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Cowboys News & Notes: Free Agent Rumors Link Mario Williams, Adrian Clayborn, Others To Dallas

Latest Cowboys headlines: Free agent rumors switch into high gear; Cowboys easily can win this year's NFL Draft; is Joey Bosa the best fit for Dallas?

Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Five best fits for DE Mario Williams, including Dallas Cowboys - Field Yates, ESPN
Williams had a disappointing 2015 season, but the market will still be active for the former No. 1 pick who has 96 career sacks. Field Yates evaluates possible landing spots for Williams, and has this to say about the Cowboys:

The need for pass-rushers in Dallas is obvious, especially with Randy Gregory suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season and free agent Greg Hardy's future uncertain. Williams would have the chance to play an every-down role and serve as a bookend with third-year defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. With just 59.0 sacks over the past two seasons, the Cowboys are in the market for a natural edge rusher.

Free agency rumors: Cowboys in on Adrian Clayborn? - Matthew Chambers, The Falcoholic
Chambers notes that "one of the writers for the Dallas Cowboys official website," Bryan Broaddus is behind the speculation that has Adrian Clayborn possibly moving from Atlanta to Dallas.

Considering Randy Gregory (four-game suspension) and Greg Hardy (too much leadership) will likely not being providing much impact for Dallas, the team will probably be picking up as many defensive linemen as possible. Clayborn played well in 2015, providing three sacks in 504 snaps, predominately at defensive tackle.

Still young, but having dealt with injuries and inconsistent plays, Clayborn will have an interesting market.

Rams QB Nick Foles Trade Rumor: Dolphins, Cowboys, Washington Interested? - Turf Show Times
Picking up on a tweet by Chief-Cowboys-To-Rumors-Linker Ian Rapoport, TST wonders how suitors can come jumping out of the woodwork when there's been no talk of a trade in St. Louis/ Los Angeles. TST also with a public service reminder of key dates this week:

Reminder: FA opens 4pm ET on March 9, "legal tampering" on March 7 at noon ET

Roland McClain is the one free agent the Cowboys must sign - Todd Archer, ESPN
NFL Nation reporters go team-by-team and choose a free agent every team must sign this month. Archer does the honors for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys aren't going to break the bank for any player in free agency, so it's difficult to make a prediction as to whom they will sign. One guess at the moment: San Diego safety Eric Weddle. He would bring stability on and off the field. But a more sure guess would be McClain, whose market will be mitigated by his four-game suspension last year. He has found a home with the Cowboys after struggling with the Raiders. By keeping McClain, the Cowboys can move away from middle linebacker as a draft need.

One player each NFL team should target in free agency - Adam Stites, SBNation.com
Stites lists the perfect free agent pickup for each team. His favorite for the Cowboys: Colt McCoy.

It's far from a splash, but the Cowboys need to find someone to help out if Tony Romo goes down and relying on a rookie to lead the way if the starter goes down isn't ideal. Adding a veteran like McCoy would give the Cowboys life if Romo goes down and gives the team the freedom to look away from the quarterback position with No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Even if the Cowboys do elect to pick a quarterback, adding another veteran to help that young player along couldn't hurt. With Washington worried about tying up money in Kirk Cousins, the Cowboys could snag away McCoy at an affordable price.

Any notable free-agent RB likely would be interested in Cowboys ... but there's a catch - Jon Machota, SportsDay
In a recent chat, Machota explained why all the big-name free agents you keep hearing about are not coming to Dallas.

I wouldn't rule any of the free agent running backs out. Foster, Matt Forte, Alfred Morris, Chris Ivory, Doug Martin, etc. could all be interesting options because they too saw what McFadden did last year. They understand what running behind the Cowboys offensive line could do for their careers. But one of them would have to be willing to sign for a team-friendly deal. If the Cowboys weren't breaking the bank for DeMarco Murray last year, I doubt they do it for one of these guys this time around. The Cowboys could choose to wait until the draft. They could also have a lot of success in the running game with a back they draft somewhere in the first four rounds.

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Dallas Cowboys easily can win this year's NFL Draft, Colin Cowherd says - Andre Vergara, FOX Sports
Cowherd argues that because the Cowboys will likely have nine picks in the draft, including the No. 4 overall, they are holding all the cards. He then offers an, uhmmm ... "interesting" proposal.

However, Cowherd points out that the Cowboys could take a QB and then cash in by trading him.

"Six teams in this league today need a franchise quarterback," Cowherd said.

Beyond QB, Cowherd says the draft is rich with what other needs the Cowboys have to fill: specifically cornerback, defensive tackle and pass rusher.

"It's a tremendous draft for defensive linemen. There could be nine taken in the first round," Cowherd said.

Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa is the best fit for Dallas - Matt Bowen, ESPN
Matt Bowen pairs the top defensive prospects in the draft with their ideal fits and has Joey Bosay as the guy for Dallas, not Jalen Ramsey, whos best fit in this article are the Titans at No. 1.

With the Cowboys, Bosa would step in to take the place of Greg Hardy at DE and work closely with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. That's a beautiful thing. Marinelli is known as a guy who teaches technique and gets the most out of players. Bosa would thrive under his tutelage. The Cowboys need to find some consistency along their defensive front, and Bosa would be a good place to start.

Top-50 Draft Board 2.0: Reshuffling the deck after the combine - Dane Brugler, CBSSports.com
You're looking for an updated big board? You're in luck: Brugler has the top 50 neatly ranked, and despite rumors about Myles Jack's injury, Jack is the number two overall guy on this list.

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