Jerry Jones recently made some interesting statements about the Dallas Cowboys draft plans reagrding their wish to not draft a quarterback with their first pick. Why Jones would say this is beyond normal reasoning because in order to get solid trades on draft day from teams behind them, they need to show they're capable of drafting anyone.
As relieving as this was to hear for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, Jones might be putting up an elaborate smokescreen. The Cowboys have been known to be pretty secretive about who they will draft. Prospects have visited Valley Ranch before, but the Cowboys rarely think in terms of definite situations.
It could have been that Jones was tired of hearing about the Cowboys drafting a quarterback, or it could be because they plan to take one anyway and don't want any preconceptions. Tony Romo is getting up there in age, but more importantly he is having a harder time staying on the field.
More recently, Jones stated he would love to have an Aaron Rodgers or Brett Farve type of situation where a young quarterback comes in and learns for a year or two behind an old master. Let's not forget Rodgers was taken as the 24th pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, so the Cowboys are around 20 picks ahead of where the Packers were.
Taking a quarterback here would be completely falsify everything Jones and the Cowboys representatives have been saying this entire time, but it would fall into what Jones has said more recently about the Rodgers/Farve situation. If you look at the list of quarterback prospects, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz stand out more than any other player, and with the Cowboys drafting fourth overall, it won't take much for them to have a shot at either player.
A large portion of that decision will likely rest on how Tony Romo recuperates from his collarbone procedure. Whether or not he has a plate in or has the bone shaved down will make a difference in how quickly he returns and how comfortable he will be throwing the ball. If the Cowboys have any inkling Romo might struggle recovering from the procedure, the urgency to take a quarterback could very well be there.
