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Mailbag: Turning To The Draft For QB? - Rob Phillips, David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
Could the Cowboys have an under-the-radar player on the offensive line?
I know it’s a small sample size but what is the verdict on Connor McGovern so far? Future Pro Bowler, future starter, future backup, or future couch potato? — AL CHOW / TEMPLE CITY, CA
David: I think my verdict on Connor McGovern is that he made the most of the opportunity he got. He seemed to improve as the season went along, and he wasn’t a liability. Does that mean he’ll grab a starting job in 2021? I’m not so sure. But at the very least he can provide quality depth, and he could slide into the left guard job when Connor Williams’ contract is up at this time next year.
Rob: The Cowboys were pleased with the way McGovern stepped in and played. When everyone’s healthy, maybe he’s not one of the best five linemen right now, but that’s OK. We just saw the importance of line depth this season. Joe Looney is set to be a free agent in March, so we’ll see what happens there. With McGovern, they have a young player who got some valuable snaps for the future and can step in and play guard or center if needed.
What would a Dallas Cowboys J.J. Watt led defense look like? - Angel Torres, The Landry Hat
Watt to the Cowboys would be nice, but is it even a potential reality?
The Houston Texans are currently without their first and second-round picks due to a previous trade so their new general manager and head coach have their work cut out for them. Recouping those picks has to be priority number two after the Deshaun Watson debacle they are currently dealing with.
Lost in all of this drama is what to do with Watt. He is currently 31-years old which isn’t as old as some people perceive him to be. He has a non-guaranteed base salary of roughly $17.5 million this year. He will be a free agent after the 2021 season so if things don’t work out, a compensatory pick should be awarded depending on his next deal.
DeMarcus Lawrence is only three years younger than Watt so this old age adage that Watt carries is a bit out of context. He does have a lot of miles but this workout freak would do well rotating at multiple defensive fronts.
Now his two preferred landing spots are quite obvious. He would like to play for Green Bay because he played for and is from Wisconsin and the Pittsburgh Steelers whom his brothers both currently play for.
It still kinda hurts that the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock in two different drafts and both Watt defenders were available.
Could Mike McCarthy, the head coach J.J. Watt watched growing up, convince him that playing for the Dallas Cowboys would be his best bet for a championship? It’s difficult to know what players are thinking but this notion isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Jason Witten Named Head Coach of Liberty Christian High School Football Team - Rob Goldberg, Bleacher Report
Congratulations on the new job, Coach Witten.
Witten signed a one-day contract with the Dallas Cowboys last week before retiring after 17 years in the NFL.
The 38-year-old previously retired after the 2017 season and spent the next year as an announcer for Monday Night Football. He returned for two more seasons, including last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, but will once again step away from the sport.
This time he will try to use his knowledge for coaching instead of commentary.
Witten has long been linked with a career in coaching and even considered a possible option to take over at his alma mater of Tennessee earlier this month, according to Dan Patrick.
He also said in 2019 his goal was to coach in the NFL.
“I’ve spent my entire adulthood in pro football,” he said, per Jori Epstein of USA Today. “Coaching is coaching. You want to be in a competitive level. ...For me, I think this is a level you can have a lot of success in just because you’re so familiar with it. Really your whole life.”
Dak Prescott’s brother says it’s time for the Cowboys to give the quarterback his money - Justin A Morris, Blogging The Boys
Dak’s family jumps in.
It’s been a talking point for years now in what’s endured as a lingering back-and-forth scuffle between dissenting sides. Prescott wants more money (and fewer years), and Jones wants to extricate as many dollars as he can to bulwark his own pockets (and lock Prescott up for as long a possible). And right now, business discussions remain frozen in deadlock, but that doesn’t mean the people have ceased their own discourses.
In fact, a longtime familiar voice of prominence dropped his own gasoline into the unextinguished fire after seeing the boisterous Stafford deal unfold. None other than Dak’s brother, Tad.
