gimmesix

Originally Posted by gimmesix

OFFENSE
Quarterback (3)
STARTER Tony Romo
BACKUPS Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee
PRACTICE SQUAD Matt Nichols
COMMENTS McGee showed last preseason he has a long way to go, so incremental progress is all that is needed for him to hold on to a spot. Next year is when Dallas will expect him to show that he’s putting it all together. If Nichols shows potential, then he’ll be kept around on the PS to contend with McGee next year, or become the No. 3 developmental guy if McGee progresses to the point of becoming the primary backup.

Running back (3)
STARTER Marion Barber III
BACKUPS Felix Jones, Tashard Choice
PRACTICE SQUAD Lonyae Miller
CUT Herb Donaldson
COMMENTS Dallas showed at the end of last season what will likely be the team’s approach to the running back rotation this year. It won’t be a surprise to see Barber as the starter, but Jones has earned the right to receive the most touches in the backfield. Jones should get the ball between carries and receptions around 15 times per game to give him enough opportunities to hit the big play while not overusing him.

Fullback/Tight end (4)
STARTER Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett
BACKUPS John Phillips, Scott Sicko
PRACTICE SQUAD Chris Gronkowski
CUT Deon Anderson, *Nick Tow-Arnett, Kevin Brock
COMMENTS Phillips’ play in place of Anderson late last season eliminated the need to keep Anderson on the roster. Phillips proved to be just as good as a blocker out of the backfield, while providing a receiving threat that Anderson never became. Between Dallas’ two-tight end and three-receiver sets, there also won’t be many plays where Dallas really uses a fullback.

Wide receiver (5)
STARTERS Miles Austin, Roy Williams
BACKUPS Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree, Patrick Crayton
PRACTICE SQUAD Terrell Hudgins
TRADED Sam Hurd
CUT Titus Ryan, Manuel Johnson, Verran Tucker, Jesse Holley, *Rashaun Greer
COMMENTS Dallas appears to be focusing on Bryant as an outside receiver in its three-receiver sets while moving Austin into the slot, where Austin can avoid jams. Of course, jams didn’t seem to deter Austin last season as he used his size, burst and improved hands to befuddle cornerbacks and become a Pro Bowl receiver. Williams has to show some of that in order to hold on to his starting spot throughout the season. He can’t afford to drop passes or zig when Romo expects him to zag if he wants to be a starter for long. Bryant has the natural ability and football acumen to eventually take his place and Ogletree would love to move up in the pecking order, building on the potential he showed as a speedy and heady rookie. Ogletree has put in the work to deserve more playing time than he’ll probably get this season, but surprisingly had some route recognition problems during organized team activities. That, along with Bryant’s hamstring issues, could be enough for Dallas to keep Crayton around as insurance for another season. Yes, his playing time would be drastically reduced, but Crayton has proven to be a capable and healthy third receiver, and it’s difficult to let that go if there are any concerns about the players in front of him. If Hurd has the same type of preseason he had last year, Dallas should be able to get a late-round pick in a trade.

Center (2)
STARTER Andre Gurode
BACKUP Travis Bright
CUT Phil Costa, *Chet Teofilo
COMMENTS Gurode remains a stalwart in the middle of the line. He has his faults, but he’s still one of the best at his position right now. His emergency backup will be Kyle Kosier, but Bright looks to be the player who gave the Cowboys confidence to cut Cory Proctor.

Guard (3)
STARTERS Kyle Kosier, Leonard Davis
BACKUPS Montrae Holland
PRACTICE SQUAD Mike Tepper
CUT Pat McQuistan
COMMENTS It’s possible that Tepper will show enough to be kept, but might be more likely that Robert Brewster will end up as a swing man between tackle and guard. Holland is expected to get to go to games, and provides a better backup guard option than Proctor, but that hinges on if Kosier can prove capable of handling center in an emergency situation.

Tackle (4)
STARTERS Doug Free, Marc Colombo
BACKUPS Alex Barron, Robert Brewster
PRACTICE SQUAD Sam Young
CUT Will Baker
COMMENTS Young could end up forcing Dallas to keep 10 linemen, becoming the fourth tackle while Brewster moves inside to guard. Free has the movement skills to be a top-notch left tackle, and his playing strength looked more than adequate last year when he filled in at right tackle.

DEFENSE
End (5)
STARTERS Igor Olshansky, Marcus Spears
BACKUPS Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher, Sean Lissemore
PRACTICE SQUAD Lorenzo Washington
CUT Marcus Dixon
COMMENTS If Lissemore shows great potential, Dallas could go with an overabundance here knowing that it will likely lose two of three free agents at this position next year. Lissemore, who could show enough to push Hatcher off the roster, could end up inside, though, forcing Junior Siavii off the roster.

Nose tackle (2)
STARTER Jay Ratliff
BACKUP Junior Siavii
PRACTICE SQUAD Junior Aumavae
COMMENTS Aumavae is an interesting prospect, but it appears that Siavii played well enough in his relief role that someone will really have to stand out to knock him off the roster.

Outside linebacker (5)
STARTERS DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer
BACKUPS Brandon Williams, Victor Butler, Curtis Johnson
CUT Donovan Woods
COMMENTS Ware and Spencer are poised to be the best set of OLBs in the league, and relief help could be provided by the backups, especially Williams. Don’t count out Johnson, though.

Inside linebacker (5)
STARTERS Keith Brooking, Bradie James
BACKUPS Jason Williams, Sean Lee, Stephen Hodge
CUT Steve Octavien, Leon Williams
COMMENTS It will be interesting to see who seizes the nickel job, the faster Williams or more football-savvy Lee. Both could find roles in the substitute packages. It will also be interesting to see how Hodge bounces back from his injury. He should be a core special-teammer if healthy. If not, Octavien might be kept again, or Dallas could keep an extra offensive lineman or receiver.

Cornerback (4)
STARTERS Mike Jenkins, Terence Newman
BACKUPS Orlando Scandrick, Bryan McCann
CUT Cletis Gordon, *Marquis Floyd, Jamar Wall
COMMENTS No matter who the fourth corner on the roster is, the fourth corner on the field will be Alan Ball. McCann needs to stand out on special teams to win the “fifth” spot.

Safety (5)
STARTERS Gerald Sensabaugh, Alan Ball
BACKUPS Mike Hamlin, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Barry Church
CUT Patrick Watkins, Danny McCrary
COMMENTS Ball is a safe player at safety. He probably won’t make a lot of plays, but will be in good position to force throws elsewhere, much like Ken Hamlin did last year. Mike Hamlin and Owusu-Ansah could push to take over the starting job at some point if either shows the playmaking ability they displayed in college.

Punter (1)
STARTER Mat McBriar
CUT Delbert Alvarado
COMMENTS No competition here, just a relief leg.

Kicker (1)
STARTER David Buehler
CUT *Connor Hughes
COMMENTS With Hughes gone, Buehler will get every opportunity to prove that Dallas doesn’t need two place-kickers for the regular season. Alvarado might get some practice time at the position to ease some wear on Buehler’s leg, but Buehler will most likely do all the kicking during the preseason games so Dallas can figure out if it has to bring in a vet.

Long snapper (1)
STARTER L.P. Ladouceur
COMMENTS The main thing here will be finding someone capable of stepping in if Ladouceur gets hurt. This could help Sicko secure a roster spot.

*Already cut