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The NFL announced recently that teams can have up to 90 players on their roster heading into training camp.

With the Cowboys adding cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah on Tuesday, they have 88 players on their roster and more are on the way as the team is expected to sign some players who tried out last weekend at Valley Ranch.

But the free-agency period is still ongoing and it begs a question: Should the Cowboys sign a veteran free agent?

We look at three positions that could use a veteran.

Wide receiver: The starters are Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, talented and explosive players. The No. 3 receiver is uncertain. There's a gaggle of players battling for the final three receiver spots, leading with the underachieving Kevin Ogletree, but the Cowboys drafted Danny Coale from Virginia Tech in the fifth round as a possible slot receiver. Signing a veteran could help bolster this unit, considering how Bryant and Austin battled injuries last season. Patrick Crayton comes to mind, but it's doubtful the Cowboys would go back to the talkative receiver, especially after he asked for a trade when Bryant was drafted. Jerheme Urban is another possibility but it's not known if the Cowboys like his skill set.

Running back: This position, like wide receiver, is a strength for the Cowboys. DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones are a solid 1-2 punch. Phillip Tanner can play special teams and get some snaps as a No. 3 runner, but all three running backs were injured at some point last year. Murray didn't finish the season, needing surgery to repair a broken ankle. You can't have four running backs on the roster, yet signing someone such as Patrick Cobbs (North Texas) to mainly play special teams and become an insurance policy might be a good move. Ronnie Brown, a former first-round pick, while he might not play special teams, is someone to look at too.

Punter: Chris Jones is the favorite to win the job, but Mat McBriar, who is a free agent, is recovering from leg surgery. There's some uncertainty regarding McBriar's availability for teams, because some might want him to prove he can punt after recovering from surgery. McBriar should be ready to kick in training camp. Daniel Sepulveda (Baylor) punted with Pittsburgh last season and in eight games had a 40.6 net average. If Jones struggles and McBriar is unavailable due to health or signing with another team, getting a veteran such as Sepulveda might be worthwhile.

The Cowboys are expected to try out 10 to 12 players at this weekend's rookie minicamp. Punter David Harrington is one of them.

Harrington punted for two seasons at Idaho State, where he was a two-time first-team all Big Sky selection. He averaged 46.2 yards a punt in two seasons and in 2011 averaged 48.7 yards.

Chris Jones is the only punter on the Cowboys' roster and last year's regular punter, Mat McBriar, is still on the free-agent market. McBriar is recovering from offseason leg surgery and at some point has to show NFL teams he can punt on a consistent basis.

But with McBriar not here, the Cowboys might want to bring in some competition for Jones. He had only 10 punts on the season filling in for an injured McBriar, but he averaged 42.6 yards per attempt and had four land inside the 20.

McBriar was placed on injured reserve prior to the regular-season finale at the New York Giants. Jones punted six times in that game and averaged 42.3 yards, including a 54-yarder.

Harrington's final season at Idaho State was strong. He had 29 punts of 50 or more yards and 17 land inside the 20.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas – By about a day, Jason Witten is the longest tenured Cowboy.

Witten was a third-round pick in the 2003 draft, and Tony Romo was signed as a college free agent after the second day of the draft that year ended.

With the departures Terence Newman and Bradie James, who signed with Cincinnati and Houston last week, Witten and Romo are the final members of the Class of 2003. Mat McBriar joined the team late that season and remains unsigned now.

Newman was a starter from the first day he became a Cowboy. Witten became a starter in 2004. James became a starter in 2005. Romo became a starter in 2006.

“It goes fast,” Witten said. “I think that even makes it more that your legacy as a player is ultimately tied to winning championships. Being around that building with the guys’ names on the wall and pictures on the wall obviously they’re elite players, but they made everybody around them better. It’s what challenges us. But it was a great run with those guys.

"It’s unfortunate when it’s over because, you know, man, it would’ve been nice to have had that ultimate goal of that shared commitment of going to a Super Bowl. But those guys were great teammates who came to work every day and it’s part of the business. Those guys you look at as friends for life, put a lot of work in together, but that’s the way the game goes. We wish them the best, you keep in touch, but it’s a business.”

IRVING, Texas – At 3:01 p.m. Tuesday, free agency begins.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has promised to be aggressive in pursuit of upgrading a roster that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons and three of the last four.

In order to do so, the Cowboys will have to re-work some contracts to create enough room under the $120.6 million salary cap, but it is feasible the team can add two starters and a veteran backup quarterback and re-sign wide receiver Laurent Robinson.

