Interesting Future for Dallas Cornerbacks

With the Pac on skid row, the Cowboys are short a cornerback, but this was the case most of the regular season, if it wasn’t Pacman being suspended it was Newman being injured and below 100% most of the year. Tim MacMahon has a good write at the DMN Blog in regards to the starting cornerbacks for Dallas. He writes:

Terence Newman, if he can stay healthy, obviously will start at left cornerback. The best candidate to start on the other side is up for debate.

That’s been Anthony Henry’s spot (when he’s been healthy) for the last four seasons, but a move to free safety might be the best thing for him and the Cowboys at this point of his career. That’s a decision that must be made this spring, allowing him a full off-season schedule to make the adjustment.

My hunch is that’s what will happen. Let the 2007 draft picks — first-rounder Mike Jenkins and fifth-rounder Orlando Scandrick — compete for the starting job during training camp and the preseason.

Scandrick, who a perfect combination of speed and swagger for a cornerback, played well as the slot guy in sub packages as a rookie and appears to be one of the draft’s top second-day steals. Jenkins was up and down as a rookie, but the Cowboys believe he has the talent to develop into an outstanding cover man.

Jenkins arrived in the NFL with questions about his practice habits. Perhaps a position battle against Scandrick will bring out the best in Jenkins (DMN).

Tim brings up some good points to ponder entering the offseason. For me though, I’d take it another step further, is it possible Newman could be traded? Its unlikely, but think about his last two seasons. Newman has been injury riddled, and even though he hasn’t missed a whole string of games, he hasn’e been as effective as in the past. Newman is clearly on the downside of his career, physically speaking, he just isn’t durable. I would consider trading him for some picks if possible.

However, the most likely scenario would be what Tim described in his article; in which Newman starts, and the two young bucks battle it out. One thing is for sure, I expect both Jenkins and Scandrick to be starting on the field together sometime in 2009. I’m not confident Newman will make it without pulling something, or tearing a muscle or whatever. This being said, cornerback will probably be another position addressed during the draft. Let’s bring in more youth and depth because Newman and Henry are playing on borrowed time. I don’t even see Henry as a starter at CB anymore, we’re going to try to make something happen at FS for him, and have Hamlin as a pseudo-SS. Ideally, I’d like us to draft a quality SS.

We’ll see what happens.