FWST: Off-season rumors swirling

[denverdan]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/football/nfl/dallas_cowboys/10960619.htm

Posted on Tue, Feb. 22, 2005

Off-season rumors swirling

By Jennifer Floyd Engel

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

IRVING - The Cowboys are trading for Minnesota receiver Randy Moss, signing Buffalo quarterback Drew Bledsoe, interested in Washington receiver Laveranues Coles and Pittsburgh receiver Plaxico Burress, contemplating trading defensive tackle La'Roi Glover and down on quarterback Drew Henson.

And that was just Monday.

Welcome to February in the NFL, when rumors are almost as prevalent as dunks in the NBA All-Star Game, and few teams are generating as much chatter as the Cowboys.

They are a logical target of speculation. The Cowboys finished 6-10. They have needs at almost every position. They are almost $20 million under the salary cap, so there is money to spend. They have two first-round draft picks, so they have something to offer in trade talks. And they are not talking, at least not coach Bill Parcells, so there is nobody to say yes, no or maybe.

Does this mean the Cowboys are interested in Moss? Not exactly.

Here's a look at some of the rumors involving the Cowboys and the likelihood of there being any truth to them:

Rumor 1: The Cowboys are going to sign Drew Bledsoe.

The dots are definitely there to be connected.

The Cowboys need a veteran quarterback. Bledsoe is going to be cut by the Bills today. Coach Bill Parcells drafted him. He is interested in signing with the Cowboys.

The only real question is how long the Cowboys are willing to commit to Bledsoe, who wants at least a two-year deal and has said he'd rather retire than be a backup. If they sign him, it could be 2007 before Drew Henson hits the field.

Don't be surprised, though, if this one turns out to be true. The Bledsoe sweepstakes begin today.

Rumor 2: The Cowboys are ringing the Vikings about trading for receiver Randy Moss.

In the immortal words of the Magic 8 Ball: "Outlook not good."

Not only would the Cowboys be wary of giving up one of their first-round draft picks for the talented but mercurial receiver, but the prospective buyer of the Vikings is on the record as saying he does not want to trade Moss.

"I don't know that you take some of the best players in the league and start trading them," Phoenix businessman Reggie Fowler told the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. "We need those people to help us win, and I think Randy's one of those guys."

Rumor 3: The Cowboys are interested in receiver Laveranues Coles, if the Redskins cut him.

It is no secret that the Cowboys need another receiver, a speed receiver. It is also no secret that Parcells likes bringing in players he has a history with (see Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Richie Anderson).

All of which makes Coles a logical fit, because he is a good, fast, young receiver whom Parcells drafted while with the New York Jets.

The questions are: Will the Redskins really release him, or will they try to trade him? How much will he cost? Do the Cowboys think they can do better by getting a receiver in the draft?

Rumor 4: The Drew Henson question is causing a divide in the Cowboys' organization.

Of all of the questions surrounding the Cowboys, this is probably the most asked.

What do the Cowboys think of Drew Henson?

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones obviously liked him or he would not have been standing in the locker room after the Thanksgiving game against Chicago talking about how he wished the Cowboys would have won with Henson instead of Vinny Testaverde. Parcells obviously sees something he doesn't like or doesn't quite trust or he would have played him already.

None of this, however, means that Jones has Parcells in his cross hairs. Or vice versa.

They are debating what to do at quarterback, but Jones has sounded very much like somebody who could be talked into continuing to bring Henson along slowly.

• Teams to watch in the off-season; teams that could