OXNARD, Calif. –It's been the most talked-about position of the offseason, and probably the most worried about position, too.
For all the mystery at wide receiver, behind a presumably healthy Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, it's not like the Cowboys are protecting a national secret. In fact, Jason Garrett laid all his cards on the table Tuesday, explaining the position battle in great detail.
Here's what he had to say about the search for Laurent Robinson's replacement:
"Let's talk about the third guy, first. We're fortunate that we have a receiver in Miles Austin who is versatile. Miles can be an outside receiver. He's big, he's strong, he's fast. But he also has the ability to play inside, and we've played him at both spots, so we don't have a makeup with our first two receivers where you say, 'These guys are outside guys. We need that kind of slot, nickel guy.' We have freedom because of Miles' versatility. So really what we're looking for is the best player, a guy who can play inside and make that group of three receivers really difficult to defend, or, hey, Miles, you go play inside, we like this guy playing outside.
"The guys who are really competing are Kevin Ogletree. Kevin has some ability to play both outside and inside. He's done both. He has the physical traits to be an outside receiver, and he has the knack and the feel to be an inside receiver. He just needs more snaps.
"And the other guys, Andre Holmes, we view him as more of an outside guy. Dwayne Harris can do a little bit of both. So all those guys are in the mix, along with the young guys we have a around here who we just brought to our team this year."
Those not mentioned were Raymond Radway, who has the size to play outside, Cole Beasley, who is a slot receiver, and Danny Coale, Tim Benford, and Donovan Kemp, each of whom has a size and speed ratio that suggests they could play in either spot.
