28-year old Roy Williams has really been a disappointment since coming over from the Lions a year and a half ago in a huge trade where the Cowboys gave up a lot to get him.  Williams played in 15 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 38 passes for 596 yards (15.7 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Don’t let the TDs fool you as Miles Austin quickly replaced Williams as the #1 WR on the Cowboys during the year.  Williams has now played in 25 games for the Cowboys and he has caught 57 passes for 794 yards (13.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  The Cowboys would probably love to trade Williams but I just don’t see much of a market for him based on his play last season.  It looks like the Cowboys are stuck with him for now.

The Cowboys drafted 12 players last April but only one of them (kicker David Buehler) made any impact with the them in 2009.  The first pick for the Cowboys last April was LB Jason Williams (3rd round, #69 overall) out of Western Illinois.  He played in 5 games for the Cowboys and he made 3 tackles.  The Cowboys other pick in the third round (#75 overall) was OT Robert Brewster out of Ball State who spent his rookie year on the Physically Unable to Perform list.  QB Stephen McGee (4th round, #101 overall) out of Texas A&M did not play last season but the Cowboys are grooming him to be Tony Romo’s back-up down the road.  DE Victor Butler (4th round, #110 overall) out of Oregon State played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he made 17 tackles, forced a fumble and he had 3 sacks.  DE Brandon Williams (4th round, #120 overall) out of Texas Tech spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.  CB DeAngelo Smith (5th round, #143 overall) did not make the Cowboys and he finished up on the Lions roster but he didn’t play in any games for them.  FS Mike Hamlin (5th round, #166 overall) out of Clemson played in 6 games for the Cowboys last season but he only made 1 tackle.  Kicker David Buehler (5th round, #172 overall) out of USC was the Cowboys’ kickoff specialist last season as he played in all 16 games in which he made 3 tackles.  SS Stephen Hodge (6th round, #197 overall) out of TCU spent his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.  TE John Phillips (6th round, #208 overall) out of Virginia played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season in which he caught 7 passes for 62 yards (8.9 avg) and he made 2 tackles.  CB Mike Mickens (7th round, #227 overall) out of Cincinnati didn’t play for the Cowboys and he finished the season on the Bengals without playing in a game.  WR Manuel Johnson (7th round, #229 overall)  out of Oklahoma got cut before the year started.

GRADE FOR 2009:  F

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  D-

29-year old Tony Romo is proving to be one of the best QBs in the NFL despite constant criticism of his game.  Romo played in all 16 games for the Cowboys this season and he completed 347 of 550 passes (63.1%) for 4,483 yards with 26 TD passes and 9 INTs (97.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 105 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  Romo has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,178 of 1,857 passes (63.4%) for 15,045 yards with 107 TD passes and 55 INTs (95.6 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 130 times for 375 yards (2.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Romo is one of the best QBs in the NFL so the critics need to leave this guy alone as he could at least start for 25 other teams in the NFL right now.

37-year old Jon Kitna is the back-up and he didn’t even get on the field this season for the Cowboys.  But, he does have a lot of experience and he would likely do well if forced into the starting line-up due to a injury to Tony Romo.  Kitna has played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,462 of 4,114 passes (59.8%) for 27,293 yards with 152 TD passes and 151 INTs (76.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 279 times for 811 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his career. 

The Cowboys are sending five players that one would probably think would go before the season started.  But, 25-year old WR Miles Austin came as a total surprise.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has caught 74 passes for 1,230 yards (16.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  27-year old TE Jason Witten just keeps rolling along for the Cowboys.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has caught 88 passes for 954 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  31-year old center Andre Gurode and 31-year old guard Leonard Davis both have started all 15 games for the Cowboys and they have done a great job of opening holes in the running game and keeping Tony Romo clean.  28-year old DT Jay Ratliff gives the opposing teams trouble right up the middle.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has made 39 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  27-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware also had a outstanding season for the Cowboys.  Ware has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has made 56 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, forced 5 fumbles, defensed 6 passes and he has 11 sacks.  The Cowboys hope these six guys will have to cancel so they can play in the Super Bowl.

28-year old WR Roy Williams needs to step up or teams are going to start double teaming Miles Austin more often.  Williams has caught 38 passes for 596 yards (15.7 avg) with 7 TD this season.  Those numbers aren’t terrible but Williams has still been a disappointment this season especially when you consider all of the draft picks the Cowboys traded the Lions to acquire him last season.  In his two years with the Cowboys, Williams has played in 24 games in which he has caught 57 passes for 794 yards (13.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  The Cowboys need Williams to start playing up to his ability as his poor year will be forgiven if he steps up the rest of the way with the games getting bigger.