Pros & Cons of Every Projected Dallas Cowboys Starter in 2012

The Cowboys are winding the preseason down as they only have one game to go. The Dolphins come to town Wednesday, when many Dallas backups the chance to make the final roster.

Before we get to that last preseason game, I will project each and every Cowboys starter's season to the best of what I've seen on the field.

Here is each and every starter with a pro and a con attached.

Quarterback – Tony Romo

On Saturday night against the St. Louis Rams, Romo looked very sharp and crisp with his throws.

He finished with nine completions, 198 passing yards, two touchdowns and a rating of 151.4. A pretty good night for Mr. Romo.

PRO

Romo will be one of the NFL's top performing quarterbacks in yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and rating. The pro of him being such a high-performing quarterback is that the Cowboys will have one of the NFL's best offenses.

They will score a lot of points and probably win at least seven or eight games. More on that prediction in another article.

But with Romo being in his prime he will continue to be the Cowboys' top offensive weapon.

CON

Romo threw a key interception against the Jets in the first game of the year in 2011. Dallas lost the game due in part to Romo's turnover.

He tossed three interceptions against the Lions, and the Cowboys went on to lose that game.

Romo is a risk-taker and at times it will get him into trouble. Let's hope he tempers some of that risk in 2012.

Running Back – DeMarco Murray

Murray rushed for 897 yards in just 13 games last season. He destroyed the Rams with 253 yards last season and his career has been on a different playing field ever since.

PRO

He's a young running back who can average over five yards per carry. He's back to 100 percent after fracturing his ankle last season and looks to have the same pop he did in 2011.

I fully expect Murray to exceed 1,000 yards in 2012 and help lead the Cowboys' rushing attack.

CON

I'm a little fearful of his durability. He dislocated his kneecap in 2007 at Oklahoma, pulled his hamstring in 2008 and broke his ankle last year.

So if anything, there is trepidation about his ability to stay healthy for a full 16-game season. Dallas doesn't have a more stable running back to back him up if he gets injured.

Wide Receivers

Miles Austin

Dez Bryant

Kevin Ogletree

Because Austin has missed the preseason, there was concern that his hamstring injury was more serious than first thought. But because the medical staff is being cautious, he’s spending the majority of his time rehabbing.

Dez Bryant is a different story. According to a report on ESPNDallas.com, the team has set a strict set of rules for the young receiver to live by.  He can’t drink any alcohol and must have a full-time security team.

Will it work?

Lastly, Kevin Ogletree pretty much solidified his standing as the team’s slot receiver with his performance against the Rams on Saturday night.

Hopefully he will remain consistent.

PROS

Austin can be a top-flight receiver. During his breakout season in 2009, he had 1,320 receiving yards and 1,041 yards the next season. So we know what he’s capable of doing; it's just a matter of fans trusting him to do it.

If Austin returns to 100 percent, there is no reason why he shouldn’t have a Pro Bowl-type of season.

Bryant is ready to break out. He had a wonderful training camp and preseason, and many are hoping that his offseason success will translate to regular-season profits.

He just has to work on remaining consistent for the entire game and not just one half.

Ogletree had a nice showing against the Rams and should breeze into the third receiving slot. He had 75 receiving yards and remained consistent.

I guess that will be the word of the day.

Can Ogletree bring stability to the position?

CONS

Austin’s hamstrings aren’t as creamy as they once were, and his durability remains a concern. If he can’t stay healthy, the Cowboys will have to depend on the likes of Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and maybe tight end John Phillips.

Bryant has off-the-field concerns and he seems to play well in spurts. Hopefully Bryant can keep out of trouble; when he’s not making plays on the field, that make you wonder how he’s not the best receiver in football.

Ogletree forgot where to line up once last season and that destroyed a lot of trust that fans had in his ability to perform.

He has dropped a few passes but he’s still young and learning. Consistency—there’s that word again—is what the team needs from Ogletree. Can he provide it?

