The Dallas Cowboys have not made a decision on their franchise tag yet this offseason but there is a good chance they will place it on linebacker Anthony Spencer. If they make this move, Spencer will return to join DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee on a great linebacker unit that is only one player away from being one of the best 3-4 defensive backer units in the NFL.
What makes this a solid move is that each of the players complement each other well. Ware is a sack monster, and before an injury slowed him down, was on pace to break the single-season sack record in 2011. Lee is exactly what the Cowboys hoped he could be when they drafted him out of Penn State, a tackle machine who also has the hands to intercept passes. Spencer, while not a great pass rusher, is a man who excels in stopping the running game.
If Dallas adds one more pass rusher to the linebacker corps to play opposite Ware, this unit could be what helps Dallas' defense recover from their off season in 2011.
For the uninitiated, if the Cowboys choose to label Spencer with the franchise tag between Feb. 20 and March 5, he will remain a Cowboy for one more year before he can test the free agent market. If they don't, he will be the top target of the Cowboys' free agents when the signing period starts. The franchise tag will also ensure Dallas pays Spencer around $8.8 million for 2012.
Spencer said he wants to stay with the Cowboys, which is great news, but there have been no talks between the team and his agents yet on an extension. It is also nice to hear that Spencer does not consider the franchise tag to be punishment and said he will play hard no matter what the Cowboys decide.
I'm not exactly sure why, if the Cowboys want to keep him, there has been no contact between the team and his agent yet. Spencer, a 2007 first round draft pick, finished 2011 with 66 tackles, six sacks, four forced fumbles and one pass defense. Over his three years as a starter, he averaged 65 tackles and five sacks and has also intercepted one pass.
I think if the Cowboys want to improve their defense in the free agent market and NFL Draft, they first need to find the strong points already on their team. Spencer is one of those strong points and Dallas needs to get him locked up.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
