According to ESPN’s John Clayton, the Dallas Cowboys will deal Mike Jenkins in Training Camp. Clayton says the demand for him is strong and the Cowboys could end up getting a 4^th or even 3^rd round pick for him. He also says that the Cowboys are just playing hardball with teams now to drive up the price. The Cowboys are publicly stating that they will not be moving him, in order to keep their depth at cornerback and possibly even frequently use 4-cornerback sets. Head Coach Jason Garrett was the first to say that Jenkins would not be moved and now Owner and GM Jerry Jones is seconding that.

While Clayton believes he’ll get moved, ESPN Dallas’ Ed Warder, who knows the Cowboys well, doesn’t see it happening. Right now, it looks like the Cowboys will not move Jenkins unless they’re blown away by a deal. However, they could be. If offered a 4^th or 3^rd round pick, I have to think they’d pull the trigger. Jenkins is their 4^th cornerback, disgruntled, and a free agent after the season. A 3^rd or 4^th round pick is worth a lot more.

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Longtime Packer Donald Driver has been absent from the Packers’ OTAs so far, but not for unknown reasons. Driver has been skipping the voluntary workouts to focus on Dancing with the Stars, the offseason reality show he competed in and won earlier this month. Driver’s agent said that he and the Packers would likely agree to a restructured deal to get Driver on the field for his 14^th NFL season, all with the Packers.

No such deal has been reached yet, but according to ESPN Milwaukee, Driver will attend OTAs for the first time this offseason later this week, whether or not a deal has been reached. They also said that a restructured deal is a matter of when and not if for Driver and the Packers. Driver is owed 2.6 million this year, as well as a 1.5 million dollar roster bonus on July 25^th. He won’t see nearly that much money, but he doesn’t seem to mind. At this stage of his career, Driver will take whatever he can get just to say with the team. He’ll probably be a 4^th or 5^th receiver at best this season.

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There was a time when Albert Haynesworth was one of the best defensive linemen in the league and the most valuable free agent of the 2009 free agent class. He landed a 100 million dollar deal with the Washington Redskins and spent 2 mediocre and controversy filled years there before being shipped to the Patriots for next to nothing. He was then cut midseason by the Patriots and scooped up by the Buccaneers, who cut him again after the season. Now, he’s still out of work.

According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, his next shot in the NFL might come from the man who gave him his first shot, Jeff Fisher, who was with the Titans when they used the 15^th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft on Haynesworth. Fisher was also the Head Coach during all of Haynesworth’s best years. Now with the Rams, Fisher is reportedly considering bringing in Haynesworth for a workout.

Still only 31 in June, Haynesworth makes a lot of sense for the Rams, considering who their Head Coach is and their need for another rotational defensive tackle. La Canfora was not reporting an official visit yet, just passing along speculation, so we’ll have to see if Fisher does give him a shot, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all. Likewise, if he does not give him a shot, it’s unclear who would at this point. His former defensive line coach, Jim Washburn, is in Philadelphia, but so far they have shown no interest. Haynesworth may enter 2012 without a team.

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Titus Young had been absent for Lions’ OTAs for a week or so and he was the only Lions wide receiver not present at Calvin Johnson’s ceremonial 1^st pitch at the Tigers game a couple weeks ago. The Lions would not say publicly why Young was not present or even say if it was a team mandated thing or not, but multiple reports said it was for starting a fight with defensive back Louis Delmas. However, whatever the case, Young is back with the Lions at OTAs today.

Young was a 2^nd round pick of the Lions last year and he had a solid rookie year with 48 catches for 607 yards and 6 touchdowns. In his 2^nd season in the league, he is expected to at least challenge veteran Nate Burleson for the starting job opposite Calvin Johnson. It’s unclear if his absence will hurt him in that attempt or not. There’s definite fantasy upside with Young this year, however.

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Deion Branch has returned 7 punts in his career and none since 2004. He also turns 33 in July, but apparently the Patriots think it’s never too late to become a return man, even though return duties are normally saved for younger players in the prime of their athletic ability who have yet to master a position on offense or defense. Even though that is the exact opposite of what Deion Branch is at this stage of his career, the Patriots are nonetheless giving him as reps as a punt returner in OTAs.

