East Notes: Cowboys, Wilkerson, Pouncey

The Cowboys‘ 2015 season was derailed by multiple collarbone injuries to quarterback Tony Romo, with the team struggling to win even a single game in his absence. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), there are members of the Cowboys organization who want to avoid risking that scenario again in 2016 by selecting a quarterback early in this year’s draft.

Drafting a quarterback early would give the club a more viable backup option in the short term, and would potentially provide a long-term replacement for Romo. However, Cole adds that owner Jerry Jones may be more inclined to use the team’s top-10 pick on a player at another position that could help the team return to contention immediately. Considering Jones said earlier this season that he thinks Romo still has four or five years left in him, that’s not a real surprise — I’m not sure I believe the 35-year-old can play that long, but if Jones believes it, there’s no reason he’d feel the need to draft Romo’s replacement yet.

Here are a few more items from around the NFL’s East divisions:

  • Noting that rumors of a potential contract extension have died down within the last few weeks, Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk wonders if Jones’ comments this week about the Cowboys‘ disappointing pass rush indicate “some degree of buyer’s remorse” on Greg Hardy.
  • Muhammad Wilkerson has had a great season, and he’ll get paid at some point, but given the other talent they have on their defensive line, the Jets don’t necessarily be the team that gives him a long-term deal, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who suggests once again that a tag-and-trade approach might work best for New York.
  • Center Mike Pouncey was the only Dolphin selected as a Pro Bowler on Tuesday night, and while it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be able to finish the season and play in the Pro Bowl, he at least won’t require surgery on his injured left foot. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Pouncey sprained his foot and ankle, and is currently wearing a boot on that foot.
  • Addressing a Tuesday report that suggested the Eagles were considering shutting down Bennie Logan for the season due to a calf injury, head coach Chip Kelly denied that, indicating that the defensive tackle is day to day (Twitter link).
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