OTHER RECENT NEWS • Mailbag: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 • Off-Season Program Begins Tuesday For Injured Rookies  2/8 • Rob Phillips: Saints' Rise Should Lend Some Perspective  2/8 • Mailbag: Monday, February 8, 2010 • As Expected, Smith Gets First-Ballot Hall of Fame Call  2/7 • Spagnola: Payton's Aggressive Nature Has Super Results  2/7 • A Look Back At Emmitt's Hall of Fame Career  2/7 • Notes: Committee Denies Haley For HOF Once Again  2/6 • What Great RBs - Past & Present Are Saying About Smith  2/6 • Haley Has Strong Canton Credentials  2/5

IRVING, Texas - It's a move many Cowboys fans have been asking for since this summer and earlier. With all this newfound depth at cornerback, some figured the Cowboys could better use Anthony Henry at safety.

The 32-year-old played free safety his first three years in college at South Florida before moving to cornerback, his primary position these last eight seasons in the NFL. Only Sunday did the Cowboys begin to use Henry as a safety, the 6-1, 207-pounder sliding back in nickel and dime situations opposite free safety Ken

Hamlin, and staying at right cornerback in the base defense.

With season-ending injuries to Roy Williams and Pat Watkins hurting the position's depth, and the return of Adam "Pacman" Jones creating more options at cornerback, the Cowboys decided they could maximize their talent by playing their top four corners at once, even if the Steelers only used three wide receivers.

For the most part, Henry seemed to fit in OK.

Coach Wade Phillips complimented the play of Keith Davis in the base defense, particularly his presence against the run. When Davis left the field with a knee injury shortly before halftime the Cowboys replaced him with first-year safety Tra Battle. Davis returned for the second half, but wore a heavy wrap on the knee and limped badly Monday. He was also scheduled to have an MRI, making his status for Sunday uncertain.

It appears Henry will keep the safety job on sub-packages, but for now at least, Phillips seems to think moving Henry to safety full-time creates more problems than it solves.

"You really have to change things around to put Henry in at strong safety on first and second downs because he's not a strong safety, he's a free safety," Phillips said. "And we've got a free safety in Hamlin, who could play strong safety, but now you're changing two guys at two positions and so forth.

"And we're playing pretty well with our regular group, so it's something we probably wouldn't do far as changing the strong safety and free safety positions. Unless the need comes . . . during the game we told him, 'You're the next guy, so you better be ready.'"

So barring injury, it appears any lasting move to safety for Henry will have to wait until the off-season.

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