Dallas Does Drew

Traded

By the Texans to the Cowboys for a third-round pick in the 2005 draft, former Michigan quarterback and Yankees farmhand Drew Henson. Three years ago Dallas scout Jim Garrett wrote a report on Henson that was stunning in its praise. " Henson is a clone of Troy Aikman and is better than Aikman due to his quicker arm action and faster mechanics," Garrett wrote. "He will take a team to the Super Bowl."

Now the Cowboys will find out if Garrett was right. After spending a frustrating three years chasing his dream of becoming a major leaguer, Henson signed last week with the Cowboys, who had acquired him from Houston, the team that picked him in the sixth round of the 2003 draft. The Texans had hoped to get a second-rounder for Henson, and Henson had hoped to recoup much of the $12 million in guaranteed money he left on the table when he quit the Yankees. But suitors kept dropping by the wayside as they acquired other quarterbacks ( A.J. Feeley in Miami, Jeff Garcia in Cleveland). And teams with long-term needs balked at the asking price, a move they may well regret. The last time he was on the field, Henson was a lock to be a high first-round pick. Even if he doesn't make it, the Cowboys gambled well, giving up only what will likely be a late-third-round pick and little guaranteed money. Henson will get $3.5 million in bonuses and likely-to-be-earned money—unless he becomes a solid starter, in which case incentives would kick in. But he'd still not be too pricey for a team that has struggled for three years to find a replacement for Aikman. "I think what scared teams about Henson now is the sacredness of [giving up] a high-round pick for him after he'd sat out for a while, which is ludicrous," Garrett said. "The position is so vital. I don't think sitting out is that much of a disadvantage. God gave him the aptitude to play, and he's only 24."