NFL Lockout Limbo: Michael Huff Holds the Key for the Cowboys

For one night, the NFL lockout was lifted. As Roger Goodell was pretending to "hear us" in an effort to quiet the unrelenting boos that greeted him with each trip to the podium, fans could temporarily think about the upcoming season without wondering if there would be an upcoming season, and current players were arbitrarily permitted to walk into their respective locker rooms.

But, by the time the Panthers kicked off the fourth round on Saturday, owners had succeeded in putting the locks back on the doors. And, at no point was this draft "normal" or unaffected by the brass imposed work stoppage. 22 times teams swapped picks—zero trades were allowed to include players. With uncertainty surrounding the 2012 draft, enthusiasm for accepting future picks was understandably curbed. Only five 2012 selections were moved, including first-rounders for the Falcons and the Saints.

The Tennessee Titans still have Vince Young under contract, but leapt for Jake Locker with the eighth overall pick. The Vikings are Favre-less, refuse to acknowledge Tarvaris Jackson as a viable option, and assumptions were that they would be heavily courting the likes of Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb. Instead, Minnesota reached for Christian Ponder with their first-round choice.

Another team that was thought to have been hot on the trails of Kolb and Vince Young, the San Francisco 49ers, appeared completely discombobulated. They had the choice of every QB not named Cam Newton at No. 7. But, they elected to go with defensive end, Aldon Smith—seemingly a full round early, and then took Colin Kaepernick with the fourth pick of the second round (six picks ahead of Brooks Reed, and 15 picks ahead of Da'Quan Bowers—in case you were wondering). 

The Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins all refrained from moving on a QB in the draft. The Bills chose not to make a play for Cam Newton, and they passed on Gabbert and Locker in favor of Marcell Dareus. The likelihood in Buffalo, however, is that they have conceded to taking their lumps with Fitzpatrick under center in 2011, with an eye toward the future.

The same cannot be said for the Cardinals and Dolphins, who are each ready to win now. Both teams undoubtedly plan to pursue veteran quarterbacks, but who and how remains to be seen; which made it fascinating to watch them execute their drafts as if they already had their QB in place.

Reportedly, the Redskins are prepared to move forward with John Beck as their starter in 2012. While this seems unlikely, they drafted accordingly. Meanwhile, much like the Titans, the 'Skins still have their hooks in a seemingly important piece to the quarterback puzzle in Donovan McNabb. Additionally, if Washington is bluffing on anointing Beck, they could genuinely ruin someone's day with a 12th hour acquisition of a Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger or even Vince Young.

Then there are the Dallas Cowboys. The 'Boys ranked 26th in the NFL in pass defense in 2011. Alan Ball is moving back to the corner spot, leaving Danny McCray as the starter at FS for Dallas heading into the summer. In reality, Terrence Newman and Orlando Scandrick both seem like viable options to move back into center field, but the Cowboys can't afford to lose depth at CB.

Drafting at No. 9, Dallas was close in proximity to Patrick Peterson. But, with only 2011 draft picks holding much value, Jerry & Co. had very little to work with. For that reason, no realistic Cowboys fan thought that we had chance at Peterson. Tyron Smith was an excellent choice, but Prince Amukamara sure looked good, until he put on that Giants cap.

Then the defensive backs started spilling off of the board. Jimmy Smith, Ras-I Dowling and Aaron Williams were gone before Dallas got back on the clock. Bruce Carter was a superb value pick. A guy that, had he not suffered a knee injury in November, likely would have been a Top 15 prospect. But, Rahim Moore, Brandon Harris, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Marcus Gilchrist were long gone before Cowboys management penciled another name onto a note card, and when DeMarco Murray became Dallas' third pick of the 2011 draft, it was clear that help was unlikely to be on the way for the secondary.

The Cowboys' draft class ranks securely in the top 10 of the NFL. Tyron Smith was a huge addition to an aging and underachieving offensive line. Bruce Carter appears to be a far more than adequate replacement for Keith Brooking. DeMarco Murray adds depth, youth and speed to the offensive side of the football, which I am never opposed to. But in ignoring the holes in the back end of the defense, Jones and his constituents have left a great deal riding on the 'Boys ability to sign a free-agent defensive back. One such player stands out: Michael Huff.

The seventh player chosen in the 2006 NFL Draft, Huff is a native of Irving, Texas, and an alumnus of the University of Texas. The former Thorpe Award winner calls Dallas home, and has been extremely forthcoming regarding his interest in playing for the Cowboys. Dallas passed on Bob Sanders and OJ Atogwe, who were free agents before the collective bargaining agreement expired. They then passed on the safety spot all together in the draft—selecting only cornerback, Joshua Thomas.

Rob Ryan was the defensive coordinator in Oakland when the Raiders drafted Huff. And, like seemingly everyone else in Dallas, sounded mostly disinterested with last weekend's proceedings. Perhaps Ryan is supremely overconfident in his abilities; so much so that he'd just as soon move forward with McCray and Barry Church. But, signs appear to be squarely positioned towards the All-Pro, Michael Huff. The problem is, with the free-agent signing period and the ability to move players on hold, teams like the Cardinals and Cowboys are essentially "all in."

Now, if only Goodell and the owners would get out of the way so that we could see "The River."