Cowboys News: 2020 breakout candidates, Dak backups, Aldon Smith is huge

To hear one NFL coach tell it, Dallas came a lot closer to losing wide receiver Amari Cooper than Cowboys fans probably want to hear. And to hear one NFL insider tell it, the league should come down like a hammer on its quarterback’s workouts with an ex-teammate on the comeback trail.

The club has released more footage from virtual interviews with a pair of draft prospects, the new defender has kept himself in shape after four years away, and the team owner tops another list. Plus a tech tweak for draft day, a deep dive into the defense, a backup plan at quarterback, a big day on a bum shoulder for the rushing king, and a shout-out to the small-school studs. All the Cowboys news that’s fit to link, coming right up…

Cowboys almost got sniped on Amari Cooper by Redskins, who were in pursuit ‘up to the very end’ :: Yahoo Sports

All’s well that ends well, but Dallas nearly lost its WR1 to their rivals from DC. New Washington coach Ron Rivera has revealed that the club was playing legitimate hardball in an attempt to lure the four-time Pro Bowler away.

Florio: Dez-Dak workouts violate stay-at-home orders, NFL should ‘do something’ :: Cowboys Wire

During these strict shelter-in-place times, should Cowboys fans be bothered by the joint workouts between free agent receiver Dez Bryant and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott? Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk is, and he’s calling for the league to take action.

New Cowboys pass rusher Aldon Smith up to nearly 290 pounds after four-year hiatus from NFL:: CBS Sports

The Cowboys new edge rusher is up to a “monstrous” 287 pounds- but with very low body fat- after four years away from football.

WATCH: CB Kristian Fulton interview released in Cowboys draft prep video:: Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys have an interview with early-round talent Kristian Fulton out of LSU.

Cowboys Looking To Strike D-Line Gold Again:: The Mothership

After veterans contributed mightily on the defensive line in 2019, the Cowboys look to get more of the same from Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Aldon Smith.

There are moments in an interview where you learn something about a prospect that goes far beyond football.@OU_Football LB Kenneth Murray provided one of those moments in his interview with the #DallasCowboys. pic.twitter.com/rxq6vYKn8X

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 8, 2020

Ultimate mock draft: All 32 NFL teams will test virtual tech :: Cowboys Wire

In preparation for what will surely be the strangest NFL draft in league history, each team will do a trial run of the technology needed to make actual shelter-in-place picks on April 23.

There’s a new richest man in Dallas in Forbes’s annual billionaires ranking:: Dallas Morning News

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the new top dog in Dallas in the financial magazine’s latest billionaire rankings.

Why the Cowboys were right to let Byron Jones leave in free agency:: Blogging The Boys

Byron Jones is a top-tier corner, but were the Cowboys right in letting him leave?

Best small-college studs ever for all 32 NFL teams: Payton, Rice, McNair and more :: ESPN

Shopping for collegiate talent from the powerhouse programs is easy. But sometimes the brightest stars turn out to be the ones who were hardest to find on a map. This fun list looks at each team’s best small-school gem. The Cowboys had several Hall of Famers to choose from, but in the end, Todd Archer picked the pride of Sonoma State who went to eleven Pro Bowls in 12 seasons.