’s no doubt the Cowboys are in a win-now mode with Romo, so my guess this early in the process would be they would go with immediate help at No. 4 overall.

Todd Archer: not a QB-Truther.

Cowboys' Draft Isn't Just About Quarterbacks - Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Nation
Grimaldi is a QB-Skeptic.

Chances to get quarterbacks like these with a good team behind them don’t come along often and may ensure the team never picks in this spot for a long time. That is an attractive proposition, but so is getting a player that can have an immediate impact that helps the team win now. The ‘window’ is closing on Romo and Jason Witten, so grabbing a player who you don’t want to play for a few years might be wasting another year when the Cowboys are a now team.

The Cowboys can’t go wrong as long as they make a good selection in the draft, but it isn’t just about the quarterbacks; there are good players all over the draft. Something to remember as the draft approaches.

Cowboys need to draft BPA with No. 4 pick - Kevin Sherrington, SportsDay
In a recent chat, Sherrington was asked about his take on drafting a QB with the 4th overall pick.

Bottom line: If your board has a better guy at 4 than any of the QBs available, then you should probably take him. No matter who you draft, including a QB, you're still going to have to sign a veteran QB as the backup.

Not QB-Truther either.

The Cowboys need to draft a quarterback -- just not at No. 4 - J.J. Taylor, ESPN
Not even JJT, who likes to play the contrarian, is a QB-Skeptic and suggests it's better to take the best player available with the top pick and find a QB in later rounds.

The quickest way for the Cowboys to screw up the draft is to select a quarterback who’s not worthy of the fourth pick just because Matt Cassel, Brandon Weeden and Kellen Moore combined for a 1-11 record as starters with 11 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Getting the right quarterback is a lot more important than drafting one in the first round.

Why I think Cowboys will not go quarterback in draft's first round - Brandon George, SportsDay
Not a lot of support from George for a first-round QB either.

I don't believe the Cowboys will draft a QB in the first round. My belief is that the Cowboys plug in another veteran backup QB behind Romo, hopefully one who is more capable of leading a team if Romo goes down, and then perhaps use a middle-round pick on a developmental QB. But it is a big decision for the Cowboys because, if you're a fan, you hope they're not drafting this high again anytime soon. But the QB class doesn't look to be strong this year. Hard to balance. I believe they have too many holes to fill and in a win-now situation with Romo/Witten, you can't be worried about drafting as much for the future yet.

Cowboys can find upgrade at any position with their first-round pick - Rick Gosselin, SportsDay
In a chat last week, Gosselin revealed himself to be firmly in the BPA camp.

If I'm not drafting a quarterback, I'm taking the best player on my board when I go on the clock. If it's Bosa, fine. If it's Hargraeves, fine. If it's Elliott, fine. There are enough needy areas on this depth chart that the Cowboys don't have to reach to fill a hole. Whatever player they take will be an upgrade.

Lots of QB-Skeptics at the DMN.

2016 Mock Draft: Cowboys select QB Carson Wentz - KD Drummond, CowboysHQ
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck ... The Noble Drummond looks suspiciously like a QB-Truther. In this mock, Drummond trades back to the ninth spot, where he finds Carson Wentz too good to pass up.

As it turns out, numerous blue-chip talents were still available at Pick 9. LB Myles Jack, WR LaQuan Treadwell and QB Paxton Lynch all were still on the board, as well as elite RB Ezekiel Elliot of Ohio State. The gameplan was originally trade back and select QB Carson Wentz from North Dakota State, but this presents an interesting "problem" to have for Dallas.

As always, a team needs to stick to its board, and as such, I currently have Wentz rated slightly higher than Lynch due to his winning history as well as amount of time spent under center in college.

2016 Consensus Mock Draft: Cowboys select QB Jared Goff - Drafttek.com
The computer running the Drafttek consensus mock? Certified, 100% QB-Truther.

Whoa! Jerruh finally pulls the trigger! The Cowboys haven't drafted a quarterback in the First Round since Troy Aikman. Tony Romo has proven he can't stay healthy, and it's time to find a player that can step in when #9 finally hangs up the cleats. Goff has been widely compared to Matt Ryan and would seem to fit well into Jason Garrett's offensive system that doesn't require a huge arm. He would benefit from a year or two behind Romo in order to learn how to play under center.

Mo Claiborne’s future unclear after Dallas disaster - Roy Lang, Shreveport Times
There's little doubt that Claiborne has not lived up to expectations in Dallas, and while Claiborne wouldn't mind another shot with the Cowboys, that's beginning to look less and less likely. Something Claiborne seems to be realizing.

"I’ll miss coming to work and being able to be around guys that are like a second family for me," he said.

Ultimately, Claiborne says his next destination won’t be about redemption, but his first family.

"I have to make the best decisions for my kids and for myself," said the father of two. "At the end of the day, I feel like that’s what it comes down to. I’m not in it alone."

What I think the Cowboys' free-agency approach will be - Brandon George, SportsDay
No big-name signings this year for the Cowboys, according to George.

I don't see the Cowboys going after big-name free agents but I do believe they will be active. Their salary cap situation this offseason is much better than it's been in recent seasons so they'll have the money to add some pieces in free agency if they choose, but they won't break the bank on a player. The last time they did that it didn't work out too well with Brandon Carr. And, for the most part, NFL free agency usually brings big contracts but not nearly as much impact to rosters.

Alabama RB Derrick Henry wants to be drafted by Cowboys - Dan Parr, NFL.com
Like any running back with even a rudimentary understanding of NFL offensive lines and what they can do for a running back, Derrick Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, said he wants to be picked by the Dallas Cowboys.

Henry, a junior, said on Friday that he received a second-round grade from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which provides underclassmen feedback on their draft standing before they have to decide whether to apply for early entry or stay in school. The junior led the Crimson Tide to a national title this season, rushing for a school single-season record 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 15 games.

Pro Football Focus rates Cowboys' Tyron Smith as NFL's second-best offensive lineman - SportsDay Staff
This article reviews some awards PFF has handed out for the 2015 season.

• Tyron Smith is the NFL's second-best offensive lineman, behind only Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas.
• Sean Lee was the fourth runner-up in for PFF's Comeback Player of the Year.
• Byron Jones was PFF's second runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
• Zack Martin was fourth runner-up for Best Pass Protector.

And for the Xs & Os crowd, here's a link to the Cowboys' 2006 playbook. Probably not much use for the defensive side of the ball, but the offensive side still has concepts and terminology used by the Cowboys to this date. Even if it's 10 years old, it still offers a lot of insight into how the Cowboys go about things.