This is good news for Cowboys fans, as McClay’s personnel office seems to be working really well with the Jones’ family and the coaches in assembling a strong Cowboys roster.
When you have success in McClay's role, other teams come calling. While McClay has recently drawn interest from other clubs, he says he's pleased with his current job.
"I'm very happy with my role here with the Cowboys," McClay said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan's G-Bag Nation show [KRLD-FM]. "It is a family and I want to be a part of building a string of successful championship teams. One of my main goals is to be a part of something that helps Mr. Jones win a Super Bowl here really soon.
McClay on Taco.
“I think going after Taco in the first round gives us a defensive end that we feel like has upside, that’s athletic but can also be multiple,” McClay said. “He played right end, left end, can play inside, can mismatch guys on the inside. He had four different positions at Michigan. The right kind of kid. He’s got size, he’s got length – that helps us there.
And Cheeto.
“First of all, he’s got length. He’s a smart player, he’s an instinctive player, he’s a physical player,” McClay said. “I think the key with him is that he’s a versatile player, so we can play him in the nickel, we can play him outside, we can play him at safety, and part of this deal in the NFL now is you have to have versatile players because injuries happen, things happen and you want to have people who fit within your scheme and are instinctive enough and smart enough to be able to play at a high level no matter where their spot is.
“I know we don’t want to cross-train guys too much, but playing in the back end, it gives him the ability to do a lot of things, which adds to the versatility of our defense.”
Bill Polian's favorite player in Draft? #Cowboys 2nd Round pick @Chido___
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) May 3, 2017
"central casting Cover 2 corner"
Not sure if we caught this nice write up by Sturm, who likes both of these players.
Switzer is small, for sure, and has no problem with confidence. He is a real inside player who will make guys miss after the catch and add some significant juice to your offense. In the past, when they have tried to go with 10 or 11 personnel, they have not had 2 "miss" guys inside. I think now, you could put Switzer and Beasley out there together in some scenarios and really dazzle. I think in the 4th round, this is about right in the price given, and I expect he will be able to really do some things. He also adds injury cover for Beasley - it never seemed that they were crazy about what Whitehead could handle on offense - and this should be a nice addition.
I tend to agree with this point by Nick Eatman.
If you’re looking for a guy to start in the first game, I could see it being Chidobe Awuzie, but maybe not at his original position. They drafted him as a corner, the first of three guys selected at that spot. Once the dust is settled, it won’t surprise me if they try him out at safety. When they line up all of their defensive backs and try to figure out how to keep them all, the depth at corner might be much deeper than safety. Awuzie not only has the size and tackling ability, but he seems to have the awareness for the position, too. I know Heath is going to get a shot to compete but having him play safety and special teams is important, too. I think Awuzie could be your Day 1 starter, knowing that Heath and Frazier and perhaps rookie Xavier Woods will have a shot as well.
Dallas Cowboys had some inside knowledge on draft picks - Todd Archer, ESPN
Nice little piece on coaching connections between Dallas and their picks, and why the Cowboys were willing to take a risk on Jourdan Lewis.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones' first comments about Lewis came from conversations with [Cowboys’ secondary coach Greg] Jackson.
"We have thoroughly looked at his situation much earlier, and one of his particular greatest attributes, assets, was his outstanding off-the-field character throughout his life, and on top of that, his great football character as well," Jones said. "We were satisfied that we would be OK there."
More on Lewis.
Now the Lewis kid, he's another one who I feel like he's played some of his best ball in big games. He got beat on the game-winning TD In the Orange Bowl, just didn't turn his head around on a game-winner. Other than that he's their best corner.
McShay loves him, think he's the best slot-cover corner in the draft. I can see him coming in ... and playing a lot immediately as long as everything goes the way he says it's going to go with his trial in July. He does have the ability to play outside too but he's a little bit of a smaller guy and his best work is probably done in the slot.
Orlando Scandrick isn't leaving, but Cowboys trade rumors may hurt team going forward - Staff, DMN
The drafting of Lewis and Awuzie, both of whom excel in the slot, puts pressure on Orlando Scandrick, and is the first of several articles on how the draft could shake up the Cowboys’ roster.