Tight End – Jason Witten

Witten has led the Cowboys in receptions for the past five seasons. He has caught at least 75 balls since 2008. He is one of the league's best tight ends and has been that way for awhile now.

PROS

Witten has been dependable. He is Romo's fail-safe and always bails the team out of trouble. He serves as the team's top receiver and catches everything thrown his way.

He's a great run-blocker and does just about everything right on the field.

CONS

He's injured. Witten has only missed one game in his pro career up until this point. That game came during his rookie season when he had a broken jaw. Since then, he's been on the field for every Cowboys contest.

He's in danger of missing the season opener against the Giants due to a ruptured spleen. Dallas will have to depend on John Phillips and James Hanna if he can't go, and that may serve as a minor setback for the Cowboys offense.

Offensive Line

Tyron Smith

Mackenzy Bernadeau

David Arkin

Derrick Dockery

Doug Free

This offensive line is a mess. Well, not the entire line. Tyron Smith is doing well. Doug Free is inconsistent, and David Arkin may end up being the center or maybe not.

It is simply a matter of who will provide the most stability for the Cowboys.

PROS

Tyron Smith is going to morph into one of the league's best offensive tackle. He's already one of the most athletic tackles. He just needs to remain focus, continue to grow in the position and keep his confidence because he's going to be beat. It's just a matter of when.

Doug Free seemed to have the talent and the skill in 2010 when he served as the team's starting left tackle. But he hasn't lived up to his $32 million contract.

Because he's so young he has time to redeem himself. The Cowboys line as a whole is young, and there will be an opportunity for them to jell and mature.

CONS

Free has not lived up to his $32 million contract. Right tackle is easier than left, but it will no walk in the park for Free.

Ha, get it? For Free? Moving on.

He hasn't been stable and if he continues to show weakness at the position, the Cowboys offensive line will remain in trouble.

Mackenzy, Arkin and Dockery will need to jell with Smith and Free quickly. Mackenzy and Arkin will be new to the line.

If they are unable to hold their own, expect swift changes from head coach Jason Garrett.

Defensive Line

Sean Lissemore

Jay Ratliff

Marcus Spears

Marcus Spears is still in danger of losing his job, but I believe he’ll beat out Kenyon Coleman for the last spot.

The line looked good against the Rams on Saturday as Sam Bradford attempted 17 passes and only completed six of them. He averaged just 3.8 yards per attempted and he was sacked twice.

PROS

Adrian Hamilton isn’t a starter, but he had a sack on Kellen Clemens and kept the pressure on the Rams pocket.

That lets me know that the Cowboys' depth on the defensive front may be in a pretty good spot. Tyrone Crawford kept his motor running last night. He didn’t have a sack but he applied pressure as well.

What’s good is that Jason Hatcher returned and had a sack as well.

The kept enough pressure on the Rams quarterbacks that it gave the secondary a great advantage.

Their first real test will come against the Giants. Let’s see how that rotation really works.

CONS

Jay Ratliff emerged from Saturday night’s game with a high ankle sprain. Ratliff is listed as questionable for the season opener against the Giants, and Dallas may be forced to use Josh Brent.

The Cowboys may also be without Marcus Spears as he may be cut, which could leave the team down two defensive linemen.

There is also the question about Lissemore as he’s unproven. He will be used more this season, but if he doesn’t pan out, who will the Cowboys turn to?

Inside Linebackers

Bruce Carter

Sean Lee

Lee had five tackles, one sack and a batted pass Saturday night against the Rams. He's the second-best linebacker on the team next to DeMarcus Ware and quickly turning into one of the team's leaders.

Carter is coming along quickly and nicely. He recorded three solo tackles and showed nice energy.

PROS

Both of these guys are young, talented and skillful. Lee had his coming out party a couple of seasons ago and hasn't looked back. He led the team in tackles in 2011 and is starting the preseason out in midseason form.

Carter is just getting started and seems to have made his way through the Cowboys' defensive scheme pretty quickly.

There has been an upgrade in the middle, and Carter and Lee shouldn't be exploited in the passing game as Keith Brooking and Bradie James.

