With the draft fast approaching, the Dallas Cowboys have needs all across the board. Over the next two weeks we will offer up a position-by-position review of the roster and match up the best available in the draft at those positions.
QUARTERBACK
On the roster: Tony Romo (signed through 2019), Kellen Moore (signed through 2016), Jameill Showers (signed through 2017).
Cap status: Romo $20.835 million, Moore $760,000, Showers $450,000.
Best available: Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch.
Down the line: Christian Hackenberg, Dak Prescott, Jacoby Brissett, Connor Cook.
Position review: Jason Garrett said the goal is to have a developmental quarterback in the pipeline along with a veteran backup and that’s not something the Cowboys have currently. They have yet to secure a veteran backup through free agency or a trade. Moore has been in the league since 2012 and only took his first snaps last season. Showers spent more time in practice last year playing other positions than he did quarterback.
Romo turns 36 on April 21. He is coming off collarbone surgery but will be able to take part in the organized team activities. He’s also not played a full season since 2012, however, he missed one game in 2013 and one game in 2014. The Cowboys believe the Mumford procedure will help alleviate the issues Romo has had with the collarbone.
A year ago, Romo’s praises had never been sung higher after what he did in 2014. Now many consider him too old. Before the collarbone injury, Romo was as sharp as he had been in his career with his physical traits meshing perfectly with his mental traits. There is no reason he can’t get back to the form he had in 2014.
Moore showed some positive signs in his three games but he was intercepted six times. He gets by on his acumen more than his physical ability. His ceiling is as a backup, a mix between a No. 2 and a No. 3.
Draft need: HIGH Romo’s age and injury history make this position a must at some point in the draft. If not at No. 4 overall, then the Cowboys would seemingly have to pull the trigger in the second or third rounds, since quarterbacks picked in the fourth round or lower hardly work out.
The quarterback scene: The Cowboys coached Wentz at the Senior Bowl. They have met with Wentz, Goff and Lynch privately for workouts. They had those three, plus Hackenberg, Brissett and Connor Cook in for visits to Valley Ranch.
They have done more due diligence on quarterbacks this year than they have in recent memory.
Wentz has the physical and mental makeup to succeed. He has a strong arm. He is mobile enough to make plays in and out of the pocket. Goff is somewhat slight but can make the throws, as well. Lynch might need the most time to be ready but he possesses a strong arm and the ability to create.
The Cowboys don’t need a quarterback to play right away, unless something happens to Romo. An argument can be made that having the fourth overall pick sit and learn would be the best way to maximize the long-term success. But there’s also a salary-cap component that must be factored in because if they draft a quarterback that high, after three years the Cowboys would need to pick up a fifth-year option worth nearly $20 million.
The best guess: The Cowboys pass on a quarterback at No. 4 but find one to develop with one of their next two picks. After his freshman year in college, Hackenberg was viewed as a potential No. 1 overall pick. A change in coaches hurt his development, among other things, but the talent remains.