2009 Dallas Cowboys season
Owner	Jerry Jones
General manager	Jerry Jones
Head coach	Wade Phillips
Home stadium	Cowboys Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	1stNFC East
Playoffs	WonWild Card Playoffs (vs.Eagles) 34–14 LostDivisional Playoffs (atVikings) 3–34
Pro Bowlers	Miles Austin WR Leonard Davis G Andre Gurode C Mike Jenkins CB Terence Newman CB Jay Ratliff DT Tony Romo QB DeMarcus Ware LB Jason Witten TE
All-Pros	Jay Ratliff(1st team) DeMarcus Ware(1st team) Andre Gurode(2nd team) Jason Witten(2nd team)
Uniform
← 2008 Cowboys seasons 2010 →

The2009Dallas Cowboys season was the 50th anniversary for the team in theNational Football League (NFL). It was the team's first season playing atCowboys Stadium. Their victory over theOakland Raiders on November 26 extended theirThanksgiving winning streak to four in a row and also ended a three-game losing streak to the Raiders. They also ended theNew Orleans Saints' bid for a perfect season after a 13–0 start with a 24–17 victory on December 19, 2009. The Cowboys earned a playoff spot on December 27 after beating theWashington Redskins 17–0. On January 3, 2010, the Cowboys clinched their division with a win over thePhiladelphia Eagles, 24–0.

In the wild-card round of the playoffs, the Cowboys once again defeated the Eagles, 34–14, to score their first playoff win since December 28, 1996 and finish the season sweep of all three games played against Philadelphia. They lost 34–3 to theMinnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs, ending their season.

The2009 NFL draft was one of the worst in the history of theDallas Cowboys, with many experts comparing it unfavorably to the1995 "backup draft", by calling it the "special teams draft". Entering the season, the team considered theirspecial 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 acquireRoy Williams) and then traded out of the second round after they couldn't draftcenterMax Unger, reaching a total of 12 picks, which was their most selections since the1992 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 the2010 season.^[1]

On May 2,2009 during the rookiemini-camp, the Cowboys air-supported roof practice field (a tent-like structure) collapsed during a storm that turned into amicroburst. 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, thespecial 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.^[2] 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 theDetroit Lions forwide receiverRoy Williams and a seventh-round selection.
• The Cowboys traded their original second-round selection to theBuffalo Bills for third and fourth-round selections.
• The Cowboys traded their 2008 fourth-round selection to theCleveland 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 theTampa 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 theAtlanta Falcons in exchange for a fifth-round selection.
• The Cowboys traded their 2008 fourth-round selection to theTennessee Titans for cornerbackAdam "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 tackleJason Ferguson to theMiami Dolphins for 2008 and 2009 sixth-round selections.^[3]

• These two games were among the 16 that the NFL designated as "AFL Legacy Games", in honor of the 50th anniversary of theAFL. The Cowboys wore their throwback uniforms during those two games, as did the Kansas City Chiefs (formerly the Dallas Texans) and the Oakland Raiders.^[4]

The Cowboys began their season atRaymond James Stadium for a Week 1 duel with theTampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first quarter, Dallas shot first as kickerNick Folk got a 51-yard and a 22-yard field goal. The Buccaneers responded in the second quarter as running backCarnell "Cadillac" Williams got a 1-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys regained the lead as quarterbackTony Romo completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin.

Dallas increased their lead in the third quarter as Romo completed a 66-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverRoy Williams. In the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay answered with running backDerrick Ward getting a 1-yard touchdown run, yet the Cowboys struck right back with Romo completing an 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverPatrick Crayton, along with running backMarion Barber getting a 6-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, Tampa Bay's rally only produced a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackByron Leftwich to tight endKellen Winslow.

With the win, Dallas began its season at 1–0.

Coming off their road win over the Buccaneers, the Cowboys would play their very first regular season home game at the newCowboys Stadium. With an NFL-record regular season crowd on hand, Dallas would play a Sunday night game against their NFC East rival, theNew York Giants.

In the first quarter, Dallas trailed early as Giants kickerLawrence Tynes got a 30-yard field goal. Dallas responded with running backMarion Barber getting a 2-yard touchdown run, but New York retook the lead as cornerbackBruce Johnson returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, the Giants added a Tynes 28-yard field goal to make the score 13–7. The Cowboys responded with a 1-yardTony Romo touchdown pass to tight endJason Witten, yet New York went back on top as quarterbackEli Manning completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMario Manningham, this pass however was juggled but still ruled as a touchdown. Dallas closed out the half as kickerNick Folk made a 47-yard field goal.

