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Unable to find an acceptable situation under which to continue his Hall of Fame career, former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher announced his retirement earlier this week. Thanks to Kevin Seifert of the NFC North blog for pointing out this Chicago Tribune story, in which Urlacher says he liked the idea of possibly signing with the Dallas Cowboys, who were not interested:

Although the Bears seemed to leave open the possibility of an Urlacher return months after sending out a parting news release, such a scenario never materialized. Some speculated Urlacher would end up with the rival Vikings based on that team’s need for a middle linebacker. Only one team outside of the Bears truly intrigued Urlacher.

“If I could have picked a spot, it would have been Dallas,” Urlacher said. “(The Cowboys) run our defense. They took our d-coordinator (Rod Marinelli). That would have been ideal. But they have two really good young linebackers.”

Yes, a few of us asked Stephen Jones about Urlacher at the owners meetings in Phoenix a couple of months ago, and he worked hard to respectfully say the Cowboys weren't interested. Urlacher would have played the same middle linebacker position for them that Sean Lee is set to play, and Lee is a younger (and, at this point in history, better) player. Bruce Carter is the other "really good" young linebacker to which Urlacher referred, and as with Lee, the Cowboys want Carter on the field as much as possible. The did not have a need for Urlacher.

I would suggest to Cowboys fans that they enjoy this endorsement of Marinelli and the Cowboys' new defense by an all-time great who thinks he'd have enjoyed playing in it.

Good Thursday morning and welcome to your links.

Philadelphia Eagles

Damaris Johnson looks at Chip Kelly's offense and sees an opportunity for himself. I look at the Eagles' roster and see 14 wide receivers and four tight ends, and I say Johnson had better play his tail off if he wants to cash in that opportunity.

Almost everyone has an opportunity at safety, where the Eagles are rotating different guys in at different spots in these early practices. Former Giant Kenny Phillips has consistently been running with the second team, Tim McManus says, and Phillips believes he has to prove to the coaches that he is healthy.

Washington Redskins

Reporters get a look at the Redskins' organized team activities today, so we'll have some news out of there, which is exciting for Redskins fans and those of us who've struggled to find things to write about the Redskins lately. Mike Jones fills you in on what he'll be looking for, including the levels of activity for quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

Lots of speculation, for months now, about Griffin's recovery from his January knee surgery, and the team has made it clear that Griffin won't play until the doctors say he's ready to play. But what will the doctors exactly be looking for in order to make that decision?

Dallas Cowboys

Jean-Jacques Taylor thinks Tony Romo blew a chance to assert himself and his new role in the Cowboys' offense when he spoke to the media the other day. I love Jacques, but I disagree with him strongly on this one. I think judging athletes and coaches on their performances in press conferences is a disturbing trend. While I would prefer (for my own sake) that these guys be as forthcoming as possible, many of them have decided the right way to handle press conferences is to reveal little. I just don't agree that Romo's hesitance to get into detail about the team's plans in front of reporters has anything to do with his status as a team leader or a top quarterback. I think you can argue either way on both of those issues, but I don't think a May 20 press conference is worthy evidence for serious conclusions.

Gil Brandt offers 10 reasons he thinks the Cowboys will win the NFC East. I saw this last night when I was on Twitter, and you may have noticed my reaction. I have no problem believing the Cowboys, who made it to Week 17 with a chance to win the division each of the last two seasons, can win it this year. But I honestly don't think I could come up with 10 ways to convince myself to pick any one of these four teams. Perhaps that's an idea for some posts during this ultra-slow time of the year.

New York Giants

There are already enough questions about the Giants' running game. It cannot afford to lose Henry Hynoski, who was one of the league's best blocking fullbacks in 2012. Hynoski had to be carted off the field during Wednesday's practice, and the team awaits word on his knee.

This is interesting. With Hakeem Nicks surprisingly joining Victor Cruz in missing the Giants' OTA practice Wednesday, Ralph Vacchiano reports that wide receiver Ramses Barden appears to be headed back to the Giants. Bit of a surprise, but even if Nicks and Cruz are back and healthy, there are question marks on the depth chart behind them.

Things can look really rosy in OTAs, and this is the case for the Dallas Cowboys and their redesigned defense. Starting safety Barry Church, who's recovering from an Achilles injury that cost him 13 games last year, believes the Dallas D can be the very best in the NFL this year. Per Todd Archer:

“If we can remain healthy through the whole season, the sky’s the limit for this defense,” Church said. “I mean we’ve got stars at every level and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be the No. 1 defense in the league.”

