We could see Bill Nagy, David Arkin, and Ron Leary battle it out for that guard spot, and to me, its anyone’s guess who will be our starting RG now – we just don’t know now. Its a clean slate now, and with Bernadeau out for all most of the offseason leading up to training camp someone has the opportunity to nab that spot. Bernadeau is coming in new into Callahan’s system like all the other guys, so it’ll be up to him to re-solidify his spot now.

There could also be a scenario where someone does step up and just wins the spot outright, in which case, Bernadeau could make a move to center, a spot he played while he was in Carolina a few years ago. The offensive line camp battles just got a whole lot more intriguing.

Going into 2012, its clear Dez and Austin are the sure shot #1-#2 guys, but outside of that, the Cowboys competition for #3 is wide open. Nothing is promised to 4yr WR Kevin Ogletree, in fact, I’d say this is it for him, if he doesn’t show marked improvement or consistency, he’ll have a hard time making the roster, but he’ll be in the mix.

My money is on Raymond Radway and Danny Coale, I think both make the team, and both will contribute. Last season Radway was on his way to making the 53-man roster, and perhaps Robinson’s (Cinderella) story would have never happened. Its been reported that Radway has been working out feverishly and ready to compete. To me, Radway has the most upside right now, he has the height and size, and he has track speed to stretch the field, plus he produced.  Not only does he have the measurables to start where he left off, but he has the heart and determination.

Here’s Radway last season after his injury:

“I felt like I had given it my all,” Radway said. “After that night, I knew I could walk away and not hold my head down because I had worked as hard as I could. I had left it all out there and made it hard on them to let me go.”

“I felt like if the owner feels like you have a chance that you can recover and come back stronger,” Radway said, “that’s a good sign I can come back and be on the team next year.” (DMN)

I like the heart, of this player, we need more guys like this, and you can sure bet Radway will be ready, and under the watchful eye of  Coach Woicik, the chances are even better.

Danny Coale is the other receiver that can make an instant impact, and I base this on his route running ability. Romo loves a receiver that knows where he should be and who runs good routes. Danny Coale was touted as one of, if not the best route runner coming out of the draft, but at 5-11, his size was something that teams may have shied away from – good for us though. This is what Romo loves about Witten, he knew where to be at all times, and runs the routes really good, that’s what makes Witten a hot target every snap in the passing game, and I see that potential in Coale.

Finding the #4WR receiver is key, and I say this for the obvious reason, Miles Austin cannot be depended on health-wise. Miles Austin’s inability to stay healthy is slowly wearing thin in the eyes of Cowboys Nation, and throw in his comments about him not being in shape last season, its just not good. Austin has had trouble staying healthy for any long period of time since he came to Dallas, and some are wondering if his hamstring issues are chronic. Austin has a thick lower-body build, like that of a running back, so this has become an issue for him way too much for our liking. Austin will have a full offseason under Coach Woicik’s conditioning program, and if he can’t work his magic on Austin then this is a lost cause, and it’ll be time to think about contingencies down the road.

If Dez is there, and Austin gets his yearly injury, then it’ll be very key for these other receivers to move up the ladder, that’s why its just as important to have the #4 WR ready as it is the #3 WR, because if history is any indicator, they will need to move up and show up.

Here’s everyone we have on the roster as of right now:

Dez Bryant 6-2
Miles Austin 6-2

Kevin Olgetree 6-1
Raymond Radway 6-3
Andre Holmes 6-5
Danny Coale 5-11
Dwayne Harris 5-10

UDFAs
Cole Beasley 5-8
Tim Benford 5-11
Saalim Hakim 5-11
Donavan Kemp 6-1

Lets see which of these guys can make some noise and make the team.

Why did this guy not get drafted? Well that is what stumped me too. I thought he was drafted but, when I saw him sign with the Cowboys as an UDFA my eyes lit up. Hamilton was invited to the combine but, missed the invite. Not sure how that happened but, that is probably why he went undrafted.

