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When the Cowboys lost Laurent Robinson in free agency it started a hot debate as to who the third wide receiver is going to be.

Dwayne Harris. Kevin Ogletree. Raymond Radway. Andre Holmes. Danny Coale.

Who?

The other candidates for the third receiver spot on the training camp roster are Saalim Hakim, Cole Beasley, Tim Benford and Donavon Kemp.

Ogletree has the most experience of the competitors, yet he's been inconsistent in his time with the Cowboys. He finished last season with just 15 catches and was overtaken by Robinson for the No. 3 spot early in the season. In a slight, Ogletree was active for the last regular season game of the 2011 season but didn't play a snap.

Jerry Jones said he's seen a different Ogletree this offseason. Ogletree has picked up more bulk and there seems to be a renewed emphasis on becoming a more accomplished wide receiver.

The other candidates all have good stories and could emerge as a force this season should they beat out Ogletree.

"I think its fairly open," wide receivers coach Jimmy Robinson said. "Honestly we have to have somebody step up and say, 'Hey this is my job,' and if we don't then it's going to be by committee if nothing else. We're not even close to saying who that guy is. We got a number of guys who are going to work in the slot and we'll see how it goes. It will take us all the way through training camp and preseason games before we know, I think."

In the Cowboys' passing game, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten are the prime targets. So when the Cowboys got an 11-touchdown, 858-receiving-yard season from Robinson, it was a bonus.

It's hard to say if someone will duplicate Robinson's numbers of 2011. But if, say, the third receiver gets about 400-500 receiving yards with 3-4 touchdowns, that would be a plus.

The question is, do the Cowboys have someone on their roster who can do this?

A popular theory among Cowboys fans is Holmes has a chance to become the No. 3 wideout.

"I think Andre is working hard," quarterback Tony Romo said. "He's got a big upside and he has a chance to be a good receiver in this league."

The first projected win totals of the 2012 NFL season emerged from Nevada this week.

Green Bay and New England are the early leaders at 12 wins apiece -- the Packers enjoying a slight edge for those who favor the over. An over/under of 10 wins has been set for Houston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and San Francisco.

Dallas, with its new-look secondary, can put 8.5 win in its sights. ESPNDallas.com's Cowboys writers are split on whether the team can surpass the number:

TODD ARCHER (Over)

Are you taking the over or the under on 8.5 wins for the Cowboys?

•  
  87%
  Over
•  
  13%
  Under

(Total votes: 5,600)

I think this is a 10-win team and that will put them in the playoffs. The schedule is difficult but there is a chance to get off to a good start, and the softer part is in the middle of the schedule where they can put themselves in good position for December. I wouldn't say the Cowboys are a championship team, but they can get in the tournament.

TIM MacMAHON (Under)

I'm predicting another 8-8 season for the Cowboys, so give me the under, as long as I don't have to put any money down. I don't really have great football reasons to foresee another .500 season for the Cowboys, just a gut feel. Dallas turned the team's most glaring weakness -- the cornerback corps -- into a strength. They have an impressive arsenal of offensive skill players and hope they can stay healthy. But I've been conditioned to expect the underwhelming from this franchise.

JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR (Under)

The Cowboys still have too many holes and question marks on their roster to believe they're going to be one of the NFL's surprises this year. They play 10 games against quality quarterbacks this season and that doesn't include four games against Washington's Robert Griffin III, Cincinnati's Andy Dalton and Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman. Add four games against the rugged AFC North, not including the Cleveland Browns, and the Cowboys could be an improved team and still have the same record as they did in 2011.

CALVIN WATKINS (Over)

The Cowboys are an improved team from last year and that should help them with a daunting schedule that includes tough non-divisional road games at Baltimore, Atlanta and Carolina. The late-season schedule that bothered the Cowboys in years past won't be a problem this year. The Cowboys will handle it and win 10 games.

It's your turn. Are you taking the over or the under?

IRVING, Texas – Danny Coale will need surgery to repair a broken left foot suffered in Tuesday’s organized team activity at Valley Ranch, according to a source.

The surgery means Coale could miss the early part of training camp, which will begin in the final week of July. Cowboys’ rookies, quarterbacks and injured veterans are scheduled to practice for a few days before the team leaves for Oxnard, Calif., on July 28.

