“It's very likely that we have that opportunity,” Jerry Jones said. “Assuming the right people stay on the board or the wrong people leave the board and the right deals are made… there are actually a lot of variables as to whether it goes up or down. Obviously, I We want to do that. We have some mid-round picks.”
The first round is loaded with offensive linemen to fill the Cowboys' needs up front heading into draft weekend after the departure of two starters in center Tyler Biadasz and left tackle Tyron Smith in free agency. There is. That's not unrelated to the Joneses' thoughts heading into the weekend.
“It's great to be able to pick a position in the draft when there are so many positions available,” Jones said. “Quantity. If you're with us, it's 24, of course.”th But what I'm saying is, if you're available and it happens to fit a need and there's a lot of guys in the draft, that's a fluke. It’s good that that happens.”
“If you look at the layoffs, where is it hitting us the hardest,” Stephen Jones said. “These are the players who lost on the offensive line.”
There has been a lot of discussion about which offensive line position the Cowboys need the most. And fortunately for the team and offensive line coach Mike Solari, he has Tyler Smith up front with the versatility to play from left guard to left tackle, giving him flexibility in who exactly he chooses. can give.
For McCarthy, teams can acquire the best players available rather than trying to reach a specific position.
“I think the most important thing is we need to get the best player, the best value,” he said. “Tyler's flexibility gives us something unique. The fact that he started at both positions at such a young age is pretty special. I think these players You look at it and just say offensive line room, what players do they have, regardless of position?' How can we make our offensive line room better? I have a lot of confidence in our process of making the offensive line room better and solving that if we choose. ”
The Cowboys also have a track record of drafting offensive linemen in the first round such as Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, Travis Frederick, and Tyler Smith, who have exceeded their high expectations after joining the team. It is advantageous to
“I think the communication between our scouting staff and Mike is great.” [McCarthy] “Will and his staff have been really instrumental in what we look for in a Dallas Cowboy offensive lineman,” said Stephen Jones. Everyone has an opinion and certainly feels what fits their group. I think we do a great job of actually communicating through all these people. ”
Beyond their offensive line needs, they are expected to acquire a potential starting running back over the weekend. But for McCarthy, a more realistic development would be to not have to push the issue of naming a starter and simply bring in a player who can increase the competition in the room.
“Oh my god, I hope we get one of these running backs,” McCarthy said. “It's great to add that to the room. But I don't believe these draft picks are just absolute starters. I'm not going to succumb to an 11-man roster because this… Because that's not the reality of how it works. Given the fact that we're on a 17-game schedule, we're going to need everything to get to where we want to go.”
Regardless of whether a draft pick comes in and is expected to start, there is a lot of room for error for the front office and scouting department when compared to the Cowboys' needs and the number of picks they currently have. There are very few.
Despite a period of inactive free agency and the ordeal of a mysterious contract extension, the urgency hasn't diminished — at least.
“We're working with these young players,” Jerry Jones said. “We all agree on this draft.”
