IRVING, Texas - Just a few days after the Cowboys selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Dez Bryant showed up at Valley Ranch for a press conference. Constantly smiling, the wide receiver had the look of a young man with a bright future.
How might this year's first-round pick look in the same situation? If there is no new Collective Bargaining Agreement between NFL ownership and the players union, rookies will be permitted to carry out an introductory media briefing in their new cities, but afterward won't be allowed to have any contact with their new teams until a labor accord is reached.
If indeed a lockout occurs after the current CBA expires on March 4, there would also be no free agency period at the start of the league year. For a team like the Cowboys, hoping to reload their talent base for a return to playoff contention, the uncertainty amplifies the importance of making the right choices when the draft is held April 28-30.
In years past, the Cowboys could fill some positions of need in free agency and attempt to take the best players in the draft. They don't want to change that strategy whether they're able to sign veterans beforehand or not, Executive Vice President Stephen Jones recently said on "Special Edition."
selected since taking Terence Newman 5th
overall in 2009.