Garrett likes the guy.  ”He’s had a good start to this minicamp. ”You can see in the workouts we’ve had that he does have some athletic ability. He chases the ball well, he has some natural pass rush moves, and he seems to have some capability to drop in coverage as well.”

My only concern for Hamilton is the Dallas coaching staff. Will the coaches allow him enough time to make that switch to 3-4 OLB. Will he be given a far shot to beat out Alex Albright and Victor Butler?  His 4.49 speed and other intangibles give him a great chance to be a great player for Dallas at OLB. Would he be more dominate in 4-3 DE like Robert Mathis? If the coaches feel that way maybe Dallas uses him for certain packages and special teams.  I hope he pans out because Dallas  needs turnovers. I hate to see Dallas miss on a player with a high amount of potential.

Tyron Smith transition to LT is going well in drills according to Callahan, but the veteran addition of Livings at LG will also provide Smith with experience and confidence playing the left side.

Bryan Broaddus had a nice view of today’s practice and put out some good tweets on some players like Caleb McSurdy and James Hannah to name a few:

James Hanna is athletic going up the field

When Hanna was on the move he was better. Think that is how they will find a way to use him.

Caleb McSurdy already shown up, Beat Chris Thompson on the front side for a tackle. Been around the ball the last two plays. (@BryanBroaddus)

Jerry Jones also chimed in on what he saw on the field today, in regards to Coale, Hanna and Leary:

“And then I thought (Danny) Coale had a good day out there, and (James) Hanna caught some good balls. And then those quarterbacks through the ball pretty good.”

“Of course, your offensive linemen got a lot of reps. (Ron) Leary didn’t disappoint. I liked the way Leary moved out there. He’s not my pet cat, but it sounds like it, and I did like the way he moved. (dc.com)

Again, this is all very early, and its just the rookies on rookies, so we’ll take the reports and try to come up with some idea where they stand, but the true test will come later. I like what I heard about Hanna, McSurdy, and Coale. I’m sure other names will begin to pop-out as more reps are put in and even more when the Vets arrive.

Practices start today at 10:30, NFL network will be onsite covering the Cowboys, so we may get a first look at some of the guys and interviews. I’ll be tuning in tonight.

Important offseason dates:

Mini-camp: May 4-6 (rookies), June 12-14 (team)
OTAs: May 22-24, May 29-31, June 4-7

Jersey Numbers:

24 Claiborne, Morris
81 Coale, Danny
70 Crawford, Tyrone
84 Hanna, James
37 Johnson, Matt
56 McSurdy, Caleb
51 Wilber, Kyle

Its no secret the Cowboys wanted to upgrade the position with the addition of Kyle Wilber, and through in the undrafted rookie Adrian Hamilton, plus you still have Victor Butler who has shown a great motor in pass rushing situations.

Aug., 13 @ Oakland, 7 p.m. (MNF)

Aug. 18, @ San Diego, 8 p.m.

Aug. 25, vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m.

Aug. 29, vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.

The Cowboys also announced their rookie free agent signings (Star-Telegram), who will be this year’s hidden gems? The Cowboys scouting department has been very solid when it comes to making their free agent moves, so it’ll be interesting to see who can come in and contribute. Rookie mini-camp will be held this coming weekend. Good luck to all those guys!

Jeff Adams T Columbia

Levy Adcock T Oklahoma State

Cole Beasley WR Southern Methodist

Tim Benford WR Tennessee Tech

George Bryan TE North Carolina State

Taylor Dever T Notre Dame

Lance Dunbar RB North Texas

Harland Gunn G Miami

Saalim Hakim WR Tarleton State

Adrian Hamilton LB Prairie View A&M

Charley Hughlett LS Central Florida

Donavon Kemp WR UTEP

Ronald Leary G Memphis

Isaac Madison CB Arkansas

Tyrone Novikoff T Idaho

Darrell Scott RB South Florida

Lionel Smith CB Texas A&M

Andrew Szczerba TE Penn State

Aston Whiteside LB Abilene Christian

Eddie Whitley S Virginia Tech

Troy Woolfolk CB Michigan

Drafting Morris Claiborne was a major statement pick, and set everyone on the team on notice, the Cowboys have no problems upgrading positions even if there is a relatively incumbent starting player there ala Mike Jenkins.