Coale, the Cowboys’ fifth-round pick, suffered the injury toward the end of the first OTA and limped off the field. He underwent an MRI at the team’s facility. Surgery is scheduled for later this week.

Coale is one of a handful of receivers the Cowboys are looking at to fill the vacant No. 3 spot behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant, but missing the OTAs and June minicamp will hurt. Coale’s absence will give Kevin Ogletree, Dwayne Harris, Raymond Radway and Andre Holmes more of an opportunity to secure the third wide receiver role.

He is the third Cowboys draft pick who will miss the entire offseason because of surgery. First-round pick Morris Claiborne is recovering from left wrist surgery performed before the draft, and while he expressed hope he could take part in the minicamp the team will be cautious with his return. Linebacker Kyle Wilber, a fourth-round pick, suffered a fractured right index finger in the rookie minicamp and will not be ready until training camp.

IRVING, Texas – Danny Coale's first organized team activity ended with the rookie wide receiver suffering a left foot injury that will require an MRI.

The Cowboys kicked off their voluntary OTAs at Valley Ranch on Tuesday with a near-full roster on the field before Coale was hurt. The extent of the injury is not known as of yet.

The only eligible players missing from the workout were linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who had personal business and will be in attendance Wednesday, and cornerback Mike Jenkins, who is skipping the OTAs and is looking for a trade, according to sources.

Coale is one of a handful of receivers the Cowboys are looking at to fill the vacant No. 3 spot behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. He finished his college career second in Virginia Tech history in receptions and yards.

A prolonged absence would hurt the fifth-round pick's chances of making a big contribution as a rookie.

He is the second draft pick to get hurt in the last month. Linebacker Kyle Wilber, a fourth-round pick, suffered a fractured right index finger in the rookie minicamp and is expected to be out until training camp. First-round pick Morris Claiborne is recovering from left wrist surgery performed before the draft.

Coach Jason Garrett and a group of Cowboys players will compete in a home run derby for charity Wednesday afternoon at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Reliant will donate money to Big Brothers Big Sisters depending on how well the football players can swing baseball bats. The event won't be open to the public. The Rangers will be playing in Seattle on Wednesday.

From the media release:

Reliant will donate $500 for each home run hit by a player during the event and will also have 11 bull's-eye targets for a chance for the players to hit in the amounts of $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. Reliant will also double the donation amounts for the last ball, known as the “money ball,” hit by each player. About 150 members of the BBBS organization and the Dallas Cowboys Rookie Club, presented by UnitedHealthcare, will attend the event to cheer on the Cowboys.

Former Rangers pitcher Tim Crabtree will be on the mound, and the players schedule to compete are Miles Austin, Jason Witten, DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, John Phillips, Doug Free, Sean Lee, Kevin Ogletree and Jason Hatcher.

Place your bets now: Who will be the best slugger in the bunch?

Troy Aikman might be the only person as impressed with the Cowboys’ roster as Jerry Jones.

“The Cowboys are as talented as just about any team in the league,” Aikman said while appearing on The Rich Eisen Podcast with fellow Triplets Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin over the weekend.

Aikman has always been high on Tony Romo, taking his praise to a new level earlier this offseason by declaring that Romo was better than him. There is no question in Aikman’s mind that the Cowboys have a quarterback in place who is capable of leading a team to a title.

“I know that to win you have to have a great quarterback, and I believe that Tony Romo is that,” Aikman said. “I know what the criticisms are. I know that he has to win in January before people really put him in the elite status. But until you do that, there are always going to be those questions.

“He had a great year last year. That’s the concerning thing to me is that you think about how good he played last year and yet it still wasn’t good enough for this team to make the playoffs. That’s a concern.”

The Cowboys have addressed some personnel concerns this offseason, most significantly turning a glaring weakness into a strength by adding Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne to the cornerback corps.

Dallas also has to figure out how to stop fading down the stretch, which has been an issue since Bill Parcells’ days ruling the Valley Ranch roost. The hope is that the players getting the opportunity to work with six-time Super Bowl champion strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik will solve some of those problems.

