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IRVING, Texas -- It seems ages ago -- how about two years ago? -- that wide receiver Dez Bryant burst onto the Cowboys universe.

Bryant enters his third season in 2012. He was asked after the second day of organized team activities Wednesday whether he feels like a veteran.

"In some ways, it depends on what I'm doing," he said. "I help out the guys when they need it. I show what I know."

Bryant is still working on running routes, commanding the playbook, understanding the NFL way and becoming a dominant force in the passing game.

The Cowboys still like Bryant as an outside receiver and won't move him into the slot as much as they do Miles Austin. But that's OK because Bryant, when he gets the ball, is dangerous.

Last season, Bryant finished second on the team in catches (63), yards (928) and touchdowns (9) to tight end Jason Witten. He missed one game with a thigh injury, had a handful of games in which he went without a catch in the second half and he didn't have a 100-yard game -- he still has only one.

"I feel like every year was just a learning experience," Bryant said. "I got better from [Year 1 to Year 2]. I hadn't played this year yet, but I feel much better and I'm confident in what I'm doing. When Coach calls out a play, I'm starting to already have the play before he already call it out. I'm getting better."

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys held the first of four organized team activities that will be open to the media at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, so we bring you some observations from the two-hour workout:

** Maybe it’s the product of not seeing him throw in four months, but Tony Romo was throwing the ball with a tremendous amount of velocity. Romo went 8-of-11 in team and seven-on-seven drills Wednesday with one drop by TE John Phillips.

** LB Sean Lee looked in midseason form by snuffing out a pass to the flat to FB Lawrence Vickers for what would have been no gain or a short pickup.

** QB Stephen McGee and rookie Tyrone Navikoff had a difficult time with the snap, muffing three before Navikoff was pulled in favor of Bill Nagy. And Nagy’s first snap with McGee went to the ground.

** WR Raymond Radway, who missed his rookie year with a broken ankle, was knocked out of practice briefly after getting poked in the eye.

** Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Dwayne Harris worked as punt returners. Tim Benford, Radway and Lance Dunbar handled kick returns.

** With OLB DeMarcus Ware missing the workout, Victor Butler was with the starters and showed good awareness on a reverse by Harris by not allowing the wide receiver to get outside. Anthony Spencer did the same later in practice on a reverse to Miles Austin.

** WR Andre Holmes made a nice grab on a Kyle Orton throw in seven-on-seven drills while crossing the middle. Earlier, Holmes snared a Romo pass that was a little ahead of him.

** Rookie Saalim Hakin struggled in the rookie minicamp with drops and he struggled Wednesday. Unofficially he had three and the last brought receivers coach Jimmy Robinson over with some encouragement.

** Undrafted rookie CB Lionel Smith intercepted a McGee pass along the sideline.

** Rookie S Eddie Whitley ended practice with a nice breakup of a McGee throw to James Hanna. Whitley broke on Hanna’s route perfectly to bat the pass away.

** RB Phillip Tanner did not look any different after being put on injured reserve last year with a hamstring injury. He was quick and decisive with his cuts.

I've enjoyed reading the recent comments from the fans regarding Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The comments are based on a column written by KC Joyner, an NFL Insider for ESPN, who says Romo is a top-5 quarterback.

I agree. Statistically, Romo is.

Behind the stats, Romo plays tough, leads by example and does win games. Regular-season games.

At this stage of Romo's career, he needs to push his team to bigger things.

Romo has two years left on his contract and there's a belief the Cowboys will extend him for more years. However, Romo has to do something: win in the postseason.

He's got one playoff win, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Romo has to do more. Much more.

If Romo wants to be considered an elite quarterback -- like Eli Manning, Tom Brady, a healthy Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers -- he must push his team toward a deep playoff run.

