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THE COWBOYS' PERSONNEL WISH LIST by The Fish

by Mike Fisher

Thu, Feb 23, 2006, 10:22 PM

NFL free agency opens up March 3. And then there is the April 29-30 draft, just two months away.

Do the Cowboys make a big splash? Or use a wide net to snatch a bunch of little splashes?

To paraphrase Deion Sanders from that old pizza commercial, I say, "Both.''

You'll be happy to learn below that the Cowboys aren't playing dumb regarding their weak spots. I'll throw out some names here, to see if they stick (you clip-and-save, to see if I turned out to be right):

OFFENSIVE LINE: I said then and say now: the Cowboys will be haunted by the decision to not go bigger-fish last year for Mike Wahl, who is younger and better (though more expensive) than fellow ex-Packer Marco Rivera. And look at Dallas' guard situation now: Rivera and Larry Allen, both just good enough to keep winning the job, both just old enough to always be on the verge of replacement. But do cut Allen? Do you spend more money there on the primo FA, Seattle guard Steve Hutchinson? No, you just can't.
I said then and say now: the Cowboys will be haunted by the decision to not go bigger-fish last year for Mike Wahl, who is younger and better (though more expensive) than fellow ex-Packer Marco Rivera. And look at Dallas' guard situation now: Rivera and Larry Allen, both just good enough to keep winning the job, both just old enough to always be on the verge of replacement. But do cut Allen? Do you spend more money there on the primo FA, Seattle guard Steve Hutchinson? No, you just can't.

Dallas also won't get its hands on Detroit tackle Jeff Backus. The Cowboys, a source tells me, "are in love with Backus.

Too bad. He's staying married to the Lions.

You can help yourself elsewhere, though. You can use a No. 1 pick on an offensive lineman, a tackle. And you can spend money on center LeCharles Bentley from New Orleans. He's 26, and, not to be too blood-thirsty here, but what do you think are the chances he wants to re-up with the troubled Saints? Oh, a speaking of trouble: how much do the Bills now dislike Mike Williams? The massive Texas product isn't even projected as a Buffalo starter. Dallas ought to do some research here.

The best bet: Jets' Jason Fabini is a casualty cut, a legit starter and an old Parcells Guy.

None of this, by the way, means the Cowboys suddenly dislike Rob Pettiti. Or for that matter, are giving up on Torrin Tucker and even Jacob Rogers. And they are happy about Flozell Adams' return from injury to man right tackle. What it does mean is that they recognize a problem spot and aren't trying to Band-Aid it.

WIDE RECEIVER: Start with a big swing for Terrell Owens (who may be Denver-bound). End with a plan to use a mid-round pick on somebody like (one Valley Ranch whisperer tells me) Auburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu.
Start with a big swing for Terrell Owens (who may be Denver-bound). End with a plan to use a mid-round pick on somebody like (one Valley Ranch whisperer tells me) Auburn wide receiver Ben Obomanu.

Seriously, Dallas may get shut out in terms of chasing an in-his-prime WR in free agency. Which will be unfortunate. So I'd better come up with a wild-card here. Wonder if Issac Bruce is ready for a change of scenery from St. Louis?

Want a goofy one? Ex-Cowboy Raghib Ismail is in town right now, telling friends he's ready to make an NFL comeback -- and that the Cowboys are interested. Listen, we want to sign Rocket in D/FW. ... but we were hoping it would be the baseball Rocket.

