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The logic behind the Cowboys trading down in the draft - Matt Mosley, SportsDay
Mosley turning up the volume on the trade-down option.
As I've tried to warn folks, get ready for the TRADE DOWN talk. It's coming. The Cowboys would love to get another second-round pick. They believe they could land a nice defensive player in the 8-10 range.
It's not as hard financially to come roaring up the board anymore. But there are some old-school owners who aren't pleased with how Jerry brokered the LA stadium deal. Keep your eye on that situation.
I wouldn't mind seeing the Cowboys trade down in this scenario ... - Brandon George, SportsDay
Even if it meant losing out on Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, or DeForest Buckner, George wrote in a recent chat that he wouldn't mind trading down.
I wouldn't be in favor of dropping too far out of the top 10. You want to maximize this opportunity of picking that high. If you can stay within 10-12 and no lower and still get a top-flight player and add another high draft pick (first or early second round), sure, but you don't want to waste this opportunity of drafting this high. You hope not to be in this position anytime soon again.
NFC exec: Don't be surprised if Eagles trade up for Wentz - Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
It's currently looking like Tunsil, Goff and Ramsey might be the top three picks in the draft, leaving the Cowboys with the option of picking Carson Wentz, or entertaining offers for Wentz. The Eagles, who already moved up five spots in the first round via a trade, could be looking to move up further for Wentz.
"Don't be surprised if a team like the Eagles makes a really strong move up the board to get (Carson) Wentz. I don't think he's worth it, but I think they do. Everyone thinks you have to move ahead of Cleveland, but (Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta) will want to get as many picks as possible out of this draft. It wouldn't surprise me if a team moved directly to Cleveland's spot for Wentz." -- NFC executive
Four NFL teams 'in play' to trade up to No. 1 overall in 2016 draft - Zach Kruse, The Sports Daily
According to Robert Klemko of MMQB.com, the Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams are "in play to trade up to the No. 1 spot," and all of them are QB-hungry:
The Browns have been looking for a quarterback solution since returning to the NFL in 1999. The 49ers could be in the market for a young quarterback if Colin Kaepernick is traded. The Eagles have Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel, but Bradford is only under contract through 2017, and Daniel is a career backup. The Rams are preparing to go into the 2016 season with Case Keenum as the team’s starting quarterback.
Best Buckeye for Cowboys? It has to be Bosa, but others will catch their eye - David Moore, SportsDay
The Cowboys essentially have a private pro day organized with the Ohio State players, and Moore argues that Joey Bosa, not Ezekiel Elliott, will be the center of the Cowboys attention. But there will be others as well.
Cornerback Eli Apple. Wide receivers Michael Thomas and Braxton Miller. Linebackers Darron Lee and Joshua Perry. Defensive tackle Adolphus Washington. Safety Vonn Bell. Quarterback Cardale Jones.
The Buckeyes had an NFL-record 14 players taken in the '04 draft. They could challenge that number in this draft. The Cowboys could wind up with one or even two players from Ohio State.
Zierlein: Dallas Cowboys likely to pass on Joey Bosa - Chase Goodbread, NFL.com
The Dallas Cowboys aren't likely to draft Ohio State DE Joey Bosa with the No. 4 overall pick, according to NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein.
"I don't believe the Dallas Cowboys will draft Joey Bosa," Zierlein said on The Pick Is In podcast. "I've heard that they're not in love with Joey Bosa. I don't think Joey Bosa is going to be a Cowboy."
Zierlein said it's his understanding that some other top prospects appeal more to Dallas for the No. 4 pick, while opinions in the Cowboys' building are more split on Bosa.
Most overrated defensive players in 2016 NFL Draft - Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Ouch: Three out of four players on Chad Reuter's list of the draft's most overrated defensive prospects have seen some traction in Cowboys Nation as potential Cowboys targets. Eli Apple, Robert Nkemdiche, and Sheldon Rankins are players Reuter feels have been overrated during the evaluation process.
Dallas Cowboys don't have running back to match their philosophy - J.J. Taylor, ESPN
If you thought, as I did, that this would be a look at the Cowboys philosophy at running back (the title seems to imply that), about a power run scheme vs. a zone blocking scheme, then you're going to be disappointed. Taylor simply writes that the Cowboys need to draft a running back high.
Why Florida's Vernon Hargreaves may not be match for CB-needy Cowboys - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
With Jalen Ramsey increasingly looking like a top three pick, proponents of a cornerback@4 are having their own private Panic at the Disco and have begun advocating for Hargreaves. Sturm doesn't think that's a good idea.
For the Cowboys, there is no question they will be shopping for a corner, but I don't have the feeling they will spend this type of capital to get in on the top corner prospect on just about everyone's board. Furthermore, with as much zone the Cowboys like to play, I am not sure that is his best fit. This is likely a top 10-15 player and the second defensive back off the board. From there, the sky can be the limit if he is utilized properly. Put him in press-man and allow him to compete in the face of a top receiver for years to come.
Cowboys believe Brandon Carr is better than you think - Todd Archer, ESPN
The problem with Brandon Carr, Todd Archer explains, is the five-year, $50 million deal he received called for him to be a "great" cover guy with the Cowboys, which he's not. But fans get hung up on these contract numbers and keep calling for Carr to get released.
