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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.

Let's have a little debate, shall we? With nearly four months still to go before the games start, a good, old-fashioned quarterback debate may be just the thing to wake everybody up and get the blood going.

Now, for the purposes of this particular debate, I don't much care which quarterback you think is "better" than the other. Fact is we can't trust you guys to have an unbiased argument about that anyway. Which is fine. You're fans. You're not supposed to be unbiased. I just feel like we can turn this debate a couple of degrees and ask a different kind of question, namely:

Which quarterback is under more pressure to perform in 2012? Michael Vick or Tony Romo?

Yeah, the poll has all four listed, because that only seemed fair. But Eli Manning's a two-time Super Bowl MVP and Robert Griffin III is a rookie in charge of a rebuilding project, so I don't think either of those guys faces the same kind of pressure as Vick faces in title-starved Philadelphia or Romo faces in perpetually unsatisfied Dallas. Go ahead and vote for one of those guys if you really think he's the right answer, but in the context of 2012 only, with Manning coming off a Super Bowl win and Griffin learning the league, I think the answer to this question is between Vick and Romo.

And if you've been reading regularly, you know my pick is Vick. I don't think any quarterback in the NFL this year will be under more pressure than Vick will be. The Eagles are in a must-win situation after their high 2011 hopes flopped, and they can't afford to flop again. Not that the Cowboys can afford to flop, mind you, but I just think Vick is in a higher-pressure situation.

Vick was far more responsible for his team's 2011 flop than Romo was for his team's. Vick has not demonstrated the same kind of year-in, year-out production that Romo has, so he has less of a track record on which to stand. And fair or not, Vick is always going to be judged against his own brilliant 2010 season. A lot of the Eagles' plans last year were based on the idea that Vick could do many things no other quarterback could do, and that that gave them an edge against the other good teams in the league. He may not have to be as incredible as he was in 2010, but he's going to have to show some of that ability in order to make teams fear him and the Eagles.

Vick is in a fascinating situation. He obviously has to mature as a quarterback and a decision-maker in order for the Eagles to succeed. But he has to do so without sacrificing too much of what sets him apart, athletically, from the others who play his position. It may well be an impossible balance to strike. But Vick is being asked to do it anyway, and I think that puts him under a different kind of pressure than Romo or anyone else faces in 2012.

What do you guys think? Play nice!

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will enter this season with a sense of desperation, concerned that his current roster's window to contend for a title is closing.

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"Well, my window is getting shorter. Time goes by," Jones told NFL Network at the owners meetings in Atlanta. "I do feel real pressure because we do have players not only in (quarterback) Tony Romo, but (tight end) Jason Witten (and outside linebacker) DeMarcus Ware, to leave out several that are (also) in the prime of their career. And we need to strike and strike soon with those guys.

"(Coach) Jason Garrett feels exactly the same way about it and understands how urgent it is. Candidly, you're looking through rose-colored glasses if we all don't realize that now is the time to compete on the field."
The Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the 1990s, soon after Jones bought the team, but they have only one playoff victory in the last 15 seasons. They failed to reach the playoffs the last two seasons.

Jones was convinced the Cowboys were Super Bowl contenders last season until they lost to the New York Giants on New Year's Day with the NFC East title and a playoff berth at stake. Watching the Giants win the Super Bowl only reinforced Jones' belief that the Cowboys had a chance to contend for a championship this season.

"When we see a team like the Giants come back with nine (regular) season wins and be world champion, then we know it's there for most clubs," said Jones, whose team finished 8-8 after losing four of its last five games. "That's not taking anything away from the Giants. That's just inspiring the Cowboys a little bit."

Read the rest of the story here.

So what do you think: Is the window closing? Was it ever open? And let's forget the window for one second: What do you think the Cowboys need to do ... must do ... to kick down the door and achieve Jerry's ultimate goal?

Troy Aikman might be the only person as impressed with the Cowboys’ roster as Jerry Jones.

