Cowboys Corner

Witten agrees Cowboys needed to draft a tight end, and it didn't hurt his feelings: 'There's no ego there for me'

Not that they asked, but Jason Witten agreed – the Cowboys did need to draft a tight end if they’re going to make good on their commitment to a two-tight-end passing offense.

“Oh, yeah. I did,” Witten said, asked if he thought the Cowboys needed to draft a tight end, which they did – Gavin Escobar of San Diego State in the second round last week. “I think that’s a big part of where we’re seeing our football team go. I think, more than anything else, I looked at it and said it’s showing there’s a commitment to this package and growing that.

“When you take a guy that high, that’s something that you obviously see happening.”

Witten, speaking Friday to reporters at the Boys & Girls Club in Mesquite, where his SCORE Foundation and Albertsons teamed up to provide renovations to a learning center, said it hurt to lose tight end John Phillips to free agency.

But he also expressed confidence in second-year tight end James Hanna, who came on late last year to become a bigger part of the passing offense.

“James is going to be a good player. He’s got some ability and some speed that creates mismatches,” Witten said. “That’s the way this league is going, that you can create mismatches.”

Witten said he’ll give Escobar all the help he needs. He’s not going to pull the offended veteran trick and hold anything back from him.

“There’s no ego there for me,” he said. “It’s all about winning. That’s part of being a leader and a captain, is to help other guys play at a high level. There’s no hard feelings from that standpoint.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Romo's involvement in game-planning is -- and has been -- part of Cowboys making him comfortable, Witten says

If Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is about to get more involved in the game-planning of the offense, tight end Jason Witten might not even notice.

It’d be nothing new to him.

“I’ve always felt like Tony was very involved in the process of the plays and our scheme, how we attacked,” Witten said Friday at the Boys & Girls Club in Mesquite, where he was on hand to dedicate the renovation of a learning center – a project led by his SCORE Foundation and its partnership with Albertsons. “I think in any organization where you have an elite quarterback like that,  you want him to feel comfortable. I think that’s something we’ve always tried to do, and it sounds like we’re going to continue to do that.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the draft last week that it would be a “bonus” if Romo, who last month signed a six-year, $108 million extension, were to spend “Peyton Manning-type time” at Valley Ranch.

Witten said there has never been a concern about Romo putting in enough time to get the job done.

“Sometimes maybe more is made of that than it is,” Witten said. “I know he understands the expectations to play that position, probably even more so now after the contract than ever before. I think that’s something he embraces and says, ‘Hey, let’s get this started.’ I think we’re all excited. But we all know at this point, our actions will speak a lot louder than anything we say or talk about.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter@calexmendez

Witten says Cowboys aren't asking too much of Escobar to expect him to contribute right away

Jason Witten says it is not asking too much to expect new tight end Gavin Escobar, drafted last week in the second round by the Cowboys, to contribute right away.

“I don’t think it’s putting too much on his plate at all,” Witten said Friday, speaking to reporters at the Boys & Girls Club in Mesquite, where his SCORE Foundation and Albertsons helped renovate a learning center. “It’s a process when you draft a guy and have high expectations for him. It sounds like they’re really high on him and think he can be a good player.”

Escobar comes to the Cowboys with pass-catching credentials, which is what they were looking for as they try to stock their personnel for a two-tight end passing attack, or “12 personnel.”

Witten said the Cowboys will put Escobar to work early, as they have with other young tight ends.

“This really isn’t new territory for us,” he said. “We’ve drafted tight ends high throughout, even since I’ve been here, with Anthony and Martellus. I think this is a package that we’ve always really used and will continue to see that grow.”

Witten joked that he welcomed the help.

“I’m going into my 11th year,” he said. “I’m not getting any younger.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Undrafted free agent LB Brandon Magee gets $70,000 first-year guarantee, not $70,000 signing bonus

Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee received a $70,000 first-year guarantee from the Cowboys to sign as an undrafted free agent, not a $70,000 signing bonus.

He got an actual $5,000 signing bonus and $65,000 of his salary was guaranteed. If he is cut in training camp, the Cowboys will cut him a check for $65,000. If he cut after the first game, they will cut him a check for the difference.

