When Tony Romo went down to injury last season so did the Cowboys’ season.  To make sure that didn’t happen again the Cowboys traded for veteran Jon Kitna and drafted Stephen McGee for the future.  Still, the Cowboys need Romo to stay healthy and to play better in the second half of the season.  Romo is shifty enough to ellude defenders and he has enough arm to make any throw required by a good NFL QB.  Without T.O. around Romo will have to make sure he spreads the ball around more keeping all of the WRs and TEs involved in the offense.  Jon Kitna has had some good seasons in his NFL career but it’s getting close to the end for him.  Having small hands has hurt him in the past fumble-wise.  Still, Kitna can play well in short periods of time but the Cowboys would be in some trouble if they had to depend on him for a long haul.  Stephen McGee is a solid prospect out of Texas A&M.  He should be a good developmental QB for the future and his strength is his running as he is a tough guy.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B+

The Cowboys have released OLB/DE Greg Ellis.  The 33-year old Ellis played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he made 36 tackles, defensed 1 pass, had 8 sacks and he had 1 interception.  Ellis played 11 years for the Cowboys appearing and he made 496 tackles, defensed 46 passes, had 77 sacks, forced 21 fumbles and he intercepted 4 passes (1 returned for a TD).  Ellis tried to force the Cowboys’ hand by asking for a trade and it worked for him. 

The Jaguars have signed 25-year old strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh.  He will likely move right into the starting lineup for the Cowboys providing a nice upgrade for them.  Sensabaugh played in all 16 games for the Jaguars last season and he made 70 tackles, defensed 8 passes and he intercepted 4 passes.  Sensabaugh has now played in 50 games in his NFL career and he has made 141 tackles, defensed 13 passes, forced 1 fumble and he intercepted 6 passes.  This was a very good signing for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys cleaned up last April in the draft.  Running back Felix Jones was the first player the Cowboys selected last season and he was a big time playmaker before getting injured.  He played in 6 games (0 starts) last season and he carried the ball 30 times for 266 yards (8.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg).  Jones also contributed on special teams returning 16 kickoffs for 434 yards (27.1 avg) with a TD return and he also make a tackle.  The sky is the limit for him if he can just stay healthy.  4th rounder Tashard Choice (RB) was also outstanding getting a lot of work when Jones went down to injury.  Choice played in all 16 games (3 starts0 for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 92 times for 472 yards (5.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Choice also caught 21 passes for 185 yards (8.8 avg) last season.  Choice even made 3 tackles last year and he has a bright future for the Cowboys.  TE Martellus Bennett was a 2nd rounder for the Cowboys last season and he was outstanding.  Bennett played in all 16 games (7 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he caught 20 passes for 283 yards (14.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Look for his role to possibly increase in the passing game to help cover for the loss of Terrell Owens.  CBs Michael Jenkins (1st round) and Orlando Scandrick (5th round) both showed a lot of potential as rookies last season.  Jenkins played in 14 games (3 starts) for the Cowboys last season and he made 19 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he intercepted a pass that he returned 23 yards for a TD.  Scandrick played in all 16 games (2 starts) last season for the Cowboys and he made 36 tackles, had 1 sack and he defensed 4 passes.  He also returned 4 kickoffs for 81 yards (20.3 avg) last season.  Outside linebacker Eric Walden was cut in training camp by the Cowboys and then he hooked on with the Chiefs and Dolphins and played in 15 games (0 starts).

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

The Cowboys have signed 26-year old DE Igor Olshansky to a 4-year, $18 million dollar contract.  The 6′6″, 309 pound Olshansky played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 29 tackles and had 2 sacks.  He has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has made 179 tackles, defensed 6 passes, has 11 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and he has one interception.  Olshansky was signed to replace the departed Chris Canty who signed with the enemy Giants and he should do a good job for the Cowboys.