Despite his troubled past, the Cowboys felt they acquired a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback last April by trading a fourth-round pick to Tennessee for still-suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones.

That same weekend, they protected themselves by drafting cornerbacks Mike Jenkins (first round) and Orlando Scandrick (fifth round).

Both showed improvement during their rookie seasons, and now that Jones has been released, both will have more prominent roles in 2009.

Jenkins started three games while Jones served a second NFL suspension and starter Terence Newman recovered from sports hernia surgery. Primarily he worked in sub-packages and finished the season with 22 tackles, six pass breakups and one interception.

Scandrick was perhaps the defense's biggest surprise. He played so well in the slot (normally reserved for Newman in nickel situations) that he retained the job once Newman returned from surgery.

"Still a surprise," Phillips said of Scandrick late in the season. "We liked him and all that, but for him to come in basically starting in sub-packages and play well and do a lot of good things, it's a bonus for us. We thought we had some corners and then we added him to the mix. He's been a pleasant surprise.

"That's made us be able to play a lot more man-to-man on the slot guy because he's able to cover the guy. I think he's helped us a lot, too."

Jenkins and Scandrick could push for a starting job opposite Newman next season if Anthony Henry makes a full-time switch to safety. Henry, 32, started all 16 games at cornerback but also worked some in a nickel linebacker and safety role.