“The Cowboys are as talented as just about any team in the league,” Aikman said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Podcast with fellow Triplets Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin over the weekend.

Aikman has always been high on Tony Romo, taking his praise to a new level earlier this offseason by declaring that Romo was better than him. There is no question in Aikman’s mind that the Cowboys have a quarterback in place who is capable of leading a team to a title.

“I know that to win you have to have a great quarterback, and I believe that Tony Romo is that,” Aikman said. “I know what the criticisms are. I know that he has to win in January before people really put him in the elite status. But until you do that, there are always going to be those questions.

“He had a great year last year. That’s the concerning thing to me is that you think about how good he played last year and yet it still wasn’t good enough for this team to make the playoffs. That’s a concern.”

The Cowboys have addressed some personnel concerns this offseason, most significantly turning a glaring weakness into a strength by adding Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to the cornerback corps.

Dallas also has to figure out how to stop fading down the stretch, which has been an issue since Bill Parcells’ days ruling the Valley Ranch roost. The hope is that the players getting the opportunity to work with six-time Super Bowl champion strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik will solve some of those problems.

Jones thought the Cowboys were Super Bowl contenders last season until they were eliminated from the playoffs in the de facto NFC East title game against the Giants on New Year’s Day, which was Dallas’ fourth loss in the final five games. Aikman agrees with that thought process.

“With three weeks left in the season, nobody even thought they were going to make the playoffs,” Aikman said of the Giants. “They hit it at the right time and got to playing well, gained some confidence, and they go on to win the Super Bowl. When you look back on that season, you fail to remember they really struggled for a good part of that year.

“The Cowboys, had they have won that last game of the season against the Giants, then they would have been in the playoffs. Now, I don’t know if they would have gone on to win the Super Bowl, but that’s how fine the line is between winning and losing, and winning a Super Bowl in this league.

“For the Cowboys if you look at the total picture, one playoff win in however many years that it’s been – not real good. But I do, as Emmitt said, agree that Jason Garrett is the right guy. Now, he has to win. There is a lot of pressure on him and they have some things in place. We seem to say this every year, but I expect them to have a really good year.”

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.

One thing I have learned in my nearly one full year of running this blog is that everyone is in complete lock-step agreement on how good a quarterback Tony Romo is and on his value to the Dallas Cowboys. Every time I write about Romo, all of the comments are exactly the same, and there is never any dispute about Romo's ability, his worth or his future prospects. We have our share of controversial topics here on the NFC East blog, but when the topic is Romo, no one ever argues or gets upset.

Yeah, right.

Romo's as reliable a lightning-rod topic as this blog has, and hoo boy do I have a doozy for you guys. You might have seen this when it went up Monday afternoon, but it bears a bump this morning: K.C. Joyner has a piece up on the site that says, according to several statistical measures, that Romo is one of the five best quarterbacks in the NFL.

Now, if you're still reading, and you haven't already rushed to the comments section of this post to fight with each other about this, or to K.C.'s Insider post to argue directly with him, I'll give you a little synopsis of the man's points. (And I guess I might as well remind you that K.C. was about the only analyst last summer who was predicting the Giants to win this division, so it's not as though his often-controversial opinions have never been right.)

K.C. tells us that Romo's ranking is based on the following, mainly statistics-based reasons:

-Superior route-depth metrics (tied for fifth last year in yards per pass attempt)

-Low bad-decision rate, or "BDR" (fifth-lowest last year among quarterbacks with at least 175 pass attempts)

-High Total QBR (finished fourth in the NFL in 2011)

-A long history of top-level statistical performance (tied for fifth in NFL history in career yards per pass attempt)

-Ability to raise the level of play of those around him (Romo averaged double-digit yards per attempt to his third and fourth wide receivers in 2011)

-Changing of the elite guard at the quarterback position (i.e. disappointing 2011 seasons from Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, and injury concerns about Michael Vick and Peyton Manning)

-No signs of letting up (still in his prime and surrounded by big-time offensive weapons)

I think what's interesting is that a lot of these areas in which the numbers show that Romo excels are areas of his game that often fall victim to easy criticism from his detractors. "BDR," for example. K.C. acknowledges that games like the Detroit loss last season contribute to a perception that Romo is a reckless gunslinger, but he says the numbers don't back it up:

BDR is a metric that gauges how often a quarterback makes a mental error that leads either to a turnover or a near turnover, like a dropped interception or fumble that is recovered by the offense.

