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DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
Two teams have approached the Cowboys about the No. 9 pick in next month’s NFL draft. That number will increase in the coming days and weeks.
What does it mean?
Not much until the Cowboys are on the clock.
Speculation supersedes substance until the first round unfolds on April 28. Owner Jerry Jones sparked conjecture Tuesday when he told local reporters in New Orleans for the NFL meetings that two clubs have inquired about the Cowboys’ top pick.
Jones has a penchant for wheeling and dealing during the draft. But it’s one thing to move when the team doesn’t select until the high teens or 20s. It’s another when the team is assured of landing a blue chip player in the top 10.
It would be foolish for the Cowboys to limit their options with the draft more than five weeks away. Jones’ job is to create interest in the team’s pick, and he’s done that with his proclamation.
But what he says now does not indicate the team’s intent. The draft board hasn’t even been set. The Cowboys don’t know what the teams in front of them will do on that April evening.
What they do know is the talent plateau at the No. 9 pick is high.
Stephen Jones is the team’s executive vice president and director of player personnel. He addressed the Cowboys approach Tuesday evening once he returned from New Orleans.
“We’ve got a lot of work left to do,’’ Stephen Jones said. “You hate to pass judgment just yet. But from the preliminary work we’ve done, there should be a good football player there.
“Nothing really matters until you get to draft day, and for that matter, until you get on the clock. It depends on who’s available when we pick, how tempted we are to let the pick go at that time and what other team or teams are interested.
“I would say 99 percent of the time you don’t see anything happen until you’re on the clock.’’
The lockout changes the complexion of what can be done. Clubs can trade draft picks, but they can’t trade players currently under contract. That limits options. There are also salary cap issues.
The Cowboys’ payroll for 2011 is currently projected at a league-high $137 million. That’s $23 million above what the NFL proposed in its last negotiating session with the Players Association.
But Stephen Jones stressed that number has no impact on the team’s decision at No. 9. It will not influence the Cowboys to move back in an effort to save money.
“That cap number means nothing at the moment,’’ Stephen Jones said. “We have no idea what kind of system we’ll be in, so it’s totally irrelevant right now.
“We need to take the best football player available.’’
Jerry Jones addressed other issues in New Orleans. He said the club would like to retain free agents Gerald Sensabaugh and Kyle Kosier.
Stephen Jones didn’t want to talk about free agency. He said he couldn’t address the off-the-field issues that have come up in recent days regarding receiver Dez Bryant and cornerback Bryan McCann since the lockout is in place.
What he can address is the draft. The Cowboys will finalize in the next few days which players will visit Valley Ranch before the draft. Stephen Jones said he expects, “as many as 30 players to come through,’’ and that doesn’t include the players from the area who are invited for the team’s Dallas Day.
“I know our scouts have done a lot of work and we look forward to meeting with these players to have a better feel for what we will do,’’ Jones said.
What are the odds that the Cowboys will seriously entertain offers for the No. 9 pick?
“You’ve got to have someone who wants it,’’ Stephen Jones said.
That won’t be a problem.
Two teams have approached the Cowboys about the No. 9 pick in next month’s NFL draft. That number will increase in the coming days and weeks.
What does it mean?
Not much until the Cowboys are on the clock.
Speculation supersedes substance until the first round unfolds on April 28. Owner Jerry Jones sparked conjecture Tuesday when he told local reporters in New Orleans for the NFL meetings that two clubs have inquired about the Cowboys’ top pick.
Jones has a penchant for wheeling and dealing during the draft. But it’s one thing to move when the team doesn’t select until the high teens or 20s. It’s another when the team is assured of landing a blue chip player in the top 10.
It would be foolish for the Cowboys to limit their options with the draft more than five weeks away. Jones’ job is to create interest in the team’s pick, and he’s done that with his proclamation.
But what he says now does not indicate the team’s intent. The draft board hasn’t even been set. The Cowboys don’t know what the teams in front of them will do on that April evening.
What they do know is the talent plateau at the No. 9 pick is high.
Stephen Jones is the team’s executive vice president and director of player personnel. He addressed the Cowboys approach Tuesday evening once he returned from New Orleans.
“We’ve got a lot of work left to do,’’ Stephen Jones said. “You hate to pass judgment just yet. But from the preliminary work we’ve done, there should be a good football player there.
“Nothing really matters until you get to draft day, and for that matter, until you get on the clock. It depends on who’s available when we pick, how tempted we are to let the pick go at that time and what other team or teams are interested.
“I would say 99 percent of the time you don’t see anything happen until you’re on the clock.’’
The lockout changes the complexion of what can be done. Clubs can trade draft picks, but they can’t trade players currently under contract. That limits options. There are also salary cap issues.
The Cowboys’ payroll for 2011 is currently projected at a league-high $137 million. That’s $23 million above what the NFL proposed in its last negotiating session with the Players Association.
But Stephen Jones stressed that number has no impact on the team’s decision at No. 9. It will not influence the Cowboys to move back in an effort to save money.
“That cap number means nothing at the moment,’’ Stephen Jones said. “We have no idea what kind of system we’ll be in, so it’s totally irrelevant right now.
“We need to take the best football player available.’’
Jerry Jones addressed other issues in New Orleans. He said the club would like to retain free agents Gerald Sensabaugh and Kyle Kosier.
Stephen Jones didn’t want to talk about free agency. He said he couldn’t address the off-the-field issues that have come up in recent days regarding receiver Dez Bryant and cornerback Bryan McCann since the lockout is in place.
What he can address is the draft. The Cowboys will finalize in the next few days which players will visit Valley Ranch before the draft. Stephen Jones said he expects, “as many as 30 players to come through,’’ and that doesn’t include the players from the area who are invited for the team’s Dallas Day.
“I know our scouts have done a lot of work and we look forward to meeting with these players to have a better feel for what we will do,’’ Jones said.
What are the odds that the Cowboys will seriously entertain offers for the No. 9 pick?
“You’ve got to have someone who wants it,’’ Stephen Jones said.
That won’t be a problem.