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Not Done Yet
Needs Likely To Be Filled In Free Agency
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
IRVING, Texas - They don't know when, and they don't know the exact financial structure, but the Cowboys plan on adding more talent - signing, not drafting players - once the new league year begins.
The Cowboys closed the 2011 draft with only two picks on defense out of eight - the lowest number since Jerry Jones took ownership in 1989. Clearly, defense - specifically defensive line and the secondary - could be free agent targets.
"I think certainly we'll be looking there," Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said. "When we can help our team, we'll do it, and we may not be through on offense either.
"Once we know the system and we know how things are going to work, then we're going to work hard to put the best possible team we can on the field."
Because the current league lockout has frozen player movement and placed the draft before free agency, this weekend marked the club's first chance to make roster upgrades. Without any needs filled by free agent signings, they felt they could stick to their draft board more stringently than ever and draft the best players available.
By coincidence, they said, many times an offensive player offered the best value at a particular spot.
"We knew whatever we didn't fill in terms of needs on our team that we could go into unrestricted free agency and finish up our roster in that regard," Stephen Jones said. "I really think it added discipline to our draft and I think we ended up with the type of draft we'd want to have."
The Cowboys also have eyes on their own free agents. Jones said Tuesday that re-signing offensive tackle Doug Free is their "No. 1 priority." Two other starters, safety Gerald Sensabaugh and defensive end Marcus Spears, are likely to be unrestricted free agents. Rotation ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher could remain restricted free agents if the league again operates under uncapped rules that require six accrued seasons for unrestricted eligibility.
The Cowboys did make two defensive selections: North Carolina inside linebacker Bruce Carter in the second round and Buffalo cornerback Josh Thomas in the fifth round. Carter is recovering from knee surgery and might not be ready for the start of camp, so it's possible that neither pick will make an immediate impact for new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Read more...http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=A952B4B0-DA6C-F7F1-EFB97F4ACBE3619A
Needs Likely To Be Filled In Free Agency
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
IRVING, Texas - They don't know when, and they don't know the exact financial structure, but the Cowboys plan on adding more talent - signing, not drafting players - once the new league year begins.
The Cowboys closed the 2011 draft with only two picks on defense out of eight - the lowest number since Jerry Jones took ownership in 1989. Clearly, defense - specifically defensive line and the secondary - could be free agent targets.
"I think certainly we'll be looking there," Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said. "When we can help our team, we'll do it, and we may not be through on offense either.
"Once we know the system and we know how things are going to work, then we're going to work hard to put the best possible team we can on the field."
Because the current league lockout has frozen player movement and placed the draft before free agency, this weekend marked the club's first chance to make roster upgrades. Without any needs filled by free agent signings, they felt they could stick to their draft board more stringently than ever and draft the best players available.
By coincidence, they said, many times an offensive player offered the best value at a particular spot.
"We knew whatever we didn't fill in terms of needs on our team that we could go into unrestricted free agency and finish up our roster in that regard," Stephen Jones said. "I really think it added discipline to our draft and I think we ended up with the type of draft we'd want to have."
The Cowboys also have eyes on their own free agents. Jones said Tuesday that re-signing offensive tackle Doug Free is their "No. 1 priority." Two other starters, safety Gerald Sensabaugh and defensive end Marcus Spears, are likely to be unrestricted free agents. Rotation ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher could remain restricted free agents if the league again operates under uncapped rules that require six accrued seasons for unrestricted eligibility.
The Cowboys did make two defensive selections: North Carolina inside linebacker Bruce Carter in the second round and Buffalo cornerback Josh Thomas in the fifth round. Carter is recovering from knee surgery and might not be ready for the start of camp, so it's possible that neither pick will make an immediate impact for new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Read more...http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=A952B4B0-DA6C-F7F1-EFB97F4ACBE3619A
