Dallas Cowboys interested in CB Antoine Winfield

[AgPete]

IRVING – As NFC East counterparts Washington and Philadelphia made bold moves to upgrade their defenses, the Cowboys exchanged several phone calls with the agent for cornerback Antoine Winfield on the first day of free agency.

With Mario Edwards testing the market, the Cowboys are in need of a cornerback. Edwards started all 16 games last season and had one interception, which was returned for a touchdown, and eight pass deflections.

The question is how much the Cowboys would be willing to pay. The Redskins gave cornerback Shawn Springs a six-year deal, averaging $5.6 million annually that included a $10 million signing bonus.

The Cowboys have not set up a visit with Winfield, who is considered the top cornerback available.

"I've had several conversations with [director of player personnel Stephen Jones], but I'm not sure we'd be able to close the gap financially on Antoine's market value," Winfield's agent, Rich Katz, said. "But there's mutual interest."

Winfield, who spent his first five years in Buffalo, had 124 tackles last season with one interception. He also had 14 pass breakups.


And for the Cowboys fans:

No call to Garcia: Sticking with owner and general manager Jerry Jones' stance regarding a veteran quarterback, the Cowboys did not make a call to free agent Jeff Garcia on Wednesday.

Garcia was released by San Francisco on Tuesday to get under the $80.6 million salary cap.

Defensive end to visit: The Cowboys will have some competition for defensive end Bert Berry. He is expected to visit with Arizona after he concludes his stopover with the Cowboys.

Berry had a career-high 11 ½ sacks last season in Denver and could fill the Cowboys' need for a pass rusher opposite Greg Ellis.

On the offensive line, tackle Adam Meadows will conclude his visit Friday, and it's believed the Cowboys are the favorite for his services. He is also dealing with Carolina and Atlanta.

Looking for a punter? Coach Bill Parcells made no secret of his displeasure with punter Toby Gowin last season, and the Cowboys could be in the market for a new punter.

The team has interest in Tom Tupa, who played for Parcells in New England and with the New York Jets, and Matt Turk, who had an impressive outing against the Cowboys with Miami on Thanksgiving and has told friends he would love to play for Parcells.

Signing Tupa or Turk would mean the team would have to use Billy Cundiff on kickoffs or bring in another specialist.

Briefly: Defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban is expected to visit Cleveland later this week. ... Former Cowboys wide receiver coach John McNulty, who was let go in January, has become an assistant coach at Rutgers. ... Former Cowboys receiver Reggie Swinton , a restricted free agent in Detroit, will visit Arizona

[AgPete]

dola

Any Denver fans out there that had a chance to watch this guy every week? Why is Berry not a priority for them?

[JeeberD]

Mario had a rought season once he got a rep for interference calls. If we could upgrade on him that would be fantastic. I would also love to see them make a couple more of the pickups mentioned in the article....

[AgPete]

I'm with ya Jeeber. Let Snyder make all the high profile signings. The Cowboys wil be just as good and spend 1/3 the money.

[JAG]

I'm surprised the Cowboys are going after Winfield considering they were supposedly looking for 'bargain' or mid-level free agents. Winfield by all rights supposedly would be the highest priced cornerback on the market and might be the most expensive FA after Kearse. Maybe the Eagles/Redskins moves are making them revise their plans a bit?

[JAG]

dola

And now he signed with the Jets for 30 mil, so it's a moot point.

[AgPete]

Originally Posted by JAG

dola

And now he signed with the Jets for 30 mil, so it's a moot point.

Party pooper.

Man, the good corners are disappearing quickly. Maybe the Cowboys can get Bobby Taylor or Troy Vincent.

[Ksyrup]

Free agency overall is moving quickly. It's like they're trying to get everything done before the NHL trading deadline next week.

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Free agency overall is moving quickly. It's like they're trying to get everything done before the NHL trading deadline next week.

same as last year. It seems like all the big names are gone in days... because teams want to know where they stand well before the draft.

[AgPete]

I still wonder if there are any Denver fans that read FOF who can tell me what Berry's deal is? He seems like a solid vet pass rusher who would do wonders with the Dallas defensive line. Were the 11 sacks a one time only deal?

[cthomer5000]

ESPN is now reporting that this is not a done deal, and no contract has been signed.

I was confident the Jets would find a way to blow this, and it looks like they won't let me down.

[JeeberD]

Come on down to Dallas, Antoine!

[JAG]

Now this is interesting...

"Philadelphia free-agent Bobby Taylor contacted the Cowboys to let them know he is acting as his own agent. Taylor, who lives in Houston, has said he would like to play for the Cowboys. With Mario Edwards , who started every game for Dallas last season, expected to make a few visits next week, Taylor could be an alternative even though he turned 30 in December."

Acting as his own agent...hey, this could be a great deal.

[AgPete]

Originally Posted by JAG

Now this is interesting...

"Philadelphia free-agent Bobby Taylor contacted the Cowboys to let them know he is acting as his own agent. Taylor, who lives in Houston, has said he would like to play for the Cowboys. With Mario Edwards , who started every game for Dallas last season, expected to make a few visits next week, Taylor could be an alternative even though he turned 30 in December."

Acting as his own agent...hey, this could be a great deal.

Heck yes it could! The Cowboys could get a fantastic deal especially since he wants to play for them.