NFC East Mailbag: Who Will Be the Dallas Cowboys' No. 3 Receiver?

Welcome to the first installment of the NFC East blog mailbag. We're in the early stages here, so most of the questions we've received thus far have come via Twitter. For those who aren't members of the Twitter world, you can shoot any questions our way by e-mailing [e-mail]. 

If you are on Twitter but didn't know I was, give me a follow here and ask me anything you'd like about the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Redskins and life in general. I can't guarantee that the life questions will make this blog, but I'm always down for some enlightenment in 140 characters or less. 

Let's begin with Andrew Draper...

"

@Brad_Gagnon how well will the giants secondary be this year?

— Andrew Draper (@RedshirtDraper) May 16, 2012"

With the Giants likely to perform better in the running game, I think there's a chance the pass defense becomes the team's weakest spot in 2012. Obviously, the return of Terrell Thomas will help, but we've yet to see Thomas on the field and probably won't until training camp. 

With Aaron Ross gone and Thomas still a bit of a question mark, a lot will fall on the shoulders of last year's top pick, Prince Amukamara, as well as third-round rookie Jayron Hosley. A full offseason to get acclimated should help both of those players, but this isn't exactly an easy division for a young corner.

For a former corner, Antrel Rolle was embarrassingly bad in coverage last year, and that's not Kenny Phillips' bag, either, so there won't be much support from the safeties. (That said, I should mention that I still love that safety duo when both players are able to spread their wings, and with Tyler Sash and Chris Horton, the depth at safety ain't too shabby either.)

Either Thomas or Akumara will probably step up to complement Corey Webster, and the pass rush is good enough to mask some of the poor play coming from the back end, so I don't expect this unit to be worse off in 2012 than it was in 2011. 

But I'm still not convinced they'll be any better, either.

"

@Brad_Gagnon Mailbag: Why are so many folks assuming that Hightower enters camp as the #1 back? Didn't show as much as Helu last year imo.

"

"— Eli Fitch (@EliFitch) May 25, 2012"

Hightower entered 2011 as the starter after a strong preseason and didn't exactly get a lot of time to prove himself before tearing his ACL. If you purchase the idea that a player shouldn't lose his job due to injury, that's an easy excuse for it. 

But I wouldn't stress about who's penciled in as the starter right now. In fact, I wouldn't stress about it in September. Mike Shanahan will go with the hot hand from week to week, as per usual.

And technically, Evan Royster outplayed both Hightower and Helu when he had a chance to start late in the season. Shanahan will let the three fight it out this offseason for who gets the right to line up in the backfield for that first offensive play of the season in New Orleans. 

After that, you'll only be as good as your last carry. 

"

@Brad_Gagnon w Austin, Bryant oft-injured, was sad to see Robinson go to Jacksonville. Ogletree has struggled - your thoughts on WR depth?

"

"— Braden Bushell (@bradenbushell) May 22, 2012"

Yeah, you'd have to think that if Kevin Ogletree wins the No. 3 receiver spot it'll be by default because he just doesn't strike me as the kind of player who will rise up and win the job. And if he doesn't, he might be done with the Cowboys entirely.

Losing Laurent Robinson hurts a bit, and I'm sure some Dallas fans are cursing that $5 million cap penalty for its potential role in letting him jump to Jacksonville. But it's not like there aren't Laurent Robinson clones on rosters all around the league—this is a guy who had four career touchdowns before arriving in Dallas last season and finally blossoming in the right situation.

With rookie fifth-round pick Danny Coale out a large chunk of the offseason with a broken foot and Ogletree not being very good at American football, the slot job is completely up for grabs. A lot of people think 2011 undrafted free agent Andre Holmes has some Miles Austin in him, and Jerry Jones has hinted that he's excited about his potential. Beyond that, there are two more sophomores—Dwayne Harris and Raymond Radway—who might have the talent to emerge.

I'm a bit surprised that the Cowboys opted against bringing in a veteran here, but I think Robinson's performance last year has them thinking they can find his replacement in-house. If I had to bet, I'd guess that Ogletree will be the guy in training camp, and they'll give Holmes the first shot.

Whoever it is, Tony Romo and that supporting cast could turn him into a star. I still can't believe Robinson earned himself a $32 million contract last year.

"

@Brad_Gagnon who will be most productive: polk or brown?

— shawn (@ssarmstro) May 15, 2012"

I'm not sure we'll see enough of Chris Polk or Bryce Brown to draw any conclusions during their rookie seasons. LeSean McCoy took more snaps than any back in football last year, per Pro Football Focus, and I don't buy what Andy Reid is selling regarding a possible scaled-back effort on that end.

Plus, there's Dion Lewis, who backed up McCoy for much of last year and did a decent job within a small sample size. I doubt all three players make the final roster, and none are immune to release.

Polk is the true wild card. If he stays healthy, there's little doubt that he can become a very good NFL player. He put up monster numbers at Washington but slid in the draft because of a shoulder injury that concerned doctors. 

Brown is more raw, but he possesses a similar skill set to that of Polk. 

I'm not sold on any of these guys, but I do believe Lewis will back up McCoy for much of the season. As far as long-term productivity goes, I'd rather have a guy like Polk, who has huge upside. Most running backs don't last long enough to fret over injuries anyway.

If I didn't get to your question this week, I'll definitely be using it in the near future. We have a long offseason still ahead of us. Thanks to everyone who participated. Keep on sending Qs!