Alan Ball vs. Michael Hamlin
Free Safety
Alan Ball is a converted cornerback that was asked to fill in at safety for four games last year and impressed the Cowboys with his play. Hamlin is a second-year pro who played hard but battled through a wrist injury his rookie season. It doesn’t take a football guru to figure out who has the inside position. The Cowboys like Ball not just because he proved he can handle a position once held by Michael Hamlin, but because he proved last season he can actually play the position better than Hamlin. Ball’s strength is his range. He has the speed to go sideline to sideline which is a must in the way the NFL pass coverages have shifted in the last few years. Plus, he has cornerback skills, which means he can play the ball in the air, a major issue at this position a year ago. If Ball settles in, it would give the Cowboys more confidence to line up strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh close to the line of scrimmage which would help run support. Plus, it would free up the defensive mastermind in Coach Wade Phillips to be more creative with his coverages, with Phillips and secondary coach Dave Campo confident that Ball can lock up a slot receiver in single coverage. Allen’s size (6’1, 190 pounds) is a cause for concern, but the toughness he showed as a member of the club’s special teams helped his cause last season. In fact, they like him so much they decided not to even take a look at the star safety O.J. Atogwe when the Rams made him an unrestricted free agent.
Edge: Alan Ball

Jason Williams vs. Sean Lee Nickel Linebacker
The Cowboys decided to make a change at nickel linebacker this season. The Bobby Carpenter experiment was officially labeled a failure when he was traded to St. Louis and the Cowboys will look elsewhere on the roster for their man. Second-year man Jason Williams, who is basically a rookie, will skirmish with Penn State’s Sean Lee for the job. He may not be as instinctual as Lee, but if Williams can reach a point where he is fully confident with his assignments on the field then he can turn the dogs loose. He would then be able to let his superior athleticism take over and he is unquestionably the most athletic linebacker at the position.

Lee is a different type of player than Williams and breaking down the differences reveals a few things. His athleticism will reveal itself but it won’t blow you away like Williams in terms of speed or explosion off the ball. The biggest attribute that Sean Lee has are all the intangibles that reveal themselves when he’s always in the right position and making the tackle. The word around the Cowboys is that Lee is intelligent, hard-working and a great leader. He doesn’t have the flash or potential that Williams may posess, but his reliability will be a big factor in who wins this spot.
Edge: Sean Lee

This one could go either way, but his intellectual game is all there right now.

Dez Bryant vs. Roy Williams
Wide Reciever
This will play out over the entire season as opposed to just in training camp, but it will be interesting to see if Williams’ massive paycheck keeps forcing the Cowboys to put him on the field over the multi-talented Bryant. They both have the big bodies needed for a possession receiver but Bryant has electric speed to the stretch defense opposite Miles Austin. The general consensus around the team is that Roy Williams will bounce back this season and be productive, but how many snaps do they let Bryant sit if he doesn’t turn it around?
Edge: Roy Williams