BOCA RATON, Fla. – Here are some quick highlights from Jason Garrett's hour-long sit-down with reporters Wednesday morning at the NFL Annual Meeting's Head Coaches Breakfast:
- Garrett said quarterback Kellen Moore "deserves an opportunity to compete for the No. 2 spot" behind starter Tony Romo. Right now Moore is the only backup quarterback on the roster who has taken a regular-season snap; Jameill Showers spent his rookie season on the practice squad. Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday he would be comfortable with Moore as the primary backup next season but "we'd like to get him some competition." Could competition come through free agency, or the draft, or both? Time will tell. "The landscape of free agency and the draft is still in front of us," Garrett said, "so we'll try to evaluate that position like we would any other position to build our roster as strong as we can."
- Five weeks before the NFL Draft, the Cowboys not surprisingly aren't ruling out anything with the No. 4 overall pick. Asked if the quarterback position could be in play at No. 4, Garrett said, "Every position is in play for us at the fourth pick and really throughout the draft." The team is still evaluating draft-eligible prospects, including Wednesday's scheduled workout with Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.
- Garrett was in Florida for league meetings during free agent cornerback Patrick Robinson's visit to Valley Ranch on Monday. (UPDATE: Robinson took a free agent visit to Indianapolis and signed with the Colts on Wednesday evening, the Colts announced.)
- Garrett believes Alfred Morris is a strong addition to the Cowboys' running back group that also includes Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar. "He's a very impressive back to us. He's a natural runner," Garrett said of Morris. "He's just a good football player, and anybody who's had a chance to go against him as much as we have and seen him as much as we have, we just have a real healthy respect for him. … A lot of people have described him, 'Oh, he's a zone runner – he can only run these kinds of runs.' My experience is most good running backs, guys who have been productive, can run a variety of runs. I think if you look at his career you've seen him do a lot of different kinds of things."
- Garrett said wide receiver Dez Bryant is "doing really well" this offseason after having surgery on his foot and ankle in January. "He's on schedule to come back and be ready to play," Garrett said.[embeddedad0]