As the shopping hour approaches, here are some quick questions and answers:

** What are the Cowboys biggest needs?

We’ve talked about this all offseason, but they need help in the secondary (cornerback and safety) and on the interior of the offensive line. They also need a backup quarterback with Jon Kitna’s retirement, and those don’t come too cheaply. They could use a difference maker at defensive end, but those players aren’t flying around free agency. While the Cowboys like Bruce Carter, there is no way to be sold he is their starting inside linebacker next to Sean Lee in 2012. Add inside linebacker to the list. Also add a backup tight end. The goal of free agency should be to fill enough holes to help make the draft process better so you don’t overvalue certain positions in April.

** What to make of the Mario Williams talk?

I just don’t see that happening. In order to sign Williams, the Cowboys would likely have to fork over in the neighborhood of $40 million guaranteed. In other words: DeMarcus Ware money. If they do that, then that would take them out of upgrades elsewhere. Plus, the team placed the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer. This isn’t to debate who is better, Spencer or Williams, but to say who’s the better fit at the price and the chance to fill needs elsewhere. Williams is more dynamic but is just too costly.

** What to do with Laurent Robinson?

The Cowboys have said Robinson is a priority. Robinson, who had 11 touchdowns last year, has said he would love to stay. Both sides want it to happen but if another team wants to blow away Robinson with an offer the Cowboys will not get into a bidding war. It would, however, create the need for a No. 3 receiver. Despite Jones’ talk about Andre Holmes, the Cowboys cannot bank on untested receivers like Holmes, Raymond Radway and Dwayne Harris to pick up the slack.

** Will Jerry Jones make a splash?

In his tenure as owner and general manager, he has made three splashes in free agency in Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens and Leonard Davis. You can put La’Roi Glover in that mix to a degree if you want. That’s it. He had a big one-day signing spree in 2005 on Jason Ferguson, Anthony Henry and Marco Rivera but they weren’t stop-the-presses signings across the league. Jones’ most productive free-agent shopping might have come in 2003 when they added Richie Anderson, Dan Campbell, Toby Gowin and Al Singleton to the roster. Don’t hold your breath on a guy like Williams or New Orleans guard Carl Nicks.

** Will the Cowboys re-sign any of their free agents before the market opens?

Doubtful. League rules prevent them from re-signing Robinson before Tuesday. Mat McBriar’s recent surgery means the two-time Pro Bowl punter will hit the market. They have had some talks with the agent for Keith Brooking but nothing substantial. Abram Elam will be allowed to test the market too. Same with Montrae Holland, who did a nice job at left guard for 10 games.

INDIANAPOLIS – A few days after Super Bowl XLVI, Mat McBriar had surgery to help dissolve a cyst below his right knee that led to the worst season the two-time Pro Bowl punter had in five seasons.

It was not the best of timing for McBriar because he will be a free agent on March 13, but the surgery was a success and his agent, Jack Bechta, indicated at the NFL scouting combine everything was pointing toward a full recovery.

McBriar, who averaged 43.7 yards per punt with a 36.1-yard net average, said before the surgery he should be full go by June if not sooner.

The Cowboys have Chris Jones, who punted in two games in McBriar’s absence in 2011, on the roster, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones sounded hopeful about a possible return for McBriar.

“Without trying to practice medicine, we know he’s a top punter and we’ll look at it more positively than negatively as to his chance of recovery,” Jones said.

This is the final installment of our 12-part series breaking down the Cowboys roster. Today we look a special teams.

Players: Mat McBriar (free agent), David Buehler (signed through 2012), Dan Bailey (signed through 2013), Chris Jones (signed through 2013), LP Ladouceur (signed through 2012)

Top free agents: Kickers: Nick Folk, New York Jets; Joe Nedney, San Francisco 49ers; Matt Prater, Denver Broncos; Punters: Donnie Jones, St. Louis Rams; Steve Weatherford, New York Giants

Top draft prospects: Kickers: Greg Zuerlein, Missouri Western; Phillip Welch, Wisconsin; Blair Walsh, Georgia; Punters: Drew Butler, Georgia; Bryan Anger, California

2011 review: This was not McBriar's (36.7 net average) best season, mainly due to a nerve problem that prevented him from planting his non-kicking foot. McBriar had his best game in holding down Arizona's Patrick Peterson. Bailey, a rookie, tied a franchise record with 26 consecutive made field goal tries. He emerged as probably the third best rookie on the team. Buehler lost the field goal job to Bailey, and had his conditioning questioned by Jerry Jones toward the end of the season. Buehler's season ended with surgery on his groin.

