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          NFL Nation

          Dallas Cowboys' Twitter mailbag, Part 2

          • Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterApr 5, 2015, 04:00 PM
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              Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
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          IRVING, Texas -- Part 2 of the Dallas Cowboys' Twitter mailbag is ready.

          In it we discuss:

          Away we go:


          @toddarcher: You would like to think the Cowboys would have permission to speak with the agent for Adrian Peterson before a trade is completed. That way they can figure out the contract and figure out the compensation due the Vikings immediately. If Peterson's numbers don't come down from the $12.75 million he will make, then there would be too many things the Cowboys would have to do to make this work and that would impact their future caps. If they wait to do a deal with Peterson after the trade is completed, why would Peterson take a dime less? In 2008, the Cowboys got caught in a bad position in the Roy Williams trade from Detroit. They gave up all those draft picks to get him and then had to give him a new deal because he was not signed after the season. So not only did the Cowboys overpay in terms of picks, they were forced to overpay in terms of contract, too.


          @toddarcher: This is one of those need/best player questions. I don't think there is any doubt Todd Gurley is the better player, provided he's healthy. To me, he's the best runner in the draft but without knowing the medical particulars there is some worry. If he didn't get hurt last year, I don't think he would be close to the 27th pick in the draft, and there's still a good chance he won't be around when the Cowboys pick. But for the sake of this question, let's say both of these guys are there. If you're a best player kind of person, you take Gurley and move on. If you go need, then I can see Johnson being the pick. Wait, aren't both positions of need? Yes. But there are more running backs available that can jump in right away and be a starter for the Cowboys. I'm not so sure there are as many corners available that can come in right away and play. I'd probably regret not taking Gurley, but if I can get a 1,000-yard runner in the second round, I might take Johnson instead. Thankfully, I'm not paid to make these decisions.


          @toddarcher: And this is what I'm talking about from the previous answer. If I can get a Tevin Coleman in the second round, then I'd go with another position in the first round. The Cowboys used a form of this logic when they passed on Steven Jackson in the first round in 2004 and took Julius Jones in the second round while picking up an extra first rounder in 2005. At the time, the Cowboys didn't see a big difference in the runners and believed getting that first rounder was worth it. Jones had a decent run but didn't produce the way we all thought. Jackson had an excellent run in St. Louis. But Coleman might be the closest kind of back what the Cowboys lost this offseason in DeMarco Murray.


          @toddarcher: That's a lot of ifs, but they have a chance to be a solid. Because of the work he has put in and what the game means to him, I hope Sean Lee's injuries are done not only for 2015 but for the rest of his career. When he is on the field, there are few linebackers better than him. Rolando McClain brings a presence to him at middle linebacker. He might drive some folks crazy during the week but he is with you on Sunday as Bill Parcells used to say. The Cowboys hope a full offseason of work will put him in a better position to make it through the year healthy. He was banged up a lot after such a long layoff from playing. I do like what the Cowboys have done at the position overall by signing a number of guys who can play given how injuries have affected the position the past two years.


          @toddarcher: I think we have two different views on the punter situation. I wouldn't call it "glaring" by any stretch. Chris Jones is serviceable. He has a strong leg. I would like to see him do a better job with his inside the 20 punts. Too often it's more than 20, than say the 10. Mat McBriar had that down. The Cowboys have signed Tom Hornsey to compete with Jones. He was with the Cowboys briefly last summer. But I don't see the Cowboys going after any veteran or making a play in the draft or even the college free agent route.