QUARTERBACK: Behind Drew Bledsoe, Dallas has nothing but question marks. If San Diego deems starter Drew Brees healthy and retainable, backup Phillip Rivers goes on the block. Dallas makes that inquiring phone call. Does Patrick Ramsey still want out of Washington? Ramsey represents a semi-proven upgrade over the Cowboys' existing backups, and also has an upside. And in the draft? I don't know if the Cowboys take one, but I have an educated guess which one they sort of like: Put me down for guessing that eventually, word will leak that the Cowboys give good grades to Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, projected as the fourth best QB in this draft.
Behind Drew Bledsoe, Dallas has nothing but question marks. If San Diego deems starter Drew Brees healthy and retainable, backup Phillip Rivers goes on the block. Dallas makes that inquiring phone call. Does Patrick Ramsey still want out of Washington? Ramsey represents a semi-proven upgrade over the Cowboys' existing backups, and also has an upside. And in the draft? I don't know if the Cowboys take one, but I have an educated guess which one they sort of like: Put me down for guessing that eventually, word will leak that the Cowboys give good grades to Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle, projected as the fourth best QB in this draft.
DEFENSE: One big fish, one medium fish, one not so big fish: Jets DE John Abraham has been a sometimes-headache in New York. If the Cowboys really decide to dump someone like Greg Ellis, replacing him with someone like Abraham makes grand sense. Abraham had 10.5 sacks and six forced fumbles last year and is only 28. AND he has Parcells connections. Alas, it looks like the Jets will franchise him. Again. So he's out -- unless his dissatisfaction with the Jets leads to trade talk. In which case, Dallas is absolutely involved in discussions.
One big fish, one medium fish, one not so big fish: Jets DE John Abraham has been a sometimes-headache in New York. If the Cowboys really decide to dump someone like Greg Ellis, replacing him with someone like Abraham makes grand sense. Abraham had 10.5 sacks and six forced fumbles last year and is only 28. AND he has Parcells connections. Alas, it looks like the Jets will franchise him. Again. So he's out -- unless his dissatisfaction with the Jets leads to trade talk. In which case, Dallas is absolutely involved in discussions.

Easier to do: remember Darren Howard? The Cowboys gave chase to him in trade last May. Now he's free -- and coming off a bad year. He'd be a decent consolation prize behind Abraham, ready to bounce back from a 3.5-sack season for the Saints. Yes, the Saints. Not to be too blood-thirsty again, but. ...

I'll give a quick mention to DBs Chris Hope of the Steelers and the Rams' Adam Archuleta (who might end up in Chicago instead of Dallas, so desperate for safety help that they almost pulled ol' Darren Woodson out of retirement last winter). And this: another NFL team's guy tells me Dallas MUST sign a linebacker to replace Dat. Panthers linebacker Will Witherspoon is a budding star who might be beyond Carolina's price range, but also might be too slight for Dallas).

Now, a smaller fish:

Forgive me if this name has slipped so far under the radar that he's been quietly gobbled up, but I was told to check on ex-Packer Cletidus Hunt. Now, he will earn no screaming headlines. But Hunt is 6-4, 310 pounds, is only 30, and put up some sack numbers as a defensive tackle. Now the bad news: He injured his shoulder and both knees last summer, tried to return to action in the final preseason game, and then got cut. Now, Green Bay folks would tell you he's a problem guy, too. And all things considered, his career might be done. But as small fish go -- he's so small now he was considered a "street free agent,'' as opposed to a coveted one -- he's worth casting a line. (Unless, again, he's been part of a transaction I can't locate.)

KICKER: Spending big bucks on a kicker has never been Jerry Jones' thing. Acknowledging that there is a kicker even on the team has never been Bill Parcells' thing (while in Dallas). But have they both seen enough of Cundiff-Suisham-Cortez-Suisham-Cundiff?
Spending big bucks on a kicker has never been Jerry Jones' thing. Acknowledging that there is a kicker even on the team has never been Bill Parcells' thing (while in Dallas). But have they both seen enough of Cundiff-Suisham-Cortez-Suisham-Cundiff?

Yup.

I've been informed of Dallas' ranking of FA kickers. A source tells me that ranking behind New England's Adam Vinatieri and Indy's Mike Vanderjagt, and right alongside the rest, is none other than Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant, who had a fine season with the Bucs and is now available again.

"My bet,'' a source tells us, is that (Dallas) will get one of those three: Vinatieri, Vanderjagt or Bryant.''

Bryant is a logical bet for a few reasons. He's been in the Cowboys camp before. His agent is Dallas-based Jordan Woy, who has worked well with the Cowboys for years. And Bryant is a Baylor kid, as is Cowboys personnel boss Jeff Ireland.

Vinatieri. Or Vanderjagt. Or Bryant. Big-time kickers. No Band-Aids there, either.

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