Cowboys News: Trading up vs trading back in Round 1, time for a new free agency strategy?
After so much speculation about who the Cowboys should select with the 24th overall pick in this year’s draft, maybe it’s time to ask a different question. Like whether it makes more sense to move back a few spots. Or maybe it’s worth moving up instead? We’re looking at both sides of the coin, while still exploring the names that could make the biggest impact on the offensive line and identifying the perfect 1-2 punch when it comes to this year’s draft picks.
Elsewhere, a Dallas free agent gets away, and another high-profile vet apparently could have been had for a song. We look back at what the Cowboys have learned (or haven’t) from free agency periods past, we take a contrarian’s approach to the notion that speed trumps all, and we check in with the all-time rushing champ on what’s happened to the NFL’s workhorse running backs… and get his real take on what he thought of Barry Sanders’s game. All that, plus the USFL is experimenting with technologically-advanced footballs. Here’s the News and Notes.
Trading up, finding replacements: 4 bold Cowboys predictions for the NFL draft :: The Athletic
Link (paywall)
Among the bold predictions (like drafting eventual replacements for Ezekiel Elliott and Tyron Smith), Jon Machota believes Cowboys will trade up in one of the first two rounds to go get “another Micah Parsons.” That could be another pressure player up front for their defense, a big-time playmaking wide receiver, or a cornerstone offensive lineman.
Mailbag: A trade-down draft scenario? :: The Mothership
While the 24th pick should net the Cowboys one of the best players on their board, given the depth of this year’s class, there’s also something to be said for waiting just a little longer and ending up with an extra player. With the value of picks 18 through 32 likely being comparable, Dallas might be able to trade back six or seven spots and come away with an additional Top 100 prospect.
2022 NFL Draft: Ideal top two picks for every team :: NFL.com
The draft is about meeting roster needs while getting good value with each pick. Seen through that lens, the perfect 1-2 punch for the Cowboys with their first two picks just might be Texas A&M lineman Kenyon Green and Oklahoma edge rusher Nik Bonitto. Of course, this gameplan still leaves the team frighteningly thin at wide receiver.
Cowboys’ free agency approach has been drastically altered by past blunders and it needs revisiting :: Dallas Morning News
The Cowboys’ annual free agency strategy is well-established. It’s also dumb. In the last 10 offseasons, the Cowboys have signed 37 free agents; none signed a contract worth more than $18.3 million. That list is loaded with names like Cedric Thornton, Greg Hardy, and Gerald McCoy: guys who just never worked out for one reason or another. Maybe it’s time to try a new approach.
Cowboys miss out on cheap defensive end option in free agency :: The Landry Hat
The Cowboys front office often pushes the narrative that they aren’t active in free agency because they don’t have the money for the big names. Six-time Pro Bowler Calais Campbell just signed a two-year extension with the Ravens for $12.5 million. He’s 35 but certainly has enough left in the tank to justify his relatively low price tag.
Cowboys free agent WR Malik Turner signs deal with 49ers :: Cowboys Wire
Another Dallas pass-catcher will be catching passes somewhere else in 2022. Malik Turner has signed a one-year pact with San Francisco; it will be his third team in five years. CeeDee Lamb, depth player Noah Brown, and newcomer James Washington are currently the only experienced receivers who will be active in Week 1.
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4 guards the Cowboys could still sign in free agency to have a completely open 2022 draft :: Blogging the Boys
The Cowboys appear ready to go with either Connor McGovern or a fresh-faced rookie at left guard. But there are veterans at the position who could be added as a serviceable stopgap: Ereck Flowers, Quinton Spain, Trai Turner, or Daryl Williams could all be had at a bargain price while the club works on a long-term fix.
Building The Board : Interior offensive line | Dallas Cowboys 2022 :: The Mothership
It’s about time to once again rebuild The Great Wall of Dallas. David Helman runs down the pros and cons of Kenyon Green versus Zion Johnson at the 24th pick, and then Kyle Youmans throws center Tyler Linderbaum into the mix.
How much will Cowboys rely on TE Sean McKeon in 2022? :: Inside the Star
Whether or not the Cowboys swing big on a collegiate tight end prospect may depend more on how they value their third-year Michigan man than the franchise-tagged Dalton Schultz. McKeon hasn’t been a major contributor, but with Blake Jarwin now gone, the door could now be open. If Dallas doesn’t address the position early in the draft, it could be a sign that they think their tight end of the future is already in-house.
Dallas Cowboys need more than speed (the lesson Tavon Austin taught us) :: Sport DFW
Speed kills, the saying goes. But it doesn’t magically solve everything. As the Cowboys look at several speedsters in the top of this draft class, one must remember the 2018 experiment that was supposed to give blazer Tavon Austin 12 to 24 touches per game in a new “web back” role. He ended up with 14 touches the entire year. The lesson: speed is useless if the offensive system doesn’t truly know how to weaponize it.
NFL legend Emmitt Smith on the plight of today’s star running backs :: Inside Hook
The all-time rushing champ is not necessarily a fan of today’s pass-heavy offensive mentality. “There seems to be a deliberate scheme or strategy to minimize the value of the running back,” Smith said. “I don’t know that our team would’ve been as productive with Troy Aikman throwing the ball 40-45 times a game… [Offensive coordinator] Norv Turner created a balanced attack where Troy would throw the ball 30-35 times a game and I would touch the ball 20-25 times a game, sometimes 30. That worked pretty well. That was our formula for success.”
Sportscasting Q&A: Emmitt Smith addresses unfair Barry Sanders comparisons, talks Jordan vs. LeBron :: Sportscasting
Smith also weighed in on the ever-popular debate about who was the better back: himself or Barry Sanders. “He was so amazing at making people miss out of the space — he was ridiculous. And, to me, he’s the best running back I’ve ever seen play the game in terms of what his skillset offers,” Smith said of the Lions great. “Now, he doesn’t have the all-time leading rushing title behind him because I have that. But my consistency, my durability, is something that he did not have.”
USFL to eliminate chains, measure first downs with chip in ball and yellow line on TV :: ProFootballTalk
In its first preseason game, the new league debuted technology that uses a computer chip embedded in the ball to help more accurately measure proximity to the line to gain. (Or at least provide a better visual for fans watching on TV.) The USFL also hopes to introduce a football that glows when it crosses the goal line.
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