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- Apr 7, 2013
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Why Sean Lee's rehab might be a good thing at the moment
** I wonder if it’s a good thing Sean Lee is recovering from knee surgery. Allow me to explain. Lee goes so hard in the spring that he sometimes needs to be slowed down by the coaches or medical staff. Lee had this soreness with his knee last year, but the Cowboys and the player were able to manage it during the 2015 season. When he was having some soreness early in the offseason program, they decided to take care of the issue now rather than worrying about it during the season. Recovering from a scope to his knee will give the coaches and medical staff plenty of reason to hold him back. The goal is make sure Lee is ready for 16 games in the regular season and possibly the playoffs. There is no question Lee will know all that he needs to know about the defense and about the opposition. Keeping him fresh in the offseason would be a smart move.
** I wonder if the Cowboys are being smart to hold on to Ronald Leary. One injury on the offensive line can change everything. Paying him $2.553 million to be a backup is a lot, especially if they continue to take just seven offensive linemen to the game. Leary can start for just about any team. The Cowboys received some inquiries around the draft and could get some calls again this summer, but they’re not just going to give him away. Would you feel better if they had Leary to move into the starting lineup or would Joe Looney be OK if one of the interior linemen went down? Leary is the answer. But there’s this: the Cowboys could find themselves in position to land a compensatory pick in 2018 should a team sign Leary to a sizeable free-agent contract after this season.
** I wonder if Kellen Moore is ready for all of the attention he will receive this offseason. Sometimes players can treat the offseason program as a warmup act. I’m not so sure Moore will have that luxury. While he has the confidence of the coaches, especially offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, there will be a lot of skeptical eyes on him in May and June, as well as into July and August when training camp begins. By no means does he have to impress the media during organized team activities and minicamp to make the team, but his every throw will be discussed. At the moment, the Cowboys are rolling with Moore as their backup to Tony Romo. He has three games of experience, all last year with a team that finished 4-12. Moore has had to deal with skeptics throughout his football career. He can silent some at least a little bit with a productive spring.
** I wonder which undrafted free agents will make the team. Last year we knew as soon as La'el Collins signed a contract he would make the club. Lucky Whitehead also showed fairly quickly he belonged. The rookie minicamp didn’t offer a chance to see any competitive action. Defensive tackle Rodney Coe and linebacker Deon King were pre-draft visitors to Valley Ranch, so clearly the Cowboys have a feel for them. Wide receiver Andy Jones was given a $15,000 signing bonus, the largest of any undrafted player on the team. A couple years ago Jeff Heath was an unnoticed free agent from Saginaw Valley State and made the team. I wonder if Toledo’s Rolan Milligan could be that guy this year. He missed the first day of rookie camp because of a statistics final but he could be a special-teams find.
** I wonder if the Cowboys will be dealing from a position of strength this summer at running back. Clearly Ezekiel Elliott will get his fair share of work. The Cowboys also have Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, who have combined for five 1,000-yard seasons. Lance Dunbar is recovering from major knee surgeries and will likely not be ready for the season opener. That brings me to sixth-round pick Darius Jackson. He looked smooth in the limited work we saw in the rookie camp. I don’t want to get carried away on two practices, but in whispers around the building there is a feeling he could be a late-round find.
** I wonder if it’s a good thing Sean Lee is recovering from knee surgery. Allow me to explain. Lee goes so hard in the spring that he sometimes needs to be slowed down by the coaches or medical staff. Lee had this soreness with his knee last year, but the Cowboys and the player were able to manage it during the 2015 season. When he was having some soreness early in the offseason program, they decided to take care of the issue now rather than worrying about it during the season. Recovering from a scope to his knee will give the coaches and medical staff plenty of reason to hold him back. The goal is make sure Lee is ready for 16 games in the regular season and possibly the playoffs. There is no question Lee will know all that he needs to know about the defense and about the opposition. Keeping him fresh in the offseason would be a smart move.
** I wonder if the Cowboys are being smart to hold on to Ronald Leary. One injury on the offensive line can change everything. Paying him $2.553 million to be a backup is a lot, especially if they continue to take just seven offensive linemen to the game. Leary can start for just about any team. The Cowboys received some inquiries around the draft and could get some calls again this summer, but they’re not just going to give him away. Would you feel better if they had Leary to move into the starting lineup or would Joe Looney be OK if one of the interior linemen went down? Leary is the answer. But there’s this: the Cowboys could find themselves in position to land a compensatory pick in 2018 should a team sign Leary to a sizeable free-agent contract after this season.
** I wonder if Kellen Moore is ready for all of the attention he will receive this offseason. Sometimes players can treat the offseason program as a warmup act. I’m not so sure Moore will have that luxury. While he has the confidence of the coaches, especially offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, there will be a lot of skeptical eyes on him in May and June, as well as into July and August when training camp begins. By no means does he have to impress the media during organized team activities and minicamp to make the team, but his every throw will be discussed. At the moment, the Cowboys are rolling with Moore as their backup to Tony Romo. He has three games of experience, all last year with a team that finished 4-12. Moore has had to deal with skeptics throughout his football career. He can silent some at least a little bit with a productive spring.
** I wonder which undrafted free agents will make the team. Last year we knew as soon as La'el Collins signed a contract he would make the club. Lucky Whitehead also showed fairly quickly he belonged. The rookie minicamp didn’t offer a chance to see any competitive action. Defensive tackle Rodney Coe and linebacker Deon King were pre-draft visitors to Valley Ranch, so clearly the Cowboys have a feel for them. Wide receiver Andy Jones was given a $15,000 signing bonus, the largest of any undrafted player on the team. A couple years ago Jeff Heath was an unnoticed free agent from Saginaw Valley State and made the team. I wonder if Toledo’s Rolan Milligan could be that guy this year. He missed the first day of rookie camp because of a statistics final but he could be a special-teams find.
** I wonder if the Cowboys will be dealing from a position of strength this summer at running back. Clearly Ezekiel Elliott will get his fair share of work. The Cowboys also have Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, who have combined for five 1,000-yard seasons. Lance Dunbar is recovering from major knee surgeries and will likely not be ready for the season opener. That brings me to sixth-round pick Darius Jackson. He looked smooth in the limited work we saw in the rookie camp. I don’t want to get carried away on two practices, but in whispers around the building there is a feeling he could be a late-round find.