The Patriots are known for being unconventional and this move is no different. Branch is likely competing for a roster spot with Julian Edelman and Matt Slater, two guys who also play other positions other than wide receiver. Both are solid special teamers who saw some snaps at defensive back last year. The Patriots are probably just seeing if Branch can do anything else other than play wide receiver so they have all the information when it comes time to make their decision. Given that, it’s pretty damning evidence that Chad Ochocinco is not being worked out on special teams. He’s also competing for a spot at wide receiver. The Patriots may have already made up their mind on him.

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The Cowboys are refusing to move disgruntled cornerback Mike Jenkins, who lost his starting job this offseason when the Cowboys signed Brandon Carr and drafted Morris Claiborne. They have ignored trade requests from the Colts and the Lions. One of the reasons for this, according to NFL.com, is because the Cowboys want to use their extra depth at cornerback to counter their lack of depth and starting caliber talent at safety.

In this plan, Jenkins would play on the slot in some or most nickel packages, while nickelback Orlando Scandrick would slide further inside to safety next to Gerald Sensabaugh. This would allow the Cowboys to get 4 cornerbacks on the field on around 50% or so of their snaps if they use the formation enough, given how much teams are in nickel sub packages these days. Presumably, Scandrick would move back to cornerback in dime packages.

This would allow the Cowboys to mask the fact that they really only have one starting caliber cornerback on the roster. Sensabaugh is a solid player, but at the other safety spot, the oft injured Brodney Pool will compete with the inexperienced Barry Church for the starting job. They also used a 4^th round pick on Matt Johnson, a safety, but he’ll probably focus on special teams as a rookie.

The plan makes a lot of sense, except for the fact today that Scandrick spoke out against the plan saying a move to safety was “not happening.” It’s rare for a player to speak out so strongly against a coach’s plan and it’s definitely not a good sign for the Cowboys who already have one disgruntled cornerback. ESPN’s John Clayton originally reported that the Cowboys would not be making any moves in the secondary until Training Camp. That probably is still the case. If Jenkins is moved, it’ll be then.

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Brandon Marshall was traded away from the Dolphins for just 2 3^rd round picks earlier this offseason thanks to his off the field issues. The Bears, who acquired him on the cheap, lucked out because Marshall will not be given a suspension for his alleged role in a night club melee earlier this offseason. Bears GM Phil Emery, who acquired Marshall, reiterated their support for Marshall today and said they were not concerned with his past off the field and they believe he’s working towards becoming a better person in the future. On the football field, Marshall could find his 100 catch/1300 yard form once again now that he’s reunited with Jay Cutler. He managed 81 catches for 1214 yards last year with crap at quarterback.

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Dan Koppen had been the Patriots’ starting center for years, but an ankle injury ended his 2011 season week 1. He resigned with the Patriots and is calling himself 100%, but the Boston Globe says it’s currently Connolly’s job to lose. Connolly is a pretty mediocre player ranking 27^th out of 35 eligible centers on ProFootballFocus last year, but Koppen is 33 in September and coming off of a major injury. The two will duke it out in Training Camp and the victor will probably be the weak link on a talented offensive line that returns 3 other starters and inserts 2011 1^st round pick Nate Solder in the lineup for the retired Matt Light.

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The Lions used the 13^th overall pick on Nick Fairley in the 2011 NFL Draft, but his career has gone about as bad as possible so far in his first year plus. He missed most of last year with injuries and now has gotten suspended twice in his first full offseason and is facing league suspension. However, the Detroit Free Press reports that the Lions won’t even think about cutting him.

As bad as his career has started, Fairley being cut would be a major surprise, even with the new rookie salary cap. The Lions would still suffer a pretty big cap hit if they cut him and they are very confident in Fairley’s ability to be an impact player for them when on the field. They praised his abilities earlier this offseason and he was back at OTAs today while the whole thing is getting sorted out. The Free Press predicts “at least” a 2 game suspension for him after a marijuana arrest and a DUI.

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