The nine-year track record of this metric shows that a 2 percent or lower BDR is an above-average mark for a dink-and-dunk passer, while gunslinger quarterbacks can take pride in a BDR under 3 percent.

...

As poor as that [Detroit] performance was, Romo still posted a 1.8 percent BDR for the season. That total ranked fifth-best among qualifying quarterbacks (minimum 175 attempts) and is doubly notable because it's quite rare for a risk-taking quarterback to post a BDR under 2 percent.

In the end, though, the issue with Romo remains unchanged. Those who are inclined to dislike him will find plenty of reasons to do so, and will hang their hats on the fact that he's only won one playoff game ever. They'll go back to the botched snap, and the playoff loss to the Giants four years ago, and they'll bellow that he doesn't have what it takes to be great because he hasn't come up big in a big game. And until and unless he does that, no statistical analysis will convince those who don't want to be convinced.

The fact is that Romo is an excellent quarterback who hasn't won yet. And while in this day and age, all that matters to anyone about a quarterback is whether he's ever held the Vince Lombardi trophy up over his head while confetti fluttered down around him, it is in fact possible to be exactly that. Doesn't mean it's fun to be that, but it also doesn't mean Romo's worthless. Two-thirds of the teams in the NFL would trade their current quarterback situation straight-up for the Cowboys' quarterback situation, whether the guy's won or not.

Our NFL columnist, Ashley Fox, has a neat little graphic element up on the site about 10 NFL quarterbacks who are "on the spot" in 2012. I didn't know Ashley was so graphics-savvy, but take a look. One of those slideshow deals where you scroll through and there's a photo and a blurb on each guy.

Anyway, No. 1 on the list is Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, and No. 4 on the list is Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. Pretty good representation of our little division, no? Here's Ashley's take on Vick:

The Eagles are built to win this year, but Vick will have to stay healthy and limit his turnovers. He missed three games in 2011 and had 24 turnovers -- and Philadelphia went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

As we have written many times here, Vick and his turnovers were a bigger part of the problem in Philadelphia last season than was mentioned much at the time or has been discussed much since. As the season draws nearer, I expect the focus on Vick and the pressure he's under to intensify. I agree with Ashley that no quarterback in the league enters 2012 under more pressure than does Vick.

Here's Ashley's take on Romo:

Last season, Romo threw for 4,184 yards with 31 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. But in six years as the Cowboys' starter, he has won just one playoff game. Romo is 32 years old. Jerry Jones won't be patient forever.

I tend to think Jones might actually be patient with Romo forever, if that's what it takes. Romo and Jones are close, and the Cowboys' owner takes great pride in the fact that the undrafted quarterback to whom he gave this opportunity has blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I don't believe that Jones feels remotely as critical toward Romo and his oft-cited poor playoff record as Dallas fans and the conventional NFL wisdom do, and I really do think that Romo's play would have to drop off considerably in order for the Cowboys to consider replacing him. I do not think it's possible for that to happen within the course of the coming season.

That said, I do agree that Romo belongs on any list of NFL quarterbacks "on the spot," because few get more attention, and the longer he goes without delivering some playoff success (be it his fault or not), the more he squanders the opportunity to take control of the narrative about his own career. He might not care what people say about him now, but someday he will, and if these shadows remain unchanged (hat tip, Mr. Charles Dickens), the story of Romo's career will be that of promise unfulfilled, not that of an undrafted guy who exceeded expectations.

