increased goodness to the quarterback, running backs and receivers.
Plus, think about this. Davis doesn't turn 29 until next month. Center Andre Gurode turns 30 in March. Marc Colombo doesn't turn 29 until October. Kyle Kosier doesn't turn 29 until November. Only Flozell Adams is 30, having turned 32 in May, and for the offensive linemen, that's like entering your prime. And then you have youngsters such as Pat McQuistan, Doug Free, James Marten and Cory Procter being groomed in the background.
This could be the start of something, uh, big if these guys pan out.
"Those guys have to be our depth or we'll never get out of that cycle of having to go to free agency," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said of the investment he made in the future.
Because there are only so many times you can go to free agency to make a $16 million outlay for one guy, gambling that guy can make a $16 million impact as the Cowboys are with Davis.
But so far, so good, and Jones will remind you of something he said before the draft, that thing about wanting to find "a wow factor . . . find someone who would really come in and put some juice in there."
While everyone interpreted that as meaning a quarterback or wide receiver or running back, Jones sees the potential juice Davis can squeeze into this offense, and Leonard seems to be equally juiced over his new environment, including head coach, line coach, teammates, weight room and general atmosphere.
"He wants you to be the best you can be," Davis said of Sparano, the guy who seems to have come into his own as an NFL offensive line coach. "He doesn't want a flash guy, you know, look like Superman one play and next look like it's the first time you've been out there on the next.
"He wants a consistent player."
And if we can add consistent then to the large and athletic Davis, that would be big.
How big would that be?
Huge.
