The Cowboys have a few decisions to make regarding their secondary. Should they carry on with Terence Newman? Is Orlando Scandrick a starter? Is it time to draft a cornerback early?
The team also has three free agents in the defensive backfield, cornerbacks Frank Walker, Alan Ball and safety Abe Elam. They may or may not decide to bring any or all of them back, but at least in the opinion of new secondary coach Jerome Henderson, Elam is the kind of guy any coach would like to have around.
Henderson worked with the safety in Cleveland in 2009 and 2010.
"Abe is probably one of the best people I know, one of the best men," Henderson said. "He cares about his teammate, cares about football, works his butt off, studies, prepares, competes, he's tough. I'd love to get . . . "
Henderson stopped himself at that point, then was asked if that meant Elam would be back.
"We're in the evaluation process," Henderson said. "That'll be (a decision) that's between Mr. Jones and Coach Garrett, that will be made. For me, you give me a group of guys and I'm going to coach them and give them all I've got. I don't always have a say in who those guys are, I just want to get in there, roll my sleeves up and get to work."
With Scandrick and safety Gerald Sensabaugh signed to long-term deals this year, both are basically guaranteed to be around, and cornerback Mike Jenkins had a good season while fighting through injuries. The rest of the secondary is up in the air, however.
"I'm sure that there are guys in place that will be one this team that will be big contributors on the team," Henderson said. "I just don't know the roles and what I've got to do with them to get them where I want them to be, where I think they should be . . . It's just, how will I ask them to play next year, or what will we ask them to do different next year, I think that's the question I've got to figure out."