Sure, it's good to have goals and to believe in yourself. But the "if we can remain healthy" is a key clause in there when discussing a defense that lost five starters to injury last year. And because of that rather large "if," any talk about how great the Cowboys' defense can be is mere speculation. We've not seen a full season, for example, of Church as a starting safety. We've not seen a single game of Matt Johnson as one. Sean Lee is a brilliant player when on the field but has had problems getting through seasons healthy. Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware have been limited by injuries in recent years.

The Cowboys' starting 11 on defense looks very good -- especially if you buy the team's party line about Church and Johnson as the starting safeties. But considering all of the changes that are being made with Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli bring brought in to change the front to a 4-3, and considering the injury question marks and the fact that neither safety is proven, there's no way to feel confident about any prediction we make about the Cowboys' defense heading into 2013. Church is certainly well within his right to dream big, and the quality of the starters on the Cowboys' defense lends merit to his hopes. But until we see this unit play a few games together, hopes are just that.

As part of our project on the all-time greatest NFL coaches, Rick Reilly offers us a look at his top-20 ballot. This is an NFC East post because he ranked former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs as the No. 2 greatest coach of all time, behind only Vince Lombardi. Rick's reasoning has to do with the well-established fact that Gibbs won "three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks, none of whom are in the Hall of Fame. That's like crossing the Pacific in a Little Mermaid floatie."

I haven't seen the final list, and we're going to reveal the overall top 20, one per day, starting tomorrow on the site. We'll obviously post as the NFC East-relevant ones come up. But while I appreciate Rick's case for Gibbs, it's hard for me to believe he'll end up ranked ahead of guys like Paul Brown, Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, Tom Landry and Don Shula. Maybe. We'll see.

The rest of the NFC East-relevant coaches on Rick's list are Landry at No. 6, Jimmy Johnson at No. 14, George Allen at No. 15, Tom Coughlin at No. 18 and Ray Flaherty at No. 19. (Dan Reeves is No. 20, but not because of anything he did with the Giants.)

Rick's list does not include former Giants and Cowboys coach Bill Parcells:

Lot of people are going to file a grievance over that. Fine coach, fun guy, but his regular-season coaching record was only .570, which ranks below most of the coaches in my top 20. Plus, Parcells' stature was blown up because he did his best work in New York, which is the scuba mask of the world. Everything you do in New York looks one-third bigger than it really is.

Nor does it include current Redskins coach Mike Shanahan:

Like Parcells, Shanahan is a wizard, but both his Super Bowls came with one quarterback, Elway. He has won one playoff game in the 13 years since. Needs to prove it.

One man's opinion, and one of the sweet parts about this project is that you can go here and make your own top 20. It's not as easy as it looks!

Good morning. You may have noticed this on our site Tuesday, but we have have begun a large series on the greatest coaches in NFL history. It includes a number of interesting features that we will analyze on this blog in the coming days and weeks, including a top-20 countdown and the opportunity for fans to be a part of it. Let Trey Wingo fill you in on the details. It's pretty cool. I hope you enjoy. As I said, we'll get to it a little bit later. For now, though, links.

New York Giants

Giants co-owner Steve Tisch says he's confident that Victor Cruz "will be a Giant," which means either that the team expects to get a long-term contract extension done with Cruz or that Tisch thinks Cruz has a great deal more growing to do. But if it was that, then it'd be "giant" with a lowercase "g." So it's probably the first thing. But you never know.

Duke University coach David Cutcliffe is telling potential recruits they have a chance to be like Eli Manning if they come to Durham to play for him.

Philadelphia Eagles

Ben Muth of Football Outsiders believes Lane Johnson has enough talent to develop into a great left tackle in the NFL. However, at the moment Ben considers Johnson "a pretty horrific fundamental pass-blocker." So that's something to watch out for, no?

Eager for some definition or resolution to the Eagles' starting quarterback competition? Well, sorry. Jeff McLane says to settle in for the long haul on this one.

Washington Redskins

There is a great deal to like about Robert Griffin III, but the Redskins' super-young superstar hasn't been able to steer completely clear of controversy during his short time in the NFL so far. The latest is the flare-up over his wedding gift registry. Rich Campbell writes that Griffin has a chance to head off an image problem, which I imagine he'll be able to do without too much trouble.

