RICH WILSON
SAN DIEGO, CA
If anyone in the league has the taste for and ability to handle intense media heat, it's Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Combine that with a 2.5 sack preseason performance and a Dallas D-Line that desperately needs to find a pass rush in a hurry and it would seem like a match. Would Michael Sam get legitimate consideration for this team?
Rowan: He has to. The Cowboys need to consider any pass-rusher who can help. If the Cowboys are going to use a practice squad spot on him, he has to get consideration, particularly after a three-sack preseason. I'm not saying he's going to be called up to face his former team in Week 3, but if the pass rush fails early and he shows something in practice, he has to be an option. They need to make a corresponding move to get him on the practice squad, but right now Kenneth Boatright's the only other practice squad defensive end.
David: I was writing a story earlier about the Cowboys moving DeMarcus Lawrence to short-term injured reserve, and it dawned on me that the defensive ends available to them in Week 1 will be Jeremy Mincey, George Selvie, Tyrone Crawford, Lavar Edwards and new signee Jack Crawford. That's just not very inspiring, regardless of how you spin it. If Sam can provide anything at all, he has to at least merit some consideration for the 53-man roster. It's going to be a long wait for Lawrence to return to action, and my gut feeling is that what's available right now just isn't going to cut it.
JOSH BACKMAN
BALTIMORE, MD
Can someone please explain to me why the Cowboys did not at least try to get Ahmad Dixon onto the practice squad? I'd much rather have him on the team than a third quarterback or a practice squad fullback.
Rowan: That was a surprise and made for a bit of an awkward moment when Jason Garrett said John Wetzel would return to the practice squad but became much more vague when asked about Dixon. I think the former Baylor safety's lack of a presence on this team, both on the 53-man roster and the practice squad, has more to do with happenings off the field than on it. I'm still surprised he didn't get a practice squad spot, though.
David:After Dixon's late arrival to walkthrough in Oxnard, followed by [embedded_ad] another tardiness this week at Valley Ranch, I guess the Cowboys were trying to send a message. They liked Mica Pellerin enough that they elevated him to the active roster in November 2013 – when necessity called for it. They also have a versatile defensive back in Jemea Thomas. Dixon showed flashes during parts of the preseason, but it's amusing how many people seem to think he was a make-or-break players.