Jones thought the Cowboys were Super Bowl contenders last season until they were eliminated from the playoffs in the de facto NFC East title game against the Giants on New Year’s Day, which was Dallas’ fourth loss in the final five games. Aikman agrees with that thought process.

“With three weeks left in the season, nobody even thought they were going to make the playoffs,” Aikman said of the Giants. “They hit it at the right time and got to playing well, gained some confidence, and they go on to win the Super Bowl. When you look back on that season, you fail to remember they really struggled for a good part of that year.

“The Cowboys, had they have won that last game of the season against the Giants, then they would have been in the playoffs. Now, I don’t know if they would have gone on to win the Super Bowl, but that’s how fine the line is between winning and losing, and winning a Super Bowl in this league.

“For the Cowboys if you look at the total picture, one playoff win in however many years that it’s been – not real good. But I do, as Emmitt said, agree that Jason Garrett is the right guy. Now, he has to win. There is a lot of pressure on him and they have some things in place. We seem to say this every year, but I expect them to have a really good year.”

Guard Mackenzy Bernadeau underwent hip surgery over the weekend and will be out for as long as 12 weeks. He will most likely miss the entire offseason of work at Valley Ranch, including the veteran minicamp in June.

He could even miss the first week of training camp and return in August.

You can take this as a major blow to a team that just signed Bernadeau to a four-year, $11 million deal in free agency. Or it can be seen as a chance for other players to get some reps with the first-team offense.

The Cowboys have depth in the interior of the line with David Arkin, Bill Nagy, Kevin Kowalski and Ronald Leary.

Arkin wasn't active for any games last season as a rookie, getting a redshirt if you will. Nagy started three games before his season ended with a broken ankle.

The coaches like Kowalski's toughness and his ability to play center. Leary can play both guard spots and, despite a chronic knee problem, had a mid-round draft grade on some NFL teams' boards.

Of course, the Cowboys have Nate Livings, whom they signed in free agency along with Bernadeau. Livings said he can play left and right guard, which is a positive thing for a team that wants versatility with its linemen.

While yes, Bernandeau's loss should concern you a little, there are others waiting to get some work over the summer and the early stages of training camp. That can help with the overall development of the team.

And to say Bernadeau's injury could lead to more problems is unfair. He was listed just once on the injury report last season with Carolina, and that was in Week 1.

Bernadeau should be ready to go at some point in 2012. Until that time, there is depth on the roster, which is good.

I've enjoyed reading the recent comments from the fans regarding Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. The comments are based on a column written by KC Joyner, an NFL Insider for ESPN, who says Romo is a top-5 quarterback.

I agree. Statistically, Romo is.

Behind the stats, Romo plays tough, leads by example and does win games. Regular-season games.

At this stage of Romo's career, he needs to push his team to bigger things.

Romo has two years left on his contract and there's a belief the Cowboys will extend him for more years. However, Romo has to do something: win in the postseason.

He's got one playoff win, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

Romo has to do more. Much more.

If Romo wants to be considered an elite quarterback -- like Eli Manning, Tom Brady, a healthy Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers -- he must push his team toward a deep playoff run.

"It's just about winning," Romo said late last month. "There is no discussion to be had for anybody. There is probably one guy who has ever played the position who didn’t win a Super Bowl who is in the discussion for the greatest quarterbacks and that’s Dan Marino. There are not a lot of them that get thrown around. You know that. It’s the same thing as winning majors in golf. We know what matters as a quarterback. We know what matters."

Romo doesn't get enough credit from the fans and maybe some in the media for what he's done for the Cowboys. He stabilized a position that was hurting the franchise. No quarterback is perfect, just ask the fans of the Baltimore Ravens who want to run Joe Flacco out of town.

Through 77 career starts, Romo is 47-30. Troy Aikman was 45-32 after 77 games and Roger Staubach was 59-18. Brady was 58-19 and Roethlisberger 55-22.

Did Romo cost the Cowboys some games last year? Of course. The debacles against the New York Jets and Detroit Lions come to mind very quickly.

If anything, Romo has to make those around him better.

If Dez Bryant doesn't know the plays (we believe he does), but there's this perception he doesn't, then Romo needs to get on him. Romo said once he doesn't believe in publicly scolding guys, especially on the sideline, that's fine.