If you're planning to go see the Redskins in training camp this summer, you'll have to go to Richmond, Va. Here are some pictures of what things look like down there as they work to finish the facility in time.

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo says he's "not an 8-8 quarterback," and in truth his record as an NFL quarterback is 56-41, so he's right about that. However, he did go 8-8 in each of the past two seasons and it's clear he shares his critics' frustration about that troublesome fact.

Dez Bryant says his quiet offseason hasn't been a coincidence, and that it's actually the result of him finding a degree of comfort and peace that had eluded him in his personal life prior to this year. We shall see. Bryant's reputation is such that he could stay out of trouble for the next five years and still, the next time something goes wrong, everybody would say, "See? Same old troublemaker." He's going to have to stay boring.

No, of course it's never too early to talk fantasy football. I mean, sure, if you're like me, you're working on buy-low targets to try and make up points in your rotisserie baseball league before it's too late (I always seem to struggle with batting average), but your football draft is likely about three months away, give or take. Not by coincidence, ESPN.com's first 2013 fantasy football rankings came out at the end of last week, so why not take a look at where the best players in the NFC East fell in those?

• The top NFC East player in the rankings is Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris, who ranks ninth overall and ninth at his position. Morris finished second in the league in rush yards as a rookie in 2012, and my goodness, how far we've come that a Mike Shanahan running back is a top-10 fantasy option.
• Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, a top-three pick a year ago, ranks 11th overall and 10th among running backs. Chip Kelly likely will use the run game a lot in his first year as Eagles coach, and if healthy McCoy should benefit greatly.
• Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who won some fantasy leagues singlehandedly last year with his Week 16 peformance, ranks 16th overall and third among wide receivers, behind only Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green. If you read this blog regularly, you know I have no disagreement with a ranking like this.
• The highest ranking New York Giants player is running back David Wilson, who ranks 32nd overall and 17th among running backs. It's widely believed Wilson will be the feature back in New York this year, and his explosiveness makes him a tantalizing option if he does get the job. But since no one's certain what the Giants will do in terms of carries and how Wilson will handle the carries he does get, this is a guy primed to move up or down dramatically as the preseason unfolds.
• Quarterbacks? Washington's Robert Griffin III ranks ninth overall, and could obviously move up with a healthy preseason. The Cowboys' Tony Romo and the Giants' Eli Manning rank 12th and 13th, respectively, and always seem to land next to each other in these things. And the Eagles' Michael Vick, not yet assured of the starting job in Philadelphia, ranks 16th. Interesting to note that the Eagles' Nick Foles and Matt Barkley rank 35th and 47th, respectively, and that Washington backup Kirk Cousins came in at No. 40.
• Giants wide receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks seem a bit undervalued at 14 and 21, but there's a holdout concern with Cruz and health concerns with Nicks. If those get resolved, those guys likely slide up a good bit.

Much more on this as we get closer to the season, obviously. I know there are a number of you out there who obsess over this nearly as much as I do. At least, I get myself to sleep at night with the help of that belief.

Got a question about the NFC East? Robert Griffin III's wedding registry? Tony Romo's back? The Eagles' quarterback situation? The Giants' incredibly wild, newsy, action-packed offseason? (I kid, I kid.)

If you do have a question about the NFC East, or if you're just looking for something to do instead of work between noon and 1 p.m. ET today, I welcome you to join our weekly NFC East chat. You just click on these little blue letters right here at any time during that hour and fire away with your questions. I'll do my best to answer them. Hope to see you there.

Todd Archer reports that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will miss organized team activities this week and could be out until training camp because of surgery he had last month to remove a cyst from his back. The Cowboys don't believe this to be a serious problem that threatens Romo's availability for the season, but his absence from this portion of the offseason calendar is not completely without significance:

In the past Romo has used the offseason to tinker with his mechanics from altering his footwork to how he holds the ball. He has used the OTAs and mini-camp as a test for how the changes would hold up under pressure and if he would continue with the changes.

With Romo on the sideline, Kyle Orton will work with the first-team offense. Signed as a free agent last year Orton saw action in only one game last year. Nick Stephens and undrafted rookie Dalton Williams will receive more work in Romo's absence.

