Three down, four to go. Draft picks signed by the Dallas Cowboys, that is. The Cowboys have inked deals with Sean Lissemore, Sam Young and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, their seventh, sixth and fourth rounders respectively. Not surprisingly, the higher selected rooks are last in line to hammer out deals. That group includes first-round selection Dez Bryant, the immensely talented wide receiver out of Oklahoma State. Good news however. The Cowboys and Bryant’s agent have sat down at the table to begin the negotiation process.
Contract negotiations between the club and its first round draft pick began Monday. In past seasons, the Cowboys let the first round market develop before talks intensified. The Cowboys do not have that luxury this summer since it will be the first team to report to training camp.
No team in the league has signed a first round pick as the Cowboys prepare for their initial practice Saturday in San Antonio.
“We won’t have as much to go on,‘’ executive vice president Stephen Jones said when the Cowboys concluded mini-camp last month. "We usually have a lot more contracts to go off of. That will make it more challenging.’’
Throw in the fact that Bryant’s situation is a tad unique being that he didn’t play last year and it shouldn't come as much of a surprise if the process gets a bit messy before (hopefully) sorting itself out in the near future.