The Cowboys would regain the lead in the third quarter as Romo ran for a 3-yard touchdown. However, in the fourth quarter, the Giants again got the lead as Manning completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverSteve Smith, followed by Tynes kicking a 36-yard field goal. Dallas responded with a 7-yard touchdown run from running backFelix Jones. The Giants would respond with a game-winning drive capped by a Lawrence Tynes field goal with no time left to seal a Giants victory and hand the Cowboys their first loss in their new stadium

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 1-1

Hoping to rebound from their tough divisional loss to the Giants, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 3 Monday night duel with theCarolina Panthers. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed in the second quarter as Panthers quarterbackJake Delhomme completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight endDante Rosario. The Cowboys took control in the third quarter as kickerNick Folk nailed a 24-yard field goal, followed by running backTashard Choice getting a 5-yard touchdown run. Dallas pulled away with Folk's 19-yard field goal and cornerbackTerence Newman returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown (with Choice getting the 2-point conversion run).

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2-1

Coming off their Monday night home win over the Panthers, the Cowboys flew toInvesco Field at Mile High for a Week 4 interconference duel with theDenver Broncos. Dallas would deliver the opening shots in the first quarter with kickerNick Folk making a 49-yard field goal, followed by running backMarion Barber's 1-yard touchdown run. The Broncos would answer in the second quarter with quarterbackKyle Orton completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to running backKnowshon Moreno. After a scoreless third quarter, Denver would take control in the fourth. The Broncos would tie the game with a 28-yard field goal from kickerMatt Prater, and then they would take the lead with Orton's 51-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverBrandon Marshall. The 'Boys would get a late game drive all the way down to Denver's 1-yard line, but the Broncos' defense would hold on for the win.

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 2-2

Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Broncos, the Cowboys flew toArrowhead Stadium, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 5 interconference duel with theKansas City Chiefs. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas would trail in the second quarter as Chiefs kickerRyan Succop booted a 47-yard field goal and quarterbackMatt Cassel hooked up with linebackerMike Vrabel on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would close out the half with a 22-yard field goal by kickerNick Folk.

Kansas City came out in the third quarter with Succop's 38-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys began to take control as running backTashard Choice got a 36-yard touchdown run. In the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead as Folk nailed a 28-yard field goal, followed by quarterbackTony Romo completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin. However, the Chiefs would tie the game with Cassel's 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDwayne Bowe. In overtime, the 'Boys came out on top as Romo hooked up with Austin again on a game-winning 60-yard touchdown pass.

Austin finished the game with 250 yards on 10 catches along with the two touchdowns, a Cowboy receiving record.

With the win, the Cowboys went into their bye week at 3-2

Coming off their bye week, the Cowboys went home for a Week 7 duel with theAtlanta Falcons. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Falcons quarterbackMatt Ryan found wide receiverRoddy White on a 4-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, the Cowboys came out shooting as kickerNick Folk made a 38-yard field goal, followed by quarterbackTony Romo completing a 59-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin and a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverPatrick Crayton.

Atlanta tried to catch up in the third quarter with running backMichael Turner's 2-yard touchdown run, yet Dallas answered with Romo finding Austin again on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Cowboys would increase their lead in the fourth quarter with Folk nailing a 46-yard field goal and Crayton returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons tried to come back with Ryan's 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverEric Weems, yet Dallas closed out the game with Folk's 34-yard field goal.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 4-2

Coming off their win over the Falcons, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 8 duel with theSeattle Seahawks. Dallas would trail early in the first quarter as Seahawks kickerOlindo Mare nailed a 43-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys answered with quarterbackTony Romo completing a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverSam Hurd. In the second quarter, Dallas increased their lead as running backMarion Barber got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Seahawks would reply with quarterbackMatt Hasselbeck's 23-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeion Branch, yet the Cowboys came right back with Romo's 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverRoy Williams.

Dallas would greatly increase their lead in the third quarter with Romo hooking up with wide receiverMiles Austin on a 3-yard touchdown pass, followed by wide receiverPatrick Crayton returning a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys solidified their win with kickerNick Folk nailing a 40-yard field goal. Seattle would close out the game's scoring with Hasselbeck's 4-yard touchdown pass to fullbackJustin Griffith.