Mechanical tinkering is one thing, but another thing to consider is the Cowboys' plan to involve Romo more in game planning and play calling this season as part of his new, $108 million contract extension. Surely the surgery won't keep him from sitting in meeting rooms and working on that part of installing the offense, but it will keep him from practicing putting it into action. The rest of the players on offense can practice fine with the veteran Orton throwing them the ball, but if Dallas is changing things about the way plays are called and implemented on offense, then any missed practice time is a missed opportunity for the starting quarterback.

The good thing for Romo and the Cowboys is that this happened so far in advance of the season, and that their training camp starts quite early this year and includes an extra game. So assuming Romo is back in time for training camp, he'll get more practice time in game conditions than he would in a normal year. As of now, it appears the Cowboys are trying to be careful with him and not make the back problem any worse than it has to be. This is the time of year to be careful.

Hope you guys didn't miss me too much yesterday. I was out buying a wedding gift for a professional football player who's making $7 million a year in salary, plus endorsement money from Adidas and Subway, and didn't invite me to the wedding. Oh no, wait. I wasn't doing that. You'd have to have a serious screw loose to do something like that.

Right?

Links.

Dallas Cowboys

If you thought the Doug Free situation took too long to resolve itself this offseason, don't worry about a repeat. Free's new contract is structured in such a way that requires a much quicker decision by the Cowboys in 2014.

I was in college in Washington, D.C. when the Redskins won Super Bowl XXVI. Jared Green was 2-years old and sitting on his father's shoulder in a postgame celebration. Darrell Green is expecting his son to return the favor should Jared and the Cowboys find their way to the Super Bowl this season.

New York Giants

Tom Coughlin's recently published book, "Earn the Right to Win," is being studied by college football coaches at Arizona State University. Coughlin has said many times on his book tour that the book isn't football-specific and includes life lessons as well. I personally have yet to read it.

Giants draft pick Cooper Taylor has already overcome a serious health scare on his way to the NFL. He's one of the picks about which I get asked about the most, and he's intriguing for this reason as well as the question of how he fits into the Giants' defense.

Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles took more first-team snaps than Michael Vick did in Monday's practice. This clearly means Vick's hold on the starting quarterback job is slipping away in record time and that his career is nearing an ugly end. I'm kidding, of course. This doesn't mean that. It means it's mid-May, and Chip Kelly's using practices to find out as much as he can about all of his players. But we'll keep you posted.

Running back LeSean McCoy left practice early due to a knee issue of some sort, but again. May. Anything that doesn't feel 100 percent right at this point in the year is reason enough to stop working so as not to make it worse.

Washington Redskins

Redskins GM Bruce Allen says he's hearing positive reports and has reason for optimism, but that it's too early to tell when quarterback Robert Griffin III will be fully recovered from his offseason knee surgery and cleared to play. This is, of course, the responsible thing to say and the only thing anyone should be saying right now about Griffin's knee. No word from Allen on how ticked off he was to go on Griffin's wedding registry and find out that some fan had already bought the food processor.

It's also too early to tell who's going to play free safety for the Redskins this year, though Tarik El-Bashir has the scoop on the candidates for the job.

Dallas Cowboys

What are the Cowboys' top storylines this offseason? The Dallas Morning News shares its top 10.

Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli are already making an impact in Dallas.

New York Giants

Rookie safety Cooper Taylor models himself after former Giants safety Jason Sehorn. “I’m definitely kind of an enigma for the position, not a whole lot of guys like me,’’ Taylor said.

Philadelphia Eagles

Cornerback Brandon Boykin is hoping the experience he gained last season will begin to pay off when he takes the field in 2013.

Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "There is no coach in the NFL trying to do more in less time than Chip Kelly of the Eagles. He is one of eight new head coaches and received for that honor an extra three days of practice in the form of an April voluntary veterans minicamp. (Woo hoo!) Otherwise, the Eagles are trying to slip a lot of coaching through a narrow window like every other team, but, unlike most, everything coming through the window is brand new."

Washington Redskins

Jason Reid of The Washington Post: "The biggest news about the Washington Redskins actually doesn’t involve quarterback Robert Griffin III’s reconstructed right knee. It’s still way too early to tell when Griffin will be ready to play -- the Redskins are waiting to find out just like everyone else. What is interesting are the changes on offense the team is expected to make to accommodate Griffin.

