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Cowboys add speed and playmakers
Posted: Sunday April 18, 1999 09:29 PM
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- When the dust settled Sunday after the NFL draft and recent free-agent signings, Dallas Cowboys officials believed they had addressed the weaknesses that caused the team's failure in last season's playoffs. Owner Jerry Jones and coach Chan Gailey said the Cowboys drafted for speed and play-making ability -- and think they got both. "We've added some speed, we've added some talent to our team in the last week," Gailey said. "The competition on our football team will be very strong in training camp, which is an exciting proposition because that's always good for your team. "Relative to where we were at the end of last year, we have more speed," Jones added. "We have some people in the draft who can contribute this year." The Cowboys made moves to improve a pass rush that produced only 34 sacks last season by selecting defensive ends Ebenezer Ekuban of North Carolina with the 20th overall pick and Hundens "Peppi" Zellner of Fort Valley State in the fourth round. Dallas scouts and coaches say Ekuban and Zellner were two of the most athletic defensive ends at the scouting combine. The Cowboys also picked Texas A&M inside linebacker Dat Nguyen, who won the Lombardi Award for defensive players but slipped to the third round, probably because of his relatively small size, 5-foot-11 and 231 pounds. The team projects him as a backup at all three linebacker spots next season and a candidate for starting middle linebacker the next season. "I'm not a prototype linebacker," Nguyen said. "I'm just a small guy out there trying to make some tackles." Nguyen noted that Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary and Atlanta star Jessie Tuggle are both about 230 pounds. Dallas also added youth to an aging offensive line in the second round by taking West Virginia's Solomon Page, projected as a reserve at tackle and guard. Page's addition could mean the end of the line for Pro Bowl guard Nate Newton, an unrestricted free agent who remains unsigned. They also added depth at wide receiver by drafting Texas Longhorn Wane McGarity in the fourth round and MarTay Jenkins of Nebraska-Omaha in the sixth round. The Cowboys think McGarity has a chance to be a factor at wide receiver if he can stay healthy. McGarity was a big-play producer in college, but he's only 5-foot-8 and has had four knee operations since 1992. McGarity had 58 catches for 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. "He has the ability to do something with it when he gets the ball," Jones said. With their two seventh-round picks the Cowboys took tight end Mike Lucky of Arizona and offensive guard Kelvin Garmon of Baylor. Dallas also brought in more speed with the signings of a pair of free agents this week -- wide receiver Rocket Ismail and linebacker Quentin Coryatt. The Cowboys confounded some draft observers by failing to pick a defensive tackle, although they did take two ends. NFL sources say star defensive tackle Leon Lett has failed another drug test and could be suspended again. Dallas also lost defensive tackles Hurvin McCormack and Antonio Anderson to Cleveland in the expansion draft. The team privately thinks that if Lett is lost for an extended period or is banned for life, last year's No. 1 pick, defensive end Greg Ellis, can be moved to tackle. Michael Myers, who played much of last season at defensive end, also will be a full-time tackle. If Lett returns, Ellis could remain on the strong side and Ekuban could push holdover starter Kavika Pittman as the pass-rushing end. Pittman paced the team with only six sacks last season. "We have some options there," coach Chan Gailey said. "We didn't feel we needed to address that." Heading into the draft, there was need for some younger blood. Quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, wide receiver Michael Irvin, cornerback Deion Sanders, safety Darren Woodson, tackle Erik Williams, defensive tackle Chad Hennings and defensive back Kevin Smith will all turn 30 before the start of next season. Those were many of the key players on last year's team that won the NFC East but was upset by the Arizona Cardinals in first-round playoff game.
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