With the win, Dallas improved to 5-2

Crayton would join"Bullet Bob" Hayes as the only Cowboys to have back-to-back games with a punt return for a touchdown.

Coming off their home win over the Seahawks, the Cowboys flew toLincoln Financial Field for a Week 9 NFC East duel with thePhiladelphia Eagles with both teams fighting for the division lead. Dallas would deliver the opening shot in the first quarter as running backTashard Choice got a 2-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would answer in the second quarter as kickerDavid Akers made a 45-yard and a 48-yard field goal, yet the Cowboys came right back with a 22-yard field goal from kickerNick Folk.

Philadelphia would take the lead in the third quarter as quarterbackDonovan McNabb completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight endBrent Celek. Afterwards, Dallas would regain the lead in the fourth quarter as Folk booted a 33-yard field goal, followed by quarterbackTony Romo hooking up with wide receiverMiles Austin on a 49-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles tried to rally as Akers nailed a 52-yard field goal, yet the 'Boys would run out the clock and grab the lead in the NFC East. This win was only the Cowboys third win in the last eleven games at Philadelphia and avenged a 44–6 blowout loss at Lincoln Financial Field in the 2008 season finale.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 6-2

Coming off a huge divisional win over the Eagles, the Cowboys flew toLambeau Field for a Week 10 duel with theGreen Bay Packers. After a scoreless first quarter, the Packers would acquire the only points of the opening half as kickerMason Crosby booted a 48-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, Green Bay would extend their lead in the fourth quarter as quarterbackAaron Rodgers got a 1-yard touchdown run and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight endSpencer Havner. Dallas tried to rally as quarterbackTony Romo hooked up with wide receiverRoy Williams on a 9-yard touchdown pass, but the Packers' defense would shut down any further attempt. In this game, the Cowboys avoided a shutout in the final minutes. Their previous shutout was in 2003 against theNew England Patriots in which they lost 12–0.

With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 6-3

Hoping to rebound from their frustrating loss to the Packers, the Cowboys returned home for their Week 11 NFC East rivalry match against theWashington Redskins. After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas trailed early after Redskins kickerShaun Suisham nailed a 45-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Suisham booted a 31-yard field goal to keep the Redskins in front, yet in the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead with quarterbackTony Romo completing a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverPatrick Crayton.

With the close win, the Cowboys improved to 7-3

Coming off their win over the Redskins, the Cowboys stayed at home for a Week 12 Thanksgiving duel with theOakland Raiders. In the first quarter, Dallas began their dominating day with kickerNick Folk booting a 36-yard field goal. The Cowboys would add onto their lead in the second quarter as running backFelix Jones got a 46-yard touchdown, followed by quarterbackTony Romo finding wide receiverMiles Austin on a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The Raiders would try to rally in the third quarter as quarterbackBruce Gradkowski completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDarrius Heyward-Bey, yet Dallas would pull away in the fourth quarter as Romo hooked up with wide receiverRoy Williams.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 8-3

Romo (18/29, 309 yards, 2 TDs), Austin (7 receptions, 145 yards, 1 TD), & tight endJason Witten (5 receptions, 107 yards) were namedCBS's All-Iron Award winners.

Coming off their Thanksgiving win over the Raiders, the Cowboys went toGiants Stadium for the final time to face off against their NFC East rival theNew York Giants.

With a scoreless first quarter the Cowboys scored a field goal and touchdown byTony Romo to Roy Williams. However, the Giants countered by scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter.Nick Folk missed a 57-yard field goal just before halftime.In the third quarter, both teams scored touchdowns and Nick Folk missed a 42-yard field goal which would have put the Cowboys in front. In the fourth quarter the Giants scored two touchdowns, one being a 79-yard punt return byDomenik Hixon. Dallas would score a late touchdown from Romo toMiles Austin but the game ended with the Giants sweeping the series.

Dallas fell to 8-4 with the loss.

With the loss, the Cowboys dropped to 8-5

Hoping to end the two-game skid from their tough losses to the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers, the Cowboys went to the Superdome to take on the undefeated New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys took the lead in the first half by scoring two touchdowns with a 49-yard pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin and a 3-yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware made a big play as he sacked Saints quarterbackDrew Brees and caused the ball to be fumbled.Anthony Spencer recovered the ball to put it in Dallas' hands. The Saints only points of the half were from a 43-yard field goal byGarrett Hartley.

