One of course was the secondary, where coaches Dave Campo and Brett Maxie were replaced by new defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, and secondary assistant Joe Baker.  Of course cornerback Terence Newman was released, and free agent strong safety Abram Elam wasn’t resigned. They will be replaced by free agent cornerback Brandon Carr, first round draft pick ( 6th overall ) cornerback Morris Claiborne, free agent safety Brodney Pool, and 4th round pick safety Matt Johnson.

Carr and Claiborne will be the starting cornerbacks, Gerald Sensabaugh will be returning to strong safety ( where he started all 16 games at free safety in 2011 ), and Pool and Johnson will battle it out for the open free safety spot.

Talk about a facelift. The Cowboys will definitely have a new look in the secondary, but what about the offensive line ?

Let’s start with how the Offensive line looked in 2011 first of all :

2011 First round pick ( 9th overall ) Tyron Smith started 16 games at Right Tackle
5th year veteran Doug Free started all 16 games at Left Tackle
10th year veteran Kyle Kosier ( now released ) started all 16 games at Right Guard
2nd year veteran Phil Costa started all 16 games at Center

And then there was a changing of the guard at Left Guard :

2011 6th round pick Bill Nagy started 4 games before breaking his ankle at New England, and placed on injured reserve
2011 free agent pickup Derrick Dockery ( not resigned ) started 2 games
Released and resigned Montrae Holland ( not resigned ) started 10 games
2011 rookie free agent center/guard Kevin Kowalski played 114 snaps with 0 starts

As soon as the 2012 offseason began, Offensive Line coach Hudson Houck retired. And in comes former N.Y. Jets Offensive line and assistant head coach Bill Callahan, who will take over as Offensive Line coach and Offensive Coordinator.

Callahan was handed the duties to place 5 players on the field that can protect the quarterback in passing situations, and open up the holes to form running lanes for the running backs. A simple chore ? Not exactly.

There will be plenty of work and competition once training camp begins. Smith and Free will be switching sides at the tackles. This will be Smith’s first campain at left tackle, while Free showed promise when he started 7 games in 2009 at right tackle when he replaced Marc Columbo after Columbo had suffered a broken leg.

When free agency started in March, Dallas was quick to sign free agent guards Nate Livings ( Bengals ) and Mackenzy Bernadeau ( Panthers ). And even though the Cowboys failed to address any players in the draft in April, Jerry Jones was beside himself, and couldn’t hold back in his press conference following the draft that they had reached an agreement with rookie free agent guard, Ron Leary, whom the scouting and coaching department had rated as high as a 3rd round pick on their draft board. Leary, who was a starter for 4 years at Memphis, fell off of many team’s draft boards due to a degenerative knee problem. But after being checked out by the team’s doctor, the Boys couldn’t help themselves by taking a chance on him.

As it stands, Livings will most likely be starting beside Smith at Left Guard, Bernadeau has been held out of OTA’s and mini camp due to hip surgery he had in early May that will sideline him for 10 to 12 weeks. Leary has been practicing with the first team at right guard, and has been impressing the coaching staff during the drills. Even though the contacts were light, The pads haven’t came on yet.

Center will be a 3-4 way battle as Costa will be battling Kowalski, Nagy, and possibly Bernadeau when training camp begins.

Other notable players that will be fighting for a roster spot next month will be 2011′s swing tackle Jermey Parnell, 2011 draft pick guard David Arkin, former Cowboys 2006 7th round draft pick OT Pat McQuistan ( recently resigned ), and rookie free agents OT’s Jeff Adams ( Columbia ), Levy Adcock ( Oklahoma State ), Tyrone Novikoff ( Idaho ), and Guard Harland Gunn ( Miami ).

In my honest opinion, when the dust finally settles and the season begins, the Cowboys will most likely carry 9-10 offensive lineman on the 53 man roster, the starting lineup will be : ( LT ) Smith ( LG ) Livings ( C ) Costa ( RG ) Leary ( RT ) Free … and your depth ( Swing Tackle ) Parnell ( Swing Guard ) Bernadeau ( 2nd string Center ) Kowalski ( Swing Guard/Center ) Nagy.

Regardless how the cards fall, just like the secondary, you are going to see some new faces as the coaching staff finally seals this offensive line once and for all. Well at least we hope anyway.

Jenkins, 27, will be entering his 5th season with the Boys. He has been the team’s cornerstone right cornerback for the past three seasons and started 43 of last 48 season games. His scarce highlights include a lone pro bowl bid after having a career high five interceptions in 2009.

In the 2011 season, Jenkins missed four games due to injuries to his knee, neck, and shoulder. And even though many critics claimed that he lacked toughness, Jenkins played through a severe shoulder injury this year and opted to wait until the end of the season to have surgery.

Just when Jenkins thought that the physical injuries were over, the mental ones began. The Cowboys released his team-mate Terence Newman and signed top corner free agent Brandon Carr on the same day. The former Kansas City Chief was signed to a 5 year, $50.1 million deal.

And to drive the dagger even further, they traded up to the #6 spot in the following month’s draft and selected LSU’s cornerback, Morris Claiborne. Claiborne is considered to be the #1 defensive back in the entire draft by most annalists.

Dallas still have 5th year corner Orlando Scandrick, who was signed to a 5 year $27 million deal last September. He is considered the team’s top slot/nickel cornerback. And Scandrick will most likely be staying put as the third cornerback on the depth chart when the season begins. So unless Jenkins can win a battle and play in the slot, he will more than likely be sitting behind them all come September. So there is little doubt to why Jenkins is upset about his new position on the team and now demanding a trade.

From Owner Jerry Jones to Vice President Stephen Jones to Head Coach Jason Garrett to Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan, to newly hired Defensive Backs Coach Jerome Henderson; they have all expressed that Jenkins is, and will remain a Dallas Cowboy for the upcoming season. They claim that since the NFL has become a more “pass happy league”, you just can’t have enough cornerbacks on the roster. Especially considering the possibility of  three or four wide receiver sets which may include a serious receiving threat at tight end to boot. And as the Cowboys have found out in past seasons, there are always future injuries to consider.

But there are other players to consider as well. The Cowboys still have 2011 rookie free agent Mario Butler, who played on the practice squad for the entire season last year. There is also 2010 rookie free agent Teddy Williams, who has been on the practice squad for the past two seasons, converting from cornerback, to wide receiver, to cornerback again. Then there’s 5th year journeyman C.J. Wilson, who played his first four seasons with the Panthers.

But the player that seems to be turning heads thus far is Arkansas’ 2012 rookie free agent, Isaac Madison. Sure this is just at OTA’s (and without pads), but coaches liked how Madison covered his receiver, the fact he was always around the ball, and his handful of interceptions.

But the main thing to remember is that Jenkins is playing in the final year of his rookie contract. He is scheduled to make a measly $1.05 million this season, which is very reasonable for a back-up cornerback. But what if a team approaches the Cowboys in serious need of a cornerback (such as Detroit, Indianapolis, or possibly Oakland) and offers a possible 1st or 2nd round draft pick for his services? Would the Cowboys jump on it ? They would be crazy if they didn’t.

I have a feeling that once the 2012 season is over, Jenkins is history. He will not even look at a Cowboy uniform again, unless he is playing against them. The Cowboys wouldn’t receive anything from his departure, except possibly a 4th to 7th round compensatory pick in 2013.

I may be wrong here, but I have a strong feeling that a cornerback like Mario Butler, or possibly even Isaac Madison may step up and show their abilities during training camp or in the preseason. And that would surely mark the end of Jenkins career here in Dallas. The Cowboys could always use another 1st or 2nd round draft selection as they continue to build this team for the future. But where does Jenkins future hold ? We shall see.

Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett, Rob Ryan, and newly hired secondary coach Jerome Henderson have committed themselves in solving the problem, and making this defense more competitive as the 2012 season fastly approaches us.

Names such as newly signed free agent Brandon Carr, and top draft choice Morris Claiborne have been receiving the most attention here in the offseason, but everyone has seemed to forgot newly acquired free agent Brodney Pool.

Pool, whom has played under both Ryan and Henderson while in Cleveland ( 2009 ), and then played under Rob’s brother Rex in New York for the past 2 seasons. Pool has experience playing both strong and free safety, something Ryan prefers in his safeties playing in his defensive scheme.

And even though Brodney only signed a 1 year deal, he is penciled in as the starting strong safety for the upcoming season, where he will be teaming up with Gerald Sensabaugh, who also plays strong and free safety as well, making these two interchangeable, and possibly having them switching back and forth, confusing the opposing quarterback.

Pool replaces incumbent 2011 starter Abram Elam, who became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Elam was solid at best, starting all 16 games, but only came away with 68 tackles, and no pass breakups or interceptions. And with Elam turning 30 during the season, the Cowboys were looking for someone a tad younger, better coverage skills, and most importantly, better hands. Pool, 27, seems to bring more youth and speed, and with 13 interceptions in his 7 year career, may possess the better hands as well.

Of course he will have some camp competition in Barry Church, and 2012 4th round pick Matt Johnson, and Pool wouldn’t want it any other way, but when it comes down to naming the starters for the new season, don’t be a bit surprised to see Brodney Pool’s name in the lineup, even if he did fly under the radar when the free agent period began.