Offseason preview: McBriar underwent surgery to repair a cyst that caused his nerve damage. Doctors said that McBriar should make a full recovery, and as an unrestricted free agent, the Cowboys need to decide whether to sign him to a two-to-three year deal. They should. Buehler might not return and Bailey has emerged as someone the team can rely on. The return game was a mess as a host of players returned punts and kicks. Dwayne Harris should take over both spots going forward, but Dez Bryant is also a threat even though he was inconsistent on punt returns. When the Cowboys evaluate the skill position players in the draft, they need to find a player who can also return punts and kicks.

Need meter (0-5): 1

The Mayo Clinic released a video (above) of the Cowboys' Mat McBriar punting at their facility this week.

PODCAST
Cowboys punter Mat McBriar answers questions about his recent surgery and the upcoming free-agency period. Listen

McBriar underwent successful surgery to remove a cyst in his left leg. He was expected to be released Wednesday afternoon.

"The intraneural cyst was causing Mat’s foot drop. The surgery to remove the cyst was targeted, based on the most current understanding of the condition and its formation," said Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon Robert Spinner, who performed the surgery and is a leading expert on the condition. "Mat’s surgery went extremely well, and I believe he will be as good a punter as ever."

According to the Mayo Clinic, McBriar said, "I’m thrilled. I couldn’t ask for better news. I’m concentrating on a speedy recovery."

Here's more info on the surgery from the Mayo Clinic: An intraneural ganglion is a benign cyst filled with mucinous material (thick jelly consistency) contained within a nerve. Recent work done at Mayo has shown that the cyst is connected to a neighboring joint by a small nerve branch. Identifying and treating this joint connection forms the basis of successful surgery.

This has to be good news for the Cowboys, especially with McBriar becoming an unrestricted free agent on March 13. There is concern about signing him, based on his health. But if doctors are saying he's going to fully recover, the Cowboys might be better served to take care of their punter with a two-or-three year contract.

Cowboys punter Mat McBriar underwent surgery to dissolve a cyst below his left knee on Tuesday.

"Mat's surgery was a success and they expect him to make a full recovery!!," McBriar's wife Erin posted on Twitter.

McBriar was diagnosed with drop foot during the 2011 season, believed to be caused by nerve damage. The foot started to give McBriar trouble prior to the Oct. 23 game against St. Louis and he was inactive the next week against Philadelphia. He returned for the next six games before the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve the day before the regular-season finale at the New York Giants.

McBriar said at the time he was in talks with the team for a few weeks about going on IR and it was a mutual decision.

After the season, McBriar was examined over a three-day period at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he was diagnosed with an intraneural ganglion cyst below his left knee.

McBriar becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 13 and his status with the Cowboys is uncertain. He averaged 43.1 yards per punt with a 36.1-yard net average.

Coach Jason Garrett, speaking at the Senior Bowl last month, praised McBriar's toughness for playing through the injury.

IRVING, Texas -- On Saturday Bill Parcells will learn whether he will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

There will be some debate in the room because that is the duty of the voters but in the end Parcells should be in Canton, Ohio, this summer as part of the Hall’s Class of 2012.

He deserves to be enshrined for his two Super Bowl wins with the New York Giants. He also deserves it because he made three franchises relevant. He is the only coach to take four different teams to the playoffs. He even oversaw a turnaround in Miami from 1-15 joke to 11-5 playoff team, although the Dolphins never contended again before he walked away.

When he came to New England in 1993, the Patriots were terrible. The team was close to moving to St. Louis. In fact, I remember attending the season-finale that year against Miami thinking this would be their final game at Foxboro Stadium. Drew Bledsoe hit Michael Timpson with a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to beat the Dolphins and one of my friends thought about rushing the field. Then he saw the German Shepherds barking back at him.

The Patriots would not be the Patriots of today without Parcells.

From New England he went back to Giants Stadium, this time to coach the New York Jets, who were also laughable. In his second year he took them to the AFC Championship game, losing to John Elway and Denver. But the Jets’ success continued after Parcells left with Al Groh and Herm Edwards coaching the team.

The Jets would not be the Jets of today without Parcells.

His final coaching stop came in Dallas. He wanted to play the big room, as he called it, and the Cowboys were the big room even after three straight 5-11 finishes from 2000-02. With Quincy Carter as his quarterback Parcells took the Cowboys to a 10-6 record and the playoffs. Pause and re-read that sentence again. With much of the same talent that went 5-11, he turned them into a 10-6 team.

He finished with a 34-30 regular-season record with the Cowboys. They lost in the wild-card round of the playoffs twice, including 2006 at Seattle when a field goal snap slipped through Tony Romo’s fingers.

