Free agency has slowed down to a trickle, but the quarterback carousel has yet to pick up speed as the league awaits the resolution of the Tony Romo situation. This and other news in our roundup of the daily Cowboys headlines below.
League source says Tony Romo is a need for Texans - Ben Volin, Boston Globe
Volin explains that as far as Romo’s landing spot, the Broncos and Texans still remain the favorites, but Houston may have a more pressing need.
But as one league source hypothesized, Romo is more of a luxury for the Broncos, who have two capable quarterbacks in Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, but a necessity for the Texans, who are starved for playoff success and have a talented roster outside of quarterback. The Broncos want Romo, but the Texans need Romo
Tony Romo reportedly turned down 'very, very good' non-playing job offer - Steve DelVecchio, Larry Brown Sports
Romo plans to continue playing football in 2017 despite a lucrative offer.
During an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Friday, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King said Romo recently turned down a "very, very good job offer." The revelation came after Eisen asked about Romo possibly getting a job with a television network.
"He had a job offer out there. A very, very good job offer that he turned down for now," King said. "I’m not going to say what it was, but I think it’s interesting that these TV rumors have surfaced. That’s where I believe, eventually one day, Romo is going to have a very good opportunity."
4 teams that made correct decision sitting out free agency - Michael Colangelo, Touchdown Wire
Colangelo argues it takes discipline to sit out free agency, especially when almost every team in the NFL has (or can create) cap space. In addition to the Steelers, Jets, and 49ers, he lauds the Cowboys for their discipline, even if he does it using a meme that's way past its sell-by date.
Someone give Jerry Jones a prize for sitting out free agency. This is very un-Jerry like. The Cowboys have a strong young nucleus on offense. Their defense did just fine last year. There was no reason to bring in a big name player because continuity should lead to improvement.
Dallas might be relying too much on Marinelli to work his magic - Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
The new league year has spawned great change, but this doesn't serve everyone well. Rosenthal spotlights players who might suffer, along with one coach:
Rod Marinelli, defensive coordinator, Dallas Cowboys: Marinelli doesn't get enough credit. The Cowboys coordinator came in second to Kyle Shanahan in the voting for the Associated Press' Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2016, but the job he does with mediocre talent is second to none. In a league full of look-at-me schemes advertising their own genius, Marinelli wins by teaching. His teams play fast, are fundamentally sound and get the most out of their talent.
Dallas might be relying too much on Marinelli to work his magic. The Cowboys had a competitive group last season, but the team's defensive strength in the secondary has almost completely turned over. Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne, Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox can all be replaced individually, but all in all, that's a lot of snaps to replace for a team that wasn't deep to begin with. In Rod they trust.
Revisiting remaining free agents Dallas could go after this offseason - SportsDay Staff
For many people, free agency isn't much fun anymore now that almost all of the big names are gone, and the 25 names on this DMN list won't bring back that fun - though it may contain a name or two the Cowboys might still pursue.
Jets reportedly discussing contract terms with Josh McCown - Kirstie Chiapelli, Sporting News
Looks like the chances of McCown eventually landing in Dallas are slim at best.
McCown was cut by the Browns in February but visited the Cowboys within a month of being released. The veteran journeyman had been a potential target for Dallas via trade last year after Kellen Moore broke his ankle early in camp, though Cleveland's price was too high. Now with Tony Romo on the way out and Dak Prescott on the rise, the Cowboys wouldn't mind seeing McCown mentor the young star. They're still interested in the veteran.
Or are they?
Josh McCown’s visit with Jets ends without a deal - Josh Alper, ProFootballTalk
Looks like we're back to square one.
According to multiple reports, McCown’s visit with the Jets ended on Sunday without a deal that would give McCown a seat in this year’s quarterback derby. The expectation is that the two sides will remain in conversation in the days to come.
The Cowboys have shown interest in McCown as a backup, but there doesn’t seem to be much chance that anything happens on that front until there’s been a resolution to the Tony Romo saga.
Why You Shouldn't Count On Cowboys Drafting A Defensive End In Round One - Jim Scott, Blogging The Boys
Defensive ends are the position of choice for about half the Cowboys mock drafts published to date, but Scott is not at all impressed with edge rusher talent and advises Cowboys fans not to get their hopes up.
Myles Garrett will be long gone by the time Dallas drafts. I looked at everyone else and I am just not excited about what I saw. Which is not to say none of them will pan out. In fact, all of them have some good traits. But all of them have worrisome bits, and I believe the bust potential here in round 1 is high if Dallas goes DE.
Therefore, I think Dallas is best off going CB or Safety round 1, where they will, as is their wont, get a plug-in starter with their first round pick. There are a couple of guys I might risk 28 on, but by and large, I don’t think you’re going to get someone as good as Demarcus Lawrence or with as much upside as Charles Tapper where Dallas is picking.
Is Jonathan Cooper The Next Marc Colombo? - Dawn Macelli, Blogging The Boys
Macelli draws an interesting parallel between Colombo and Cooper, and argue sthat the latter can benefit from the experience of the former.
Jonathan Cooper’s story now mirrors that of Colombo, who will be his assistant offensive line coach with the Cowboys. For a mentor who has been there, Cooper needs to look no further than his coach to find inspiration.
2017 NFL Mock Draft: A corner for the Cowboys - Jared Dubin, CBSSports.com
When we looked at a batch of 25 recent mock drafts last week, half of the mocks had the Cowboys picking a pass rusher. That may change over the coming weeks as the mock draft community reacts to the departures of Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr. Dubin is ahead of the curve on that:
28. Dallas Cowboys
Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA: We had Sidney Jones here last week, but then he went and suffered an Achilles injury at his pro day. Dallas instead swings to Moreau, who tested out as one of the most athletic defensive backs in this draft and has the kind of size the suddenly DB-needy Cowboys like in the position.
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