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Sabin: Draft more than a week away and Greg Hardy already having an impact for Cowboys
By RAINER SABIN
Follow @RainerSabinDMN rsabin@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer
Published: 18 April 2015 06:50 PM
Updated: 18 April 2015 06:53 PM
At the NFL owners meetings last month in Arizona, Jerry Jones was asked to catalog the team’s draft priorities. One by one, he listed the positions of need. Linebacker. Defensive back. Running back. Offensive line.
“And we do have to look to the future relative to quarterback,” Jones volunteered.
But at no point during his answer did the Cowboys owner mention these two words: pass rusher.
The omission was noticeable, considering that finding a quarterback hunter with a consistent track record had been a mission since DeMarcus Ware’s departure the previous offseason.
In 2014, the Cowboys recorded 28 sacks, the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Immediately after gimpy Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers managed to evade pressure and torch the secondary in Dallas’ divisional-round loss to the Packers, Jones’ son, Stephen, the club’s executive vice president, said in a radio interview it was “absolutely” necessary that the organization acquire a defensive lineman.
In March, the Cowboys did, signing the controversial Greg Hardy to an incentive-laden contract. The move invited backlash because Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list following a domestic violence incident that occurred the previous year.
But the Cowboys saw the value tied to Hardy through a lens that both narrowly focused on his bottom-line production and widened enough to show his place in the bigger picture. Not only was he a former Pro Bowler who could immediately amplify the listless pass rush, but his presence on the roster also gave the Cowboys added flexibility with their draft strategy.
With their first-round pick, the Cowboys have more freedom to address other exigencies and potentially take the best player available — the ideal scenario in any NFL war room and one that materialized last year when Dallas grabbed Zack Martin, who became an All-Pro guard as a rookie. Hardy’s acquisition also increases the Cowboys’ latitude to seek DeMarco Murray’s replacement after the running back left during the first week of free agency.
“I do think one of the goals that we have is, you don’t want to get yourself into a position where, come draft day, we’re desperate to take a guy at a particular position because you’re so void there,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said recently. “That’s one of the decisions, one of the thought processes, that we have in free agency — to make sure that we draft as purely as possible. ... You certainly want to get your team to a point where you don’t have needs everywhere, where you become desperate come draft time.”
The addition of Hardy, a move that screamed expediency, figures to help the Cowboys avoid that fate while giving Dallas the opportunity to make a safer choice. It’s expected that the best pass rushers will be off the board by the time the Cowboys are on the clock with the 27th selection, escalating the risk they could pick a dud if they felt compelled to take a defensive end or tackle.
But at other positions where the Cowboys are looking to upgrade or solidify — particularly cornerback, linebacker and running back — many of the top prospects in this class should still be available when the Cowboys are set to hand in their draft card.
“When we get to the 27th pick in the draft, we’re going to try to determine who the best player is for the Dallas Cowboys and make our best decision,” Garrett said. “You want to be able to pick the right player for your team.”
With Hardy in the fold, that becomes an easier task because there is one fewer hole to fill.
By RAINER SABIN
Follow @RainerSabinDMN rsabin@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer
Published: 18 April 2015 06:50 PM
Updated: 18 April 2015 06:53 PM
At the NFL owners meetings last month in Arizona, Jerry Jones was asked to catalog the team’s draft priorities. One by one, he listed the positions of need. Linebacker. Defensive back. Running back. Offensive line.
“And we do have to look to the future relative to quarterback,” Jones volunteered.
But at no point during his answer did the Cowboys owner mention these two words: pass rusher.
The omission was noticeable, considering that finding a quarterback hunter with a consistent track record had been a mission since DeMarcus Ware’s departure the previous offseason.
In 2014, the Cowboys recorded 28 sacks, the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Immediately after gimpy Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers managed to evade pressure and torch the secondary in Dallas’ divisional-round loss to the Packers, Jones’ son, Stephen, the club’s executive vice president, said in a radio interview it was “absolutely” necessary that the organization acquire a defensive lineman.
In March, the Cowboys did, signing the controversial Greg Hardy to an incentive-laden contract. The move invited backlash because Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list following a domestic violence incident that occurred the previous year.
But the Cowboys saw the value tied to Hardy through a lens that both narrowly focused on his bottom-line production and widened enough to show his place in the bigger picture. Not only was he a former Pro Bowler who could immediately amplify the listless pass rush, but his presence on the roster also gave the Cowboys added flexibility with their draft strategy.
With their first-round pick, the Cowboys have more freedom to address other exigencies and potentially take the best player available — the ideal scenario in any NFL war room and one that materialized last year when Dallas grabbed Zack Martin, who became an All-Pro guard as a rookie. Hardy’s acquisition also increases the Cowboys’ latitude to seek DeMarco Murray’s replacement after the running back left during the first week of free agency.
“I do think one of the goals that we have is, you don’t want to get yourself into a position where, come draft day, we’re desperate to take a guy at a particular position because you’re so void there,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said recently. “That’s one of the decisions, one of the thought processes, that we have in free agency — to make sure that we draft as purely as possible. ... You certainly want to get your team to a point where you don’t have needs everywhere, where you become desperate come draft time.”
The addition of Hardy, a move that screamed expediency, figures to help the Cowboys avoid that fate while giving Dallas the opportunity to make a safer choice. It’s expected that the best pass rushers will be off the board by the time the Cowboys are on the clock with the 27th selection, escalating the risk they could pick a dud if they felt compelled to take a defensive end or tackle.
But at other positions where the Cowboys are looking to upgrade or solidify — particularly cornerback, linebacker and running back — many of the top prospects in this class should still be available when the Cowboys are set to hand in their draft card.
“When we get to the 27th pick in the draft, we’re going to try to determine who the best player is for the Dallas Cowboys and make our best decision,” Garrett said. “You want to be able to pick the right player for your team.”
With Hardy in the fold, that becomes an easier task because there is one fewer hole to fill.
