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+

23-year old Nick Folk is looking for an encore season in 2008 after a very strong rookie season.  Folk played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he connected on 26 of 31 field goals (83.9%).  Folk also nailed all 53 of his extra point attempts last season.  The sky is the limit for Folk who has a strong enough leg to help the Cowboys score a lot of points without having to get in the end zone.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B+

The Cowboys love throwing the football to the TE.  26-year old Jason Witten is one of the best TEs in the NFL.  He’s a big target (6′5″, 265 pounds) and he has great hands.  Witten doesn’t go down without a fight either often putting a shoulder down.  Witten played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 96 passes for 1,145 yards (11.9 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Look for Witten to put up outstanding numbers again in 2008 for the Cowboys.  Witten has now played in 79 games in his NFL career and he has caught 348 passes for 3,983 yards (11.4 avg) with 21 TD grabs. 

Tony Curtis appears to be the #2 TE heading into training camp but he will have to fight off rookie Martellus Bennett for the job and that won’t be an easy chore.  Curtis is a good run blocker and he was very effective in catching balls near the goal line.  Curtis played in 16 games last season for the Cowboys and he caught 3 passes for 18 yards (6.0 ypc) and every pass he caught was a TD.

Rookie Martellus Bennett has a very nice upside as he is a very solid receiver.  Bennett played in 12 games (6 starts) at Texas A&M last season and he caught 46 passes for 538 yards (11.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Bennett is a big target at 6′7″, 253 pounds so you can be sure Tony Romo will be looking for him when the pocket starts to break down.  Bennett finished his career at Texas A&M playing in 36 games (24 starts) in which he caught 102 passes for 1,197 yards (11.7 avg) with 9 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A

Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton are set as the starting receivers for the Cowboys but they really need someone to step up behind them.  Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback will battle for catches behind T.O. and Crayton.  Terrell Owens is a physical freak at the age of 34 as he doesn’t appear to be losing a step.  He’s a big guy at 6′3″, 224 pounds but he still can get down the field and beat you deep.  Owens played in 15 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 81 passes for 1,355 yards (16.7 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards last year.  Owens is Tony Romo’s go-to man so he should have another huge season as long as he can stay healthy.  Owens has now played in 173 games in his NFL career and he has caught 882 passes for 13,070 yards (14.8 avg) with 129 TD grabs.  Owens has also carried the ball 26 times for 164 yards (6.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Sure, T.O. is a drama queen but he’s still a darn good football player and he will put up huge numbers in 2008 as long as he can stay healthy.

29-year old Patrick Crayton really stepped up in place of the injured Terry Glenn.  He was so good in fact that he took over as the starting receiver opposite T.O. for good.  Crayton is a playmaker despite operating in T.O. and Jason Witten’s large shadows in Big D.  Crayton played in 15 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 50 passes for 697 yards (13.9 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  Look for Crayton to put up even bigger numbers in 2008 as he often benefits from single coverage.  Crayton has now played in 50 games in his NFL career and he has caught 120 passes for 1,716 yards (14.3 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

23-year old Sam Hurd has the edge for the #3 job heading into training camp.  It will be up to him to take the job and hold off the other receivers competing for it.  Hurd played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 19 passes for 314 yards (16.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Hurd could possibly double those numbers in 2008 as long as he wins the #3 WR job.  Hurd has now played in 31 games in his NFL career and he has caught 24 passes for 389 yards (16.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.

6′3″, 216 pound Miles Austin has been earning his money as a kick returner his first two years in Dallas but he has an opportunity to be much more than that this year.  Austin played in all 16 games for the Cowboys last season and he caught 5 passes for 76 yards (15.2 avg).  Austin is a big, strong player so I wouldn’t be surprised if he earned a nice role with the Cowboys this season.  He has now played in 25 games in his NFL career and he has caught 5 passes for 76 yards (15.2 avg).

The Cowboys have been raving about converted QB Isaiah Stanback saying that he’s really improved in the off season.  We shall see as he didn’t do much as a rookie last season.  He played in 2 games and he didn’t catch any passes.  His lone contribution to the Cowboys last season was that he returned 3 kickoffs for 78 yards (26.0 avg).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  A-

The Dallas Cowboys will be serving youth at fullback this season and that’s a good thing.  Second year man Deon Anderson is the likely starter at fullback this season for the Cowboys.  He is 5′10″, 241 pounds and he hits linebackers hard in the running game which is his best skill.  He also is a decent receiver out of the backfield who has nice speed.  Anderson played in 8 games (4 starts) last season for the Cowboys and he caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg).  Expect Anderson to have a bigger role in the offense of the Cowboys’ this season if he can just stay healthy.

6′0″, 237 pound Ronnie Cruz was brought in as a free agent to compete with Anderson at fullback.  He played in 5 games (3 starts) for the Chiefs last season and he carried the ball 5 times for 19 yards (3.8 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 20 yards (10.0 avg) last year.  Cruz will likely help out on special teams too this season so that he can get on the football field a lot.  Cruz has now played in 19 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 5 times for 19 yards (3.8 ypc).  He has also caught 3 passes for 35 yards (11.7 avg) in his NFL career to this point.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C+