But that's the problem with free agency. You almost always end up overpaying relative to the talent you're acquiring. And simply releasing Carr and replacing him with another expensive free agent is probably not going to change the situation. Which is why Cowboys want Carr to re-work his contract, which calls for him to make $9.1 million this year.
There have been talks with his agent, Ben Dogra. Determining Carr's worth on the open market is a sticking point. With the way deals have come down across the league so far, Carr is in the $5 million to $6 million range.
The Cowboys know a team would sign him to a deal quickly. That is why they didn't press the pay cut last year. They also know they don't have a replacement for him.
"He, like everyone on our defense, we would like them to be more impactful, more productive," Garrett said. "We need to take the ball away more. Two years we were among the best teams in the NFL doing that. Last year we took a big step back. So as an organization you have to look at ways to improve in that area. Brandon has to improve but everybody across our defense has to improve. He has been a steady player for us. He has been a productive player for us at times. It's a valuable position. And he has done a good job covering guys at very challenging spot throughout his time with the Cowboys. Last year he dealt with an injury, a shoulder. He dealt with it throughout the year. So at times, he probably wasn't playing his best. But he was out there. He was a guy who showed up every day, who showed up every week.
"We feel good about what he is all about."
Agent of Cowboys' Alfred Morris on why the running back was ready to leave Redskins - SportsDay
In an interview on 105.3 FM-KRLD, Morris' agent Sean Stellato explained why Morris was ready to leave Washington.
"The new regime I think had a different agenda with regards to him -- drafting a running back in the third round -- and I think it was frustrating because the fact is last year he never spoke publicly but I think he never really had a chance to get rhythm. And I think as a running back, as a player, when you see players over time, guys that can get into a rhythm and accelerate. I think mentally when you don't know when your next carry's going to come it can wear on you a little bit. So I think he's looking for a fresh start. It should be an exciting date up in Washington next season."
Going young offers Cowboys benefits - Shawn Kairschner, Shreveport Times
The NFL is a young man's game, and it's hard to get younger in free agency, Kairschner explains.
In 2014, a healthy, young Cowboys team led the NFL in scoring margin in December, after outpacing the opposition 165-79. That translates to a shocking 41.25-19.75 average per game score. As other, older teams faded, the young Cowboys got better and better, to the point where they produced at an historic level: the 165 December points represented the greatest scoring month in franchise history as well as the seventh highest-scoring single month in NFL history.
As they say, December games are won and lost in March, April, and May. With this in mind, as the Cowboys spend the offseason refusing to pay big money to older free agents and jettison all but the very best of their own older players, it’s important to remember that youth confers advantages that are exacerbated in the NFL's crucible. As was the case in 2014, we may be glad of these advantages come December.
Don't think that the Cowboys are no longer a destination team for free agents - Brandon George, SportsDay
Baffled by how the Cowboys have not signed every big-name player on the market in free agency, some Cowboys fans have speculated that the Cowboys are no longer a destination team, that the star has lost its shine, that Jerry Jones has left the building.
Poppycock! Gobbledygook! Panda Poop! says Brandon George.
Would say that's an overreaction. The Cowboys over the last few years have adopted the philosophy of not spending big in free agency. That's the plan and they're actually sticking to it, but Dallas is still a destination team for many players. Of course, a 4-12 season last year doesn't help.
Top five picks in 2016: Dallas takes low-cost approach to free agency - Eric Williams, ESPN
Williams takes a look at the cap situation for the teams at the top of the draft, and has Todd Archer doing the write-up for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have about $6.5 million in cap room. They will need more to sign their rookie class, and can create room by either cutting or re-working the deal of cornerback Brandon Carr or restructuring other contracts -- although they do not want to touch the contracts of Tony Romo or Dez Bryant. The Cowboys will need a good chunk of space for their draft picks.
The Cowboys have taken a low-cost approach to free agency, because they believe the draft is the best, and most cost-effective way to improve the team. They were not going to overpay for free agents, and Cedric Thornton (four years, $17 million) is their largest deal to date. They are signing players at their prices, not the player’s price. It’s more important for them to have space in the future to spend on players like Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence. The draft gives them a chance to do that.
Vegas casino proposes $1.3 billion stadium to lure NFL team to Nevada - Dan Carson, FOX Sports
The Las Vegas Sands casino proposes a stadium that could bring an NFL team to America's sports gambling headquarters. And with the NFL being 100% about the money, it's just a question of time until the league has a team in Vegas.
Here's another staggering stat about Giants' recent NFL Draft disasters - James Kratch, NJ.com
When you don't draft well, you have to go all-in in free agency to make up for the lack of talent on your roster, Kratch explains.
[The Giants] have missed the playoffs the last four seasons, and finished with a sub-.500 record for three consecutive years, thanks in large part to failed drafts. These lost classes have helped contribute to a dearth of talent and depth on the roster, which led to losses piling up, and forced general manager Jerry Reese to open his checkbook this spring and spend, to date, over $200 million in signing six defensive players to revamp a historically bad defense and replenish the roster.