PROFILES » The Dallas Cowboys have gambled in the second round

FRISCO http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/oshane-ximines-jersey , Texas (AP) — taking Randy Gregory knowing off-field issues could affect the defensive end’s availability and getting Jaylon Smith when it was almost certain the injured linebacker would not play as a rookie.Without a first-round pick this year because of the midseason trade for receiver Amari Cooper in 2018, owner and general manager Jerry Jones isn’t sure his tendency to reach with his second choice is the best idea this year.“I think you’re operating without a net a little bit,” Jones said last week. “If you start going into the second pick with a real question mark as to this coming year’s contribution, I think logic would dictate for me slowing down a little bit there.”The Cowboys have the 58th overall pick in the second round and the 90th choice in the third Friday night. At the moment, Dallas has four picks in the final four rounds Saturday.There’s been a lot of talk about safety since the Cowboys weren’t serious bidders for Earl Thomas in free agency. It’s the position that most sorely lacks a young potential playmaker.But defensive line could still be a priority even after that spot was involved in the two biggest moves of the offseason. Dallas made star pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence the highest-paid player in franchise history and acquired Robert Quinn from Miami in a trade.Executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones has said the club thinks defensive line is one of the deepest positions in the draft.Among the top prospects remaining after the first round were safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson of Florida and Washington’s Taylor Rapp. Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’mont Jones was still available, along with edge rushers Christian Miller of Alabama and Louisiana Tech’s Jaylon Ferguson.“You hope you’re drafting, there in the second round, a plug-in starter,” Stephen Jones said. “It doesn’t always work out that way Julian Love Jersey , but you’re hoping to find a player there in the second round that can step in and make a big difference.”The gamble on Smith in 2016 appears to have paid off significantly. After a sluggish debut in his second year coming off a devastating knee injury in his final game at Notre Dame, Smith looked like a future Pro Bowl player last season.Gregory is on his fourth suspension for multiple violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, although the Cowboys are optimistic about his reinstatement before the season. The 2015 second-rounder missed 30 of 32 games in 2016-17 before setting career highs with 14 games and six sacks last season.It hasn’t always been about gambling in the second round for Dallas.Guard Connor Williams started as a rookie last season, a year after the Cowboys took cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who appears to have established himself as a starter. Dallas traded up to get Lawrence early in the second round five years ago.The Cowboys believe their offseason moves will allow them to avoid drafting for need in the second round.“That’s typically when you draft the worst players because you see this blatant need and unfortunately consciously or subconsciously that can impact the whole evaluation process,” coach Jason Garrett said. “I think we’ve done a really good job deciding what kind of team we want to have.” TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Inconsistency might be the best way to describe the young NFL career of Josh Rosen.“I still think he’s improving,” coach Steve Wilks. “It’s hard to say in that game (a 17-3 loss to Detroit on Sunday), but I still think he’s progressing, moving forward.”But as he often does when discussing his rookie quarterback http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/darius-slayton-jersey , Wilks qualified his praise.“When you look at some of the opportunities that he had, we have to do a much better job of really going through our progression and not trying to force a lot of throws,” Wilks said. “Sometimes there are check-downs underneath that we need to look at. We need to see the rotation of the safeties as far as cover two, single-high and those things.”Then, Wilks added, “I think he’s doing a good job.”Rosen’s passing statistics are near the bottom of the list of NFL starters. He’s completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,910 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.“I definitely need to throw to our team a lot more in all facets,” Rosen quipped when asked about his accuracy issues.Backup Mike Glennon, watching from the sidelines, sees Rosen’s growth Quinnen Williams Jersey , though.“Obviously some weeks are better than others. That’s just part of being a rookie,” Glennon said, “but I think some of the most valuable things is the experience he’s getting. Really, that’s just irreplaceable. Overall, no matter what the results are, he is improving. That’s just how valuable those reps are.“He’s done some good things and some plays he’d like to have back but I think he’s seeing the field better and he is growing as the season progresses.”Rosen, speaking to reporters after practice Wednesday, didn’t want to assess his growth as a quarterback through those last 10 games as a starter.“That’s kind of up to you guys. I’m just trying to go and win football games,” he said. “I haven’t done as much of that as I would’ve liked to this year. We’ve got three left, but the growth and development http://www.newyorkjetsteamonline.com/jachai-polite-jersey , that’s all in your guys’ columns.”Arizona is 3-7 since Rosen took over as starter four weeks into the season and 3-10 overall, tied for worst in the NFL.Rosen’s efforts have been hampered by the shifting cast of characters around him. Arizona has six offensive linemen on injured reserve. The only player remaining from the unit that began the season is rookie center Mason Cole, and he only got the job because A.Q. Shipley blew out a knee in training camp.Rosen will have three rookies starting on the offensive line when the team plays the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.“I don’t want to say it hurts him,” Wilks said. “Is there inconsistency there? Yes, but Josh, as he and I spoke the other day, he’s just got to do a much better job of keeping his eyes down the field and not worry about the rush because when he does that, he’s pretty effective.”Rosen also must deal with a thin receiving corps that has little experience beyond Larry Fitzgerald. Rosen lost his good friend and one of his favorite targets, Christian Kirk, to a season-ending foot injury. Wide receiver Chad Williams missed the Detroit game with a hamstring injury and didn’t practice Wednesday.“We’re bringing in new guys and just seeing who can play Chuma Edoga Jersey ,” Rosen said. “I think at this point in the year it’s, if anything, the intensity of practice is picking up a little bit because there’s competition at every position all over the field.”He said all the changes in personnel are “tough because we haven’t been winning games, but it’s football. It’s a physical sport. Injuries and all this stuff happen all the time. It’s just that the degree happens to be a little bit more here this particular year.“Throughout your football life, you’re always faced with adversity in different forms and fashions. It just happens to be a little bit more. I’ve got to buck up and get ready just a little bit more.”Notes: Wilks said DT Robert Nkemdiche would undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn ACL. … RB David Johnson (quadriceps) and S Budda Baker (knee) did not practice Wednesday. Fitzgerald had a veteran’s day off.