CSNWashington.com looks at a crowded Redskins backfield.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

A look at key players for each NFC East team who are coming back from injuries:

Dallas Cowboys: LB Sean Lee

Lee has been a breakout defensive star for the Cowboys the past two seasons, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy. A wrist injury limited him after a raging hot start in 2011, and after another hot start in 2012 he injured a toe in Week 7 and missed the remainder of the season. The Cowboys' defense is different when Lee is on the field and at his instinctive, playmaking best, and it misses him terribly when he's not. Now set to play the middle linebacker position in Dallas' new 4-3 defensive alignment, Lee is more important than ever to the every-down success of the defense. We easily could have picked running back DeMarco Murray or even perpetually nicked-up wide receiver Miles Austin for this exercise, but the Cowboys' biggest question marks lie on defense, where six starters missed time last year because of injury. Improved health on defense is the surest way for the Cowboys as a whole to improve in 2013, and Lee is right in the middle of it all.

New York Giants: WR Hakeem Nicks

Nicks broke a bone in his foot during minicamp last year, and while he made it back in time for the start of the season, he was not himself all year. Foot and knee problems cost him three games and limited him to 692 yards and three touchdowns on 53 catches (10 catches and 199 yards of which came in a Week 2 game for which he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week). Without his top wide receiver healthy for much of the year, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was unable to duplicate the Super Bowl-winning magic of the previous season. With Nicks hobbled, defenses were often able to focus more on Victor Cruz, whose production dropped from the previous year's dazzling yardage numbers. Nicks is a vital part of the Giants' passing game, which is the vital part of their offense. When he's at his best, he's among the top all-around wide receivers in the league. He needs to stay healthy for the Giants to function at peak levels.

Philadelphia Eagles: LT Jason Peters

Peters tore his right Achilles tendon twice during the 2012 offseason and was obviously unable to play at all as a result. He was the first of three Eagles starting offensive linemen to land on injured reserve last year, but after the year he had in 2011, his was the absence they had the greatest difficulty overcoming. Peters was essential to the Eagles offense in 2011 as a multi-level blocker who could take out his man at the line and then get upfield quickly and block a linebacker or a safety as well. Without him, the run game suffered, the screen game suffered, and quarterback Michael Vick's ability to succeed when he extended plays suffered. The Eagles need Todd Herremans and Jason Kelce back on the offensive line, and they need first-round pick Lane Johnson to play well at right tackle. But the most important offensive line recovery is that of Peters, who brings something to the equation no one else brings. He needs not only to be healthy, but to play like his old, spry self.

Washington Redskins: QB Robert Griffin III

If you've been living in a cave without access to TV or the Internet for the past six months, it will come as news to you that Griffin tore his ACL in the Redskins' playoff game (yes, they made the playoffs) and had reconstructive surgery in January. While the Redskins believe they have a capable backup in Kirk Cousins, much of their 2012 success was because of Griffin's unique talents and abilities. Even if Griffin is back to 100 percent, the Redskins probably will take greater care with how they use him in the read-option this year. But the threat he poses to defenses as a runner and a passer is not something Cousins or very many other quarterbacks in the league can replicate. The Redskins must be careful not to rush Griffin back from his injury, as he's their franchise quarterback and vital to the long-term success and health of the team. But their 2013 fortunes are tightly tied to the timing and extent of his recovery.

The Dallas Cowboys' signing of defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove on Thursday got buried under the at-long-last resolution of the Doug Free matter. But as Calvin Watkins writes on ESPNDallas.com, it says something about where the Cowboys are in terms of their defensive line. As Dallas transitions to a 4-3 front this year, there has been some concern raised about depth. The starting quartet of DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff appears very good, but should one of those guys get injured or need a rest, things get dicey behind them. That's where Hargrove comes in, as the Cowboys believe he can play end or tackle on a 4-3 line.

But Hargrove is going to turn 30 before the start of the season, and since the team didn't address the defensive line in the draft, it's worth wondering about the future there, as Calvin does in his post. Spencer and Hatcher could both conceivably be gone next year. Ratliff's about to turn 32 and always seems to be banged up. Ware has worn down a bit toward the end of recent seasons, and a move up to the line could exacerbate that. Calvin lists Tyrone Crawford, Sean Lissemore, Rob Callaway and Kyle Wilber as young defensive linemen who could factor into the starting mix as early as next year. Lissemore is the most proven of that group, but one of the interesting subplots on the defensive line in Dallas this year will be whether any of them can show enough to instill confidence that they'll play significant roles in the future. The extent to which any or all of them do will affect what the Cowboys do about the defensive line next offseason.

