IRVING, Texas – The NFL draft is typically a time to talk about new additions, but the Cowboys haven't forgotten about old draftees, either.
Having addressed their moves in the 2013 draft, Cowboys turned an eye back to the 2011 edition – specifically, Pro Bowl left tackle and 2011 first-round pick Tyron Smith.
It's been roughly a week since the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Smith's rookie contract, securing his services through the 2015 season. It must come as a relief to secure the monstrous tackle's services for two more seasons, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that's just the beginning.
"That's just the option – the option is part of it. We want to sign him. I think he wants to be here, and we want to get a deal done," Jones said.
Smith is one of several young Pro Bowlers in consideration for a possible contract extension, along with Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. Contract negotiations haven't begun between the Cowboys and the second-team All-Pro, but Jones said they will soon.
"It will be, sooner than later. We're just going to see where that goes," he said. "Obviously, that's a little bit up to him. But we just want him ready to sign it."
It's hard to guess how much that deal will be worth once drawn up, but it's going to be lucrative.
Cleveland's Joe Thomas boasts the biggest deal among NFL left tackles – seven years, worth $84 million – signed in 2011. Ryan Clady, the No. 12 overall pick in 2008, signed a deal with Denver worth roughly $57 million over five years last summer.
Faith In Wilcox
Safety has been talked about as a big need for the Cowboys for much of the offseason – and for much of the past decade, to be frank. Many speculated the team might use a first or second round pick on the likes of Calvin Pryor or Jimmie Ward.
Jones took Friday night to repeat the team's confidence in 2013 draftee J.J. Wilcox, going as far as to say the Cowboys considered him their starter in training camp. Tragedy intervened with that plan when Wilcox's mother passed away during the team's stay in Oxnard, California.
"We thought we had really hit on a big one right up until he lost his mother – we were naming him the starter the day he left," Jones said. "Obviously, we couldn't do that because he'd have to miss quite a bit of time." [embedded_ad]
Only time will tell if Wilcox can earn the starting spot during the spring and summer, but the lack of a high pick at the position looks like a pretty big vote of confidence.
"We have a lot of confidence that we will see the J.J. that we saw in training camp," Jones said.
Draft In DFW?
AT&T Stadium showed up in NFL draft news earlier this week when reports surfaced that the Cowboys had inquired about hosting the event sometime in the future. Jones confirmed that fact, saying the team had notified the league of that desire.
"We'd love to have it, no question. If they're going to move it away from New York, or move parts of it away from New York, we certainly want to be in consideration for it," he said. "We think we have a great venue for it, we think we have great football fans in North Texas, as well as Texas. We think it would be a huge success, and we think we have a great venue for it."