Tad Prescott took to Twitter to voice his own resignations about Dallas’ handling of his brother’s contract situation, reposting about an Instagram picture about the 2016 QB class with the caption: “So the guy who was never supposed to make it, is now the last one standing. Let that sink in.”
He then went to retweet a timely evaluation from DallasCowboys.com’s David Helman on the current whereabouts of his brother’s fellow classmates:
“Bish better have my $$.”
Well, we know where Tad stands in the “should Dak get paid” conversation. And at this point, Dak’s support troupe has far more participants than his contending one. Most think the Cowboys should be backing up the Brinks truck to his front door sometime in the very near future.
As far as Dak is concerned, he’s been relatively quiet as he rehabs himself back into full health. But when he does speak, you can bet your bottom dollar that his message will be short, sweet and to the point.
Post-Senior Bowl Dallas Cowboys 2021 7-round Mock Draft - Brian Martin, Inside The Star
Some trading going on in this draft.
Round 1, Pick 20 (From Chicago)
CB Jaycee Horn, South Carolina
Jaycee Horn would’ve been the player I’d have targeted originally with the Dallas Cowboys 10th overall pick since the rest of my top targets were off the board had I not accepted the Chicago Bears trade offer. So to get him at 20 and pick up an extra second-round pick is a blessing. He is exactly the kind of tall, lengthy CB Dan Quinn prefers and his physicality is something the Cowboys secondary is sorely lacking. I love the intangibles an attitude he would bring to Dallas’ defense.
Round 2, Pick 42
OT Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
I was really hoping Trevon Moehrig would still be on the board here, but the Jaguars drafted him at the top of the second round with the 33rd overall pick. That’s okay though because I believe the Dallas Cowboys need to start preparing for life without Tyron Smith sooner rather than later, hence my selection of Liam Eichenberg. Eichenberg is a good insurance policy if Smith has any problems coming back from neck surgery. He could be a capable starter or swing tackle as a rookie.
Dallas Cowboys rumors: Dak Prescott likely to receive $37.7 million franchise tag -Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut
A re-run of what we already know.
It might be the team’s last resort, given the potential issues caused by the deal. Dallas is in a tight spot against the 2021 NFL salary cap and Prescott’s figure would make addressing this defense even more difficult. There would also be issues beyond next season.
The Cowboys would risk Prescott walking in 2022, simply because the team couldn’t afford an unprecedented third franchise tag. In that scenario, with the star quarterback on the open market, other NFL teams likely push the asking price past a point where Jerry Jones would feel comfortable matching.
Jones has made it clear the franchise is committed to Prescott. While there have been some eye-opening comments during the quarterback’s recovery, Jones’ love and appreciation for the face of America’s Team hasn’t changed.
Dallas Cowboys: 3 Senior Bowl prospects who fit 2021 NFL Draft needs - Randy Gurzi, NFL Spinzone
Good names to remember in the upcoming draft.
1. Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State
There might be other positions the Dallas Cowboys need to target on defense but one that seems to have a permanent opening is safety. For years now, the Cowboys have needed to add talent to the back end of their secondary, and despite flirting with the idea of adding Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams, they continue to try and utilize a band-aid approach.
With all due respect to Xavier Woods and Donovan Wilson, you can’t fix the biggest hole on your defense by constantly hoping a sixth-round pick will break out. And while it’s true Wilson was coming on in 2020, Woods is now a free agent and they’re likely going to need to go with a younger option since the majority of their cap space is going to have to go toward finally paying Dak Prescott.
For that reason, adding a safety in day one or two seems to be the way to go — and that could lead them to look long and hard at Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirildeen. Already considered a good prospect, Nasirildeen took the opportunity provided him in Mobile and ran with it. There’s no shortage of hot takes out there about how he performed and PFF’s Draft Twitter account was especially impressed with how he covered tight ends.
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