<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Cowboys' Ellis wants new deal for new roleBy Len PasquarelliESPN.comOver the past few weeks, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Ellis fretted, often publicly, about whether he had a place on the team for the 2006 season.Greg EllisDefensive EndDallas CowboysProfile2005 SEASON STATISTICSTot Ast Solo FF Sack Int35 26 9 2 8 0During a three-day minicamp that concluded on Sunday, team officials reaffirmed their commitment to the eight-year veteran, but now as a hybrid end/linebacker defender. So faced with assimilating the nuances of a new position at a relatively late juncture of his career, Ellis is seeking a readjustment to his contract."Linebacker is a huge risk," Ellis told the Dallas-area media after Sunday's final minicamp session. "I haven't done it in the league. Last year was a risk. I never played (in a 3-4 alignment) before. We know how that worked out. If this doesn't work out, if I don't produce, they are not going to keep me around. I am taking all the risk. I would like them to share this risk with me."Ellis, 30, isn't necessarily asking for more money, just a redistribution of the $12.15 million in base salaries he is due through the 2009 season. He would prefer that the Cowboys move some of the money from the base salaries in 2008 and 2009 forward, into a signing bonus, essentially guaranteeing he won't be released if the linebacker experiment doesn't work out.He is scheduled to earn base salaries of $2.25 million (2006), $2.5 million (2007), $3.3 million (2008) and $4.1 million (2009).During his eight-year career, a tenure that includes 124 appearances, Ellis has played exclusively at end. He has not played linebacker since leaving North Carolina, when the Cowboys made him their first-round pick in the 1998 draft.Last season, when Dallas switched to a 3-4 front for the first time in Ellis' career, the transition was hardly a smooth one for him. At one point, he was benched in favor of rookie Chris Canty, who is regarded as a better fit in a 3-4 scheme. Although he appeared in all 16 games for the sixth time in eight seasons, Ellis' 13 starts tied his career low.Ellis had eight sacks, only one fewer than in 2004, but his 32 tackles were a career low.Coach Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer both feel Ellis has the skills-set to adapt to the hybrid role. Parcells spent time on Sunday talking privately with Ellis, and the player and his agent have met with owner Jerry Jones to discuss the veteran's future with the franchise.Said Parcells: "In the 3-4, you need pressure players. In Greg's case, he has the body type (6-feet-6, 280 pounds) that would enable him to be on the perimeter of the defense and be a pressure player, and yet still have some of the characteristics of a lineman, that would allow him to hold up at the point of attack."Parcells cited other defenders in the league, such as Willie McGinest and Mike Vrabel, who successfully made the transition to the end/linebacker role.Ellis said he will do "whatever they ask me to do," but acknowledged some skepticism about the move and suggested that, if the team doesn't adjust his contract, it might be better for him to move on. Ellis did not, though, intimate he will skip the start of training camp next month if his issues are not resolved."They want me to run through a brick wall for them, but they're not with me. ... I'm the guinea pig. If the experiment for the guinea pig doesn't work, they die. Then they go get another guinea pig and they start some new experiments," Ellis said.Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2471271
