2009 Dallas Cowboys season

Movement After news reports about a 2007 shooting allegation surfaced, the Cowboys released talented but controversial cornerback Adam Jones on February 9, 2009. Their next move was to release backup quarterback Brad Johnson on February 26, 2009 and not to re-sign QB Brooks Bollinger. The Cowboys had been 1–3 when Johnson started in 2008. Two days later, the Cowboys traded starting cornerback Anthony Henry, age 32, to the Detroit Lions in exchange for quarterback Jon Kitna to back up starting quarterback Tony Romo. The same day the team signed five-time Pro Bowl, two-time second-team All-Pro linebacker Keith Brooking away from the Atlanta Falcons. The 33-year-old Brooking had led the Falcons in tackles the previous eight seasons, and he signed a three-year deal worth $7.8 million and includes $2.5 million guaranteed. The team lost starting defensive end Chris Canty to the New York Giants on March 1, 2009. To fill the need left by Canty's departure, the team signed former Chargers defensive end Igor Olshansky to a four-year, $18 million contract, with $8 million guaranteed on March 6, 2009. Linebacker Matt Stewart, who played for Wade Phillips in Atlanta, and had 108 tackles in 2003, signed a one-year contract on March 3, 2009. Stewart helped replace free-agent linebacker Kevin Burnett, who signed a two-year contract worth $5.5 million with a $2 million signing bonus to play for the San Diego Chargers. On March 4, 2009, the Cowboys cut Terrell Owens, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver who ranks second in NFL history in career touchdowns. The next morning, the team also released five-time Pro Bowl strong safety Roy Williams. Williams had struggled to excel in the 3–4 defense Phillips installed when he became head coach. The Cowboys bolstered its secondary in the wake of Williams' departure by signing strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who started 13 games in 2008 for the Jacksonville Jaguars, to a one-year, $1.75 million deal. Offensive lineman Cory Procter signed a one-year tender offer on April 4, 2009. Defensive end Stephen Bowen also signed a tender offer two days later. Wide receiver Sam Hurd signed a one-year offer worth $1.545 million on April 20, 2009. The team released thirty-four-year-old, Pro-Bowl defensive end Greg Ellis on June 2, 2009. The move saved the Cowboys $4.15 million. Free agents in 2009 RFA: Restricted free-agent, UFA: Unrestricted free-agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent 2009 NFL Draft selections The 2009 NFL draft was one of the worst in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, with many experts comparing it unfavorably to the 1995 "backup draft", by calling it the "special teams draft". Entering the season, the team considered their special teams a glaring weakness, so they hired a new coach (Joe DeCamillis) and focused on drafting players who could contribute immediately on this unit. The Cowboys started the day without a first-round draft choice (part of the price to acquire Roy Williams) and then traded out of the second round after they couldn't draft center Max Unger, reaching a total of 12 picks, which was their most selections since the 1992 NFL draft. The eventual result was that the team couldn't find a starter in the group and most of the players drafted were waived by the 2010 season. On May 2, 2009 during the rookie mini-camp, the Cowboys air-supported roof practice field (a tent-like structure) collapsed during a storm that turned into a microburst. At the time of the incident, there were around 70 people inside (team personnel, coaches, rookie players and media), leaving 12 people injured. The most serious injuries were suffered by scouting assistant Rich Behm, who was left paralyzed from the waist down after his spine was severed, DeCamillis, the special teams coach, fractured one of his cervical vertebrae and Greg Gaither, the assistant athletic trainer, sustained a fracture to the tibia and fibula in his right leg. The facility was completely destroyed and was never rebuilt. After the incident fallout, Summit Structures, its parent company Cover-All Building Systems and the consulting firm JCI (helped design reinforcements) all filed for bankruptcy after serious structural flaws were found with the construction and manufacturing of the facility. Notes • The Cowboys traded their original first, third and sixth-round selections to the Detroit Lions for wide receiver Roy Williams and a seventh-round selection. • The Cowboys traded their original second-round selection to the Buffalo Bills for third and fourth-round selections. • The Cowboys traded their 2008 fourth-round selection to the Cleveland Browns for a 2009 third-round selection. • The Cowboys traded their 2008 third-round selection to the Detroit Lions in exchange for 2008 and 2009 fourth-round selections. • The Cowboys traded their original fourth-round selection to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for fourth and seventh-round selections. • The Cowboys traded their original fifth-round selection and seventh-round (acquired from Detroit) selection to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a fifth-round selection. • The Cowboys traded their 2008 fourth-round selection to the Tennessee Titans for cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones. The Cowboys were to receive a conditional 2009 fourth-round selection (if Jones is not reinstated) or a conditional 2009 fifth-round selection (if Jones is reinstated but gets suspended again). • The Cowboys traded their 2008 sixth-round selection and defensive tackle Jason Ferguson to the Miami Dolphins for 2008 and 2009 sixth-round selections. • The suspension of cornerback Pacman Jones on October 15, 2008 triggered a clause in his trade agreement that required Tennessee to give Dallas its fifth-round selection. Had Jones not been suspended, Dallas would have owed Tennessee a sixth-round selection. ==Rosters==