Nate Jones signs with Miami; Malcolm Kelly to visit Dallas Cowboys

Nate Jones was signed today by the Miami Dolphins to a two year contract.

It is almost laughable the amount of personnel Bill Parcells has signed away from Dallas. I don't think it is that much of a bad thing and in fact I think that the coaching staff will have more chemistry with the "Parcells guys" bolting for South Beach. Just something doesn't seem right about the whole thing, as if this were a planned coup from the beginning. Regardless, with Nate Jones officially gone the Cowboys have zero experienced corners left on the roster outside of Terence Newman and Anthony Henry. Even if the Cowboys score a top tier cornerback in the draft things could get very dicey if either starter goes down with an injury.

Hat tip to Cowboys81 for posting the story in his diary.

On the subject of players departing for Miami, Nick Eatman has a great article hitting on how the loss of Keith Davis will affect the team.

When the kickoff team would take the field, especially to start the game, there was No. 29, always standing about 25 yards away from the ball, inching closer to the goal line. For a home game, he would use that time to get the crowd as excited as he could. Pumping his arms, urging the fans to get on their feet, Davis was a glorified cheerleader in the moments before the ball was kicked.

But once it was up in the air, no player the Cowboys have seen for quite some time became such a menace than Davis, who was never considered one of the team's fastest players.

Dallas will miss his intensity and leadership more than anything. Anytime you lose a team captain replacing him becomes a very tough task. Keith Davis was a player respected by the team and one who the younger players looked up to. Grizz mentioned Alan Ball as someone who could step up in his place, but my money is on Deon Anderson. Before he got hurt he had started to establish himself as an intense player willing to hurtle himself into the wedge on kickoffs, as well as being a well liked player in the locker room.

The DMN blog is reporting that WR Malcolm Kelly will join the Cowboys for a pre-draft visit.

While the prospect of Malcolm Kelly slipping to the Cowboys is tantalizing, I just cannot see the Cowboys drafting a receiver in the first round. The coach and the owner have both stated how confident they are in the group we already have on the team. However that could all change on draft day and if a player such as Kelly were to fall in the Cowboys lap then by all means you have to pick him.

If that scenario were to happen and the Cowboys are unable to get a first round running back, do not dispair. I am steadily getting more excited by East Carolina's Chris Johnson. He was the fastest man at the combine and has the ability to play receiver in the slot. His college offensive coordinator mentioned how he might be used in Dallas.

"You talk about a good marriage," Shankweiler said, referring to Johnson's potential pairing with Marion Barber. "He could spell him, but you could put them both in the game at the same time, too."

His versatility makes him a very intriguing prospect. He obviously has the speed yet he is also able to break tackles and get yards after the hit. His ability to move out to receiver for certain plays could cause havoc for defenses. The combination of Johnson and Marion Barber in the backfield and then Johnson motioning to the slot is mouth-watering idea. A play-action fake to Barber that sets up a screen to Johnson....nice.

Gil Brandt had some comments about the fact Dominique-Rodgers Cromartie comes from a small school, and how it might make the Cowboys worry about drafting him.

"There is a difference playing against the competition he has played against, but we got a guy named Everson Walls from the same league who turned out pretty well for us," said Brandt, now an analyst for NFL.com and Sirius NFL Radio.

Walls was undrafted coming out of Grambling, but that didn’t deter the Cowboys from signing him. Walls went on to intercept 57 passes in 13 seasons, including nine with Dallas, and make All Pro four times.

I think there is some merit to the concern about the opposition DRC faced in his college career. However, his physical abilities would be the same if he played for the University of Rhode Island or USC.

Scratch another free agent RB off the list.

Derrick Ward re-signed with the New York Giants.