In the meantime, I agree with Calvin that the Cowboys' defensive line appears to have been built for 2013 success without much of an eye toward what lies beyond. You can't fix every problem every offseason, and much of the Cowboys' draft this year was focused on offense due to their belief that they'll be better on defense with better health. Look for defensive line to be a major focus in the 2014 offseason, regardless of the way 2013 goes.

This Friday's links are sorted in order of the populations of the states in which the teams play their home games. Enjoy.

Dallas Cowboys

Jason Witten will be happy to welcome second-round pick Gavin Escobar as a teammate and fellow Cowboys tight end. He'll be happy to help him get acclimated to life in the NFL. But make no mistake: Witten does not believe he's training his replacement. He believes he's got a lot of good years left.

Monte Kiffin will be the fifth different defensive coordinator for whom Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr has played in six years in the NFL. Carr is used to change.

Philadelphia Eagles

There's apparently a new documentary series about DeSean Jackson, and one of the things that's revealed in it is that his relationship with former Eagles coach Andy Reid got off to a shaky start due to some things Reid said about Jackson's family in their first conversation.

The Eagles' other starting wide receiver, Jeremy Maclin, could get a look on punt returns this season. Another chance for Maclin to make the right kind of impression in his contract year. Maclin was a brilliant return man in college.

New York Giants

Dwight Freeney's father says the veteran defensive end would love to play for the Giants but can't because the Giants are "broke." It was a day for connecting veterans still looking for jobs with the Giants, as Charles Woodson's agent said something about them being interested in his client. I have to believe, if the Giants wanted Freeney, they'd have found the money to sign him.

As for the pass-rushers the Giants do have, veteran Justin Tuck is trying to get rookie Damontre Moore in the right frame of mind to contribute right away.

Washington Redskins

Apparently the Redskins remain interested in running back Tim Hightower, who was their starter in 2011 before blowing out his knee and was cut late in training camp last year because the knee couldn't get healthy. The Giants have had some interest in Hightower this offseason as well. Whether Washington, New York or anyone else signs him has to depend on his health. He's well liked and well respected as a multi-talented back who could fill a variety of roles.

Remember that odd burgundy stripe around the collars of the Redskins' white jerseys last year? Yeah, they're not doing that again.

The Doug Free situation has finally reached its resolution. According to Calvin Watkins, Free has accepted a pay cut and will remain with the Dallas Cowboys in 2013. ESPN's Ed Werder reports that Free agreed to a 50 percent cut, which would reduce his 2013 salary from $7 million to $3.5 million and save the Cowboys room against this year's cap. Ed also reports that Free is now scheduled to be paid $3.5 million in each of the next two years, with only this year's salary guaranteed.

Obviously, these numbers are much more palatable to the Cowboys than were Free's original contract numbers. Since signing his four-year, $32 million free agent deal after a strong 2010 season, Free has played as poorly as any starting tackle in the NFL. The Cowboys hoped a move from the left side to the right side in 2012 would help things, but it did not, and had he not agreed to the reduction, he likely would have been released. The fact that the 2014 money is not guaranteed is significant, as releasing Free prior to this agreement would have dumped a significant amount of "dead money" onto next year's cap.

The pay cut could allow the Cowboys to sign a free-agent tackle such as Eric Winston, and even if they don't, it's a lot easier on their budget and on common sense to pay Free $3.5 million than $7 million this year. It's possible he's the starting right tackle again and also possible he could share time with or lose the job outright to Jermey Parnell. If he has to be a backup "swing" tackle, his salary for a job like that is at least closer than it was to reasonable.

The Free contract goes down as a boondoggle for the Cowboys because of the way Free has played since signing it. At the time, Free was coming off a fine season as Dallas' starting left tackle and Cowboys fans were panicked about the idea of failing to re-sign him. The deal is in line with what top tackles on that year's market were getting, and he'd played like a top tackle. But obviously, his failure to live up to that season and that deal have put the Cowboys in a bad spot. They obviously didn't want to just release him, and even if they had they couldn't have recouped the salary-cap savings until after June 1. So while this compromise doesn't rid them of their Free problem, it at least makes it a bit of an easier problem with which to deal.

Calvin also reports that the Cowboys are signing veteran defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove for depth at that positon.