"It's just about winning," Romo said late last month. "There is no discussion to be had for anybody. There is probably one guy who has ever played the position who didn’t win a Super Bowl who is in the discussion for the greatest quarterbacks and that’s Dan Marino. There are not a lot of them that get thrown around. You know that. It’s the same thing as winning majors in golf. We know what matters as a quarterback. We know what matters."

Romo doesn't get enough credit from the fans and maybe some in the media for what he's done for the Cowboys. He stabilized a position that was hurting the franchise. No quarterback is perfect, just ask the fans of the Baltimore Ravens who want to run Joe Flacco out of town.

Through 77 career starts, Romo is 47-30. Troy Aikman was 45-32 after 77 games and Roger Staubach was 59-18. Brady was 58-19 and Roethlisberger 55-22.

Did Romo cost the Cowboys some games last year? Of course. The debacles against the New York Jets and Detroit Lions come to mind very quickly.

If anything, Romo has to make those around him better.

If Dez Bryant doesn't know the plays (we believe he does), but there's this perception he doesn't, then Romo needs to get on him. Romo said once he doesn't believe in publicly scolding guys, especially on the sideline, that's fine.

Behind closed doors is where he does his best work.

The Cowboys need Romo now more than ever. The defense is getting better, thanks to what Jerry Jones and the front office did in the draft and free agency. It seems the offense really didn't need much tweaking other than the interior of the offensive line.

Upgrades at the guard spots and switching the tackles should improve the offensive line this season. The core group at running back and wide receiver remain the same.

So does the quarterback.

With that in mind, it's time for Romo to get his team into the postseason. And once he gets there, win more than one playoff game. That should be the only stat that should mean something now.

Cowboys lead running back DeMarco Murray told a crowd in San Antonio on Sunday that, "I'm back 100 percent."

The quote comes from the San Antonio Express-News, who covered the Cowboys' Fan Fest, a marketing event designed to keep the team's name alive in their former training camp home. The Cowboys will have training camp in Oxnard, Calif., this summer.

Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Miles Austin and Murray attended the Fan Fest.

Murray suffered a fractured ankle in a loss to the New York Giants on Dec. 11, ending a fantastic rookie season. Murray saying he's 100 percent should be viewed as good news for Cowboys fans. He's expected to participate some at the veteran minicamp next month.

Murray, who led the Cowboys with 897 rushing yards in 2011, said he's enjoying the voluntary offseason conditioning program led by strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik.

"Mike Woicik has been great to work with," Murray said. "In college, usually everyone did the same type of program. But here it's more position specific. I definitely feel better prepared."

Here's more from the event.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys hoped a more structured offseason would serve Dez Bryant’s development well after the lockout kept the team from communicating with the wide receiver in 2011.

So far, so good.

“He’s working hard in here [in the weight room] and in the teaching sessions,” assistant head coach Jimmy Robinson said. “He’s gotten off to a good start. He’s out there working really, really hard to get better. It’s got to make a difference. If it doesn’t, then what’s the point of the offseason program? So I’m confident it’s going to help.”

Bryant had several off-field issues, including suits involving repayment of loans for jewelry that have since been dealt with.

The focus of this offseason has been about football instead of finances.

“He’s getting better every day, but again that’s got to carry over to the next phase, the OTAs and training camp and then the regular season, game day,” Robinson said.

Bryant finished second on the team in receptions (63) yards (928) and touchdowns (nine) in 2011, but he did not have a 100-yard game. Robinson said Bryant is not working on specific things, but refinement of his whole game.

“Just play by play, how’s he doing?” Robinson said. “Is he picking things up? Is he making mistakes? Is he repeating mistakes? It’s a real gradual, play by play, day by day process. It takes a lot of time.”

IRVING, Texas -- The comparisons started from the moment fifth-round pick Danny Coale was drafted.

Wes Welker of the New England Patriots is a speedy receiver who does damage from the slot. In four of his five seasons in New England, Welker has gained at least 1,000 receiving yards. Last year, Welker caught 122 passes for 1,569 yards and nine touchdowns.

