Cowboys news: Dallas has already brought on some safeties, but they could still draft more

Dallas Cowboys Draft: 7 Rounds of 7 Safeties - Adithya Prabakaran, Sport DFW

No matter when you want to draft a safety for the Cowboys, this has got you covered.

2nd Round

Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State

Value: Reach

I bet you were expecting Richie Grant. Unfortunately, he kept getting selected four to five picks earlier. SOOOO…

The Florida State safety has had an incredibly productive four-year career totaling 233 total tackles, 133 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, four interceptions, and nine pass deflections. At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Nasirildeen has the build of a box safety and the production of a free safety.

Nasirildeen displays solid athletic ability displaying good foot speed, solid acceleration, solid play strength, and solid change of direction. However, he does display adequate explosiveness which is important at his size.

The Seminole displays solid instincts in the deep 1/3 and deep 1/2 of the field. He has an adequate understanding of route patterns but displays solid range to overlap routes because of his solid acceleration and good foot speed that allows him to transition quickly towards the ball even if he is delayed in reacting to routes in his zone.

Cowboys NFL Draft Targets: DL Carlos “Boogie” Basham - Matthew Lenix, Inside the Star

Let’s boogie on down with Mr. Basham

Day 2 of the NFL Draft is where second and third-round selections are made and a good opportunity for teams to find under-the-radar prospects that can potentially be stars on the pro level. Carlos “Boogie” Basham is a defensive lineman out of Wake Forest that the Cowboys should keep an eye on.

After just 24 tackles and no sacks as a redshirt freshman in 2017, Basham took his game to another level in 2018. He recorded 64 tackles (11 tackles for loss), 4.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown. Basham produced 85 tackles (22.5 tackles for loss), 15 sacks, four pass breakups, and seven forced fumbles while garnering First-Team (2019) and Third-Team (2020) All-ACC honors over his final two seasons. Those numbers would’ve been even better if not for a COVID-19 outbreak at Wake Forest that only allowed him to play seven games in last season.

Positives: Tough, explosive, and instinctive defender with a complete game. Intelligent but also a slug-it-out defender. Immediately diagnoses and unfolds plays and shows speed moving in every direction. Plays with proper pad level out of a three-point stance, effectively uses his hands to protect himself, and displays a variety of moves getting off blocks.

Forceful up the field, rarely off his feet and consistently attracts double-team blocks. Chases the action hard and plays through the whistle on every snap. Displays good change-of-direction skills and speed up the field and possesses a closing burst. Stays with assignments and plays within the system.

Will the Dallas Cowboys draft the next Zack Martin? - Steven Mullenax, The Landry Hat

A lofty comparison for one of the draft’s best OL prospects:

While Frederick surprisingly retired last offseason, the trio of Smith, Martin, and Collins are expected to start again this year after all three were plagued by injuries in 2020. And this aging unit is one of the reasons an offensive lineman could once again be the top draft selection in Dallas later this month.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Slater played left tackle at Northwestern but has the position flex to play anywhere across the offensive line. That kind of versatility is a trait the Cowboys certainly covet.

Kyle Crabbs of the Draft Network believes Slater has the potential to become a perennial Pro Bowler and potential All-Pro player the further into the heart of the line he transitions. But The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes Slater could absolutely thrive as a left tackle on the NFL level.

Three players the Dallas Cowboys could target with the 10th overall pick - Andrew Pistone, Franchise Sports

Is Micah Parsons really on the Cowboys board?

Micah Parsons

It was believed that linebacker was a position of strength for the Cowboys coming into 2020.

As it turned out, the players that they relied on to carry them there did not perform as effectively as they did in 2019.

Dallas’s front office has to be a little frustrated and confused at that development. Whatever the case may be, they cannot afford to have subpar production from that part of the defense again.

Even if Vander Esch and Smith bounce back, it would not hurt the Cowboys to have a third blue chip prospect playing alongside them. Penn State’s Micah Parsons is projected to be the top linebacker in this year’s draft, and was a tackling machine at Happy Valley.

In the 2019 season, Parsons recorded 109 total tackles in just 13 games. The main question with him will be his conditioning, since he decided to opt out of the 2020 college football season.

This Date In Transactions History: Cowboys Release Tony Romo - Zachary Links, Pro Football Rumors

Four years ago yesterday, the Cowboys officially changed direction.

Four years ago today, the Cowboys released longtime quarterback Tony Romo. At least, that’s how the official record reads. Romo — who had ceded the starting job to rookie Dak Prescott in 2016 — retired in order to begin his broadcasting career.

“We wish Tony and his family nothing but the best,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “As an organization, we did what he asked us to do in terms of his release, and we wanted to do what was ultimately in his best interest and in the best interest of his family. Tony has been a wonderful representative of the Cowboys organization for 14 years, and he left everything he had on the field. He will leave us with many great memories and a legacy of being, truly, one of the greatest players in Cowboys history. We are thrilled for him and his family that he will be able to continue working as a professional in the game he so dearly loves. He is a young man who is just getting started on a long journey in life. All the best my friend.”

Romo, who was on the verge of his 37th birthday, took over for Phil Simms at CBS. His health, he said, wouldn’t allow him to continue playing football. Still, even with his surgically-repaired back, the nature of his retirement led to lots of speculation. After the Cowboys granted his release, Romo was now free to sign with any team. At one point, he considered joining up with the Jets, but ultimately declined. Over the summer, Romo continued to leave the door open ever so slightly, saying that he wouldn’t rule out returning to the Cowboys in an emergency situation. That emergency call never came in though, and Romo has been in the booth ever since.

In effect, this all played out as a standard retirement. Romo didn’t leave the game exactly the way he wanted to, but he did complete a league-high 69.9% of his passes in 2014, his last full season. All in all, Romo collected four Pro Bowl nods over the course of his career in Dallas while earning upwards of $127MM in NFL earnings alone.

BTB Podcast Schedule

• Monday: Jersey Boyz with Dave Sturchio, Bret Ernst, and Keith Ernst
• Tuesday: The 75O with Tony Casillas and RJ Ochoa
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Draft with Connor Livesay, Cole Patterson, and Dalton Miller
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin ‘Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Saturday: Cowboys Hoy with Mauricio Rodriguez

We also offer daily episodes of The Ocho where we give you that day’s latest headlines so that you always stay caught up. The BTB podcast network is available on all major podcast avenues.

You can find your preferred platform right here. Make sure to subscribe, rate the feed, and leave a review! Our latest episode is available in the feed down below.