Free-agency series: Offensive tackles
Offensive tackles
Analysis: This is a problem spot because Free has been so poor since signing a four-year, $32 million deal to play left tackle. He was moved to the right side last season, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle, and was so bad that he split time with Parnell late in the season. There have been internal discussions about moving Free to guard, but it’s more likely that he’ll be designated as a post-June 1 cut. Parnell performed relatively well in spot duty, but the Cowboys would be wise to at least acquire a tackle to compete with him if Free is released or moved. Smith, the Cowboys' 2011 first-round pick, should be a fixture at left tackle for years.
NFL free agents of interest: Jake Long, Andre Smith, Sebastian Vollmer, Phil Loadholt, Jermon Bushrod, Sam Baker
Need meter: 8. Offensive tackles don’t come cheap in free agency, and the Cowboys certainly aren’t in position to make high-dollar bids for the top names on the market. Perhaps the Cowboys could try to sign a less expensive tackle, much like they did at guard last offseason with Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, but this is a spot Dallas will likely address in the draft.
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
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Calvin Watkins joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He's covered the Cowboys since 2006 and also has covered colleges, boxing and high school sports.
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Todd Archer joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2010. He's covered the NFL since 1997 and the Cowboys since 2003. He covered the Bengals and Dolphins before arriving in Dallas. A Massachusetts native, Archer lives in the Dallas area with his wife and two children.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Jean-Jacques Taylor joined ESPNDallas.com in August 2011. A native of Dallas, Taylor spent the past 20 years writing for The Dallas Morning News, where he covered high schools sports, the Texas Rangers and spent 11 seasons covering the Dallas Cowboys before becoming a general columnist in 2006.
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UPCOMING GAMES
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| OAK | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| ARI | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
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