"It’s nice to be mentioned in the same sentence as him, but at the same time he’s Wes Welker for a reason," said Coale, who finished his career at Virginia Tech second in receptions and receiving yards. "He's been there and he's done it and I haven’t. I'm nowhere near that level of play. I hope some day I can have a sliver of success as he's had. He's an incredible player and I admire his style of play. The way he plays the position, he's someone I try to be like."

Coale will compete with Andre Holmes, Dwayne Harris, Kevin Ogletree and Raymond Radway for three roster spots at wideout behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

The other day, first-round pick Morris Claiborne talked about possibly getting some reps at wide receiver.

PODCAST
Cowboys first-round pick Morris Claiborne recaps his draft experience and talks about growing up a Cowboys fan and his expectations playing in Dallas. Listen

"I would love to be a two-way player," Claiborne told Galloway and Company on Monday afternoon. "If they gave me that chance to be able to go both sides of the ball, I'll love it and I won't turn it down. I'd get in and give it 100 percent."

It sounds nice to see if Claiborne can get a few snaps at wideout, but this isn't a good idea. The Cowboys have two solid wide receivers in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. Bryant needs as many reps as possible at the position.

There are younger receivers who also need to get practice and game reps in Raymond Radway, Andre Holmes, Dwayne Harris and now rookie Danny Coale.

We don't believe coach Jason Garrett wants to see Claiborne at wideout. If he plays another spot, it'll be on special teams as a returner.

The Cowboys don't need to entertain this.

The secondary is where the Cowboys had their biggest problems in 2011 -- some would even say 2010 as well. And if that's the case, let Claiborne learn how to play the position in the NFL.

He was a standout at LSU -- even called the best defensive player in the draft -- so don't switch him to the other side when he needs to get the time in on defense.

Coming off an 8-8 season and consecutive seasons of missing the postseason, this is not the time to experiment.

"I'm very excited to get right in and get around those guys," Claiborne said of defending Bryant and Austin in practice. "Try to learn as much as I can learn from the receiver standpoint to the cornerback standpoint. And both of those guys are great, big receivers. I'm looking forward to getting some work in with them so they can make me better."

It's not time to get cute. Just play the position you're drafted to play and keep it moving.

The Cowboys open rookie minicamp on Friday at Valley Ranch, and that makes me think about Dez Bryant, who is entering his third season this fall.

When Bryant went through his rookie minicamp in 2010, a mini-firestorm flared up concerning his conditioning -- or possible lack thereof. During his very first practice, Bryant was wheezing and bending over. On the last day of the session, he tweaked his ankle.

Bryant has battled through some health issues during his first two NFL seasons, but he caught 63 passes for 928 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He endured several games where he was almost non-existent in the second half, finishing third on the team with 370 receiving yards after halftime.

When the veteran minicamp begins in June, Bryant has to enter with the mindset that he'll be better this season. He's a better talent than Miles Austin, just not as polished. The Cowboys need Bryant to play much better than last season.

Bryant totaled 12 catches for 132 yards during the last two games of 2011. In the first meeting against the Giants, he had one catch for 50 yards. You can talk all you want about coverages and whether or not Bryant knows the routes, but you can't have a talent like Bryant finish with just one catch against anybody, let alone your divisional rivals.

The Cowboys need to find a way to get him the ball. Other good teams make sure their playmakers get the ball, so why can't the Cowboys?

Bryant led the Cowboys with 20 third-down catches that resulted in a first down. That being said, Bryant wasn't as good as Laurent Robinson when it came to finding open spots on the field when plays broke down and Tony Romo was scrambling.

One would think Bryant learned plenty from watching Robinson excel with Romo in those situations. And with wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson in Bryant's ear again, maybe things will get better.

When the rookies and undrafted free agents invade Valley Ranch this weekend and try to impress the Cowboys coaches and scouts, think about how Bryant started things.

