The safeties who currently hold a spot on the Cowboys roster are Alan Ball, who is expected to actually move back to cornerback this season, Gerald Sensabaugh, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Barry Church and Danny McCray. The names on the roster leave a lot to be desired. Outside of Ball and Sensabaugh, the safety group lacks any significant experience.

That is why defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and owner Jerry Jones are expected to search for a veteran at the position during the free agency period, whenever it resumes. According to the Pro Football Weekly report:

We have heard for months that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has targeted some veterans to go after, players who will fit his scheme, and it only makes sense to think that former Raiders S Michael Huff could be one of them. Ryan coached Huff when the two were in Oakland together a few years back. Sources say Ryan has Jerry Jones’ ear and that the owner will target a veteran of his choosing at the position.

While the move doesn’t come as a big shock, it is a very welcomed report. A guy like Huff is an instant upgrade at the position and he can use his veteran status and experience to help groom the younger talents.

The Cowboys need to do everything in their power to re-sign Doug Free.

When this lockout mess is finally sorted out, the Dallas Cowboys are going to have a lot of work to do in free agency. There are a lot of holes and lack of depth all over the roster and it is crucial to fill them if the team is going to be competitive in 2011 and return to glory.

Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk.com came up with five pointers for the Cowboys when free agency starts. Let’s break down his list:

1. Find a starting safety.

This one is a no-brainer and something that Cowboys fans have been calling for loud and clear. If starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh is not re-signed, the team is left with only unproven and inexperienced players at the position. Dallas needs to do something about the safety position which has haunted the team for years.

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So, Calvin Watkins, who writes for the Forth-Worth newspaper, has a story today using unknown sources to paint a picture of hell in the Dallas Cowboys locker room, as if we haven’t heard enough of it already.

The team charter left late for road games five times this season because players were late to the airport according to three sources. The total represented more than half of the eight regular season away games. Sources declined to name the late players. The Philadelphia trip was delayed by more than an hour.

If tru, this is pathetic and the blame must be placed on the coaching staff for not disciplining this team. How can this happen? I wonder who the players are. Coach Wade Phillips fined players $100 freaking dollars for being late, compared with Bill Parcells’ fines of $5,000 to $12,000. No that Parcells had this team on a stronger path to a championship, but at least there was some discipline.

Terrell Owens was a repeat offender for being late to team meetings, the sources told Watkins.

And then there’s comments about Tony Romo and his practice habits. And this doesn’t come from just one source; it comes from FIVE SOURCES!

According to five sources, several offensive players lost respect for Garrett for his failure to corral quarterback Tony Romo in practice. Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently.

The quarterback’s practice habits were so bad, sources said, that they affected the way he played in games and could have factored into the offense’s problems.

We know that the Cowboys have pledged major changes to fix this team. But I wonder when those major changes are going to occur, because so far there have been no surprises.