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IRVING – Jason Garrett woke up Monday morning feeling pretty good about a lot of things.

The offense he directs has Pro Bowlers at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and on the offensive line. He is just a few days away from the first training camp practice in Oxnard, Calif., which means the season is right around the corner. He's viewed as one of the best young assistants in the NFL.

But if there was one downer, it was the news that he will have to account for Jason Taylor twice a year now that Washington has acquired the Pro Bowl defensive end from Miami.

"Yeah, how about that?" the Cowboys assistant head coach/offensive coordinator said. "I've gotta call Sparano on that one."

Sparano is Garrett's running mate from last year, Tony Sparano, who is about to enter his first year as the Dolphins' head coach. Garrett can spread his thanks to Jeff Ireland, Miami's general manager, and Bill Parcells, the Dolphins' vice president of football operations.

They certainly didn't do their old team any favors, but they did set up two family reunions. Taylor is married to the sister of Cowboys linebacker Zach Thomas.

Washington's need for Taylor came after it lost starting defensive end Phillip Daniels (knee) and backup Alex Buzbee (Achilles' tendon) for the season Sunday, its first day of training camp. A trade quickly came together for the Dancing with the Stars runner-up.

Cornerback Fred Smoot also injured his ankle on Washington's first day of camp, but it is not considered too serious.

Injuries are unavoidable in football, and coaches know it. With an 80-man roster limit in camp, some teams are further limiting their two-a-day work.

LOUIS DeLUCA / DMN

Flozell Adams (left) and the Dallas Cowboys will face Jason Taylor (right) twice next season after Taylor's move to the Redskins.

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"When injuries happen, it's 'Oh gosh, they had a lot of injuries,' but then at the end of the year, if you don't win enough games, the coach is gone," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "I can tell you that because I've been there. But I don't fear them. I think you play football. Whatever happens happens, and you deal with it if you ever have injuries."

The Redskins dealt with it by trading for Taylor. When Cowboys secondary coach Dave Campo talked with offensive line coach Hudson Houck on Monday, Houck didn't talk about Daniels, Buzbee or Smoot.

"He only said something about Jason Taylor," Campo said.

Taylor has 117 career sacks, including 11 last year. He turns 34 on Sept. 1 and spent the off-season doing more dancing than playing football. He had three tackles vs. the Cowboys last year, but he had Tony Romo on the run more than a few times.

And he will be motivated to show Parcells he has more than enough left.

"He's a great football player," said Garrett, a former teammate and coach in Miami. "I was fortunate enough to be around him for three years. He's a marquee football player, a tremendous guy, a tremendous worker in practice, a great competitor in games. He'll be a challenge for us twice this year."

That's two more times than they thought they would have to see him.