Then think about how close he is to possibly becoming what the Cowboys expect him to be.

IRVING, Texas – The award-winning 5 Wonders is back for a post-draft look. Today we talk about Morris Claiborne, Bruce Carter, Mike Jenkins and the missing nose tackle?

** The Cowboys traded up for Claiborne because he was the second player on their draft board and they could not believe he slipped out of the top five. In 2003 the Cowboys drafted Terence Newman with the fifth overall pick and said part of the decision was based on Newman’s return abilities. In nine seasons, Newman had 38 punt returns for a 7.5-yard average and one touchdown. They never really let him do it. I wonder if the Cowboys will let Claiborne return punts and/or kicks. He averaged 25 yards per kick return last year at LSU and had a 99-yard touchdown. He’s not Patrick Peterson as a returner, but he could be a good one and the Cowboys’ return games need to improve in 2012. Here’s a bonus wonder: I wonder if Dez Bryant actually becomes more of a full-time returner this season. It’s Year 3 for him and I wonder if the team will sign him to a second contract down the road.

** Claiborne’s arrival has Jenkins’ future in question. Jenkins is in the last year of his contract and is scheduled to make a little more than $1 million. He is also coming off shoulder surgery and as I wrote on Friday, the team is a little concerned at how much rehab time he’s spending in Florida and not at Valley Ranch. But I wonder what you could get for Jenkins. The money is palatable but he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2013. And he’s coming off major surgery and won’t be ready until training camp. Jerry Jones likes to say a player’s value is lowest at the draft, so they could not get equal value for Jenkins or close to it. I wonder if the Cowboys let Jenkins play out the year, hope he does well, signs a big contract elsewhere and then hope they can get a compensatory back in 2014. The team doesn’t wonder about this (they say) but I wonder if they would like a do-over on Orlando Scandrick’s contract.

** I have to take Jones’ word for it that Bobby Wagner would’ve been the Cowboys’ pick in the second round had the team not made the move up for Claiborne. But I wonder what that means about Carter, last year’s second rounder. At every opportunity the Cowboys have said they liked how Carter progressed last season off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, that he met every goal they planned knowing that he was injured. Well, now he’s healthy and I wonder if he’s really a fit. The Cowboys added Dan Connor in free agency to a two-year deal and Jones said they would’ve taken Wagner, an inside linebacker. That would seem to be a little redundant, unless Rob Ryan is drawing up some sort of special scheme or maybe Wagner could play outside. There will be a lot of eyes on Carter during the organized team activities and minicamp.

** Where’s the true 3-4 nose tackle? As good as Jay Ratliff has been, many of you want the Cowboys to grab a huge nose tackle and slide Ratliff to defensive end. That’s why some fans wanted Dontari Poe in the first round or even Alameda Ta’Amu in the third round. I wonder if the need for that type of plugger is as important nowadays. Think about it. The NFL is a passing league and if you have a 330-pound nose tackle to stop the run, he will play about 30 percent of the snaps. Is it worth it? I don’t know, but it looks like the Cowboys don’t believe so. The good nose tackles in 3-4 defenses now also have some pass rush and flexibility, like Vince Wilfork or Haloti Ngata. Those guys aren’t available all the time and run defense was not the Cowboys’ downfall last year. I also wonder this: The Cowboys might be higher on Josh Brent than many people know.

** I wonder how many undrafted players make this roster. You can almost lock up Ronald Leary, the Memphis guard, after how Jones talked about him Saturday. Heck, you wonder if Leary could be a candidate to start. Last year four undrafted players made the 53-man roster and a fifth, Raymond Radway, would have if not for an injury.

I was thinking this morning about the Dallas Cowboys' draft and I remembered the scene in "The Wire" in which Proposition Joe tells Stringer Bell that boredom is what kills more cops than bullets and liquor. "You keep it boring, String," he says.

