AgPete
03-04-2004, 03:33 PM
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
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