Clearly the Cowboys don't expect him to be cut. He was a player they had rated as a fourth-round pick on their draft board that they coveted to sign as an undrafted free agent, which is why they gave him the guarantee to sign with them over other teams.

It was similar to what the Cowboys did last year when they gave guard Ron Leary a $214,000 guarantee of his first-year salary to sign as an undrafted free agent.

According to Magee's agent Blake Baratz, the Cowboys were one of the first team's to use a first-year guarantee to entice coveted undrafted free agents to sign with them. It was born out of the rules in the new collective bargaining agreement that limit how much signing bonus teams can give to undrafted free agents.

Clarence Hill

Just CHILL: Despite first-round issues, Cowboys feel they had great draft in terms of picks and value

Clarence Hill

Say what you will about how the Cowboys handled the first round of the NFL Draft -- and plenty people are doing just that inside and outside the organization -- but don't question the seven players the Cowboys took starting with Wisconsin center Travis Frederick in the first round.

The Cowboys feel every pick will contribute in 2013, some more than others. They believe all of them have the potential to become starters in the future, so there is a feeling inside the organization that this is the best draft the team has had in a few years in terms of the picks and the value.

"All in all it was probably the most successful draft we've had in a while," a source said. "We got a guy a guy in the fifth round (running back Joseph Randle) we had on the board in the third. We got good value on guys instead or reaching as we did in the past. Last year, we needed a safety and might have pumped a little air in (fourth-round pick Matt Johnson). We took him earlier than we needed to. That didn't happen this year other than maybe the first round. We tried to keep our standards high about a first rounder, second rounder, third rounder and fourth rounder looks like and didn't let a guy slip in there that we shouldn't have taken in that slot. We got good value."

While he may have been a reach at 31, the Cowboys truly believe they got a good player in Frederick who is an immediate upgrade at center and will help the team immensely in 2013.

The Cowboys did their best work, however, on the second and third day of draft starting with tight end Gavin Escobar in the second round. No one questions his talent or potential. He was considered the second- or third-best tight end in the draft, and the Cowboys got him right where he was projected to go.

The best selection, however, might have been Baylor receiver Terrence Williams with the controversial pick they got from the 49ers in the third round.

The Cowboys had Williams rated higher on their draft board than Escobar, according to a source. But they felt the potential was greater for him or another quality receiver to be there in the third than Escobar being there.

They turned out to be right. That's was a huge win for owner/general manager Jerry Jones and the personnel department. 

No matter how bad they messed up in the first round, it turned out OK when they came away with Frederick and Williams to show for the 18th overall pick they traded to San Francisco.

“That’s how the draft go,” said a defensive-turned-giddy Jones after picking Williams on Friday while trying to make a play on the popular “That’s how baseball go” line made famous by Texas Rangers Ron Washington.

The Cowboys had Georgia Southern safety J.J. Wilcox as a third-round pick, and that's where they took him. Certainly he is still learning the position after playing it just one year in college, but they love his potential and upside.

"He is a downhill, physical football player who has range," a source said. "Not many safeties run 4.5 in the 40-yard dash like him. He is a faster Barry Church. He is physical and has more range."

The Cowboys were also pleased with William and Mary cornerback B.W. Webb in the fourth round. A couple of scouts had him rated as a second-round prospect. The Cowboys say he compares favorably to Southeastern Louisiana cornerback Robert Alford who the Falcons took in the second round.

"For us to get him in the fourth, we had to take him," a source said. "We felt it was a wash between he and Alford and he went in the second."

The Cowboys believe Webb will pay dividends now and in the future in terms of how it relates to nickel cornerback Orlando Scandrick.

"He is going to push Scandrick," the source said. "Scandrick hasn't had anybody push him, and he has a moody and inconsistent personality. Hopefully it will raise his level of play and give us the ability to move on in a year or two and save some money. We might even be able to trade Scandrick for a pick."

Scandrick graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 43-ranked cornerback in pass coverage last season. His salary jumps to $3.5 million in 2014 and $5 million in 2015 and 2016. Webb's rookie deal will have him making minimum salaries in each of the next four years.  

So the Cowboys believe they got value and potential salary flexibility with Webb.