In the second half, the Cowboys scored their only touchdown in the third quarter with a two-yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Finally in the fourth quarter New Orleans got a touchdown when running backMike Bell scored from one yard out to make a 24–10 Dallas lead. Drew Brees also made a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverLance Moore. After that,Nick Folk attempted a 24-yard field goal, but the kick was no good. With a big advantage to take the lead as the clock was expiring, the Saints were driving for the game-tying score, but DeMarcus Ware made his second sack on Drew Brees, which again caused the ball to be fumbled. This time the ball was recovered by nose guardJay Ratliff. With the ball in possession, Dallas took a knee to conclude the game.

With a huge win over the once-undefeated Saints, the Cowboys extended their chances to make the playoffs and ended a two-game losing streak. They improved their record to 9–5.

Coming off a win over the New Orleans Saints, the Cowboys went to FedExField to take on the Washington Redskins. In the first quarter, Tony Romo made a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roy Williams. In the second quarter, Marion Barber made a 3-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys ended the first half of the game holding Washington to no points.

The Cowboys got a 23-yard field goal in the second half by their new kickerShaun Suisham who had played for the Redskins prior to the game. The Redskins continued to be scoreless and ended the game being shut out. This was the first shutout victory over the Redskins since the Cowboys beat them 27–0 on December 14, 2003, and the first time they swept the Redskins since the 2004 season.

With the victory, the Cowboys clinched a spot in the playoffs and improved from their final 9–7 record from the previous season. The win also closed the door on the 8–7 New York Giants, who had a 41–9 loss to the Carolina Panthers earlier that day. With the win, the Cowboys improved to 10–5.

Coming off their shutout victory against Washington, the Cowboys stayed home for their regular season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles in a regular season-sealing claim for the NFC East crown. The Cowboys scored their first touchdown of the game when Tony Romo completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight endJason Witten in the first quarter. In the second quarter, wide receiverPatrick Crayton completed a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo. Shaun Suisham also nailed a 44-yard field goal. The Cowboys scored their final touchdown of the game when running backFelix Jones ran a 49-yard touchdown. The Eagles could not score the entire game with quarterbackDonovan McNabb getting sacked four times.

With the victory, the Cowboys once again reclaimed first place in their division and improved to 11–5 to top off their regular season. This is the first time the Cowboys have swept the series since 2005, and also to snap Dallas's 9-regular season finale losing streak, as well as being the first time the Cowboys won a January game since 2000. The Cowboys would face off with the Eagles again in their first game of the playoffs the next week. This is also the first time Dallas posted back to back shutouts and Tony Romo broke his old team record for single season passing. They finished the regular season with an 11–5 record.

January 9, 2010

Entering the playoffs as the NFC's No. 3 seed, the Cowboys began their postseason run at home in "Round 3" against their rival, the No. 6Philadelphia Eagles, in a rematch of their week 17 victory.

After a scoreless first quarter, Dallas delivered the opening shot in the second quarter with quarterbackTony Romo completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight endJohn Phillips. The Eagles responded with quarterbackMichael Vick's 76-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJeremy Maclin when cornerbackMike Jenkins fell on the route. Then the Cowboys exploded with points, starting with a 1-yard touchdown run from running backTashard Choice, a 25-yard field goal from kickerShaun Suisham, Romo's 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMiles Austin and Suisham's second field goal of the quarter, from 48 yards.

Dallas went back to work in the third quarter with running backFelix Jones' 76-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterbackDonovan McNabb completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverDeSean Jackson, but the 'Boys would drain every last bit of hope needed for a comeback.

The Cowboys and Eagles combined to set an NFL record for the most penalty yards in a playoff game, ever. The two teams were penalized 23 times for 228 yards.^[5]

With the win, not only did the Cowboys improve to 12–5 and sweep three games from the Philadelphia Eagles, they finally won their first postseason game since 1996, and head coachWade Phillips finally got his first postseason win.

