Archer: Five Wonders - Could Ronald Leary bring Cowboys a backup quarterback?

Cotton

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Could Ronald Leary bring Cowboys a backup quarterback?
11:01 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas -- The homestretch to the NFL draft is here now that the Senior Bowl, scouting combine and owners meetings are done.

The Dallas Cowboys have kept seven of their own free agents, including starting-type players like Rolando McClain, Morris Claiborne and James Hanna. But they haven’t filled enough of their holes on the defensive line and at backup quarterback.

Let’s get started with Five Wonders with that backup spot.

The Cowboys never got into the bigger-money games for Colt McCoy or Chase Daniel. They had Matt Moore in for a look but he opted to remain with the Miami Dolphins. At the owners meetings last week, executive vice president Stephen Jones also mentioned the possibility of a trade. It got me to wondering if the Cowboys could use Ronald Leary as trade bait for a backup quarterback. I’m not advocating getting rid of Leary, who I believe could start for most teams in the NFL, but the Cowboys have cast their lot with La’el Collins at left guard. The Cowboys gave Leary the second-round tender worth $2.553 million as a restricted free agent, but they can negotiate deals with teams. Leary should be of interest to teams, but teams generally don’t want to give up picks at this time of the year. In 2010 the Cowboys traded Anthony Henry for Jon Kitna to solve their backup problem. Could Leary bring a backup quarterback in 2016?

I wonder if how the Washington Redskins divvied up carries last season will help Alfred Morris this year. At the owners meetings, Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said that Darren McFadden was the starter. Coach Jason Garrett sang McFadden’s praises as well. What may be the plan in March may not be the plan come September, but for the sake of this wonder, let’s say it holds true. Before last season, Morris was the dominant ball carrier during his time with Washington. He had 202 carries last year, with Matt Jones picking up 144 carries. The Cowboys went with Joseph Randle as the lead back until he fell apart and then they had no choice but to ride McFadden. He responded well, but the Cowboys want to protect themselves, and Morris offers that. If needed, he can carry it 20 times a game and he was at his best in his first few years wearing down teams. Being used to a rotation should help him in Dallas.

It has happened the past few years and it always catches me by surprise. When the Cowboys were quiet at the start of free agency, the inactivity was met with a lot of anger. As in the draft, the Cowboys told you what they were going to do. Stephen Jones said it in February. They were not going to be players in free agency. They don’t want to spend great money on good players and that’s what happens in that early wave. I understand why fans get upset, but the Cowboys were actually honest with their intentions.

I receive a lot of questions via Twitter about the Cowboys selecting a receiver early in the draft. It makes sense, but I wonder if it is totally dependent on what the Cowboys do with their first-round pick. If the Cowboys take an offensive player at No. 4 overall, I just can’t imagine they wouldn’t take a defensive player in the second round. You can fault the logic and use the take-the-best-player-available theory, but it’s just a theory. It’s not always practical. Why is a receiver necessary? Terrance Williams is entering the final year of his contract and he did not step up as hoped when Dez Bryant went down last season. Was that more about the backup quarterbacks or him? The Cowboys are set with Bryant and Cole Beasley, but after Williams they have questions in Brice Butler and Devin Street.

Here’s a backup wonder to what I just wrote: I wonder if Butler can be a surprise player in 2016. The Cowboys picked him up in a trade from the Oakland Raiders after Bryant broke his foot and he never found solid footing, in part, because of a hamstring strain and, again, the backup quarterback play. I’m not sure he is the most precise route runner, but he showed a feel for getting open at times and big plays. At some point teams need the lower-paid players on the roster to make big plays because you can’t pay everybody big money and you can’t make huge investments in every position. This is a big offseason for Butler. He will have time to work with Tony Romo and time to earn the coaches’ faith. Maybe if they don’t select a receiver in the early rounds, Butler will reward that faith.
 

DLK150

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#1) Hanna is supposedly a "starting-type" player? Yeah, okay.

#2) Who the hell would trade a bonafide backup caliber QB for a decent reserve OG whose knee could give way at any given time?

God, I hate the dead period during the off season.
 

Cowboysrock55

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#1) Hanna is supposedly a "starting-type" player? Yeah, okay.
2 TE offense!!!! He starts!

Honestly I don't give a shit. I think Hanna fills the number 2 TE role perfectly fine in this offense.
 

Newt

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I still think it would be a mistake to part ways with Leary right now, especially in a trade for a back up QB. Even with the signing of Looney I wouldn't let Leary get away, we need good quality depth along the O-line and can't afford to not have guys that can come in and hold up well with our injury prone QB. Doug Free to me is still the biggest question mark, he is getting older and has had injury problems in the past. Leary doesn't play tackle but Collin and Martin both could if needed. I just can't see us getting value in return for what we would be losing.
 

boozeman

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#1) Hanna is supposedly a "starting-type" player? Yeah, okay.

#2) Who the hell would trade a bonafide backup caliber QB for a decent reserve OG whose knee could give way at any given time?

God, I hate the dead period during the off season.
Watch us trade Leary for Hoyer or some such shit.
 

Chocolate Lab

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Watch us trade Leary for Hoyer or some such shit.
Probably. Only we could trade for not one, but two QBs no better than Weeden.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Watch us trade Leary for Hoyer or some such shit.
Yeah, it's always nice to have a backup QB who you know sucks. If that's the kind of garbage we are talking about I'd rather have Kellen Moore as my QB. He is ugly as sin and throws too many picks but at least he seems capable of moving the ball.
 

Smitty

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Could Leary land anything of value? How about a high third?
 

NoDak

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We're getting our backup QB with the 4th pick. We won't be trading Leary for one.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Could Leary land anything of value? How about a high third?
Fourth is what I'd shoot for. High enough that I'd make the trade but low enough that a team would actually be willing to make the trade. If you go to a fifth I'd rather just keep him as my backup.
 

boozeman

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I like the depth Leary provides. That has value.

But I will say I'd much rather have had Hoyer than any of the backups we paraded last year.
I get the idea of having depth lIke Leary but I think he is overvalued in a way. If someone offered a third, I would move him in a second. But no, not for a POS QB.
 

mcnuttz

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I get the idea of having depth lIke Leary but I think he is overvalued in a way. If someone offered a third, I would move him in a second. But no, not for a POS QB.
Will have to let him go in FA next year, so may as well get something for him now.
 

dallen

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NE would figure out a way to trade Leary
 

5Ringzz

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Watch us trade Leary for Hoyer or some such shit.
I thought a good move would have been Leary to Denver for LB Brandon Marshall. That guy is a stud and both Leary and Marshall were given 2nd rd tenders. But hell, what do I know?
 

townsend

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I thought a good move would have been Leary to Denver for LB Brandon Marshall. That guy is a stud and both Leary and Marshall were given 2nd rd tenders. But hell, what do I know?
If we could get a decent LBer for Leary that would be amazing. Although I feel like we haven't been on the winning side of a trade since we picked up Terry Glenn.
 

ravidubey

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I get the idea of having depth lIke Leary but I think he is overvalued in a way. If someone offered a third, I would move him in a second. But no, not for a POS QB.
I wouldn't have traded Leary for him, but Hoyer was a lot better than any of the ineffective backups we had out there.

Garrett and Linehan's inability to alter the offense without scaling it back to 0 hurt as much as the lack of talent.
 
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