As the Cowboys look to build on a bittersweet 2007 campaign, the team has had a nearly flawless off-season.

After re-signing several key contributors and adding a few more playmakers along the way, the Cowboy are a fantasy-football dream and the odds-on favorite to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC.

Marion Barber, Terence Newman and Flozell Adams highlight a list of studs who have returned to the team with enormous, new contracts. And Zach Thomas, Adam Jones, Mike Jenkins, Felix Jones and Martellus Bennett add a new flavor of young and old to the mix.

Thomas brings veteran leadership and experience to the club, but the Cowboys also plan for him to be an upgrade at the middle linebacker position. Adam Jones adds depth to a defensive backfield that looks to be one of the best in the league, but he also gives the Cowboys a playmaking punt-returner like they haven’t seen since Deion Sanders wore a star on his helmet.

The trio of rookies, all selected before the end of the second-round, also look to be big-time contributors. Some pundits hammered the Cowboys for failing to draft a wide receiver, especially early in the draft, but the team says it added valuable weapons to the passing attack in Felix Jones and Bennett. Certainly Jones was drafted to be a change-of-pace and backup running back to Barber, but the Cowboys also see him as a Marshall Faulk type who can create another target for Tony Romo out of the backfield or from the slot. And, he promises to be a considerable upgrade as the team’s top kickoff returner.

Bennett offers Romo another big target, especially in the red zone, but the Cowboy hope his presence also will allow them to move Jason Witten around, even to the wide receiver position from time to time. And while Jones and Bennett may not make a huge fantasy splash this year, they should only enhance Romo’s value, while giving the team an improved chance at playoff success.

Jenkins, on the other hand, is just one more reason why the Dallas defense promises to be one of the top units in all of fantasy football. As one of the very top cornerback prospects to come out of the draft, Jenkins offers the Cowboys tremendous depth and a bright future at the position. But, after watching starters Terence Newman and Anthony Henry bounce in and out of the lineup all last year, Jenkins may make an even more substantial contribution before all is said and done.

While this is great news for a team that produced 13 wins and 13 Pro Bowlers just last year, not everything has been perfect for America’s Team this off-season.

For starters, Pro Bowl safety Ken Hamlin has failed to sign his Franchise Tag, and has been absent from all organized team activities as he seeks a long-term deal with the club. Hamlin may be the team’s best safety, and while it’s very likely that he’ll still be an opening-day starter, it would be best for everyone involved if he were on the field with his teammates.

The other safety position also has been a subject of some controversy, as Roy Williams has taken a few lumps for his lackluster 2007 campaign. While the Cowboys and Williams seem to have gotten back on the same page, it’s still unclear if Williams will ever return to his playmaking ways, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll even be with the team when the regular season begins.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, their only other "problem child" barely contributed to the team’s success last season, as Terry Glenn’s bum knee kept him off the field for almost the entire year. Glenn is unhappy that the Cowboys want him to sign an injury waiver, but he has very little leverage since the team recently re-signed Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton to new deals and has youngsters Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Isaiah Stanback waiting in the wings. Add in the fact that Jason Witten may be the NFL’s best tight end, and Glenn’s availability becomes nothing more than a luxury.

So, as the Cowboys turn their attention to training camp, much is expected from them this year, and that may be the only other thing working against them. With tremendous pressure to not only win a playoff game, but also to reach the Super Bowl, the Cowboys must prove that they now have the maturity and experience to go all the way.