ByRainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
After collecting a career-high five interceptions and 71 tackles last season, strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh believes he deserves a substantial contract and is willing to look for the best deal. Unable to come to terms with the Cowboys before the lockout, Sensabaugh plans to explore his options.
"I tried to give them every opportunity to (re-sign) me that I could (before the lockout)," Sensabaugh told Vic Carucci, an NFL.com senior columnist. "But I'm just looking forward to going into free agency. I'll be open to going back to the Cowboys, but I'm going to go out there and see what options I have and what will be the best fit for me."
Last season, Sensabaugh tried to coax a long-term deal out of the Cowboys but eventually signed a second-round tender that paid him $1.8 million. This year, as an unrestricted free agent, Sensabaugh finds himself in an advantageous bargaining position because Alan Ball is expected to move back to cornerback after floundering as the team's starting free safety last season.
Consequently, the Cowboys would have to fill two positions in their secondary if Sensabaugh, in fact, signed elsewhere. For a number of reasons, Sensabaugh thinks the Cowboys would be foolish to let him go.
"I thought that I had a pretty good year, just me individually," Sensabaugh said. "Unfortunately, the team didn't do too (well), which always downplays your play."
But did Sensabaugh perform as well as he thought he did? Four of his interceptions and six of the 10 passes he defended were thrown after Week 11. By then, Wade Phillips had been fired and the Cowboys' defense was well on their way to allowing the most points in franchise history. Only when Paul Pasqualoni took over as defensive coordinator did Sensabaugh assert himself in the secondary. But Pasqualoni, like Phillips, is gone. And it's uncertain how Sensabaugh will fit in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's defensive system.
Ryan likes to attack quarterbacks from all positions and Sensabaugh has collected only two sacks in his six-year career. While strong safeties generally don't post impressive pass-rushing statistics, it's uncertain whether Sensabaugh would excel under Ryan. Perhaps that is why the Cowboys were hesitant to make a long-term offer that Sensabaugh has coveted since the 2010 offseason. And it may be why Sensabaugh has been left to explore the market.
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
After collecting a career-high five interceptions and 71 tackles last season, strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh believes he deserves a substantial contract and is willing to look for the best deal. Unable to come to terms with the Cowboys before the lockout, Sensabaugh plans to explore his options.
"I tried to give them every opportunity to (re-sign) me that I could (before the lockout)," Sensabaugh told Vic Carucci, an NFL.com senior columnist. "But I'm just looking forward to going into free agency. I'll be open to going back to the Cowboys, but I'm going to go out there and see what options I have and what will be the best fit for me."
Last season, Sensabaugh tried to coax a long-term deal out of the Cowboys but eventually signed a second-round tender that paid him $1.8 million. This year, as an unrestricted free agent, Sensabaugh finds himself in an advantageous bargaining position because Alan Ball is expected to move back to cornerback after floundering as the team's starting free safety last season.
Consequently, the Cowboys would have to fill two positions in their secondary if Sensabaugh, in fact, signed elsewhere. For a number of reasons, Sensabaugh thinks the Cowboys would be foolish to let him go.
"I thought that I had a pretty good year, just me individually," Sensabaugh said. "Unfortunately, the team didn't do too (well), which always downplays your play."
But did Sensabaugh perform as well as he thought he did? Four of his interceptions and six of the 10 passes he defended were thrown after Week 11. By then, Wade Phillips had been fired and the Cowboys' defense was well on their way to allowing the most points in franchise history. Only when Paul Pasqualoni took over as defensive coordinator did Sensabaugh assert himself in the secondary. But Pasqualoni, like Phillips, is gone. And it's uncertain how Sensabaugh will fit in defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's defensive system.
Ryan likes to attack quarterbacks from all positions and Sensabaugh has collected only two sacks in his six-year career. While strong safeties generally don't post impressive pass-rushing statistics, it's uncertain whether Sensabaugh would excel under Ryan. Perhaps that is why the Cowboys were hesitant to make a long-term offer that Sensabaugh has coveted since the 2010 offseason. And it may be why Sensabaugh has been left to explore the market.
