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          NFL Nation

          Mailbag: Darren McFadden as kick returner?

          IRVING, Texas -- Part 1 of the Dallas Cowboys' Twitter mailbag is ready. In it we discuss:

          Away we go: @toddarcher: We didn't see much kick return action during the spring workouts, but there was some work this week in the minicamp and one player caught my eye: Darren McFadden. He's had three kick returns in his career, so I never really thought of him as an option, but maybe it makes sense. He has his speed, that's for sure. Does he have the "wiggle" to make people miss? I'm not so sure. But the Cowboys are looking at a lot of folks deep: Lance Dunbar, Cole Beasley, Lucky Whitehead. If McFadden isn't an every-down back and part of a runner by committee, why not see if he has the ability to do it?

          @toddarcher: The team agrees with you. Barry Church is solid. And not that it matters, I agree with you and the team. Everybody wants the Cowboys to get an Earl Thomas type. Just a few years ago they wanted them to get a Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed type. There aren't a lot of these types going around. While Church led the Cowboys in tackles last year, according to the coaches' breakdown, I don't think he was as good in 2014 as he was in 2013. This offseason, however, he has looked better. He is a good tackler. He is better closer to the line of scrimmage. Is he Darren Woodson? No, but again, there aren't a lot of those guys walking around the NFL these days.

          @toddarcher: I'm in the process of putting together my first roster projection and I'm seriously leaning toward six cornerbacks. With Byron Jones and Corey White being able to play safety, I think that adds value to their spots and helps the Cowboys keep six corners. In general, 10 defensive backs is a good number in putting together a 53-man roster, so however you break that up is fine. Six corners, four safeties make sense to me.

          @toddarcher: This might disappoint a lot of you, but I don't see it happening. In the previous answer, I said the Cowboys keep four safeties. That would put Jeff Heath and Danny McCray as the backup true safeties to Church and J.J. Wilcox. People don't want to hear this, but Heath is a valuable special teams player because he can play on every unit. As a safety he is better in a pinch-hitter role. He was forced to play too much as an undrafted rookie in 2013 and people can't get some of the images out of their minds. Is he a difference maker? No. Can he contribute? Yes. I can't see him not being on the team this year.

          @toddarcher: The agent world can be tricky, but Tom Condon doesn't represent A.J. Green or Demaryius Thomas. Green is represented by Ben Dogra, who is no longer with CAA. Demaryius Thomas is represented by Todd France. Julio Jones has Jimmy Sexton as an agent, and he is a partner with Condon. But I do believe part of the issue of not having a deal is tied to how the market gets set for Dez Bryant, Thomas, Jones and Green. I don't see any team paying a receiver Calvin Johnson's $16 million a year. Throw that deal out. The next window is $12 million average. And this is where the funny money comes into play. Teams can do whatever they want to make deals look puffed up, but it is possible to look at Bryant's deal this way: If the Cowboys franchise him next year, he makes $28 million in 2015 and '16 and that's a $14 million average. But the money comes year to year and Bryant can't get injured, which is why he wants a long-term deal.