FRISCO, Texas -- So much has transpired with the Dallas Cowboys over the last week with the conclusion of the NFL draft that this seems to be the right time to bring out a Five Wonders column.
Away we go:
** I wonder if the fact that the Cowboys did not select a running back in the draft is good news for Alfred Morris. The Cowboys would have been willing to take a late-round pick from somebody needing a runner, but nothing materialized. Morris is the type of back who gets better the more he gets the ball. He’s not, in basketball terms, like the Microwave, Vinnie Johnson, who came off the bench so well for the Detroit Pistons in the '80s. Morris wears defenses down with his carries as he gets more into a flow. With Ezekiel Elliott, that’s never going to happen in Dallas unless there is a health issue. I don’t know that Morris is safe, but the lack of a trade at least bought him some time.
** I wonder if Jaylon Smith and Charles Tapper should be considered part of the Cowboys’ 2017 draft haul. Neither played a year ago because of injuries. Smith had the much-talked-about knee injury and nerve damage. Tapper had a back injury. Considering the way Jerry Jones has talked about Smith’s recovery, there is no doubt the Cowboys are banking on Smith to make a contribution. Tapper could be part of the pass-rush rotation. The coaches like his potential as an edge rusher.
** With only two quarterbacks on the roster at the moment, the Cowboys were asked if they would consider moving Jameill Showers back to his original spot. He moved to safety last season after spending the 2015 season on the practice squad as a quarterback. The Cowboys liked Showers’ potential at quarterback, even entering training camp last year, but then the deck was stacked against him when the season began and they asked if he would move to safety. He spent the year again on the practice squad and made a solid transition to safety, according to those who watched full practices. I wonder if the Cowboys believe they would be doing Showers a disservice by returning him to quarterback again. In a lot of ways, it wouldn’t be fair to him, but an argument can be made that he would have a better chance of making the 53-man roster as a quarterback than a safety.
** Is it too soon to think about the composition of the roster? I wonder if the Cowboys will carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. I would lean toward saying they won’t right now. How about six receivers? Potentially. You know they will carry seven offensive linemen. How about four tight ends? If Noah Brown, the Cowboys’ seventh-round receiver, shows the physical skills worth developing, I can see him earning a redshirt year on the active roster because they won’t want to risk putting him on waivers.
** A year ago, no undrafted rookies made the team. I wonder if the incoming class will have the same fate. As the Cowboys made their late picks at defensive line, cornerback and receiver, there was a real question as to how they would make the team. The Cowboys do a great job of identifying undrafted free agents. Just think what they have gotten from the likes of Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Barry Church, Cole Beasley and Dan Bailey. But this is a deeper roster where draft picks will struggle to make the team. If an undrafted rookie makes it, then he will do so the hard way.