As he flew back he knew he was done coaching. As he told me a couple of weeks ago, he just didn’t have the energy to do it anymore. It wasn’t how the Cowboys lost, he said, it was that the Cowboys lost that sent him away. To this day he believes, as do a number of his assistant coaches and players that remained on the team in 2011, that if the Cowboys beat Seattle they would have gone at least to the conference title game.

The Cowboys went 13-3 in their first year without Parcells and Wade Phillips as head coach, and had the best record in the NFC. They lost in the divisional round at Texas Stadium to the New York Giants, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

Had Parcells remained another year, I firmly believe the Cowboys would have made their playoff run. He finally had a quarterback in place in Tony Romo. He had a defense that was coming around and an offense that could score points. Would they have been 13-3? Probably not, but they would have been a tougher team for sure.

The Cowboys would still be the Cowboys without Parcells coming to town, but would Cowboys Stadium be Cowboys Stadium?

Jerry Jones hired Parcells because he needed to get out of 5-11 rut and he needed to get a stadium vote passed. Parcells helped deliver.

And now Jones attempts to win with a core group of players brought in during Parcells’ time from Romo to Jason Witten to DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Miles Austin, Kyle Kosier, Marcus Spears and Jason Hatcher. Terence Newman had a nine-year run as a starter but now his future is dicey at best. Bradie James lasted nine years. Mat McBriar came in as a practice squad player in 2003. L.P. Ladouceur was signed in 2005 after a tryout at San Jose State.

Parcells’ time with the Cowboys wasn’t perfect but it was lasting. And it should be part of his biography at the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.

Mat McBriar will have surgery next week to dissolve a cyst below his left knee and the Cowboys punter anticipates being 100 percent this summer.

“For me that’s great news,” McBriar said. “Yeah, it’s terrible timing, but this is probably just a little bit more than just being able to play but having a functional foot for the rest of my life.”

McBriar was diagnosed with drop foot during the season believed to be caused by nerve damage, but after a three-day visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., last week he was diagnose with an intraneural ganglion cyst below his left knee.

The cyst is inside a nerve and McBriar said the doctors will remove an auxiliary joint that had been feeding the cyst, “so it’s a little bit like a balloon that loses its air and goes away,” McBriar said.

For more on the story, click here.

MOBILE, Ala. -- In a seven-minute news briefing at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was asked about his standout punter, Mat McBriar.

Last season, McBriar was placed on injured reserve prior to the last regular-season game at the New York Giants because of a nerve problem in his left (non-kicking) foot.

McBriar finished the season with a net punting average of 36.1 and landed 21 punts inside the 20. He also had seven touchbacks. McBriar's best game was holding Arizona Cardinals standout returner Patrick Peterson to just one return yard Dec. 4.

The Cowboys have a decision to make with McBriar regarding his health. He's an unrestricted free agent, and while valued by the organization, there is uncertainty about when his foot will get better.

"We haven't gotten into specific discussions about any of our individual players, but health is certainly an issue for him," Garrett said. "He did an outstanding job dealing with that injury throughout the year. He was tough. He battled through it and had some big games for us and ultimately at the end of the year he couldn't function the way we needed him to."

Rookie Chris Jones took over for McBriar for the last regular season game.

The Cowboys go into the offseason wondering about former Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar.

He was placed on injured reserve the day before the Cowboys regular season finale at the New York Giants. McBriar had nerve damage in his left (non-kicking) foot for the last two months of the season. There was a thought the foot would get better and it didn't. McBriar is a free agent now and there are some concerns about signing him long-term.

He's been one of the NFL's best punters, having gone to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2010. But in 2011, he averaged 43.8 yards per punt, good for just 22nd in the league and 11th in the NFC.

He missed two games because of his health, replaced by Chris Jones.

"I mean, look to be honest I felt like I didn’t feel myself out there," McBriar said. "I didn’t feel like I was giving us an advantage at all. I really thought I was a hindrance that’s what made me change my thought process, I went from being a guy who was helping the team out to going the other way around."

The team talked with McBriar for several weeks about the progress of his foot and why it wasn't getting better. He thought it was a four-to-six week injury and it ended up costing him his season. McBriar admitted he couldn't kick now and he's seeking second opinions regarding treatment and possible surgery.

McBriar is in a difficult decision because if he tests the market opposing teams will need a strong medical evaluation on his foot. The Cowboys could re-sign McBriar to a short-term deal knowing his health better than most NFL teams.

