Dallas Cowboys: Top 5 Preseason Position Battles to Watch

The Dallas Cowboys come into the 2011 season looking to shake up the NFC East and once again impress fans from across the NFL. 

For the first time in years, the Cowboys are coming out of a disappointing season and enter the 2011 NFL season as underdogs. With some pressure coming off the Cowboys back, the coaches and staff have been working diligently to improve the team and get their players back on track and into their winning ways. 

This offseason has shown some impressive and smart decisions for the football team, and head coach Jason Garrett seems to be making the right choices when it comes to rebuilding a broken football team.

He has brought in defensive mastermind Rob Ryan, brother of Jets head coach Rex, and the new defensive scheme can bring some needed improvements to a defense that gave up the second highest point total in the NFL last season. 

After parting ways with former Cowboys Roy Williams, Sam Hurd and Marion Barber, the team may be looking for a new identity. As the preseason is shaping to mold which players will be playing where in the coming season, the fans look to examine who will be playing where on the Cowboys depth chart and starting day roster.

The team has made some interesting moves and look to introduce some of the more controversial and exciting position battles.

5. Fullback

While this is not exactly the classic example of a position battle for a team that is heralded as “America’s Team,” Isaiah Greenhouse is not exactly the classic example of a fullback. 

Stories like these are a reason as to why the NFL is so much fun to watch and follow on a regular basis. After a workout earlier this week, backup quarterback and NFL veteran Jon Kitna approached secondary linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse and asked him if he’d ever played fullback.

According to the Star Telegram, the linebacker responded by saying, “I’ve never really played it but wouldn’t mind it.” A few minutes later, head coach Jason Garrett approached Greenhouse. Garret told him that the team would be trying him out at fullback. 

Knowing that he could be cut if he stayed along as a linebacker, Greenhouse eagerly accepted his new opportunity. He may not be the favorite to win the starting position, but the fact that the Cowboys are even looking for a new fullback proves that they aren’t satisfied with the role that Chris Gronkowski has played thus far.

Greenhouse’s story is certainly one that I’ll be following as the NFL season grows closer, and I eagerly await to see the results of this experiment.

4. Linebacker

The Dallas Cowboys showcase one of the finest linebackers in the league with DeMarcus Ware on their roster, but questions have arisen in regards to the other starting linebacker slot.

Recent reports from training camp have been saying that former standout pass-rusher, and current starter Anthony Spencer may have lost a step or two in training camp.

If Anthony Spencer continues his inconsistent ways, he could lose the job to up and comer Victor Butler, who could be a sneaky addition to the Cowboys defense. According to ESPN, Coach Garrett still feels like Spencer is a feared linebacker around the NFL, but he worries about Spencer’s inconsistencies.

Conveniently for Butler, reports from MySanAntonio.com say that Butler has developed a relationship with defensive coach Rob Ryan and that the Cowboys are looking at Butler as a secret weapon for their defense.

Anthony Spencer hasn’t exactly lost his job quite yet, but if he fails to improve his consistency on the defensive side of the ball the Cowboys will find someone like Victor Butler who would be happy to. Butler, 24, is looking forward to the confidence that Ryan has in him.

If the Cowboys favor the young player over the proven veteran, I think the team would have a higher ceiling of potential success with the player on the rise.

3. Defensive End

The Dallas Cowboys have significant depth at the defensive end position, and as the team transitions from Wade Phillips’s 3-4 scheme to Rob Ryan’s 3-4 scheme, they may look to make some significant changes.

While it has already been reported that Kenyon Coleman will be starting over Igor Olshansky, it does not mean that the position battle is over. Coleman, who is coming from Cleveland with Ryan, has been declared the starting left end but the four defensive ends—Coleman, Hatcher, Olshansky and Spears— are looking to share snaps for the defense this season.

Olshansky has been quoted as saying that he is in a great opportunity to learn how to play the left end position. Olshansky, a graduate of the University of Oregon and a personal favorite, came with Phillips from San Diego when Phillips got the coaching job for the Cowboys.

Since his arrival, his play has been disappointing, and he did not record a single sack last season.

Even though Olshansky seems to favor learning the new defense of the Cowboys rather than getting cut and playing for Phillips in San Diego, with a defensive line as deep as the Cowboys have that may just be his future as Jason Hatcher has been on a tear as of late, and was even called "Player of the Day" by Jason Garrett in their most recent preseason game.

2. Tailback

With the recent release of Marion Barber, the core of Barber-Jones is no longer in existence.

Felix Jones, the speedy third year player out of Arkansas, has clearly won the starting position. His play has been impressive since his arrival in the NFL, and he is a player that Cowboys fans can trust in order to win games in the coming seasons.

The razorback position, however, seems to be up for grabs.

Many would have assumed that the job was Tashard Choice’s as a lock given his recent success in the organization as well, but this offseason has been a disaster for the young back. He has been forced to miss games with a calf injury and has been standing on the sidelines as younger backs look to compete for his job.

The Cowboys drafted DeMarco Murray with their third round pick in the recent NFL Draft, and in the preseason, an undrafted player by the name of Lonyae Miller has given himself an opportunity to pull a Miles Austin and win the team over with his stellar play.

Choice is still the most favored razorback option for the backup tailback position in Dallas, and his knowledge of the wildcat formation makes him an appealing option.

The team, however, may be looking for the immediate help and flash of one of the two younger options in Miller or Murray.

1. Cornerback

This is the most interesting position battle of the preseason for the Cowboys in 2011 because any permutation or combination of the three options could occur for the Cowboys this season.

After coming up short on the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys are still unclear about whom they will send out as their starting defensive backs on opening day.

The Cowboys were among the worst in the NFL in defensive coverage last season and need a significant improvement at corner back if they look to have any defensive success next season.

Terrence Newman, their former perennial option, is out with the same injury that he had last season. His return is questionable, and he could end up losing out on his job if Scandrick, Jenkins or an unproven rookie can come out and get it.  

While Jenkins was a standout player in 2009 and is one of the hardest working players on the team (when I went to see the Cowboys play in 2009, Jenkins was the first one on the field hours before the game), his 2010 showcase was a bit of a disappointment to say the least.

Scandrick, who I’ve had the fortune of meeting due to a personal connection with a cousin of his, is my pick for success this season. I had the pleasure of talking to Orlando for an hour or so and was impressed with his confidence and general knowledge of the game.

When asked about Chris Johnson, my favorite player at the time, Scandrick told me that at the NFL Combine, he was the only player that was able to outrun Johnson.

I remember sitting in his house watching the Colts game with him, as he was able to call every single play that Peyton Manning was about to call. “Just have to look for it,” Scandrick told me.

A local player to Los Angeles and fan favorite from the Boise State team, Scandrick enters the NFL season in a contract year and hopes to impress the league this season. While a fantastic player in the nickel, some have doubts about his ability to cover.

If he steps up this season, he and Jenkins could win the starting positions before Newman even has the chance to show his improvements from his injury.