Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent was sentenced to just 180 days in jail after he was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter, and Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News believes the team will try to bring him back for the 2014 season. The team will push for a ruling from commissioner Roger Goodell regarding a league suspension before the draft, in the hopes that their areas of need will be more clarified. Regardless of Brent’s fate, the Cowboys will need to boost their defensive line this offseason. For his part, Gosselin opines that Brent should move on to a different team, and open a new chapter in his life.
Some more notes from around the league:
- The Saints need to get younger at receiver, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Marques Colston may only have a few years left as a productive player, and Robert Meachem and Lance Moore might not return to New Orleans next season. Adding big names to the receiving core via free agency is unlikely, as the Saints have proven they can succeed by pairing lightly-regarded players with quarterback Drew Brees.
- The Bills have added Pepper Johnson as defensive line coach and Fred Pagac as linebackers coach, according to a team statement. Johnson was on the Patriots coaching staff for the past 12 seasons, while Pagac spent the past seven years with the Vikings.
- Evan Silva of Rotoworld ranks each franchise by roster strength and identifies the top needs of each team. The Super Bowl participant Seahawks and Broncos come in at numbers one and three, respectively, while the 49ers, Patriots, and Saints round out the top five.
- Teams like the Chiefs, who will pick near the end of the first round in the upcoming draft, may benefit from the ever-rising number of declaring underclassmen, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.