'It's Not Over Yet!' Cowboys Declare Before Draft and New Trade Deadline

FRISCO - “It's not over yet.”

That's what Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said a few days ago ... and he wasn't talking about the upcoming NFL Draft.

“It's not over yet.”

This is about veteran acquisitions. Maybe via free agency, maybe via trade.

Maybe before the draft. Certainly after it.

Jones also mentioned Dallas' plan of “drafting pure,” which means not reaching to fill a positional need.

So with pick No. 12 in Round 1? They ideally draft the best player available ... and if it happens to also fill a roster need (like wide receiver)?

Goal fulfilled.

And know that there is a locked-in focus on personnel boss Will McClay and his Big Board; that's NFL standard operating procedure.

But the much-maligned Dallas front office has been very successful in "scrap-heap'' moves for veteran players. ... not massive headline-grabbers, but additions of solid players, one way or the other.

Which way this time? And when?

After May 2, any free agents you sign no longer count against your comp pick equation. So that's one deadline of sorts. And from what we know on the math? The Cowboys could still trade fora before the draft and not disrupt their compensatory formula.

Cowboys Nation has every right to covet the blockbuster move, and despite Dallas still sitting on $36 million cap room, that hasn't happened yet.

But underneath that? The Cowboys have gotten very good at playing the game of roster assemblage by finding good players at the right time.

And so we're on our toes in the coming days, studying more than just Dallas' thoughts on the NFL Draft. And why?

Because ... “It's not over yet.”