Cowboys football blog

Spencer signs contract

First-round draft pick Anthony Spencer, a linebacker from Purdue, signed a five-year, $9 million contract with the Cowboys Thursday morning. The deal includes a signing bonus of approximately $6 million. The team also signed third-round pick Jim Marten, an offensive lineman from Boston College, to a four-year deal, including an $836,000 bonus. Continue

First draft pick signed

Cowboys signed the first of their eight draft picks late Friday when fullback Deon Anderson agreed to a four-year deal. The team opened talks last week with Anderson's New York-based agent Eugene Lee. Dallas is still working on deals to sign seventh round picks Alan Ball and Courtney Brown. The hang up in getting those deals done is signing bonuses. The base salaries are already in place. Michael Hoffman, Brown's agent, said he hopes to get the deal done by Tuesday. Cowboys have their first training camp practice on Wednesday. Also, the team has opened talks with first round pick Anthony Spencer.

Drafting Spencer was a necessary move

When the Cowboys decided to use a first-round pick on linebacker Anthony Spencer last week, it was a good move. No one really knows whether Greg Ellis will return from his ruptured Achilles' tendon and be the same quality player he's always been. So the Cowboys had to take Spencer. This defense simply doesn't work without two legitimate pass rushers, and three should not be considered an abundance. If Ellis doesn't like it, he should get over it.

This isn't like last year, when the Cowboys asked him to switch from defensive end to linebacker, which he hadn't played since high school. Ellis had every right to be angry about that move because they put his roster spot in jeopardy for an experiment. Continue

Stanback has promise to keep

Isaiah Stanback came home to Seattle after rehabbing his right foot and talking to NFL teams across the country. Stanback wanted to see the man to whom he made three promises to: his grandfather. Robert T. Williams was dying, and Stanback knew he had to hurry. He had fulfilled promises to play college football for Washington and graduate with degrees in marketing and American ethnic studies.

Williams died before he could see the final promise – Stanback playing in the NFL. Stanback, a quarterback/wide receiver, was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round on April 29, less than a week after his 81-year-old grandfather passed away from an undisclosed illness. Continue

Draft puts him in bad position, Ellis believes

The NFL Draft wasn't but a few days old when a real estate agent rang at Greg Ellis' house to hand-deliver his business card. "This was not some generic thing -- the guy came to my house," the Cowboys linebacker said. "It's the next step. Everybody's assuming I'm gone." For the second consecutive off-season, Ellis finds his status with the Cowboys as fragile. With the Cowboys selecting Purdue linebacker Anthony Spencer in the first round of the 2007 draft, Ellis sees his time with the Cowboys as potentially over.

And as much as he's tried to avoid the discussion since Saturday, he spoke about it Wednesday afternoon. "Who wouldn't be frustrated?" asked Ellis, 32. "I'm keeping my cool and my composure. But it's hard not to be frustrated when they constantly move you around, and thank God you are able to play [a new position, linebacker]. Now, they do it to you again." Continue

Cowboys don't need Quinn

In his first season as a starter, Tony Romo led his team to the playoffs, showed he's not afraid to make plays in the fourth quarter and played in the Pro Bowl. Apparently, he needs to impress a lot more people. There's an undeniable groundswell of anger that Jerry Jones didn't select Brady Quinn with the 22nd pick because there's a belief out there that the Cowboys still need a franchise quarterback.

I say they've already got him. Time will tell, but you have to be impressed with Romo's 19 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and nearly 3,000 yards passing. He has charisma, athleticism, and he should only get better. Now, there will be times he makes mistakes because he wants to make a big play. But the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Continue

Cowboys add four players on offense

The Cowboys had two selections in the fourth round of the NFL draft Sunday, and used them on a quarterback/wide receiver and offensive lineman. With the fourth pick of the fourth round, Dallas picked Isaiah Stanback, a quarterback from Washington who is expected to switch to receiver in the NFL.

Later in the round, the Cowboys added offensive tackle/guard Doug Free from Northern Illinois. Dallas continued in the sixth round, taking Arizona kicker Nick Folk and Connecticut fullback Deon Anderson. In the seventh round, the Cowboys picked cornerbacks Courtney Brown of Cal Poly and Alan Ball of Illinois. (DMN)

Spencer may cut into Ellis' time

The drafting of Purdue defensive end Anthony Spencer in the first round Saturday could lead to some serious changes for the defense. The Cowboys hope Spencer will eventually start at outside linebacker, but as a rookie he will be asked to play defensive end on passing downs, possibly keeping veteran outside linebacker Greg Ellis off the field. Ellis was moved from defensive end to outside linebacker at the start of the 2006 season, and he flourished with 4 ½ sacks and 24 solo tackles before tearing his left Achilles' tendon in the ninth game of the season. Continue

Cowboys pick Purdue DE Spencer

Less than a half hour after they traded out of the first round the Cowboys moved back in, picking up the 26th pick from Philadelphia to pick Purdue defensive end/outside linebacker Anthony Spencer.

With Greg Ellis coming off a torn Achilles the Cowboys needed to upgrade their pass rush opposite DeMarcus Ware. Spencer shot up the draft boards after finishing his senior season with 10.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss. He also led the Big Ten wit five forced fumbles. (DMN)

Cowboys deal out of first round

Trader Jerry strikes again. Holding the 22nd pick in the first round for the second time in three years, the Cowboys once again traded away the position, picking up Cleveland's second-round pick this year (36th overall) and the Browns' first-rounder in 2008, sticking with Jerry Jones' history as a mover and shaker. The trade allowed Cleveland to pick up quarterback Brady Quinn.

The Cowboys benefited from Quinn's slide. Quinn was projected as a top-10 selection before the draft but was still available at No. 22, which allowed them to make the deal. The Cowboys now have the 36th (second), 53rd (second), 88th (third), 122nd (fourth), 159th (fifth) 195th (sixth), 200th (sixth), 212th (seventh), 234th (seventh) and 237th (seventh) picks. Continue