CONS

Honestly, I don't see many cons with Lee. He is still young and needs to get a little stronger. He shed a few tackles last season that he should have had. But he will keep getting better.

Carter may still be hit or miss. We will see just how well he performs against the Giants.

I have concerns about Carter against the pass and how he'll play the middle of the field against the Giants receivers.

It is all a wait-and-see game with Carter but he'll have to make sure he doesn't miss.

Outside Linebackers

DeMarcus Ware

Anthony Spencer

We didn't see much of Ware this preseason but we know how great he can be.

Spencer is working toward a long-term deal but he did have a nice game against the Rams. He scored three tackles and got in on the pressure party as well.

PROS

Ware is the league's best pass-rusher. He just needs a partner to get a few more sacks to go along with him.

The good thing about Spencer is that he really wants a long-term deal and should play with a renewed attitude so that he'll be rewarded at season's end.

CONS

Spencer may be the same old Spencer from before. He recorded just six sacks in 2011 with 66 tackles. Not terrible for his position, but the team expected way more.

The expectation for him in 2012 is at least 10 sacks with more heat toward the quarterback.

If he cannot deliver more than what he's given the team in year's past, this will be his last season in Dallas.

Cornerbacks

Brandon Carr

Morris Claiborne

Did anyone see Carr's performance against the chargers? I know that its just the preseason but it gives hope for a unit that had their fair share of issues in 2011.

PROS

Carr and Claiborne will make a pretty good defensive pair. Claiborne got his second taste of NFL action against the Rams and he looked dang good.

He had a key pass breakup in the end zone to stop a touchdown and he used his body against Austin Pettis to force him out of bounds on a fade route in the end zone.

Carr is established and will get the opportunity to show how good he is right away while we will have to wait on Claiborne's maturation.

CONS

It's just the preseason and we have no idea how good Carr and Claiborne will be on the field. Carr had two picks against the Chargers but I say again that it's the preseason.

Claiborne is still learning Rob Ryan's system, as is Carr, so there will be growing pains.

If he has to many of those growing pains against teams like the Giants, Eagles and Saints, it may turn out to be a pretty long season for Claiborne and the crew.

Safeties

Gerald Sensabaugh

Barry Church

Here's hoping that Church's ascension to starter wasn't truly be default. The Cowboys decided to release newly signed safety Brodney Pool after he failed his conditioning test early in training camp.

Sensabaugh is getting older but he's still the team's best safety.

PROS

Dallas may finally have a pair of safeties in the defensive backfield that it can count on. Sensabaugh has been steady for the team since he arrived and just needs to remain healthy to keep his consistency.

Fans may not know much about Church, but he's young, energetic and seems to have the attention of the coaches.

Again—he'll be judged by how he plays against the best: Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Michael Vick.

We'll see how he delivers.

CONS

If Church can't deliver, the team will be forced to look elsewhere.

He wasn't expected to start, as Pool was thought to be the man the team wanted. But now he gets his chance and we'll have to see if he's ready for prime time.

What's working against him is that not many fans are expecting much from him. If he has a couple of mistakes in prime time, say a Sunday or Monday night game, then he will face the wrath of Cowboy nation.

Anyone heard from Roy Williams lately?

Special Teams

Dan Bailey

Chris Jones

Dan Bailey is automatic.

Chris Jones is an entirely different story. He's not Mat McBriar, but can he at least give the defense a decent position on the field?

PROS

Bailey is a darn good field goal kicker. He put on a clinic versus the Rams and will continue to do so for the rest of the year.

Hope I didn't just jinx him, but there isn't really a lot to say about Bailey. Let's just hope he keeps his confidence.

CONS

Chris Jones dropped a snap against the Chargers last week but redeemed himself by running for a first down.

He still has room to grow and he was trying to attempt a flip-flop punt when he dropped the snap.

The good thing is that it was just the preseason, so there is a little more room for error.

The concern about Jones? That he won't be anywhere near as good as McBriar.