(Editor's Note: Throughout the off-season, DallasCowboys.com staff writers will take a closer look at the Cowboys' roster, analyzing the impact of more than 50 players last season and just how each fits into the team's 2009 plans. Today's featured player is wide receiver Isaiah Stanback.)

Name: Isaiah Stanback
Position: Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-2, 208
Experience: Two seasons
College: Washington

Key stat: Stanback played 11 college games at wide receiver, all during his freshman season in 2003 - nearly four years before the Cowboys drafted him. Naturally, the 24-year-old is still adjusting to the position after entering the league with mostly quarterback experience. He was a two-year starter for the Huskies as a junior and senior.

Contract Status: Signed through 2010.

2008 Impact: During the preseason, Stanback suffered a shoulder subluxation for the second time in a year but delayed season-ending surgery until after the Cowboys' finale loss to Philadelphia. He was active for only eight games, catching two passes for 24 yards and working primarily as a kickoff returner (21.8-yard average). His 58-yard return Thanksgiving Day against Seattle was a career best.

Where He Fits: Assuming he makes the team, Stanback would round out the receiver rotation and possibly contribute on returns again, though a healthy Felix Jones might reclaim the kickoff return duties. The "Wildcat" formation is also a possibility if the Cowboys implement it. The Cowboys invested only a seventh-round pick (Manuel Johnson) at receiver in this year's draft, so Stanback has a great chance to make the roster as presently constructed. They like his athleticism and have been patient with his development. Maybe Johnson and a rookie free agent like Kevin Ogletree push him for a job, though.

Writers' Analysis

Rob Phillips: Injuries have marred Stanback's first two seasons and probably slowed his transition to receiver. He was recovering from foot surgery when the Cowboys drafted him, and he's since dealt with a bout of shin splints and two shoulder injuries. He's a terrific athlete and a willing worker, but it's critical for him to stay healthy. Every year there's someone hunting for your job.

Nick Eatman: The time is now for Stanback. He knows it, the Cowboys know it and the fans know it. The Cowboys have given him time to not only heal from his injuries, but make the transition from a college quarterback to wide receiver. But now it's time for him to step up. If the Cowboys indeed have a role for him in a Wildcat formation or something similar, that should give him an advantage. But Stanback has to find a way to stay healthy and contribute or he'll be on the outside of the 53-man roster this season.

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