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Not only will Tony Romo bypass a chance at this year’s U.S. Open, but the Cowboys’ quarterback will not attempt to qualify for the HP Byron Nelson Championship either.

The Nelson’s pre-qualifier will be played Thursday at Lantana Golf Club. The Nelson will be held at TPC Four Seasons in Las Colinas from May 17-20.

Romo has attempted to qualify for the Nelson for at least the last six years but has not made the field. There has been talk in the past about him receiving a sponsor’s exemption.

Romo was on the golf course Wednesday, however, at the team’s annual sponsors’ tournament at Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, Texas. Most of the team's veterans took part in either the morning or afternoon tournaments.

“I get a little concerned if I see somebody out there playing good golf other than Romo,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones joked. “We allow him to be a good golfer.”

IRVING, Texas – When news broke of Terrell Suggs’ torn Achilles last week while playing basketball, many Cowboys fans wondered whether Tony Romo should stop hitting the court in the offseason, too.

Suggs later said the injury occurred during a conditioning test.

“It’s always a concern,” quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said of a possible non-football injury, “but that can happen out here doing offseason conditioning. It’s definitely a concern, but it’s kind of a personal choice they make.”

Romo turned 32 in April and began his workouts a month or so before the official offseason program began.

“Tony takes great care of himself with his conditioning and his off-football sports, soccer and basketball, I think help him on the football field,” Wilson said.

Wilson said Romo has thrown the ball “great” early in the offseason program.

“He’s really locked in and taken even another step in the leadership role in the weight room and with the guys and getting out there and working with the receivers throwing,” Wilson said. “I think he looks great .”

Romo is signed through next season. He is coming off what the coaches called his best season with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Across the league quarterbacks have been playing better as they get older, like New England’s Tom Brady and even Brett Favre before he finally decided to retire.

“I’ve seen some 32-year-olds look 25 and vice versa, some 25-year-olds look 32,” Wilson said. “If you take care of yourself there’s no reason he shouldn’t be productive for a lot more years.”

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 – A quarterback was not among the Cowboys’ 21 undrafted free agent signings announced Monday, but the team has invited two signal callers to this weekend’s minicamp, including Allen native Nathan Dick, on a tryout basis.

Dick worked out for the Cowboys at Dallas Day earlier in the month. As a senior at Central Arkansas, he threw for 3,275 yards with 32 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

Vanderbilt’s Larry Smith will also attend the camp. He threw for 3,223 yards with 16 touchdowns and 19 interceptions in his career. He started the first six games for the Commodores last year with a 4-2 record.

With Tony Romo, Kyle Orton, Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter on the roster, the Cowboys did not make a play for a quarterback in the draft or go after a priority college free agent. And undrafted quarterbacks like Boise State’s Kellen Moore wanted to go to teams where they had a better chance of making the team.

The Cowboys are planning on having 10-15 players at the rookie camp on a tryout basis in addition to the seven draft picks and 21 undrafted free agents they signed.

IRVING, Texas -- Over the years the Cowboys have been wildly successful finding undrafted free agents and turning them into starters. Tony Romo and Miles Austin are at the top of the list, but don’t forget about a guy like Stephen Bowen, too.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones anticipates the Cowboys adding 13-17 undrafted players.

The Cowboys have been willing to pay solid signing bonuses to undrafted players over the years, totaling more than $100,000 on occasion.

Those days are over.

According to the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can spend only $75,000 total in signing bonuses to undrafted players.

Will that discourage the Cowboys and other teams from signing players? Not really. What teams did last year to get by that rule was to guarantee a small portion of the player’s base salary so it would not count toward the $75,000 limit.

Last year the largest signing bonus the Cowboys gave was to offensive lineman Jose Acuna ($6,500). Wide receiver Lyle Leong received $6,000 to sign.

