Dec 24, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Stanford Routt (26) celebrates with safety Tyvon Branch (33) after intercepting a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

So who wants a defense? Although there is evidence of an offensive movement around the NFL, that makes defense that much more important. According to Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders the Dallas Cowboys need a cornerback and a guard in that order. So here is my 2012 NFL Offseason wish list.

-Stanford Routt formerly of the Oakland Raiders would have been my number one goal in free agency. If we were to somehow able to scoop up Routt before the Kansas City Chiefs did early this week, it would have given the Cowboys a little more freedom to draft whoever they wanted at the 14th draft pick, OL, DL, whoever. Routt is a hometown boy (Austin, Texas) and a heck of a player who could’ve played like a champ while wearing the Star.  Nice going ,Jerry! If we had signed Routt, I would have felt a little better about taking David DeCastro with the 14th overall. Side note: What is going on with the Oakland Raiders letting good players go? Is anyone considering Jason Campbell as the Cowboys backup if he is released by the Raiders?

-Nick Foles of the Arizona Wildcats would be my first pick at quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys. Another hometown boy from Austin, this Foles is 6’5 240 pounds and has a cannon for an arm. I think, with Tony Romo’s guidance, Nick Foles could become the Dallas Cowboys next big quarterback.

-LaMichael James from Oregon is, in my opinion, one of the most intriguing running backs in the draft class. While he is considered a finesse runner he isn’t scared to run between the tackles. This guy could be the next Darren Sproles with his speed and athletic ability and but his hands aren’t incredible. Don’t let it scare you that he ran the spread offense at Oregon as I don’t see learning a new offense to be a problem for James. The only unknown factor here is whether or not he can stay healthy.

-Quinton Coples another draft day beast, Coples from North Carolina would give the Dallas Cowboys that elite D. line they’ve always wanted. Opposing quarterbacks wouldn’t know what to do with Coples and DeMarcus Ware tearing through holes coming after them. If the key to the Super Bowl is a pass rush, we would be well on our way with Coples.

-Michael Griffin would be a huge free agent pick up for the Dallas Cowboys. Yep, another Austin boy from Bowie High School, Michael Griffin shows a high football IQ and can be a leader of the back field. He’s also in NFLtraderumors.com ‘s top fifty free agents of 2012. If we can, I think we should.

-Peyton Hillis I would absolutely love having Peyton Hillis on the Dallas Cowboys. Don’t worry about all the drama with the Cleveland Browns, the kid runs and plays hard but due to the average career length of running backs with his type of style, Cleveland didn’t want to pay him. Would anyone else love to have a bull nosed running back sharing the load with DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones? It would be a dream come true for me.

-Michael Bush If you think the only big named running back in the Oakland Raiders’ backfield is Darren McFadden then you haven’t watched an Oakland game or played against someone in Fantasy Football with Bush on their roster. This guy puts up great numbers with or without the help of Run DMC.

Dec 24, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Laurent Robinson (81) prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

-Laurent Robinson isn’t a re-sign ‘must’ but I like how he took Cowboys Nation by storm and developed such good rapport with Tony Romo. For the most part he caught balls he was supposed to catch and that’s all we can ask for. I think that after the Cowboys saw how injury prone Miles Austin and Dez Bryant are, they will make re-signing him a priority.

This is just a few prospects I would like to see wear the Star. Sound of in the comment section with who I forgot.

Who would want Romo? Certainly there are a variety of teams who do not have a legitimate quarterback in place: Buffalo, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Oakland, Carolina, or Arizona.  Some of the teams have competent players manning the quarterback position, but Romo has play making ability that many of the others do not.

What would we receive in return? Donovan McNabb was traded for a 2nd round pick as well as a conditional pick which could be as high as a 3rd round pick.  McNabb was 33 when he was traded; Romo just turned 30.  While you could argue that McNabb is the more accomplished quarterback, Romo is younger and has outplayed his counterpart in recent years.  At the very least, the Cowboys should be able to get a 2nd round pick.  If there is a bidding war between the aforementioned teams, the Cowboys could possibly receive a first round pick along with another high conditional pick.

Why trade Romo? Because the Cowboys organization has failed him.  The Cowboys have placed around Romo a power back who runs out of bounds, hasn’t moved a pile since 2008, and no longer dishes out punishment.  The Cowboys speed back has gained upper body muscle mass and has lost the explosiveness necessary to be considered a speed back.  The offensive line is made of mostly older underachieving veterans.  The left tackle has played well for most of the season, but didn’t bother to block an all-pro defensive end (Jared Allen) leaving Romo wholly unprotected from his left side.  A quarterback is a dependent position.  The offensive line must give the QB time to throw, the WR’s must be in the right place at the right time, and the running backs have to gain positive yardage in early downs so the offensive isn’t constantly facing 3rd down and long.

Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Dallas Cowboys franchise.  It is unfair to his potential that he play along side the overrated and underachieving.  Look at each of his seven interceptions: one was tipped by the defensive line because the tackle missed the block; one was a pass made while an unblocked defensive lineman was bearing down, one was a desperation throw at the end of the game, two were off the hands of the tight end, and one was a pass to the WR which is jarred loose after a hit and the ball lands in the arms of a defender.  There is only one interception that he is fully responsible for, and it was an incredibly well disguised defensive call that was sold to perfection.  When Romo’s arm started to move forward, the defender was entirely obscured by the offensive line.

