Cowboys News & Notes: RB Alfred Morris, CB Patrick Robinson Set To Visit Dallas

Free agent RB Alfred Morris expected to visit with Dallas Cowboys on Monday - Jon Machota, SportsDay
Former Redskins running back and free agent Alfred Morris is expected to visit the Dallas Cowboys on Monday.

In four seasons with Washington, Morris rushed for 4,713 yards and 29 touchdowns on 1,078 carries. Over the last 4 seasons, Adrian Peterson is the only running back with more rushing yards than Alfred Morris' 4,713.

Could Alfred Morris Vault To Top Of Cowboys RB Depth Chart? - Mike Fisher, CBS DFW
Fisher offers his take on Alfred Morris.

Much to the pleasure of the Cowboys, the two-time Pro Bowler is coming off that shelf to visit Dallas. Morris, 27, has slipped through the cracks of free agency despite his solid credentials, which include a fine rookie campaign that saw him give Washington 1,613 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five yards per carry.

Morris could in theory vault from the bottom of the free-agency shelving to the top of the Cowboys’ running-back depth chart.

Cowboys working to schedule visit next week with free agent CB Patrick Robinson - Brandon George, SportsDay
The Cowboys are looking to bring in cornerback Patrick Robinson for a visit next week.

New Orleans made Robinson a first-round pick in 2010 out of Florida State. He spent his first five seasons with the Saints before becoming an unrestricted free agent last offseason.

The Cowboys also had some interest in Robinson, 28, last offseason before he signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the San Diego Chargers. He played in every game for the Chargers and started 10, finishing with 49 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception.

Cowboys Reported To Be Making Offer To Defensive End Benson Mayowa - Tom Ryle, Blogging The Boys
It has taken a couple of days, but things are happening at Valley Ranch. The Cowboys signed restricted free agent Benson Mayowa to an offer sheet on Friday. The Raiders now have until midnight EST on Wednesday to match the offer or he becomes a Cowboy.

The key is going to be what the Raiders decide to do about him. They can match the offer and keep him, but the Cowboys may have already gotten an idea of what they intend to do. In any case, until Oakland makes a call on Mayowa, this is just what it says, an offer. Mayowa is seen as a physically talented prospect who has had limited opportunities. He is not the complete answer to the need to bolster the Cowboys' pass rush, but would at least help fill the current hole there.

Details on Mayowa's offer from the #Cowboys:

Signing bonus 2016: $3.3M | $700K base.

2017: $2.5M base.

2018: $2.75M base

— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) March 18, 2016

Cowboys Agree To Terms On One-Year Deal With RB Lance Dunbar - David Helman, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys and Dunbar made it official yesterday.

Ideally, Dunbar will bolster the Cowboys’ depth at running back – though he still has a lot of work to do. He suffered both injuries [torn ACL and a torn patellar tendon] in mid-October, and it’ll be an interesting wait to see when he can return to the field. If there is some good news, it’s that Morris Claiborne suffered a similar setback in the fall of 2014 and was ready in time for training camp last summer.

Are the Cowboys being too frugal in free agency? | Shawn Kairschner, WFAA.com
Kairschner takes a look back at free agents that left Dallas this week without a contract and briefly wonders whether the Cowboys are they missing the boat on improving the team in areas of need, only to then conclude the following:

Even though Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are still thought of nationally as one of the teams that spends easily and recklessly, quite the opposite is true. Like it or not, the Cowboys front office has become a buttoned-down bunch that exercises fiscal prudence above all else.

While that drives many fans mad, it's important to remember that the cardinal rule for managing the salary cap is to avoid giving multi-year contracts with guaranteed money to older players. The financial bugaboo is the dreaded third contract, which tends to be signed by a player in the 28-30-year-old range.

Sure, it's frustrating that Carroll, Long and Moore all opted to play elsewhere. But with the Raiders signing 28-year-old CB Sean Smith and 29-year old DE Bruce Irvin to 4-year deals with $20 and $19 guaranteed, respectively, and the Falcons inking 30-year-old OC Alex Mack to a 5-year contract with a whopping $28.5 million guaranteed, we should be pleased that the Cowboys are staying disciplined, operating within their fiscal limits so they can spend that kind of money on cornerstone players with upside, guys like Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and La'el Collins.