The four undrafted free agents who made the 53-man roster -- Kevin Kowalski, Dan Bailey, Alex Albright and Phillip Tanner -- combined to make $10,500 in signing bonus money. Bailey had a signing bonus of $2,500.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys like versatile players and Virginia Tech’s Danny Coale is versatile.

He played outside wide receiver and excelled in the slot. He had four carries. He returned punts. He was on the Hokies’ punt block team and also was on the kick return and punt return teams.

He even punted as a senior, averaging 43.5 yards per punt.

“I want an opportunity to contribute to a team and it seems like a great fit,” Coale said.

Coale was the Cowboys’ fifth round pick and their first offensive selection. He left Virginia Tech with 165 catches for 2,658 yards and eight touchdowns. His receptions and yards are second-most in school history.

Coale did not come to Valley Ranch for a pre-draft visit, but he met with coach Jason Garrett and assistants John Garrett and Jimmy Robinson at the NFL scouting combine.

“I like to challenge myself to make tough catches over the middle and I really enjoy playing the middle of the field, seeing it from the slot,” Coale said.

The Cowboys have an opening for Tony Romo’s No. 3 wide receiver spot after losing Laurent Robinson. However, owner and general manager Jerry Jones has expressed his belief that Andre Holmes, Raymond Radway, Kevin Ogletree or Dwayne Harris can be playmakers. Coale will be in a competition

“He does a lot of exciting things,” Coale said of Romo. “I’m really thrilled to have an opportunity to catch from him.”

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys had to wait a long time to make their only pick Friday and executive vice president Stephen Jones made sure it was that way.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones jokingly asked Stephen how he was able to maneuver the Cowboys around Friday after giving up their second-round pick Thursday to move up and select cornerback Morris Claiborne.

“This gun I had in my pocket, holding it to Jerry’s head telling him not to give up a next year pick,” Stephen cracked.

So the Cowboys waited and waited.

“It was long wasn’t it?” coach Jason Garrett said.

They will not have to wait so long Saturday with five picks in Rounds 4-7. They hold picks Nos. 113, 135, 152, 186 and 222.

Jerry all but ruled out the Cowboys taking a cornerback on the draft’s third day. They will likely pass on a quarterback as well with four under contract in Tony Romo, Kyle Orton, Stephen McGee and Rudy Carpenter. They will have to add rookies for next week’s mini-camp but not one that will cost them a draft pick.

While the first two picks have gone to the defensive side of the ball, they will possibly look to the offensive line, tight end, wide receiver and possibly running back Saturday.

IRVING, Texas -- Over the last few days the Cowboys have done what Mel Kiper, Todd McShay and every other draft guru does at this time of year: conduct mock drafts.

The Cowboys, and every other team, want to go through all kinds of scenarios so when they are on the clock for real they will have already played it out before the draft started.

In 2007 the Cowboys went through a mock draft in which quarterback Brady Quinn fell to them. They knew Tony Romo was their quarterback, even after just 10 regular-season starts at the time, but played out a scenario in which Quinn fell to them. Would they take Quinn? Would they trade back?

When Quinn did fall, the Cowboys knew what to get in return for a trade down. Cleveland complied and the Cowboys had two first-round picks in 2008.

On Wednesday, Jones said the team played through a scenario in which they traded up from No. 14 to get a player they wanted if there is a run on the handful of players they expected to be there when they picked. Undoubtedly they went through the other end of the story, too, in which all of their guys are gone.

“I don’t want to get into our strategy, but we have done that exercise and in essence said, ‘How many guys we got up there that would cause us to go up?’” Jones said. “And we spent quite a bit of time on that exercise. Again it’s according to the cost. According to how big it is. You get a situation, as you know, where you can move up one or two places that there is a real value that they give you just to swap a couple of spots with you. That’s hard to up there early, but, yes, that it is a possibility. I don’t want to say one player, but there are players we would go for.”

Teams usually take their in-house mock drafts through three rounds because, as Jason Garrett said Wednesday, you’re picking starters (or eventual starters) in those rounds and want to have a feel for what will be available.