The interesting thing about the Scandrick talks for me is if you have a veteran guy in your room with a bunch of young corners, you're going to want a guy who can mentor young corners and I don't know if Orlando Scandrick can do that after hearing he was potentially up to be traded and these guys are going to be the one up to take his job. I don't know if he'll go out of his way to show guys the ropes. I'm sure he'll do some stuff but not sure he'll go out of his way.
The writing was clearly on the wall that it's a possibility when you're sitting there drafting three corners and a safety and across the board getting younger in the defensive back field.
Dallas Cowboys draft: good news for Rico Gathers, bad for Brice Butler - Todd Archer, ESPN
Competition up and down the roster is a good thing. Here’s one of many guys who needs to step up his game.
Cedric Thornton -- He’s not going anywhere this year, but with the selection of Charlton in the first round and with DeMarcus Lawrence working back from back surgery, Tyrone Crawford could move back inside to defensive tackle. The Cowboys like Maliek Collins a lot. He was second on the team in sacks last year as a rookie. Thornton was the Cowboys’ biggest free-agent pickup a year ago but couldn’t beat out Terrell McClain.
Dallas Cowboys didn't draft RB, but Alfred Morris may not be safe - Todd Archer, ESPN
While we’re on the subject, cutting Morris would save the Cowboys money this year. One of Archer’s Five Wonders.
I wonder if the fact that the Cowboys did not select a running back in the draft is good news for Alfred Morris. The Cowboys would have been willing to take a late-round pick from somebody needing a runner, but nothing materialized. Morris is the type of back who gets better the more he gets the ball. He’s not, in basketball terms, like the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, who came off the bench so well for the Detroit Pistons in the '80s. Morris wears defenses down with his carries as he gets more into a flow. With Ezekiel Elliott, that’s never going to happen in Dallas unless there is a health issue. I don’t know that Morris is safe, but the lack of a trade at least bought him some time.
This sounds good to me.
The tone was set for this draft starting with the first night when the Cowboys picked Taco Charlton. Jason Garrett wanted “warriors”, he said so in the War Room deliberation process. What does he mean by warrior? Jason Garrett wants to be younger, faster, tenacious, and more versatile on defense. Most importantly, Garrett wants to open up a free-for-all competition all over the roster, but more specifically on a defense that needs to improve.
Wade Phillips' time with Dallas Cowboys still is puzzling - Todd Archer - ESPN
Wade has always been a good defensive coordinator, but not so good as a head coach, as his own book demonstrates.
In an excerpt from the book posted on Deadspin, Phillips spoke about the lost season:
We began the 2010 season on a bad note with a 13–7 division loss to Washington. We didn’t allow a touchdown on defense. We shouldn’t have allowed the Redskins’ defense to get one either, but right before the half, Jason asked me, “You want us to go for a score or just run the half out?”
“Yeah, OK,” I said.
We ran a play and we got a ten-yard holding penalty. There were only four seconds left in the half. Jason called a pass. Tony Romo threw to our running back, Tashard Choice, who was four yards behind the line. DeAngelo Hall hit him; he fumbled; Hall picked up the ball and ran it in for a touchdown.
I didn’t know Jason was going to run a play after having a ten-yard penalty and only four seconds on the clock instead of kneeling on the ball, which was what we should have done.
So the head coach did not know the offensive coordinator was going to run a play after the offensive coordinator asked him what they should do?
Phillips’ “Yeah, OK,” answer is beyond baffling. He’s the head coach. He’s supposed to make the call. Just tell Garrett to take a knee. Maybe the Cowboys win that game. Maybe they don’t. But leadership matters, and Phillips failed to control the situation.
He failed to control the situation at the end of the 2007 season as well. The Cowboys had the best record in the NFC and had a first-round bye. Most people chalk up the loss to Tony Romo going to Cabo with his then-girlfriend Jessica Simpson on wild-card weekend. Phillips told his players to get away from football. They did.
They lost their edge and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the New York Giants.