Terrance Williams longs for free-agent QB Robert Griffin III, so it seems | SportsDay
Williams dropped some not so subtle hints about who he'd like as the Cowboys backup QB.

Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams, a former Baylor standout, also was present [at Baylor's pro day]. He chronicled the event from a much different point of view, as he took over the Cowboys' official Snapchat account for the day and had some fun with it.

Featured prominently throughout Williams' collection of photos and videos was free-agent quarterback Robert Griffin III -- Williams' former Bears teammate who was released by the Washington Redskins earlier this month.

Why Dallas can't afford to use No. 4 pick based on need - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Sturm offers a must-read draft manifesto, here's a partial summary excerpt:

1. Picking No. 4 is incredibly rare.
2. You haven't had this pile of capital in the draft in a long, long time.
3. This pick is so good that you cannot afford to select a player for need.
4. You simply owe it to your franchise and its longevity to take the talent that is most likely to be a great player for you in eight years, not eight months.

This is why when I am constantly asked about Ezekiel Elliott and Myles Jack, I generally offer a less-than-excited response.

I am not selecting at No. 4 for need. I am not selecting at No. 4 for a short-term position. But, I am selecting at No. 4 for the type of guy who can perhaps affect the direction of my franchise for the next generation of talent. That is why I keep coming back to finding my quarterback.

Personally, I think that would make my list at No. 4 this: Jared Goff, then Jalen Ramsey (a generational defensive back that has a chance to make the impact of Charles Woodson, who just retired after 18 amazing seasons), then Joey Bosa.

If No. 4 pick comes down to Bosa, Ramsey, here's who I think Cowboys take - Matt Mosley, SportsDay
In a recent chat, Mosely explained who he thinks the Cowboys will draft.

I think they will probably take Bosa. I would lean toward Ramsey. Can you imagine having a lock-down CB for the next 6-7 seasons. Cowboys haven't had anything close to that in a long time. Bosa is probably a safer pick. He'll be a reliable player for a long time. But Ramsey's more of a splash player, so to speak.

Cowboys to host Ole Miss WR LaQuon Treadwell - KD DRummond, Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys keep adding names to their pre-draft visitor list.

While the Cowboys like the production from 2013 third-round pick Terrance Williams, his performances while Tony Romo was injured could lead the team to believe his production is more of a product of his relationship with Romo. That could lead the team to look to replace him with someone more dynamic.

Drafting a player like Treadwell would give Dallas the option of letting Williams walk instead of offering a second contract, while giving them four-five years of production before having to pay him. That timeframe coincides nicely with the end of Dez Bryant’s current deal.

Cowboys schedule visit with Clemson DE Shaq Lawson - KD DRummond, Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys have also invited standout edge rusher Shaq Lawson from Clemson for a visit.

Lawson has many of the intangibles teams covet in edge rushers and could fit nicely in Rod Marinelli’s Tampa 2 defense. Lawson and DeMarcus Lawrence could create a young pass rushing duo that the Cowboys have lacked in recent history, however there is a question on whether Lawson would be in play at number four.

CowboysZone message board gets so negative admins threaten to boot worst naysayers - SportsDay Staff
If you're also a member at CowboysZone, you'll have noted Reality's sticky at the top of the Fan Zone forum which has been up since Wednesday. For non-members, here's the DMN quoting the site admin:

Over at the Cowboys Zone message boards, the negativity's gotten so bad that the site's leadership is threatening to boot users who are nothing but negative toward the team.

"I know a lot of fans are upset about the actions/inactions of the Cowboys during free agency so far. There is nothing wrong with posting, debating and sharing that irritation with the rest of the fans here, but I do want to remind everyone that constant negativity will lead to you permanently losing access to post in the Fan Zone."

"We are also not saying that you cannot post negative comments in the Fan Zone, but if that's all you do then you are providing nothing to the discussions nor the quality of the posts in the Fan Zone which means you may lose access to post in the Fan Zone as a result."

Wise words.