Cowboys news: Will Dallas double-dip at WR in 2018 NFL draft?

Mailbag: Double-Dipping At Receiver? - David Helman & Bryan Broaddus, Dallascowboys.com

Will the Cowboys “double dip” at the WR position in two weeks?

Q: Now that Dez is gone, and given that the free agent wide receivers added are on short-term deals, do you see the Cowboys double-dipping this year for two receivers or a receiver and tight end in the first few rounds?

Bryan: I could see them drafting a wide receiver but not double dipping as you have said. I would be careful about sleeping on Noah Brown or Lance Lenoir. Both have been a big part of Captain’s Workouts and early throwing with Prescott. I have a strong feeling that both realize the situation ahead for them.

David: I like the the logic there. There’s not a lot in the way of long-term stability at wide receiver right now. There’s still not a ton of room in this receiver group, though. If the front office were to draft two receivers, I think one of them would be a late-round pick. Otherwise, you’re putting yourselves in a tight situation.

Why the Cowboys should trade down in Round 1, and three prospects they could target - Brandon George, SportsDay
George explains why trading down in the first round makes the most sense for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys should follow their approach from five years ago in this year's draft. In 2013, the Cowboys were set to pick 18th overall but traded back 13 spots to draft Wisconsin center Travis Frederick. In the trade with San Francisco, the Cowboys gained an additional third-round pick.

They could use an additional third-round pick on another player who made a pre-draft visit, such as North Carolina State running back Nyheim Hines or Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds. Dallas could use a third-down back like Hines to catch passes out of the backfield, and the Cowboys need depth at safety now that starter Byron Jones is moving back to cornerback.

Jones will get his big splash next week if he duplicates what Dallas pulled off in 2013 by trading back and coming away with two starters via one first-round pick.

Pass rusher David Irving returns to Cowboys on $2.9M deal - Associated Press
Irving signed is tender yesterday.

Defensive end David Irving is returning to the Dallas Cowboys after signing a $2.9 million, one-year offer as a restricted free agent.

The Cowboys could have matched any offer for Irving after giving him a second-round tender. Irving reported for the start of offseason workouts Monday and signed the contract.

Cowboys DE David Irving showing commitment now in hopes of cashing in big later - Clarence Hill, The Star-Telegram

Hill writes that Irving’s commitment in the present can help him “cash in” in the future.

That the Cowboys were willing to take that risk spoke volumes about their concerns about Irving’s preparation, commitment and maturity.

Even if they would have secured a second-round pick in return if Irving had been signed to an offer sheet by another team, any potential rookie wouldn’t have been able to match Irving’s production and dominance, certainly not in 2018.

A big year in 2018 heading into free agency could increase that precipitously. The franchise tag for a defensive tackle in 2018 is $13.4 million. The current top-10 paid defensive tackles have signed multiyear deals from $48 million to $102 million.

Michael Irvin explains Dez Bryant 'Garrett guys' comment - SportsDay Staff
Irvin joined NFL Network on Monday to explain what Bryant said, but ended up talking about how Bryant fights everybody.

“I’ve talked to Dez about all the Garrett guys before,” Irvin said. “We’ve had conversations about it. He was kind of complaining to me that these all Garrett guys, everybody does not mesh well with everybody in the locker room.”

Irvin said Bryant is a fighter but struggled to channel that fight productively toward the end of his tenure in Dallas.

”What happens is when he gets in these situations, he does what he knows how to do: He fights. If you’re not careful with how you speak to him and how you speak with him, he ends up fighting everybody and anybody and even fighting some of the people that are trying to help him. ... It got a little bad off the football field with Dez fighting to get back where he wants to be and where he belongs and he was fighting even the people trying to help.”

Did [the Cowboys] simply tire of fighting him?

”To some degree, I guess that’s how you could put it,” Irvin said Monday. “They said at this point, we’ll just move on because the fighting is not directed in the right places.”

Ravens showing most interest in Dez Bryant - Chris Wesseling, NFL.com

Curious where Dez Bryant might land? Well, an AFC team appears to have the most interest.

Dez Bryant might not get his wish to clash with the Cowboys twice a year by joining an NFC East squad, but he is drawing interest from a potential playoff contender.

