SAN ANTONIO -There's been an outcry from fans for the Cowboys to sign a safety or two as soon as possible, but the team is taking a cautious approach to the position in free agency.
As of Sunday afternoon, talks with Cleveland's Abram Elam were slow, and no deal was imminent despite Ryan apparently placing a call on Saturday night to his starter with the Browns these last two years. The Cowboys reportedly expressed interest in Elam last week, but he appears to be holding out for a particular price.
While one of the biggest name among available safeties came off the market Sunday when Michael Huff chose to return to Oakland, Stephen Jones said the position is still a deep one in free agency. The Cowboys apparently had only minimal interest in bringing in Huff, an Irving, Texas native who played under Ryan with the Raiders.
Jones, who acknowledged safety was a free agency priority when camp opened, said he doesn't see the market for the position drying up any time soon, and didn't think an artificial deadline for signings was approaching on Aug. 4, the scheduled date for free agents to begin practicing with their new teams.
With a certain level of salary cap restriction, the Cowboys seem to be waiting for the asking price to come down with several guys who would be able to replace the current first-teamers, Barry Church and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. Elam, the five-year veteran, would qualify for that group, but the Cowboys are somewhat leery of spending a bundle on safeties nearing their 30s.
Elam, who broke into the NFL with the Cowboys in 2006, is 29. He made two public overtures to the Cowboys on Sunday by responding to the comments of fans on Twitter. Told to pack his bags for Dallas because a signing with the Cowboys was inevitable, he tweeted "bags packed." Told how he could benefit from playing behind DeMarcus Ware, he replied "i like it."
Other players available currently include the Cowboys' own Gerald Sensabaugh, Dashon Goldson of San Francisco and Donte Whitner of the Bills.
