Cowboys News & Notes: Titans-Rams Trade "Falls Perfectly" For Dallas

Winners, losers from Titans-Rams trade - John Clayton, ESPN
The big loser in Los Angeles' bold move to grab the first overall pick in the draft? San Francisco, Clayrton writes, and also declares the Cowboys one of the winners:

With two quarterbacks almost certainly going in the first two picks, the Chargers and Cowboys, who own the third and fourth overall picks, know they have their choice of the top non-QBs in the draft.

Titans-Rams Trade Falls Perfectly for Cowboys - Zach Moretti, Forbes
The Tennessee Titans and newly minted Los Angeles Rams sold their trade that sent the No. 1 Draft pick to L.A. as a 'win-win' for both organizations. However, the ripple effect of that move had a profound impact on the draft fortunes of America's Team that's no doubt left Jerry Jones grinning.

What those in the Valley Ranch headquarters hope is that one of these teams becomes desperate enough to jump the 49ers and/or Eagles to land Lynch. The Cowboys obviously won’t be able to get the kind of haul the Titans just procured, but moving down would surely net them an extra second-round pick plus additional mid-round compensation.

Dallas would still be in-line to draft pass-rush help in the form of DeForest Buckner, Noah Spence or Shaq Lawson, depending on how far they move down. They could also use the extra draft picks they acquire in the deal to trade back up into the first round if a prospect they’re high on slides.

So while everyone is busy lauding the Titans’ new GM for the package of picks he landed, the unsung winners of the biggest draft trade since 2012 was a team who wasn’t even directly involved in the transaction.

Confirming that Cowboys worked out Jared Goff in Berkeley this morning. Jerry Jones+Jason Garrett there. Jones reportedly loved what he saw.

— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) April 16, 2016

Jerry Jones reportedly 'loved what he saw' from private workout with Cal QB Jared Goff - SportsDay Staff
Peter King's tweet spawned a flurry of articles yesterday. This one also talks about how Jones sees drafting a QB now as a "problem."

Jones also has said that drafting a quarterback who would just sit behind Tony Romo for four to five years presents a problem.

"I can give you a real scenario where it can be real problematic if we do what we want to do and that's have [Tony] Romo play fairly injury free and uninterrupted for the next three, four, five years," Jones said. "Let's just go three, four five. If he plays uninterrupted then you've got a problem if you've picked quarterback this year because you don't know what you got really at a time when he may be entering the markets."

Just how serious is the Cowboys' interest in Jared Goff? - Chris Bahr, FOX Sports
The whole country is wondering whether the Cowboys are really interested in a QB or whether they are just putting on a show. Fox Sports phrases the question nicely, but doesn't have an answer either.

First, the argument against this happening: The Cowboys own the No. 4 pick, and Goff very likely could be off the board by then. Plus, Jones admits that drafting a QB that high might not be worth it if that QB has to sit behind starter Tony Romo for several seasons.

Now, the argument for it: Romo turns 36 on April 21 and is coming off surgery to repair a clavicle he broke twice last season, when he played only four games. And even though it owns the fourth overall pick, Dallas always could trade up.

Cowboys worked out Goff at Cal on Saturday | ProFootballTalk
PFT offers a different take altogether.

Maybe the trades at the top of the draft are just beginning. Maybe Jones wants to people guessing so much that he was willing to gas up the jet and fly to California just to make people wonder. Maybe Goff just wanted more than a typical Saturday morning workout. Whatever the case, it seems the final pre-draft stretch is going to be full of drama.

Demand for pass rushers greater than supply, but Cowboys likely will have shot at the best - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Sturm takes a look at the top 10 prospects in this year's edge rusher class, including this take on Joey Bosa.

Bosa is a legitimate game wrecker at just 20 years old. He has everything you look for in a first-rounder at DE. The questions surround his status as a top-five pick: Does he have eight- to 10-sack potential in the NFL? Yes. Does he also answer the bell on running plays? Absolutely. Does he compete at maximum levels whether the play involves him or not? No doubt. But the question is whether he is very good or elite at the next level. That is the difference in expectations when choosing between No. 1 overall and No. 20.

Tony Romo throwing fully, says "everything is going great" - Drew Davison, The Star-Telegram
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo met with reporters to update his progress, saying everything is "going great" after he underwent surgery on March 8.

"I’ve been throwing fully here for a good week-and-a-half, two weeks. It’s been good. Everything is going great."

Romo Throwing Fully, Ready To Participate In Offseason Program - Tim Helman, Dallas Cowboys
At an event hosted by All Pro Dad at AT&T Stadium, Romo talked about how the team has been working out together even before the official start of the offseason program

As is typically the case, Romo said the Cowboys have had strong participation throughout the offseason, despite the fact that the program doesn’t officially start until this week. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has often pointed out that many Cowboys players live in the Dallas area during the offseason, which usually leads to strong offseason participation – something Romo said has continued in 2016.

"We’ve had a great turnout," Romo said. "A lot of guys are wanting to get in and get after it, and I think that’s a great sign. I’m all for seeing all the guys in there every day."

Tony Romo throwing, ready for offseason program - ESPN Staff
Romo indicated Saturday that he is progressing well from the Mumford procedure on his clavicle and told reporters that the team is ready for the offseason program to start.

With an eye toward a better 2016, Romo and other Cowboys players have been showing up regularly at Valley Ranch to get a head start on the season ahead.

"It's been going great here for the last two, three weeks -- just getting them going and being able to go full speed and all that stuff. It's been great," Romo said Saturday. "A lot of guys just wanted to get in and get after it. I think that's a great sign. I'm all for seeing all of the guys in there every day.''

Alfred Morris eager for opportunity with the Dallas Cowboys - Charean Williams, San Antonio Express-News
Morris isn't concerned about public speculation about who will be the starter in four months time and plans to stay in Dallas for a long time.

"I’m not going to pay attention to any media," Morris said. "That’s just how I am. I just keep my head down and do my job. My whole thing is making the most of every opportunity I do get, whether that means starting or being a role player. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to do what I do, and we’ll see what happens from there. There are a lot of hurdles to jump through before we even get to that point."

Morris, 27, has found a home even if he still lives in an extended stay hotel. He hopes to finish his career in Dallas.

"I would like not to bounce around anymore," Morris said. "I don’t want to do free agency again."

Why do so many college stars slip through the cracks? - Greg Bedard, SI.com
In a longform piece, Bedard examines the chasm between college football and the NFL.

The main culprit is the simplified offenses that college teams run, in particular the many versions of the spread, an offense deployed by college coaches that are only charged with winning games.

There’s a flip side of this coin, and it’s that the NFL is certainly not without blame. Many coaches and general managers have their heads stuck in the sand, going full bore with their dropback passing schemes when the pool of young passers that can handle that is about the size of a fishbowl and shrinking.