Dallas Cowboys executive vice president/director of player personnel Stephen Jones sees a quarterback and a pass rusher as two priorities for the club entering next week's NFL draft. Dallas' offense was anemic last season after Tony Romo exited with an injury, and the club tied for 25th in the NFL in sacks (31) in 2015, leading to speculation about both needs being in play for the club's No. 4 overall pick. Jones, of course, wasn't hinting about plans that specific, but he acknowledged the two roster sore points in particular.
"At the end of the day, our defensive front is still a position that we keep our eye on in terms of always trying to get better there," Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. "Ultimately we want to find a dominant type of pass rusher. Obviously that's easier said than done."
Ohio State's Joey Bosa could be a pass-rushing option at No. 4 overall. As for the quarterback situation, it's widely assumed that the Cowboys will choose one at some point in the draft. Jones said the club sees QBs that he expects to be picked after Round 1 who could offer Dallas an upgrade over their backups from last season.
"We continue to think about our backup quarterback position behind Tony (Romo). Based on the obvious, which is what happened to us last year, (when) for whatever reason he's not able to stay healthy. Then we have a better solution than what happened to us last year," Jones said. "... Other than first round, we see some quarterbacks that we do like and think could develop into something that ultimately could be better than how we played last year."
Stephen Jones' father, club owner Jerry Jones, told NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt last month that the club's No. 4 overall pick won't be spent on a quarterback. One quarterback outside of the first-round discussion whom the Cowboys have shown interest is Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. He worked out for Dallas last month and is visiting the team on Tuesday.
The Cowboys have also shown interest in USC's Cody Kessler. USC coach Clay Helton praised Kessler's accuracy Tuesday on NFL Network's Path to the Draft, and predicted a smooth transition to the NFL style of play for the Trojans' former three-year starter.
"I love his pocket awareness, especially his pocket feet, and he's a guy who grew up in a pro-style system," Helton said. "He knows how to ID the (defensive) fronts, ID the Mike (middle linebacker)."
The Cowboys' staff hand-picked Kessler for the Reese's Senior Bowl North Squad it coached in January and continue to consider him a draft option, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. Senior Bowl week gave coach Jason Garrett and his staff a chance to assess Kessler side-by-side with potential No. 1 overall pick Carson Wentz for a week of practices, meetings and a game. Kessler has also worked out or visited with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, and could be chosen earlier than expected, per Rapoport.
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