Cowboys News: Will Dallas Allow Tony Romo Situation To Turn Into A Distraction For 2017 Team?

The Tony Romo situation will dominate the airwaves for the next month leading up to free agency. The Cowboys have made trading Romo their No. 1 offseason priority, but can they get it done fast enough to avoid Romo's situation becoming a major distraction for the team if it drags on?

As Ryan Fitzpatrick contract voids, Jets can reflect on painful lesson - New York Jets Blog- ESPN
There is a clear warning in this story for the Cowboys not to let the Tony Romo situation drag on. But some lessons can only be learned the hard way.

The Jets weren't wrong for wanting to re-sign Fitzpatrick, a free agent after the 2015 season. After all, he won 10 games in 2015 and set the franchise record with 31 touchdown passes in his first season with the team. No, their mistake was how they handled the negotiations.

Instead of drawing a line in the sand, giving him a take-it-or-leave-it offer, the Jets let it drag out through free agency ... through the draft ... through minicamp ... all the way to the eve of training camp. It bordered on ridiculous because the Jets wanted him, he wanted them and there was no third-party threat -- i.e., a team interested in Fitzpatrick or another quarterback that interested the Jets.

Fitzpatrick versus the Jets became a huge distraction, one of the biggest stories in the NFL. It swallowed up the team, causing unrest in the locker room. At one point, receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall reportedly skipped a few voluntary workouts as a show of support for Fitzpatrick.

[...]

The Jets let one player become bigger than the team. Do you think Parcells, or even Bill Belichick, would've allowed that to happen? No way.

Presumably, general manager Mike Maccagnan learned something from the drawn-out soap opera: Don't let yourself be held hostage by a player.

VIDEO: Tony Romo trade will likely happen over the next 30 days - NFL Videos
Earlier in the week, Ian Rapoport explained why he thinks the Cowboys might decide to make a decision on quarterback Tony Romo before free agency officially kicks off on March 9.

VIDEO: Texans and Romo could be perfect match - ESPN
Dan Graziano names his top three potential destinations for Cowboys QB Tony Romo.

NFC East rookie grades: Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott led Dallas - Bucky Brooks, NFL.com
Bucky Brooks grades the rookie class of each team in the NFC East. Is there any topping the Cowboys' Dak Prescott/Ezekiel Elliott-led group? Not really:

Cowboys: A+
Giants: B+
Eagles: B-
Redskins: C

Brooks also offers each squad's combine/free agency focus, including this for the Cowboys:

Combine/free agency focus: The Cowboys must find a top-shelf pass rusher to field a championship-caliber defense. Luckily, the draft has a number of pass rushers with impact potential in the first few rounds. With that in mind, the Cowboys could take extended looks at Tennessee DE Derek Barnett, Michigan DE Taco Charlton and Florida State DE DeMarcus Walker to see if they have the tools to excel in coordinator Rod Marinelli's straightforward scheme.

Jerry Jones on going out and getting a 'war daddy' pass rusher - SportsDay Staff
Jones recently told ESPN Dallas 103.3 that he'll be hunting high and low for a war daddy.

If I have a chance to bring one of these premiere pass rushers, one of these war daddies that takes two to block, if I have a chance to get a player like that - I would...it's not a question of that. It's a question of where is he? And who gives him up if he's a veteran, or where is he in the draft, or where is he anywhere? So, yeah we do need pressure. We're going to try to do something about it.

5 edge rushers Cowboys fans need to watch for in Round 1 - Bob Sturm, SportsDay
Sturm takes a look at five edge rushers who may be within reach for the Cowboys on the first day of the draft, and comes away impressed.

If the Cowboys want pass rushers, there is no reason to think they can't get a good one in this draft.

My quick review would be that Harris, Barnett and McKinley are special talents that will likely be long gone by pick No. 28 -- but I would love any of them. I may put them all on a rather equal level, but if you want me to rank them, I will put Barnett first, Harris second and McKinley third. Then, Charlton is fourth and Lawson is just a 3-4 guy right now.

Kirk Cousins saga could culminate in 2018 transition tag - Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk
Remember that Jets story at the top of this post? Don't tell the Redskins about it.