Now, I know things didn't turn out so great for Stringer and Prop Joe, but I think this is good advice tonight for the Cowboys. The aspect of Dallas' offseason so far that has earned them so much praise is that it hasn't been flashy. Yeah, they spent big on cornerback Brandon Carr, but that was a matter of filling their biggest need with a free agent, and paying what top free agents cost. They didn't jump into the Mario Williams sweepstakes, or overspend on the top offensive linemen. They picked and chose players they liked at the positions they needed, bringing in lesser-known linemen to compete with the youngsters they already have. They have stayed patient, rather than jump out and make the big, headline-grabbing moves for which they used to be known.

This should continue tonight and this weekend. The Cowboys have eight picks, and they need them. What their roster lacked most detrimentally last season was depth, particularly on defense. This isn't the year to make a dramatic first-round trade-up. Somebody asked me this morning on Twitter if they should go up and get Morris Claiborne. They should not. I don't even think they should move up into the top 10 if that's what it'll take to get Mark Barron or Fletcher Cox, two guys who should be at the top of their wish list. I believe they will find a good defensive player at No. 14 who can help them, and I think their best bet is to sit right there, keep all of the later-round picks to help address that depth problem, and take whoever's the highest-ranked defensive player still on their board.

In the blogger mock draft Monday, this is what I did for Dallas, and the guy I took was Michael Brockers. Cowboys fans yelled at me. Said I copped out. That I should have made a bold move up like I did with the Eagles. But the fact is, the Eagles have 10 picks, including two second-rounders, and a deeper NFL roster than the Cowboys have. They're in position to move up to get Cox if they so choose. The Cowboys would be making a mistake.

This Cowboys draft must, as the last two offseasons have, reflect Jason Garrett more than it reflects Jerry Jones. Everybody knows Jones has the final say in the draft room. Everybody knows Jones likes the splashy move. But this isn't the year to trade up for Dez Bryant. Jones has said all of the right things about wanting Garrett to be in a position to succeed, and he appears to be making good on those words. He will need to resist temptation tonight and continue along that same path. The Cowboys need as much help and as many players as possible. No. 14 isn't a bad place to be sitting in this first round. They'll get somebody there who can make an impact, right away and in the long term. There's no need to make a rash move up and sacrifice later picks. Keep it boring, Jerry. Keep it dead boring.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys have four picks in the top 113, and with those selections Jason Garrett hopes to land three eventual starters and a solid role player.

“Our objective independent of this year would be to in the first round, the second round and the third round have guys who can be starting players for you,” Garrett said. “Now, are they Day 1 starters? You can’t say that. Nobody can say that, but at some point in their careers you would like to think that they’re a starter, and the sooner the better. Now, if you can get in the fourth round and start getting a starter player, maybe he’s a younger player who needs time to develop but can be a starter down the road, you get four of them. Or maybe that fourth-round player is a [special] teams’ guy. Maybe he has a particular role and will never be an every-down player but he has a role for you that’s fairly defined.

“And then when you get in the fifth, sixth and seventh [rounds], I think you’re looking for players with special traits. Again, maybe a role for your team or maybe a guy who isn’t ready to play but maybe has the measurables and the makeup and you think down the road can be a player for you in a given role or maybe even as a starter. But your expectations are certainly first- and second-round players are starters for you sooner rather than later. You would like to be able to say that about the third round or a really defined role and the fourth round starts to get a little bit different than that, but we’re all optimistic enough or maybe naïve enough to think that we can judge these players and order them in a certain way that they can help our football team in some way, shape or form as starters or as significant role players now or in the future.”

Using that criteria, the Cowboys' projected starting lineup in 2012 has 10 starters picked by the Cowboys from Rounds 1-3: Dez Bryant (2010), Tyron Smith (2011), Jason Witten (2003), DeMarco Murray (2011), Jason Hatcher (2006), Anthony Spencer (2007), Sean Lee (2010), DeMarcus Ware (2005) Bruce Carter (2011) and Mike Jenkins (2007). The fourth round led the Cowboys to Doug Free (2006) and the seventh round led to Jay Ratliff (2005).

