The Dallas Cowboys have gambled in the second round

FRISCO Hakeem Butler Jersey , Texas (AP) — a couple of times in recent NFL drafts, 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, 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 Chris Lindstrom Jersey , 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.” The subject was playing through pain, and Miami Dolphins running back Frank Gore drew on his extensive experience to share his thoughts with teammate Ryan Tannehill.Gore’s an ageless model of durability, while Tannehill plans to return from a throwing shoulder injury and start for only the sixth time in the Dolphins’ past 31 games when they play Sunday at Indianapolis .“He knows how much we need him,” Gore said. “It’s football, though. Everybody is going to be in pain from here on out. Talking to him when he wasn’t playing, he wanted to be out there. He knows that he’s going to be in pain, but you can tell that he wants to play, so that’s a plus for us.”The 35-year-old Gore will be in the lineup too, which almost goes without saying. He’ll start his 119th consecutive game http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jahlani-tavai-jersey , by far the most of any active running back.That includes 48 games with the Colts in 2015-17. They then let Gore go, providing him with a little extra motivation when he faces his former team.Not that he needs any.More Miami Dolphins newsDolphins sign hometown WR Allen Hurns to 1-year contractNew Dolphins coach Brian Flores has his own daily workout at training campDolphins assistant coach Jim Caldwell takes leave of absence to address health issuesTwo-time Pro Bowl safety Reshad Jones rejoins Dolphins after skipping voluntary practicesDolphins QBs Josh Rosen, Ryan Fitzpatrick embrace battle for No. 1 job“I want to win,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and try to be me.”The Colts know he’ll do that, and remember Gore fondly.“He’s the kind of teammates everyone wants to have,” Indy quarterback Andrew Luck said. “He always seemed like he was a step ahead, and I’d say, ‘How did you know that?’ And it was always hard for him to explain. He just knew.”The Dolphins (5-5) can count Gore as one of the bright spots in a season full of downers. He beat out the more explosive Kenyan Drake for the starting job and leads the team with 528 yards rushing, padding a career total that is the highest among active players and fourth on the all-time list.And this year may not be his swan song. Gore’s yards per carry average of 4.5 is his best since 2012 with San Francisco. Anyone who has watched him break tackle after tackle this year can believe he’ll be back at 36.“I feel like as long as I’m healthy and blessed and feeling good and know I can still play, I’m going to play,” he said. “I’ll evaluate myself at the end, my body Kyler Murray Jersey , and see if I still want to go out in the offseason and train to get ready for another year. That’s when I’ll make my decision.”He’s already a rarity at a position not known for longevity. Last week he became the first player to rush for 500 yards in 14 consecutive seasons, one more than Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith.The achievement won Gore plaudits from around the NFL — and beyond.“Frank is my favorite player of all-time that I’ve ever coached,” said former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who is now at the University of Michigan. “Surpassing Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith is incredible, just incredible.”Equally impressed — but not surprised — is Dolphins coach Adam Gase. He was a 49ers assistant in 2008, when Gore ran for 1,036 yards for them.“Our guys watch him practice, and it’s almost like you forget where he’s at in his career,” Gase said. “He treats it like he’s an undrafted free agent almost. He practices extremely hard. He finishes everything he does. There’s a lot of pride there. Seeing him 10 years ago and then seeing him now, there’s just not a lot of differences in how he plays and what he can do.”Gore is still chasing a Super Bowl championship ring, and hasn’t been to the playoffs in five years. He thought he would get there with the Colts, but injuries to Luck and others sabotaged their chances.“It just didn’t go the way I planned it http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/byron-murphy-jersey , but I had fun,” Gore said. “The organization was great. Great people there. We fought.”It has been more of the same in Gore’s native Miami, with his homecoming undermined by a wave of injuries to Tannehill and others.Meanwhile, the old man at running back just keeps showing up for work. Others may be surprised Gore is still going strong, but he’s not.“I know how I train,” he said. “I know how I go out every day in practice. I know in the offseason how I get myself ready. Competing with guys younger than me at my position, being around them every day, that helps me.”And he learned a long time ago how to play through pain.