JB's Quick Take: Michael Sam makes sense for Cowboys

It might be a natural reflex to wonder whether the Dallas Cowboys' interest in Michael Sam is some grand marketing scheme conceived by owner Jerry Jones.

Conventional wisdom would suggest, he didn't get his hands on Johnny Football so now the Cowboys add relevance by bringing in the first openly gay player in NFL history.

Think again. The Cowboys are trying to fix the worst defense in the NFL.

A defense – bless your heart, coordinator Rod Marinelli -- ravaged by injuries.

If Sam can help, they can use the help.

Sam is scheduled to be at the team's Valley Ranch headquarters in Irving, Texas on Wednesday and if he passes a physical, the Cowboys are expected to sign him to their 10-man practice squad.

From there, he would be one step away from the active roster, or another step away from being what they call a "street free agent" again.

From a football standpoint, landing in Dallas makes him worth a look. Only about half the teams in the NFL use a 4-3 base defense, including the Cowboys.

Sam, for all of the hustle that helped him notch three sacks during the preseason, is essentially a one-dimensional defensive end who needs to play in a 4-3. He does not appear to be fast and fluid enough to convert to an outside linebacker post in a 3-4, which is why he wouldn't fit, scheme-wise, for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens.

So Dallas makes sense on one level.

No doubt, Jones, the rock star of a team owner, will take the added buzz that giving Sam another chance to prove his worth as an NFL prospect, days after the St. Louis Rams cut loose the seventh-round pick and no other team claimed him off waivers.

Jones has an undeniable knack for generating sizzle for his franchise, which was recently ranked again by Forbes magazine as the most valuable entity in the NFL. They play in a palace of a stadium where you can watch a football game, then shop for lingerie. Never mind that the Cowboys have won just two playoff games in the 18 years since winning their last Super Bowl.

They still sell. And so does Sam, whose social statement fueled his status as the NFL rookie with the most jerseys sold bearing his name, after Johnny Manziel.

Jones, thinking TV ratings, might even welcome The Oprah Winfrey Network to come along and document Sam's next attempt to make it in the NFL.

If any team can handle the "distraction" that may have scared off some teams weighing the attention vs. a marginal risk, it's Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys.

Still, the Cowboys brand – established in previous years by the likes of Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson -- needs to win football games in the worst way after posting three consecutive 8-8 seasons.

They don't need another sideshow.

It's time for the football operation to flourish again outside of the pomp and circumstance.

If Sam can ultimately play a role in that, he will fit in just well in Big D.