We all knew the Cowboys were going to sign at least one safety here in free agency, and they possibly still have some work to do after reaching a deal with Gerald Sensabaugh Tuesday evening.
But the one-year contract worth $2.5 million – which just so happens to be the third straight one-year deal Sensabaugh has signed with the Cowboys, takes care of this year. But it doesn't force the Cowboys' hand for the future seasons.
And even if the Cowboys get a deal done with someone like Abram Elam or Dashon Goldson- a pair of Drew Rosenhaus clients who probably won't be interested in one-year deals, it doesn't completely shut out the younger safeties already on the roster.
No, Barry Church and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah probably won't be the best starting options for this team in 2011. While they're working with the first-team defense right now, it can't be the plan for this year.
But down the road, the Cowboys obviously have some high hopes for both of them. Had the Cowboys locked up Sensabaugh and/or another veteran to long-term deals, then who knows when these guys would ever get the chance to play?
Jerry Jones said it himself on Sunday that younger guys need to play quicker, and he blamed himself for that. He mentioned guys like Doug Free and Miles Austin who probably wouldn't have been as expensive to re-sign had the Cowboys figured out about their abilities earlier.
So the move makes sense for the Cowboys, who get a veteran player right now, but he'll have to earn a big contract once again this year.
