The Cowboys have agreed to a one-year contract with safety Abram Elam, according to multiple media reports. The deal is for $2.5 million, the same amount Gerald Sensabaugh re-signed for on Tuesday.
Elam and Sensabaugh figure to start at safety for the Cowboys. The one-year contracts allow them to have another shot at free agency next spring, while the Cowboys can bring along second year men Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Barry Church in reserve roles for one more season.
The team had pursued safety Eric Weddle and corner Nnamdi Asomugha as high profile upgrades but lost out on both, settling on retaining their current group of corners and for lower budget safeties. The defensive secondary was arguably the club’s biggest weakness in 2010, as the Cowboys’ defense was 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed and 29th in opponents’ QB rating.
Alan Ball, the team’s starter at free safety in 2010, will return to cornerback and will fight Bryan McCann and rookie Josh Thomas for the fourth corner role.