Felix Jones and Marcus Spears, first rounders in 2007 and '05 respectively, should play large roles in sub packages.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- What we learned (or didn't) after the Cowboys have departed the NFL owner's meetings:

PODCAST
Deion Sanders says that Jason Garrett is not the reason the Cowboys didn't make the playoffs. Deion says that the biggest need for the Cowboys is a solid pass rush. Listen

1. With the postseason overtime rules moving to the regular season, the Cowboys had two games -- at San Francisco and at Washington -- where field goals wouldn't have won the game. The Cowboys got a game-winning field goal of 19 yards from Dan Bailey to beat the 49ers, and Bailey made a 39-yarder at Washington. Who knows how Jason Garrett would have managed the game if these new OT rules were in place ...

2. It seems the Cowboys want to draft defense with the 14th pick of the first round. Jerry Jones hinted that drafting a cornerback isn't out of the question, and that's a good thing. The Cowboys have weapons on offense -- Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones and a stud tackle in Tyron Smith. Fixing the defense is very important to this team, especially in the secondary.

3. Jerry Jones isn't sure what Bill Parcells is going to do, but he has a feeling the old coach will return. Parcells retired from coaching after the 2006 season. He was tired. He felt the Cowboys were good enough to beat Seattle -- which they didn't -- but that they also could have went to Chicago and won the divisional round game. The way the Cowboys lost, with Tony Romo fumbling a potential game-winning field goal vs. the Seahawks, took a lot out of him. If Parcells had lasted one more season -- Wade Phillips took over in 2007 -- maybe the Cowboys would've won a playoff game.

As originally reported on March 16, the Dallas Cowboys made it official and re-signed receiver Kevin Ogletree to a one-year contract.

Ogletree will compete for the role of No. 3 receiver after the depature of Laurent Robinson, who signed with Jacksonville as a free agent. In 31 career games that include one start, Ogletree has 25 catches for 294 yards.

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have deals with seven free agents, but their first six signings will account for $11.16 million in salary-cap space in 2012.

Brandon Carr has the highest number at $3.2 million as part of his six-year, $60 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus. The final year of Carr’s contract can void, so the Cowboys will be able to turn Carr’s 2013 base salary of $14.3 million into signing bonus and prorate that through 2017.

Linebacker Dan Connor will count $2.15 against the cap, followed by quarterback Kyle Orton ($1.9 million), guard/center Mackenzy Bernadeau ($1.81 million), safety Brodney Pool ($1.2 million) and fullback Lawrence Vickers ($900,000).

The breakdown of Nate Livings' five-year contract is not yet known, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported it pays him $19 million over five years with $6.2 million guaranteed.

Before free agency started, the Cowboys cleared about $17 million in salary-cap space by restructuring the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick, tackle Doug Free and wide receiver Dez Bryant. They also released cornerback Terence Newman and kicker David Buehler.

Those moves helped offset a $10 million hit against the Cowboys’ cap handed down by the NFL on Monday. The league took away $5 million from the Cowboys this year and will take away another $5 million in 2013 for the deal wide receiver Miles Austin signed in 2010, which was an uncapped year.

IRVING, Texas -- On Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys re-worked the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick and tackle Doug Free to save about $8.5 million against the salary cap in 2012.

They also made a bookkeeping adjustment on the contract for wide receiver Dez Bryant that day, turning a $1.435 million roster bonus into signing bonus, which allowed them to save about $957,000 against the cap.

All told, the Cowboys created about $17 million in space by restructuring those contracts and releasing cornerback Terence Newman and kicker David Buehler.

It’s important to note that the Cowboys did not add or subtract any money from Bryant’s contract. He is getting the same $1.435 million. It is just being counted against the cap in a different way.

Bryant is signed through 2014.