Baltimore has shown the most interest in Bryant since he was released by Dallas last Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via a source informed of the situation.

“They signed Michael Crabtree earlier in the offseason,” Rapoport explained on Monday’s edition of NFL Total Access. “They still are looking to add a receiver. There is a lot to like about the Baltimore Ravens and Dez Bryant. Keep an eye on that one.”

Report: Falcons not pursuing Dez Bryant - James Parks, Falcons 247

The Falcons, however, have joined the list of teams not interested in the former Cowboys star.

Already, the three other teams in the NFC East has been offered as a king of revenge signing, but of the teams not currently in the mix for Bryant appears to be the Atlanta Falcons, who have decided against pursuing the wide receiver, Yahoo! Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports.

Any interest the Falcons would have theoretically had in Bryant would have run in contradiction to the team’s confessed plans this offseason, to keep a quiet profile, make a few additions for depth, and then sign quarterback Matt Ryan to an extension.

Byron Jones moving to CB: If new DB coach Kris Richard believes my best position is corner, ‘I’m down’ - Jon Machota, SportsDay

Byron Jones talks Kris Richard and moving to corner.

“I think it will be a good move for me and the team,” Jones said from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco after a skills challenge with members of the Dallas Rattlers professional lacrosse team. “I’m always open to making position changes, as long as I’m in the best position to succeed. If [Richard] believes my best position is corner, then I’m down.”

Richard had success coaching a bigger corner in Richard Sherman during his time in Seattle. Jones, the Cowboys’ 2015 first-round pick, has good size for the position but says he’s not looking to model his game after the four-time Pro Bowler.

“I spoke to Richard about it,” Jones said. “He said you never want to look at a different corner and try to emulate that person. Everyone is different. You can’t copy what someone else does and try to make it work for you. You have to find what works for yourself.”

A big year for Cowboys QB Dak Prescott? Troy Aikman says this guy has more on the line in 2018 - SportsDay Staff

Troy Aikman is still firmly a Dak believer. But a Jason Garrett believer? Well...

Ed Werder: How pivotal a year is this for Dak Prescott?

Aikman: I think it’s probably more pivotal for Jason Garrett. I think Dak’s going to be around a while. It’s a big year; they’re all big years. I think last year was a big year for him as well - it’s the nature of playing quarterback in the NFL.

There’s a lot of expectations to go out and play at a high level that allows your team to have success. He’ll be just fine: I think he’s an exceptional young man who has it together. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s somewhere throwing the football or running sprints as we speak and studying film and all those things. I think he’s highly motivated to be great... and going to have an outstanding season.

Who Constructed the Best Big Board of the 2015 NFL Draft? - Arif Hasan, Zone Coverage

Special shoutout to our own Ryan Ratty for having the fifth best “big board” of the 2015 draft! He ranks up there with Dane Brugler. Pretty impressive.

The evaluators who are most impressive are those that beat the NFL draft itself — not necessarily because NFL teams are staffed with better evaluators, but because they have access to more information — including injury and psychological data — and control over how a player is used; if a player only fits a zone-style running scheme or is a two-gap specialist, they will likely fall below a player of equal skill who has more versatility if the evaluator is a third party.

In 2015, a shocking 11 big boards beat the NFL draft. The year prior, only five boards — as well as the consensus boards — did. Interestingly, no evaluator beat the NFL draft in both 2014 and 2015. Full results for the 2015 draft below:

NFL Rumors: Here’s What’s Stalling Potential Earl Thomas-Cowboys Trade - Adam London, NESN.com
Lots of talk, no action so far. Here's why:

But if you’re wondering why there’s been no action despite the long-standing chatter, it might be due to Seattle’s expected high asking price for the defensive stalwart.

“The Cowboys have contacted the Seahawks about a potential draft trade,” the Star-Telegram’s Clarence E. Hill Jr. writes. “But the Seattle asking price of a first- and third-round draft pick was too high. The Cowboys are holding out hope that their asking price goes down to maybe a second-round pick.”

While a player of Thomas’ caliber is worth a sizable haul, pressure could force the Seahawks to lower their demands. Thomas is set to enter the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign. Out of fear of losing him for nothing, Seattle might have to make a business decision.