Romo won’t be traded.  The Cowboys will rebuild their offensive line via the draft and free agency.  Romo will be a good soldier and will carry on without a complaint.  It is ironic, however.  In the 90′s the argument was, “What would Barry Sanders have done if he had Emmitt Smith‘s offensive line?”  We can only imagine how much greater Romo could have been if he had a good offensive line.

The NFL is allergic to trades.  A brief look at the Cowboys recent history will clarify why.  In 2000, Dallas traded 2 first round draft picks to Seattle for Joey Galloway.  The Cowboys were looking to replace Michael Irvin and regain their offensive swagger.  Aikman and Galloway were injured that season and a long run of mediocre quarterback play followed.  Galloway’s tenure in Dallas is mostly considered a failure considering the two lost draft picks contributed to extending a painful rebuilding effort.  In 2008, a trade for Adam Jones for a 4th round draft pick was widely publicized.  While the risk v. reward was reasonable, the outcome of Jones getting suspended in 2008 and subsequently released further embarrassed a proud franchise.  Again in 2008, the Cowboys sent a 1st and 3rd round pick to the Detroit Lions for Roy Williams.  He has underperformed the value of the draft pics and his contract extension.  Aside from being Super Bowl MVP, Williams may never redeem himself in the eyes of some Cowboys fans.  Considering the above track record, the general manager would be shown the door.  Bad trades more often than bad draft picks get GM’s fired.  Not in Dallas.

What’s the common thread in the above trades?  The Dallas Cowboys were buyers and not sellers.  The greatest trade in Cowboys history was the Herchel Walker trade to the Vikings for a bevy of picks and players.  This allowed for the resurgence of the franchise in the 90′s.

Beware of believing in the draft.  Players like Ryan Leaf, Andre Wadsworth, Charles Rogers, Mike Williams, etc. never live up to their expectations.  The Baltimore Ravens are arguably the best franchise in the past decade choosing players in the first round, and they even missed on Kyle Boller.

The Patriots of done an amazing job of coaching up players, and then trading them when they have an inflated value on the market.  Deion Branch and Richard Seymour were closer to the end of their careers than the beginning when they were trade for first round picks.  While Seymour wasn’t entirely the product of the Patriots system, he certainly won’t continue to have as much longevity as a rookie in 2011 entering the league.

And so that brings us to the Dallas Cowboys.  The team is constituted with a large number of young players.  The older players on the team are mostly along the offensive line.  There is very little trade value for Flozell Adams, 34, or Marc Colombo, 31.  At best, a team in need may offer a 4th round draft pick as a stop gap measure.  Keith Brooking, 34, has limited trade value and will not being changing team colors either.

Recently the Cowboys have been suggested as a possible trading partner with San Diego.  Antonio Cromartie for Tashard Choice.  Wade Phillips coached Cromartie during his rookie year with San Diego.  Reports indicate Cromartie has a questionable worth ethic and suspect practice habits.  Perfect for the Cowboys you say?  Hold on.  The Cowboys should engage in a trade with the Chargers, but rather sending Choice, Marion Barber should be given the one way ticket.

Barber will be 27 years old at the start of the 2010 season, and that is an old 27.  While 30 years old is the normal line of demarcation for a productive running back, Barber’s style has lead to injuries and he had proven in individual games as well as over the course of a season, that he is unable to handle the duties of a 20 to 30 carry a game back.  Additionally, he has never been fast, but he appears to not hit the hole with the same quickness and ferocity as in previous years.  Maybe the Chargers have no interest in this fading dinged back, but if they did…

The Cowboys should rely on Phillips to make the call on whether the rumors about Cromartie are justified.  If they are, engage in a three team trade with a team like Green Bay who are in need of a talent upgrade in their secondary.  The Cowboys, in my estimation, should be able to receive a 2nd round draft pick in the deal.  Even if the pick is a third rounder, it is still value for a player on the downside of his career.

Alternately, if Wade believes the rumors are unfounded, the Cowboys would have a glut of talent at CB.  I would wholly suggest trading Terrence Newman, 31, to the Packers and keeping Cromartie, 26.  Yes Newman signed a contract extension 2 years prior, and Cromartie would be due a new costly contract, but in 5 years, who will still be in the league?  Newman has never evolved into a shutdown corner.  While Cromartie is unlikely to improve over his past performance with the Chargers, it is conceivable that he would be able to duplicate, if not better, Newman’s sometimes uneven performance.

This is all conjecture, and it is likely that the Cowboys have zero trades leading up to the draft.  At some point, the Cowboys have to cut ties with older players and coldly trade them to other teams for draft picks.  It’s a system that works in the salary cap era, trade high salaried players for draft picks who earn substantially less.  In the 2010 uncapped year, the strategy may change in how the game is played off the field, but aging veterans in exchange for young talented players will always be en vogue.