Coming off their three-game sweep over the Eagles, the Cowboys flew to theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for the NFC Divisional Round against the No. 2Minnesota Vikings. Dallas would trail in the first quarter as Vikings quarterbackBrett Favre completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverSidney Rice. The Cowboys would respond in the second quarter with kickerShaun Suisham making a 33-yard field goal, but Minnesota struck again as Favre found Rice again on a 16-yard touchdown pass, followed by kickerRyan Longwell getting a 23-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, the Vikings pulled away in the fourth quarter with Longwell booting a 28-yard field goal, followed by Favre' 45-yard touchdown pass to Rice and an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight endVisanthe Shiancoe.

With the loss, the Cowboys' season ended with an overall record of 12–6 and their first playoff win since 1996.

After news reports about a 2007 shooting allegation surfaced, the Cowboys released talented but controversial cornerbackAdam Jones on February 9, 2009.^[6] Their next move was to release backup quarterbackBrad Johnson on February 26, 2009 and not to re-sign QB Brooks Bollinger.^[7] The Cowboys had been 1–3 when Johnson started in 2008. Two days later, the Cowboys traded starting cornerbackAnthony Henry, age 32, to theDetroit Lions in exchange for quarterbackJon Kitna to back up starting quarterbackTony Romo.^[8] The same day the team signed five-timePro Bowl, two-time second-teamAll-Pro linebackerKeith Brooking away from theAtlanta Falcons.^[9] 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.^[10]

The team lost starting defensive endChris Canty to theNew York Giants on March 1, 2009.^[11] To fill the need left by Canty's departure, the team signed former Chargers defensive endIgor Olshansky to a four-year, $18 million contract, with $8 million guaranteed on March 6, 2009.^[12] LinebackerMatt Stewart, who played for Wade Phillips in Atlanta, and had 108 tackles in 2003, signed a one-year contract on March 3, 2009.^[13] Stewart helped replace free-agent linebackerKevin Burnett, who signed a two-year contract worth $5.5 million with a $2 million signing bonus to play for theSan Diego Chargers.^[14]

On March 4, 2009, the Cowboys cutTerrell Owens, a five-time All-Pro wide receiver who ranks second in NFL history in career touchdowns.^[15] The next morning, the team also released five-timePro Bowl strong safetyRoy Williams. Williams had struggled to excel in the 3–4 defense Phillips installed when he became head coach.^[16] The Cowboys bolstered its secondary in the wake of Williams' departure by signing strong safetyGerald Sensabaugh, who started 13 games in 2008 for theJacksonville Jaguars, to a one-year, $1.75 million deal.^[14]

In April, the Cowboys addressed their restricted free agents, whose signing period ran through April 17, 2009.^[17] Offensive linemanCory Procter signed a one-year tender offer on April 4, 2009.^[18] Defensive endStephen Bowen also signed a tender offer two days later.^[19] Wide receiverSam Hurd signed a one-year offer worth $1.545 million on April 20, 2009.^[17] The team signed their final restricted free agent, wide receiverMiles Austin, and both exclusive-rights free agents, running backAlonzo Coleman and tight endRodney Hannah, to one-year contracts worth $1.54 million, $385,000, and $310,000 respectively on April 23, 2009.^[20]

The team released thirty-four-year-old, Pro-Bowl defensive endGreg Ellis on June 2, 2009. The move saved the Cowboys $4.15 million.^[21]

RFA: Restricted free-agent,UFA: Unrestricted free-agent,ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent

• Selections 172 and 208 arecompensatory selections awarded by the league.
• Dallas traded its first-round (No. 20), third-round (No. 84), and sixth-round selections in 2009 to Detroit in exchange for wide receiverRoy Williams and a seventh-round selection in the 2010 draft.^[28]
• Dallas traded its second-round selection (51st overall) to Buffalo for their third-round selection (75th overall) and a fourth-round selection (110th overall).^[29]
• Cleveland traded its third-round selection in 2009 (No. 69) to Dallas for Dallas' fourth-round selection in 2008 (No, 111: used to select tight endMartin Rucker).^[30]
• Detroit traded its fourth-round selection in 2009 and third-round selection in 2008 (No. 111: traded to Cleveland,see above trade for Martin Rucker) to Dallas for Dallas' 2008 third-round selection (No. 92: used to select defensive endCliff Avril).^[31]
• The suspension of cornerbackPacman 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.^[32]
• Miami traded its sixth-round selection in 2009 and sixth-round selection in 2008 (No. 167: used to select linebackerErik Walden) to Dallas for defensive tackleJason Ferguson and Dallas' sixth-round selection (No. 195: used to select offensive guardDonald Thomas).^[33]

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