Getting Randle in the fifth round was another coup as they had the former Oklahoma Sate star graded as a third-round pick.

"He walks in as the No. 2 running back," the source said. "He has DeMarco Murray traits. He is a three-down player. He can catch the ball and block the blitz. He plays faster than his 4.5 time in the 40. Getting that guy in the fifth round was huge. We won't lose any sleep if he has to start."

The Cowboys believe they got good value with South Carolina linebacker Devonte Holloman in the sixth round. They had him graded in the fifth.

The interesting thing is the Cowboys had Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee rated as a fourth-rounder.

They made the call to pick Holloman and chance that Magee would make it to free agency because of Magee's smaller size and injury history. They also felt Holloman was a better special teams player.

That's also why they moved heaven and earth to sign Magee as an undrafted free agent, giving him an NFL-high $70,000 guarantee on his first year salary. Magee got an actual $5,000 signing bonus and $65,000 of his first year salary was guaranteed to him whether he makes the team or not. No seventh-round pick last year got $70,000 in signing bonus from any team.

The Cowboys did guarantee undrafted free agent guard Ron Leary $214,000 of his base salary in 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch: Draft call from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones left Georgia Southern safety J.J. Wilcox in tears

 

Clarence Hill

Cowboys hope to raise big money for The Salvation Army with home runs

The Cowboys will trade touchdowns for home runs in a charity competition benefiting The Salvation Army. The Reliant-sponsored event will pay $1,000 for each home run hit.

Jason Garrett, Jason Witten, Miles Austin, DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Brandon Carr, Bruce Carter, Sean Lee, Jason Hatcher and Doug Free will take pitches from ex Ranger Kevin Mench. Each gets 10 swings each, with a home run earning an extra turn. The last pitch offers the chance to send $2,000 sliding into home for the Youth Education Town of The Salvation Army in Arlington.

The event raised $40,000 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization last year. 

The competition will take place at 4 p.m. May 8 at The Ballpark at Arlington.

 

 

      

Just CHILL: Draft strategy/trade remains puzzling even to Cowboys' scouts

Clarence Hill

Almost a week later, the decisions the Cowboys made in the first round of the NFL Draft remains puzzling, even troubling, to those inside and outside the Cowboys organization.

It still is a sore subject among scouts, according to a source.

Call them mess ups 1 and 1A.

The decision to bypass Florida defensive tackle Shariff Floyd, who was ranked as a top-10 pick on the Cowboys draft board was first. 

“We are not disappointed in what we drafted at 31, more disappointed in who we passed up at 18," the source said.

It has been well chronicled that owner Jerry Jones made the call to pass on Floyd and trade down in the draft, because Floyd wasn't deemed a good fit for the "under" tackle in the 4-3 defense by the coaches.

Jones was focused on addressing the offensive line or safety in the first round, according to a source. The main targets for those positions -- offensive guards Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper and Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro _ were gone before the 18th pick. 

They didn't expect Floyd to be there, so there was a long discussion on Floyd. Jones sided with the coaches.

"Jerry wanted to address the offensive line or safety in the first round; no other options were viable," the source said. "When it was said that [Floyd] was not a fit, that's all he needed to hear."

Jones made the call to make a trade to move down in the draft, where the Cowboys were targeting Syracuse guard Justin Pugh with the 31st pick they got from the 49ers.

They assumed/hoped he would be there, but the Giants drafted him 19th.

The Cowboys then took Wisconsin center Travis Frederick, who they deemed to be the last offensive lineman worthy of the pick and capable of helping them this year. Never mind that other teams had Frederick as a second-round pick and some as low as a third-round pick. He was a high second-round pick on the Cowboys board.

Don't misunderstand. People in the Cowboys organization aren't troubled by the pick, just the process and decision to pass on a top-10 player.

"Frederick will be a quality player," a source said. "He has Nick Mangold qualities to him in terms of strength and intelligence. His upper body is strong. He will fight in the hole. The Cowboys got better with Frederick."

Again, it's not the pick that has everyone puzzled; it was the process.

The same goes with the trade with the 49ers. No matter how much owner Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones say they got good value, everyone knows they got snookered -- even those in the organization.

