I think there's a good chance Kitna retires (
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/6837897/dallas-cowboys-jon-kitna-prepared-career-winds-down). As a side note, we're probably the only team in the NFL whose top two QB's were undrafted.
I think Newman could stick around a little while longer, but I wouldn't be surprised if we let him go. He's still talented, but at his age, he's more prone to injury, and it will take him longer to recover.
Bennett probably won't stick around. I don't think he's happy with his role, and I don't think he's a guy that really loves to play football. You could kind of see it from the start with his outside interests. I don't think that sits well with the Garretts. Phillips makes him expendable, and I think the team would be happy to get a couple of young guys in to compete for the third TE spot. I could see Bennett ending up somewhere else for a modest contract. I like the guy, but I don't really see a lot of upside at this point.
Choice is a goner. He's got a role, but it's too easily filled by any of a number of young guys next year.
I think James might be around for a few more years. He's got his limitations, but he fills a role. Ideally, Carter and Lee man the middle in the coming years, but it's a bit of a leap to assume Carter's going to come in and set the world on fire. I think there will be some hard choices to make. I wouldn't be surprised to see the team decide to roll with Cummings and/or Lemon if they want to go young and cheap (if they are even available; not sure about that), but ideally I think you want to have at least one guy around that's been in the defense a few years. Lee might be well versed enough to supplant James as the defensive leader even with only 2 years under his belt.
Brooking probably retires.
Ogletree is a question mark to me. He's playing on a $480K one-year contract. They like him well enough to be giving him lots of snaps, but it would be easy enough to cut ties with him. He'd probably catch on somewhere, but WR has got to be one of the most competitive positions with maybe the exception of RB. Ogletree isn't particularly big, but he's got good speed. That's enough to get a look most places, but he really needs to realize that he's on a one-year audition right now. He could be out of football in a snap, or he could get it together and put together a nice career. Not too many half million dollar jobs waiting for a guy like KO.
Kosier's not going anywhere.
I think next year's offseason is going to be interesting. I expect in free agency we'll be looking more at role players that fit the character that Garrett would like to build rather than the splashy guys that we've chased in the past. Of course, with the Joneses, I think there is always an eye toward marketing, but the team's in a position to sort of continuously improve by churning. If we can build depth in that way (which is really the way to get backups), it leaves the draft as a place where the team can find real impact players.
I'd like to see us get a dynamic defensive back next year. I also think it's a good year to pick up a developmental QB in the mid-to-late rounds. I wasn't that impressed with either of the young guys that came to camp this year, and we'll probably need a 3rd QB. Most of all, I hope we pick up a good tackle prospect or two. We've got some guys in the mix for the interior line, but we're pretty thin on the outside. I don't know that I would spend a first rounder on a tackle, but if it's a late pick, I wouldn't be opposed.
The team is shaping up nicely right now. I'm hoping Romo will play for at least 4 more years, during which time we ought to be in the mix just about every year.
