JOEY USHER
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
With all this talk about LB depth, it seems like the emphasis has been mostly on the middle linebacker position. With Lee's tendency for injury and the current roster, who do you see as the immediate back up for the weak side? Obviously they could get more depth in the draft, but it seems like this was such a liability for us last year.
David: I think that's a really good point, and it's why I think the linebacker they eventually draft needs to be versatile. We know Joe Thomas can play in the middle, but I don't know about the weak side. Whoever they draft needs to be able to do both. That's one of the things that made Anthony Hitchens so valuable.
Rob:Your point is valid. When Lee was out last year, Hitchens was the one who moved to the weak side. There are linebackers in this draft who could project as WILL linebackers in a 4-3 scheme like the Cowboys' – prospects such as Roquan Smith and Malik Jefferson. We'll see how much they value adding depth at that position, though. They clearly still view Lee as a cornerstone player there.
ERIC ROSENTHAL
HAGERSTOWN, MD
Now that the Eagles just signed Mike Wallace, please help me understand why we wouldn't sign him, a proven receiver, instead of Deonte Thompson for the same price. It doesn't make sense.
David: If I had to guess, Mike Wallace has an expectation that he'll be one of the top two wide outs in Philly, and he'll have a chance to do that. The Eagles traded Torrey Smith, so Wallace's main competition for snaps opposite from Alshon Jeffery will be Nelson Agholor and Mack Hollins. Here in Dallas, it's a much slimmer chance that Wallace supplants Dez Bryant or Terrance Williams. I know y'all don't want to hear that, but it's true. Thompson fits much more comfortably into a fourth receiver role.
Rob:Presumably Thompson was signed as more of a fit in Brice Butler's reserve role, if indeed Butler ends up moving on to another opportunity as a free agent. The Cowboys did visit with Allen Hurns, a starting receiver in Jacksonville, earlier this week, and my guess is they'd still like to get a deal done while Hurns weighs interest from elsewhere around the league. We'll see.