Behind closed doors is where he does his best work.

The Cowboys need Romo now more than ever. The defense is getting better, thanks to what Jerry Jones and the front office did in the draft and free agency. It seems the offense really didn't need much tweaking other than the interior of the offensive line.

Upgrades at the guard spots and switching the tackles should improve the offensive line this season. The core group at running back and wide receiver remain the same.

So does the quarterback.

With that in mind, it's time for Romo to get his team into the postseason. And once he gets there, win more than one playoff game. That should be the only stat that should mean something now.

During a podcast with NFL Network's Rich Eisen scheduled to air Thursday, The Triplets -- Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin -- talked about the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Super Bowl title, the first for Jerry Jones, and various other subjects.

Smith, the Hall of Famer and NFL's career leading rusher with 18,355 yards, likes the Cowboys' running backs but made some interesting comments about backup Felix Jones.

"And then when you look at the running back corps, they have two good guys – very good guys – and either one of them can shoulder the load and shoulder the burden at any point in time," Smith said. "We need Felix Jones to step up because we know DeMarco Murray can make it happen. We need Felix to step up a little bit – that’s a true statement."

Now, let's repeat, Smith said the Cowboys, "have two good guys, very good guys" as running backs. Yet his comments about Jones are worth looking into.

When you look back on that 2008 draft, we can think about at least five running backs selected after Jones who have produced better numbers. Jones has rushed for 2,326 yards on 458 carries. He's got only eight rushing touchdowns. By the way the five backs we thought about were Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Ray Rice and Jamaal Charles. When the Cowboys drafted Jones, it was mainly to back up Marion Barber.

But do you really waste a first-round pick on a backup?

Jones is a terrific running back, someone who can make defenders miss in space. He doesn't have the speed of, say, Johnson, but he's a running back who is hard to chase down at times.

The Cowboys have always described Jones as a complementary back and with good reason. He backed up Barber since he came into the NFL and when given the chance to become the full-time starter last season, he lost the gig to DeMarco Murray due to injury.

Jones has played 16 games in a season only once in his career.

Yes, running back is a tough position and few teams go with just one back, but Jones' durability is something that has been an issue for him throughout his career.

And as he enters the final year of his contract, you begin to wonder if he'll get a second deal with the Cowboys.

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray calls into SportsCenter to provide an update on the status of his ankle and discuss the team's outlook for 2012.

Recently the Dallas Cowboys brass has come under fire from the media and fans regarding the defense.

Sure, the defense finished 14th overall and allowed 64 plays of 20 or more yards. Oh yeah, the defense finished 23rd in the league against the pass, allowing 244.1 yards per game.

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But you forgot 2010?

The Cowboys allowed a franchise record 436 points. That defense, led by Wade Phillips and eventually by Paul Pasqualoni, after Phillips' firing, finished 23rd in total defense, allowing 351.8 yards per game.

That same defense had 20 interceptions, five more than the 2011 bunch that was supposedly better.

You can interpret the stats how you want, but it's interesting the Cowboys gave up just 89 fewer points last year than 2010, which some would say was one of the worst defensive seasons in Cowboys history.

The upgrades to the roster -- drafting Morris Claiborne in the first round, signing Brandon Carr, Brodney Pool and Dan Connor in free agency -- should help the defense.

Rob Ryan is among the many at Valley Ranch who believe the defense will be better in 2012 thanks to the roster additions and a full offseason where the Cowboys defensive coordinator can implement his scheme at a measured pace. In 2011, the lockout forced Ryan to rush the teachings of his defensive system once training camp began.

The Cowboys were a bad defense overall in 2010 and you could also say it was bad in 2011. The moves the Cowboys made, whether it was releasing veterans such as Terence Newman or not re-signing Bradie James and Keith Brooking, are a sign youth and upgraded talent is important right now.

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Rookie defensive end Tyrone Crawford, the Cowboys third-round pick, was diagnosed with a heart murmur at the national scouting combine.

On Wednesday, Crawford's agent, Dr. D.S. Ping, confirmed what doctors discovered but said it wasn't a major issue and didn't believe NFL teams took his client off their draft boards.

