Now it seems that the Pokes just can’t catch a break with the injury bug, and most of that coming from the offensive line.

First it was newly acquired Mackenzie Bernadeau having hip surgery back in mid April, and missing out on OTA’s and mini camps. He will start camp off on the PUP ( Player Unable to Perform ) list as he slowly recovers.

Next in line is backup center and guard Kevin Kowalski, who suffered an ankle injury, and doesn’t seem close to returning.

And last, but certainly not least is Bill Nagy joining the m.a.s.h. unit, as he suffered a high ankle sprain. Now the Cowboys are waiting for his MRI results to return to find out the severity of the injury.

That only leaves projected starters Phil Costa and Nate Livings, along with roster hopefuls Ron Leary, David Arkin, and rookie free agent Harland Gunn for depth.

Leary and Arkin are already battling for the right guard position, and Gunn has been battling to play at left guard behind Livings, and now they are all taking snaps at center too.

What will and what should the Cowboys do ?

My best guess is to scour the waiver wire in search of some veteran help, or possibly a rookie free agent that may have been overlooked during the rookie free agent signing period.

Who is out there ?

One name that really comes to mind is former Ravens/Rams Jason Brown.

Why him ?

Brown, 29, was considered a top-tier free agent center in 2009 when he signed a 5-year, $37.5 million deal with the Rams. But like most players who go from a good team ( Ravens ) to an inferior organization ( Rams ) solely for the money, Brown’s performance really dropped off. He was benched last season. He’s still young enough to turn his career around though.

Where does he fit ?

At 6′-3″ 320 lbs., Brown would give incumbent Costa a serious challenge for the center job, with 91 career starts under his belt, he definitely brings experience to a questionable position. And if nothing else, provide the much needed depth the position needs for the 2012 season.

I say the Cowboys bring Brown in for a look – see, and if he can prove to them that he still has the spark he did back in 2009, this could be a training camp steal. Sign him to a 1 year deal, and let the guards battle it out for their respective position.

Now there will be 8 players retained on the club’s practice squad, and that may include a few from other teams as well. Injuries are also a common factor in the NFL, and some players ( average 2-3 ) will be placed on injured reserve.

But after all is said and done, the Boys will have 53 players playing 16 regular season games, and fighting to get a chance to play in rthe playoffs as well. Will the 53 players retained be the right combination to get the Cowboys to the ultimate destination, better known as the Superbowl ??

I say .. Possibly !!

The Cowboys have alot of talent on this team, they have alot of chemistry, and they are heading in the right direction, but just like all the other 31 teams in this league, Dallas still needs a few pieces to make this puzzle comes together.

I want to start my assessment on Offense :

The Positives :

The Cowboys have alot of veteran experience in most of their top positions … They have a very good quarterback in Tony Romo, who needs to eliminate a few costly mistakes, and make the right calls. With a full offseason, and training camp, WR Dez Bryant will have his best season this year, barring any injuries, he will be a force to reckon with. Miles Austin should remain healthy this season, he is finally 100% healed with his hamstrings, and barring any setbacks, he should form a perfect complimentary receiver to Bryant. Jason Witten is in the Top 5 of best TE’s in the league, and even though he is starting to hit the age where his skills are starting to decline, he should have another Pro Bowl season. Running Back DeMarco Murray was having a dynamic rookie season before that unfortunate broken ankle vs. the Giants. But he is back at almost 100% making his cuts and turns, he will be ready to go once training camp begins. The Cowboys couldn’t believe the Texans released All Pro Fullback Lawrence Vickers during the offseason, and not only will he be able to road block for Murray, but help in the passing game as well. Signing Kevin Ogletree to a 1 year contract.

The Questionables :

This all begins at the Offensive Line. Coach Bill Callahan was hired to turn this line around. And the entire line will look brand spanking new. Tyron Smith will be going into his 2nd year as the starting Left Tackle ( AKA the QB’s blindside protector ). He was pretty much superb as a rookie at RT last season, only giving up 3 sacks on the season. But will he be as good at LT ? This remains to be seen. Doug Free will be going to Right Tackle after struggling at LT the past 2 seasons. Can Free continue his success at RT that he showed us in 2009, replacing an injured Marc Columbo ? Nate Livings comes to Dallas after 6 up and down seasons in Cincinnati, Will he be the replacement Left Guard the Cowboys have been seeking to replace incumbent starters Montrae Holland, Bill Nagy, and Derrick Dockery ? Will UFA Mackenzy Bernadeau or Rookie Free Agent Ron Leary win the starting job at Right Guard, and make us forget Kyle Kosier ? Will Center Phil Costa win the starting job vs. Kevin Kowalski, and Bill Nagy ? Who will backup Witten and John Phillips as the #3 TE, and replace Martellus Bennett ? And finally, of the 9 wide receivers behind Bryant and Austin, will any of them become the #3 WR on this team, or will the Cowboys have to once more, go out looking for help ?

The Negatives :

Back to the Offensive Line. I am not a big fan of Phil Costa, and even though he may win the starting job at Center, I would like to see him replaced in the offseason. I feel the Cowboys neglected to fill holes at the the #3 TE position, and #3 WR spot, and sure, I understand the concept of seeing what you have in your youth on the roster, But, these are 2 vital positions to this offense, and could form a rotating door on the roster throughout the season. Other than Bryant, Austin, and Kevin Ogletree, not one player on this current roster has an official NFL regular season catch.

Suggestions :

The Cowboys may have to search the waiver wire, as they did in 2011 for a #3 WR. Now sure, there isn’t always going to be a Laurent Robinson sitting there for the taking, but they may find someone similar that can help this team.

As far as the #3 Tight End, I think the Cowboys can possibly use a late 2013 draft selection in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, they have a tight end named Nate Byham who is entering his 3rd season, and was considered as the best blocking tight end in the entire 2010 NFL draft. Something to think about.

Please continue reading my story on the following page …

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.