Cowboys News & Notes: Could DeMarcus Ware Return To Dallas?

Twitter mailbag: Could DeMarcus Ware return to Dallas? - Todd Archer, ESPN
Archer replies to a question about DeMarcus Ware potentially returning to Dallas.

I like this question and it's something I wondered about when I wrote about DeMarcus Ware earlier in the week. Let's go with the thought that he won't be back in Denver for the sake of this question. Should the Cowboys consider him? Absolutely. Ware will be able to roll out of bed and get seven sacks. The Cowboys don't really have that kind of guy. The length of the deal doesn't concern me so much. The money involved would. Ware had 7.5 sacks in 11 games in 2015. And I can hear those screaming about Ware not fitting in a 4-3 scheme.

Please.

Let him rush out of a two-point stance if he wants. It doesn't really matter. He would be signed to be a pass-rush specialist and his snaps would be monitored.

Cowboys Hope Gregory Can Be Lawrence - Adam Boedeker, NBC 5 DFW
In 2014, rookie defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence looked lost at times. In 2015, he was possibly the Cowboys' best defensive lineman. Now, the Cowboys hope for similar results in Randy Gregory's second season.

"I do think Randy got better as the year went on," Garrett told ESPN.com. "Unfortunately for Randy, really like DeMarcus, early on in the season in their first year, they missed time because of injury. Players learn so much when they first start playing because experiences are really vivid in their minds and when you don’t have an opportunity to play early on that sets them back a little bit. But you have to take advantage of the opportunity that you do get and I do think that when Randy did come back in the latter part of the year he played better and better as the year went on, not as productive as any of us would have liked but I do think he made strides."

Sturm's Mailbag: Is a QB "worth" the #4 Pick? - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
In response to a Twitter question, Sturm suggests the Cowboys should make like Iron Maiden and Run To The Hills.

If they "fall in love" with Wentz at the Senior Bowl and during the spring, then you take him at #4. But, I suppose we all have different views on what "falling in love" means. To me, it means you are convinced this could be your QB1 to open the 2026 season. If you are working with a guy that you think could be your QB past his 30th birthday, then you don't screw around and risk losing him. Quarterbacks are too hard to find.

The point is that if you think Wentz or Jared Goff or Paxton Lynch is "the dude", then you don't get cute. You draft your QB and run for the hills.

Why Cowboys should draft a QB early and not worry if they've 'reached' - Babe Laufenberg, SportsDay
Laufenberg offers a similar take to Sturm's.

You can't just take a QB to take a QB. But it is the one position that if you "overdraft" meaning taking guy higher than his draft grade warrants, that is OK. They all get overdrafted to an extent. But you can't keep walking away draft after draft without selecting a QB. And it (hopefully) will be a long time before they have the 4th pick in the draft again.

So strike now.

Cowboys will coach QB prospect Carson Wentz in Senior Bowl - Dan Parr, NFL.com
Parr wonders whether the Cowboys will be coaching their quarterback of the future next week at the Senior Bowl?

A scout last month described the squeamishness that could come with deciding whether to draft a quarterback who comes from [a small school].

"I'd hate to be a team in need of a quarterback. The best two in this draft might end up being from Memphis and North Dakota State and that ought to scare the (expletive) out of you. It takes some courage to turn that card in," the scout said.

[NFL.com writer Daniel] Jeremiah isn't buying into the fear. He writes "Don't be fooled by (Wentz's) level of competition. He's a big-time talent."

With more Pro Bowlers than wins, Dallas Cowboys have chance to rebound - Todd Archer, ESPN
With five nominated players, Dallas has more Pro Bowlers than several playoff teams, which should make it easier for the Cowboys to rebound from 4-12 than most other teams.

The Cowboys have five Pro Bowlers and talent beyond those selections. They will be in good position in the draft in every round but the fifth. They will have cap space to add players in free agency.

There’s no reason to think things can’t be a lot better in 2016.

Dallas Cowboys' identity in 2016 must center around passing game - Todd Archer, ESPN
Archer explains that despite the success on the ground in 2015 and 2015, the Cowboys will live and die by the passing game.

The Cowboys could run the ball fine in 2015. They couldn't score any points. They went four games without an offensive touchdown. They went four more games with just one offensive touchdown.

What made the Cowboys so good in 2014 wasn't just DeMarco Murray's 1,845 yards on the ground. It was Romo making the crucial plays at the critical moments on third down and the red zone. Over and over, Romo delivered at the key moments and he had his best season with 34 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while leading the NFL in completion percentage.

The notion that a running game leads to championships is an old one. But it's the passing game that matters most.

Dallas Cowboys: Cowboys work out DB Mycal Swaim, brother of Dallas TE Geoff Swaim | SportsDay
Two Montreal Alouettes cornerbacks worked out for the Cowboys on Wednesday. Mycal Swaim (brother of Cowboys tight end Geoff Swaim) and Mitchell White (brother of Giants wide receiver Myles White) went through drills at Valley Ranch.

"The workout went really well," Mycal said. "I got some feedback. They said I looked good in the drills, had good ball skills and things like that. So I'm hoping to hear pretty soon that they offer me a future contract. But we're not too sure.

"We still have interest from other teams, so right now we're just playing a little bit of a waiting game. Obviously playing for the Cowboys would be my No. 1 choice. I really want to play for them, play with my brother."

Cowboys expect Jerome Henderson's status to be resolved before staff leaves for Senior Bowl - David Moore, SportsDay
Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson's busy offseason continued on Friday, as he met with the Falcons to discuss an unspecified coaching position. This came after interviewing with the Browns Cleveland for the head coaching job that went to Hue Jackson and interviewing with the Jaguars earlier this week for the opening at defensive coordinator that also since been filled.

Henderson is one of six coaches on the Cowboys staff whose contract expires at the end of this season. But club officials have made it clear to Henderson that they want him to return. The two sides had entered into contract discussions, a source said, with the understanding that Henderson will only leave the Cowboys if he can become a coordinator elsewhere.

Blandino confirms what could be new approach to catch rule - ProFootballTalk
If the NFL would retroactively apply the rules they are following now, Bryant's catch in Green Bay would not have been overturned on replay.

In the weekly officiating video distributed by the NFL, league V.P. of officiating Dean Blandino explained that there was not enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field that Fitzgerald, who went to the ground and lost possession upon landing, had become a runner.

It’s a reasonable explanation. And it’s arguably the same explanation that should have been provided a year ago, when Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant caught the ball in the air, came down, fell toward the ground, and turned his body in a lunge to the goal line, with the football cradled in his forearm.

In that case, the ruling on the field — from the official who was right there — was that Dez had become a runner. The same subjectivity that allowed Fitzgerald’s catch to stand should have applied to Bryant; it was not indisputable that Bryant hadn’t become a runner, so the ruling from the official who made the call of a catch should have been enforced.