"Never affected anything," Ping said. "No doubt."

Said team owner/general manger Jerry Jones: "The heart murmur issue is one that I'm satisfied is OK for us."

The Cowboys have taken risks drafting players with injuries in the past.

In the last three drafts the Cowboys drafted players coming off surgeries: Stephen Hodge (knee in 2009) Sean Lee (knee in 2010) and Bruce Carter (knee in 2011). Only Hodge never made the active roster.

This year, the Cowboys selected Crawford, an athletic player with pass-rush abilities. The Cowboys also signed guard Ronald Leary as an undrafted free agent despite the fact he played with a chronic knee condition that could shorten his career.

"We didn't take anybody that had a (draft) grade that said 'don't take,'" Jones said. "We didn't do that. We basically reached out for Leary and we wouldn't have an opportunity for him, the way our draft fell had there not been an issue. He's got a situation, that in my mind (is) our risk with it how long he'll play. And long being in terms of years."

GRAPEVINE, Texas – Jerry Jones believes his franchise is well prepared for the first step in the arbitration process for the salary-cap sanctions leveled against the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins by the NFL management council.

The first hearing is Thursday in front of arbitrator Stephen Burbank, who will determine whether the NFL and NFLPA had the authority to impose the sanctions against the Cowboys and Redskins. If Burbank rules in favor of the teams, a second hearing would be scheduled to determine how the $10 million stripped from the Cowboys’ salary cap and $36 million stripped from the Redskins’ salary cap over a two-year period should be handled.

“I can’t and won’t address the specifics and certainly wouldn’t dare try to predict what the resolution will be,” Jones said Wednesday at the Cowboys’ annual team golf outing. “I’m glad we’ve got an opportunity to present it under the labor agreement to a mediator, and that’s what tomorrow is all about. … It won’t resolve the issue, but it will help decide whether or not we can go before a mediator.”

The league leveled the sanctions after it ruled that the Cowboys and Redskins violated the spirit of the uncapped 2010 season with front-loaded contracts for Dallas receiver Miles Austin and ex-Washington defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Jones said the Cowboys’ legal team has filed a “very good brief” and pointed out once again that the contracts were approved by the league office.

“I know we followed the rules,” Jones said. “The league has not said that we did not follow the rules. Those were approved contracts, but this is a complicated issue. Again, that’s about all I need to be saying about it and want to say about it.”

The teams opted to have half of the penalties assessed this offseason, costing the Cowboys $5 million and the Redskins $18 million in salary-cap space during this free agency period. Jones, whose team signed seven free agents from other teams, said the penalty did not prevent the Cowboys from making any acquisitions they would have otherwise but could create future complications.

“Certainly, we’ve been able to adjust,” Jones said. “It was a big surprise to us to have that downward adjustment in our cap. It was very meaningful to us because we are usually always looking for room under our cap, so it was very meaningful for us to have to make that adjustment. But I can tell you that as we stand here right now, we didn’t not do anything that we wanted to do.

“What we’ve had to do though, because they’ve reduced the amount of dollars that we had this year, we’ve had to go into the future and get some of those dollars that we wouldn’t have had to do if we had not had to make those adjustments. That’ll just create a challenge for us in the future.”

NFC East blogger Dan Graziano talks about why Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne is under more pressure than Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Cowboys lead running back DeMarco Murray told a crowd in San Antonio on Sunday that, "I'm back 100 percent."

The quote comes from the San Antonio Express-News, who covered the Cowboys' Fan Fest, a marketing event designed to keep the team's name alive in their former training camp home. The Cowboys will have training camp in Oxnard, Calif., this summer.

Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Miles Austin and Murray attended the Fan Fest.

Murray suffered a fractured ankle in a loss to the New York Giants on Dec. 11, ending a fantastic rookie season. Murray saying he's 100 percent should be viewed as good news for Cowboys fans. He's expected to participate some at the veteran minicamp next month.

Murray, who led the Cowboys with 897 rushing yards in 2011, said he's enjoying the voluntary offseason conditioning program led by strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik.

"Mike Woicik has been great to work with," Murray said. "In college, usually everyone did the same type of program. But here it's more position specific. I definitely feel better prepared."

Here's more from the event.