I don't see Dallas signing Moss.
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Cowboys trade Ferguson to Miami; cap space tight
By CLARENCE E. HILL, JR.chill@star-telegram.com
IRVING -- As expected, the Cowboys traded nose tackle Jason Ferguson to the Miami Dolphins Friday.
The teams will swap sixth-round picks in this year’s NFL Draft and the Cowboys will receive Miami’s sixth-round selection in 2009 for Ferguson.
The trade reunites Ferguson with former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells and a host of others in Miami. Parcells is the Dolphins vice-president. Ferguson played for Parcells while with the New York Jets from 1997-1999 before signing a huge deal to join the Cowboys as a free agent in 2005. The deal included a $ 9 million signing bonus.
It was one of three blockbuster-free agent signings the Cowboys made in the 2005 off-season, including cornerback Anthony Henry and guard Marco Rivera. Henry got a $10 million signing bonus to come over from Cleveland and Rivera got a $9 million signing bonus to come over from the Jets.
In hindsight, the Cowboys have not gotten their money’s worth from the $28 million they paid in bonuses. Henry has made the biggest contributions with 11 interceptions, including six last season, but he has yet to make it through a season healthy. Rivera injured his back shortly after signing the contract and had to retire following the 2006 season because of the injury.
Ferguson started five games in his first season. He had a solid 2006 season, but then basically missed the entire 2007 season after suffering a torn right biceps tendon against the New York Giants in the season opener.
The trade created about $2.4 million in salary cap space for the Cowboys. The trade also means the Cowboys are very happy with their nose tackle combination of Jay Ratliff, who filled in so well for Ferguson last year that the Cowboys gave him a $20.5 million contract extension in December, and Tank Johnson.
The team was initially worried about the position when Ferguson was injured because Ratliff was undersized and it would cause them to play a different style up front. The Cowboys like the movement they have from Ratliff. And because Johnson plays the same way, it’s a perfect fit.
It also means that the gamble of adding Johnson, after his troubles in Chicago, is paying off. The team wouldn’t have traded Ferguson if there was a major concern about Johnson not being around next season. Johnson had to sit out the first eight games of the 2007 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy as a member of the Chicago Bears.
The Cowboys are very tight against the 2008 salary cap _ with barely enough money to sign their draft picks. Trading Ferguson gives them around $3 million in cap room.
With limited money, the Cowboys aren’t expected to be major players in free agency. They have no scheduled visits with any free agent prospects. This doesn’t mean they won’t add a player or two in free agency, particularly with speculation that they might be interested in wide receiver Javon Walker and running back Tatum Bell, a DeSoto native. They will likely have to restructure a couple of contracts to do so and it will almost certainly have to come at the right price.
Meanwhile, Cowboys cornerback Jacques Reeves, an unrestricted free agent, has visits set up with four teams and could soon be landing a job in another city.
He visited Houston Friday and will head to New Orleans today, St. Louis Monday and Kansas City Tuesday. Reeves also hopes to get interest from Miami, where his former defensive backs coach Todd Bowles moved to become assistant head coach and secondary coach.
Reeves, who is looking for a starting job, doesn’t expect to sign until he has made his rounds. Forced into the lineup because of injuries to starters Terence Newman and Anthony Henry, Reeves started 13 games and finished with 67 tackles, one interception and 14 passes defensed.
"We’re going to take our time with this," said Brian Hamilton, Reeves’ agent.
Training camp in Oxnard
The Cowboys made it official Friday, announcing they are returning to Oxnard, Calif. for training camp this summer. Due to a scheduling conflict with the Alamodome in San Antonio, the Cowboys were forced to look at alternative training camp sites.
Dallas returns to the Residence Inn River Ridge facility where it trained from 2004-2006. The workout fields are located next to the hotel where the Cowboys will stay. The starting date for training camp has not yet been released.
The Cowboys will return to the Alamodome in 2009 and the team remains in a long-term partnership with San Antonio and the Alamodome through 2011.
Rick Herrin contributed to this report