With moves in free agency, and this weekend’s draft the Cowboys are revamped, and upgraded across the board. We’ve added depth and competition at every position. Who wants to play? strap up the pads and show us something or you’re outta here. I think Garrett is taking this approach from Jimmy Johnson.

Lets look at the players we drafted and their impact on the 2012 roster:

1st round: Morris Claiborne, CB

Claiborne will be the starter opposite Carr, which bumps Mike Jenkins out of a starting role, and perhaps off the team all-together. Jenkins has had the proverbial roller coaster career in Dallas, with one Pro Bowl season, a decent season here, and a horrid season there, mixed with nagging injuries and then the questionable play on the field. Who can forget the well documented whiffed tackles and pull backs on contact. All of this doomed Jenkins, and made his position a target for an upgrade this weekend. Ryan doesn’t want players who won’t tackle, and Garrett wants his own guy at the end of the day.

Round 3: Tyrone Crawford, DE

The Cowboys needed to add depth at DE, and Crawford will be an instant impact player, there’s no doubt he will get his snaps this season. Crawford will basically be Marcus Spears replacement and upgrade. Spears was a first round drafted player and his production never translated and he was more of a run stuffing type and thats it. Crawford brings a more polished skill set, and will bring pressure up the pocket in addition to playing the run. His motor reminds me of Jason Hatcher, a player Ryan really loves, and the type of guy Garrett wants on defense.

Round 4: Kyle Wilber, OLB

Yet again, another player who will compete and likely end the Anthony Spencer era in Dallas. Wilber is a pass rushing OLB, and will look to get in his snaps immediately. Spencer has been an inconsistent player in Dallas, and his work ethic has been questionable. Who can forget that episode of Hard Knocks when he was fined for being late to meetings, I think this behavior continued under Phillips and he never snapped out of it, well, under Garrett this isn’t going to fly, so his position was targeted this weekend and upgraded with Wilber. Hopefully Spencer will play well for a big contract for another team, it won’t be in Dallas.

Round 4: Matt Johnson, Safety

Watching the live war room feed this weekend showed me the Cowboys really wanted to nab this player, and will definitely compete for a role this season. We have Brodney Pool and Gerald Sensabaugh, but Johnson will give us depth there, and he could push for starting position. His collegiate career was impressive and he has a knack for going after the ball. Safety was a need, and the Cowboys got their target.

Round 5: Danny Coale, WR

The Cowboys are setting themselves up to be in good shape in regards to finding that ever elusive #3 WR, and adding Coale will make the competition that much better. Coale has a solid frame, great hands, and is being described as one of the best route runners coming out of college. The Packers have a similar player in Jordy Nelson, but Coale has better hands. I’m excited about this pick and I think with Coale and Radway, we’re going to be fine.

Round 6: James Hannah, TE

Its no secret the Cowboys needed to add another TE to the mix with the departure of 2nd round bust Martellus Bennett. Hannah will give us depth behind Witten and Phillips, he’ll push Phillips as well. This is going to be a key year for Phillips, with Bennett gone, his number will be called upon, and Hannah could see playing time too.

Round 7: Caleb McSurdy, ILB

Caleb McSurdy will have the opportunity to make the team on special teams, and compete for a depth spot at LB. Some have already written him off, but I think he has a great opportunity here in Dallas. He’s a tackling machine, and if you’re going to expand and learn from other guys on the team look no further than two tackling monsters in Sean Lee and Dan Connor. McSurdy has the build of a Zach Thomas and his speed is about the same, but the production can come with opportunity. We’ll see how he picks up the schemes.

More Bio Here

Could Coale fit the role of a Patrick Crayton type? We’ll see.