"It's not the greatest of timing but I'm just really looking for it coming back to what it was, that’s my only thought right now," McBriar said. "I get healthy and we’ll see what happens."

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys have 13 players who will be unrestricted free agents in 2012, and there is a possibility none of them will return.

CB Alan Ball: He started off well in the No. 4 cornerback role, but his play tailed off late in the season when he had to play more. The Cowboys should target corners in the draft and free agency, which means a return is unlikely.

TE Martellus Bennett: He wants a chance to play more and that won’t happen here with Jason Witten ahead of him here. He was saddled with second-round pick expectations but he never lived up to the billing. We’ll see if he can produce elsewhere.

LB Keith Brooking: He knows his career is winding down but he wants to keep playing. With little depth behind Sean Lee and the Cowboys hoping Bruce Carter can be a starter in 2012, is it worth it to bring him back for another year?

OG Derrick Dockery: He did not play poorly in his two starts and given the lack of depth on the offensive line he could be back on a short-term deal.

S Abram Elam: When the Cowboys gave Gerald Sensabaugh $8 million in December that seemed to seal Elam’s fate as a one-year player here. He is a favorite of Rob Ryan and I think the Cowboys should have signed him to the long-term deal, not Sensabaugh.

OG Montrae Holland: He’s in the same boat as Dockery, but he did a good enough job in the 10-game stint at right guard. He will be coming off biceps surgery and teams weren’t knocking on his door last year. Again, a short-term deal could work.

LB Bradie James: He remained the starter but his playing time was cut way back in Rob Ryan’s scheme. To his credit, he never complained and remained the consummate pro. He will get a job somewhere in 2012, but the Cowboys want to get younger and faster.

QB Jon Kitna: He was likely to retire after this season anyway before a back injury ended his season. Maybe the injury fuels him to want to come back for another year, but that is doubtful. I believe he’s ready for his post-playing career.

P Mat McBriar: This is the most interesting case because of the foot injury. Time and rest will help the nerves regenerate but there is no time table on when he will be back. A healthy McBriar is among the best punters in the game. Internal politics will be interesting on this one.

RB Sammy Morris: He did a terrific job as a late-season find, but he was around on Week 15 for a reason. It would be a lot of money to pay a No. 3 running back, especially with Phillip Tanner coming back next year.

WR Laurent Robinson: He was the biggest surprise of the year, finishing with 11 touchdown catches. He proved he could be a starter with Miles Austin out. If a team makes a big-time offer to him, he won’t be back. The Cowboys cannot sign him to a new deal until the new league year begins even if they wanted to sign him now.

LB Anthony Spencer: He was OK but when you’re a first-round pick that’s just not good enough. He did not deliver as a pass rusher and they need help opposite DeMarcus Ware. What helps his cause is the Cowboys don’t have an every-down replacement.

CB Frank Walker: He did a nice job early but tailed off late. Like Ball, the more he played the more he was exposed. Defensive teammates loved him but he was inactive for the final game, which should tell you his future here.

(Note: This was updated to remove Chris Greisen, who will be a restricted free agent, and Daniel Loper, who was cut before the regular-season finale.)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For some Cowboys, tonight’s game against the New York Giants could be their final game with a star on the helmet.

Here’s a list of the team’s free agents -- unrestricted, restricted and exclusive rights -- going into 2012. This does not include players who could be cut for salary-cap purposes.

Unrestricted free agents
Alan Ball
Martellus Bennett
Keith Brooking
Derrick Dockery
Abram Elam
Montrae Holland
Jon Kitna
Daniel Loper
Mat McBriar
Sammy Morris
Laurent Robinson
Anthony Spencer
Frank Walker
Bradie James

Restricted free agents
Kevin Ogletree
Tony Fiammetta
Chauncey Washington

Exclusive rights free agents
Clifton Geathers
Jermey Parnell
Jesse Holley

We never ever think about the holder on extra points and field goals until something goes wrong.

Well, Jason Garrett finds himself with the worst case scenario in the biggest game of the season and the biggest game of his coaching career.

He either has to use Tony Romo, Chris Jones or Chris Greisen to hold. Right now, neither of them is a good option.

Romo has a bruised right hand, Jones has never held in an NFL game and Greisen, activated from the practice squad on Saturday, hasn't played in a game this season. The Cowboys have played five games decided in the final five minutes by a field goal.

We shouldn't expect this game to be any different.

That said, the last thing Garrett wants to see is this game go down to the final seconds with the Cowboys needing a field goal to win it or tie it.

The smart move is let Jones hold since he worked with Bailey in training camp, but there's a good chance Garrett is going to be holding his breath before every place kick tonight.