The Cowboys traded the 18th pick for the 31st pick and a third-round pick, 74th overall. Most trade charts indicated the Cowboys should have received a second- and third-round pick from the 49ers in the swap of first rounders -- based on value and how many picks the loaded 49ers had to deal.

Making matters worse is the Cowboys had gone over all scenarios before the draft, including a trade back with the 49ers for the 31st pick. The in-house mock trade had them picking up a second- and a third-round pick in addition to swapping first round picks. Neither Jones nor executive vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones was in the room during the pre-draft scenario.

"You've got to get more than that third-round pick," the source said. "It makes no sense. It is still a sore subject. The scenario had been talked about. A second and third had been talked about. When we did it, Stephen and Jerry weren't in there. It's a learning experience. The decision-makers make the decisions, and we live with it."

-- Clarence Hill

 

ASU LB Brandon Magee promises to make Cowboys' money well spent

Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee went undrafted last weekend, but the Cowboys liked him enough to give him a $70,000 signing bonus as a free agent. That’s more than any seventh-round pick from the 2012 draft received.

Fortunately for Magee, the team with the top offer was the best fit for him.

The Cowboys, who didn’t have a seventh-round pick but ended up with two third-rounders, used only one choice on a linebacker. They selected South Carolina’s DeVonte Holloman in the sixth round, with their final choice. Magee said he will begin his career at middle linebacker next weekend at the team's rookie minicamp. He played the strongside and the weakside at ASU.

"I just wanted the best fit for me," Magee said. "The Cowboys are the best opportunity for me to come in here and contribute. It's exciting. Even though I'm a free agent, it doesn't mean anything. I'm going to get out there and I'm going to show what I can do."

Dallas had a fourth-round grade on Magee, and Magee's agent, Blake Baratz of The Institute for Athletes, said he had offers from every team in the league after the draft. Yet, for whatever reason, Magee went undrafted.

“I think it was luck of the draw,” Magee said. “It could have been my injury. It could have been my baseball contract with Boston. It could have been my size. There are so many factors that go into it. But right now, I’m looking forward to the opportunity. Everyone passed me up. I’m never going to forget that. It’ll just make it a better success story.”

Magee is 5 foot 11, 223 pounds with arms measuring only 28 ¾ inches. By comparison, Barkevious Mingo, the No. 6 overall pick of the Browns, is 6-4, 241 and has 33 ¾-inch arms, and Jarvis Jones, the No. 17 overall pick of the Steelers, is 6-3, 245 pounds and has 33-inch arms.

Magee has been unlucky, too. He ruptured an Achilles’ tendon in a team scrimmage during the summer of 2011, forcing him to miss what would have been his final college season. He returned in 2012 and sprained his right elbow late last season. Though he didn’t miss a game, the injury kept him from bench pressing for scouts before the draft.

Magee was a baseball player until high school, and a good one at that. The outfielder twice went to the College World Series in three seasons with ASU’s baseball team, and he was drafted three times by Major League teams. He turned down offers from the Rays and the Athletics but signed with the Boston Red Sox as a 23^rd-round pick last year and has that as a fallback if the NFL doesn’t work out.

But Magee, who made 113 tackles last season, insists he is a football player first. He intends to make the Cowboys’ roster and leave baseball in his past.

"I'm so happy to be part of such a great organization," Magee said. "I'm going to work my tail off. Trust me."

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

Cowboys draft pick remembers Sean Lissemore at William & Mary: 'I was actually scared of him'

Rookie cornerback B.W. Webb, the Cowboys’ fourth-round pick last weekend out of William & Mary, is going to know at least one face among the veterans when OTAs start up.

Sean Lissemore is a William & Mary product, too.

Does he know him?

“Yes, I do.”

How well?

“When I first got there, I was actually scared of him – this big, quiet guy,” Webb said, remembering in a conference call with reporters. “But as the year went on, me and him got along great. And even when I got down to Dallas, he came and saw me when I was at the facility. I definitely keep in contact with him.”

Lissemore is in his fourth year with the Cowboys after being a seventh-round pick in 2010. Last year, the Cowboys signed him to a three-year extension that goes through 2016.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez