Aug 18, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Shined – Brandon Carr, cornerback – Some fans questioned whether the Cowboys chose the right corner to go after in free agency. I think all doubts were laid to rest on Saturday as Carr intercepted two Phillip River passes. Carr could be the biggest $50 million steal in NFL history.

Shined – Cole Beasley, wide receiver – After quitting the team and leaving for two days during training camp, many soured on the undrafted SMU wideout. But the 5’8 mustang turned a corner emotionally and had an MVP type performance Saturday with seven catches for 104 yards. At one point, he was unguardable in the slot. Beasley played so well, one of the NFL Network announcers called  him “unbeas-lievable”. Cole promptly “upchucked” his lunch on the field afterwards.

Shined – Dez Bryant, wide receiver – Despite only having two receptions for 15 yards, it was a  play that Dez Bryant made that was then called back for a holding penalty that was the most amazing of the game. Bryant made a spectacular one handed catch in the back of the endzone that was so beautiful, you could literally hear the collective gasps of awe from the entire Cowboy Nation. It is a play one a handful of special players can ever make and another reason the team is willing to put up with Dez’s short comings off the field.

Shined – Jamize Olawale, running back – The former North Texas fullback is built like a brick house and has surprising quickness. Olawale powered the ball for 30 rushing yards on 10 carries and eventually into the endzone, which is no small feat with this offensive line. But even more than that, it was the little things he did that made him appear to be a better option then Felix Jones at this point. I don’t think that will happen, but I do think Olawale made his case for a roster spot in this game. His four receptions for 30 yards didn’t hurt either.

Shined – Mario Butler, cornerback – I’d heard good thing about Butler in training camp, but to see it in a game was a nice revelation. The guy made some good plays on the ball and seemed quicker than I remembered him being. Butler also seemed unafraid to mix it up physically making five tackles on Saturday. He appears to be a perfect complement to what we have on the defensive  secondary now and a player whose potential may pay dividends very soon.

Honorable Mention – Victor Butler, outside linebacker – Anytime you replace a defensive monster like DeMarcus Ware and then make a sack on the first defensive play of the game, you have to be at least mentioned.

Late Edition – Kevin Ogletree, wide receiver -  I realized after initially posting this article, that I left out Ogletree. After being so critical of him in recent weeks, I thought it amiss not to mention his stellar game. Kevin has obviously bulked up this off season and it showed Saturday. His four receptions for 60 yards, which included a strong 35 yard grab in traffic, really showed off his newly acquired toughness. If he continues to prove his worth on the field, I think he could deserve to win that open third receiver position.

The Lions have become awfully thin at cornerback with Berry’s release, but decided it was for the best since they don’t want to become the ” laughing stock in the NFL “.

Now the Lions are left with 2012 3rd round draft selection Dwight Bentley, and former Denver Bronco Alphonso Smith competing at RCB.

The Cowboys however have a golden opportunity to possibly make a trade offer to the Lions to send one very unhappy Mike Jenkins, who quickly fell out of favor in Dallas when Jerry Jones & co. signed former Chiefs star Brandon Carr, and then surprised the world by trading with St. Louis from #15 in the first round to #6, selecting the best cornerback in the draft, Morris Claiborne.

Jenkins fought through several injuries in 2011, and eventually had shoulder surgery in January. He will start on the team’s PUP ( Physically Unable to Perform ) list when training camp begins.

Jenkins is also in the final year of his contract, and will most likely be searching for a new team in 2013 anyway.

Top 5 Positions the Cowboys are in need of :

1. # 3 Wide Receiver
2. # 3 Blocking / Receiving Tight End
3. ” True Space Eating ” Nose Tackle
4. Free Safety
5. Center

Now sure the Lions can’t offer help at all of these positions, but there are 2 in particular they could help the Cowboys in particular if the Boys’ are willing to make this trade happen.

The first is #3 WR Titus Young, who quickly landed in the team’s doghouse after sucker punching fellow team mate free safety Louis Delmas back in March. Now of course, Young has a lot of growing up to do, but surrounding him with good coaching, and positive players, he will be very successful in this league.

Young, ( 23 on August 21st ), had a very impressive rookie season with 48 catches for 607 yards, and 6 touchdowns. He also started 9 games in 2011.

The other player that could help this team immediately is Defensive Tackle Sammie Lee Hill. Hill, 25, has been playing behind Ndamukong Suh, and Corey Williams, and when given the opportunity, recorded 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks in reserve duty in 2011 alone.

Hill, 6′-4″ , 330 lbs. would give the Cowboys that big space eater they have been needing in sometime.

With the additions of Young and Hill, Dallas would have a solid #3 WR that could start incase Dez Bryant or Miles Austin suffers an injury, or if Bryant has to miss any games due to any suspension pending on his latest charge.

Hill would give the Cowboys the opportunity to finally reshuffle their defensive line, sliding Jay Ratliff over to DRE with rookie Tyrone Crawford backing him up. They could move Jason Hatcher and Sean Lissemore to DLE, and let Josh Brent rotate with Hill at NT.

Now of course this is all speculation from a Fan’s point of view. But I think some of you will agree with me that Mike Jenkins could finally serve a purpose to this team, and that is to be traded for ” needs ” to this club. I have a strong feeling that a player like Mario Butler, Isaac Madison, or Lionel Smith will have a strong training camp and preseason to stick around, and Jenkins will just become a high priced #4 cornerback who will not be back in 2013 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.