Cowboys 1st & 10: Mock Draft, Special Teams Review and Top 10 Dallas Super Bowl News Stories
1) CELEBRATING THE COWBOYS’ 60TH
The Dallas Cowboys will be celebrating their 60th season in the NFL in 2020 and our Richie Whitt - long heralded as one of DFW's top sportswriters - is counting down the 60 biggest moments in franchise history.
Click here for the complete list. ... Agree? Disagree? Enjoy!
2) 2020 DALLAS COWBOYS DRAFT NEEDS: SPECIALISTS
CURRENT PLAYERS AT POSITION: Kicker: Kai Forbath, Tristan Vizcaino (reserve/future); Punter: Chris Jones; Long snapper: L.P. Ladouceur
2020 FREE AGENTS: Ladouceur, Forbath.
DRAFT NEED: Low.
THE BREAKDOWN: Ladouceur has a job as long as he wants it. Granted, he is 38 and it will take more than $1 million to keep him (that’s the veteran minimum for his position given his experience). But the Cowboys haven’t had snap problems on punts and kicks for more than a decade, so he’s worth it. Still, Ladouceur while we project him staying on, he could decide to hang it up on his own, and that would invite auditions.
Forbath, a late addition to the roster, arguably solidified the placekicker position after the Cowboys released the inconsistent Brett Maher. The Cowboys have cheaped out on a kicker since releasing Dan Bailey, so the steadiness that Forbath could provide might be worth the money. Forbath made $930,000 in 2019, which means he’s likely to get right around $1 million as the veteran minimum. His performance might also intrigue other teams, too.
As for Jones, he’s on a multi-year deal and the Cowboys generally love what he does for the field-position game - though 2019 was not a success for him, maybe because of a nagging bad back.
The Cowboys will likely bring in players at all three positions this offseason (Tristan Vizcaino is on the roster as a reserve/futures player). At long snapper and punter, that will likely be for management of reps during practices and not to actually challenge either starter. The kicking job, though, could be open, depending upon what happens with Forbath.
The draft need here, at the moment, is low. ... But the importance of special teams under new boss Bones Fassel is as high as ever.
3) OUR FIRST CowboysSI.com 7-ROUND MOCK DRAFT
Earlier this week I published my first Cowboys SI 7-Round Mock Draft. Like most mock drafts this early in the offseason, it’s hard to hit a precise target. We don’t know what the Cowboys will gain or lose in free agency, nor do we know which players they’ll meet with at the Combine, Pro Days and even in Frisco in April.
My first-round selection was a popular first-round selection of the Cowboys in several other mock drafts around the NFL. From there it was about trying to address needs and getting the best player available, within reason.
Click here to view the first Mock Draft. And keep an eye out for my second mock draft come Tuesday, and every Tuesday until the NFL Draft.
4) POSITION-BY-POSITION BREAKDOWNS
As we get deeper into the postseason, we have our position-by-position breakdowns for the Cowboys and how it could impact the Cowboys in free agency. We’ll explore the draft needs further once free agency is relatively complete. But, for now, here are our current assessments:
Cowboys tight end Jason Witten
5) WITTEN WANTS BACK IN, BUT…
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten expressed his desire to play in 2020, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. He also signaled his desire to play for the Cowboys in 2020. That would SOUND like an easy decision for all parties, correct? Well, our Mike Fisher gives us his analysis of the situation and notes that, with the new coaching staff, nothing is quite a given, even when it comes to the future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
6) COWBOYS TALK AT THE SUPER BOWL
Yes, we know that the Dallas Cowboys are not playing in the Super Bowl this week, but during Super Bowl week there is plenty to talk about in the NFL, and that includes the Cowboys. Even though our staff isn’t in Miami (and boy this would have been the week, weather-wise, to be there, too) we were keeping up with everything Cowboys-related that came out of the week.
To review:
Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is starring in a Super Bowl ad that is currently trending on Twitter. The product? Um, condoms, bro. Mike Fisher got the low-down.
Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn would love to come back to Dallas in 2020. But is the money there, along with the wherewithal from the Cowboys brass to bring him back?
Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was quoted as saying that “there’s not many coaches that wouldn’t have traded their roster with the Cowboys.” But is that a blessing or a curse?
Aikman also offered his assessment of the hiring of Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. Aikman was talking with the media all week as he will be calling the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Quarterback Dak Prescott talked on the Rapaport and Friends podcast about his current Cowboys contract situation. Here’s the clip.
Terry Bradshaw told the media that he and Aikman would present former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson at his Hall of Fame induction.
Cowboys safety Darren Woodson didn’t get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, but he’s happy to see that safeties are getting more recognition.
There should plenty more stories coming out of the weekend and after the Super Bowl is over, too. Just keep checking CowboysSI.com for the latest.
7) FACE TIME WITH MIKE NOLAN
An "In Case You Missed It'' part of 1st & 10. ... New defensive coordinator gave his first interview to the Dallas media earlier this week and our Mike Fisher was part of the group that got to ask questions of the 60-year old NFL lifer. One of his best answers from the interview, if you’re a Cowboys fan?
"Whether it's a 3-4 and 4-3 (front), it is really just a personnel decision to get your best 11 on the field,'' Nolan said. "Outside of that, it's just spacing between the 11 players you have. Whether that entails calling yourself a 3-4 or a 4-3, you want to get the best 11 out there."
Get more from the interview here.
8) AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
Just kidding. ...
Here’s the 2020 Dallas Cowboys coaching staff in one easy-to-read tweet.
9) TWEET OF THE WEEK
10) THE FINAL WORD
"Shut up, bitch.'' - The Honey Badger, setting Skip Bayless straight - with some background from Fish. Read here.
