John Phillips News

In todays NFL, tight ends are becoming a vital part to offenses around the league.

The Dallas Cowboys would hate to cut tight end James Hanna this summer, but if he can't prove he's reliable, they may have no choice.

In Part 1 of this look at the long range strategy of the Dallas Cowboys , I talked about the partnership of Stephen Jones and Jason Garrett and some of the things I think that they have accomplished so far.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett spent last season emphasizing a "Swing the Bat" philosophy with his players, awarding an engraved Louisville Slugger as the top individual honor after each win.

Kevin Ogletree was an undrafted free agent in 2009 but continues to find ways to make an impact for the Dallas Cowboys.

Slotted behind tight ends Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett on the depth chart, Phillips also served as a fullback and H-back. According to ProFootballFocus.com, he was on the field for 333 offensive snaps - only 36 fewer than Felix Jones' total.

Michael Bailey Smith as Belthazor on "Charmed" After a career-ending knee injury jettisoned his plans to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Eastern Michigan University alumnus Michael Bailey Smith turned to acting.

In my last post , I tried to look at the chances different players from the Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp had of making the final roster this year.

If experience is any indication, the Cowboys third receiver going into 2012 will undoubtedly be Kevin Ogletree.

The Cowboys turned eight draft picks into seven players including the best defensive player on their board.

James Hanna allowed himself to dream about playing for the Cowboys as he grew up in Flower Mound.

Now that the Dallas Cowboys' 2012 draft is done and no more big-name free agents will be signed, - at least we think they won't - it is time for an earlier-than-early projection of the 53-man roster.

If the Cowboys hadn't traded up, Michael Brockers probably would have been holding up one of their jerseys at the draft.