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Doug Free has turned from rookie to the Cowboys offensive line's senior member in just a few years.

Free will start at right tackle when the Cowboys open the season at the New York Giants on Sept. 5, marking the third consecutive year he will start somewhere on Dallas' offensive line.

This is Free's sixth NFL season, and he's already the old man of the group. He's 28, but his tenure with the Cowboys is longer than any current member of an offensive line that includes young players such as center Phil Costa, guard/center Kevin Kowalski and tackle Tyron Smith.

The Cowboys also added Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau to the offensive line in free agency, and they have a combined eight years of NFL experience.

"Getting up there in age, I guess," Free joked. "Livings has a lot of years on him, he's also a veteran type."

Free learned the NFL game watching tackles Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo and center Andre Gurode and guard Kyle Koiser. All of these players are gone now, with Colombo having a retirement ceremony at Valley Ranch two weeks ago.

"You learn a lot from those guys," Free said. "You know, give them a chance to come in here especially with all the veteran guys, I had a chance to play with and stuff. Just learning their techniques and how they handle situations how they work, a lot of great workers I played after."

The offensive line has seen massive change this offseason from the retirement of line coach Hudson Houck, the release of Kosier and the addition of two new guards.

Bill Callahan replaced Houck, and Livings and Bernadeau are projected starters at guard. Free is making a change himself. After playing last season at left tackle, he's moving back to right tackle, a spot that gave him his big break in 2010.

"(There's) always a bit of transition anytime you go to a different side," Free said. "It's manly thinking everything different, doing everything opposite and getting settled over there and getting used to how things are called and instead of being on one side your on the other. It's flipping things in your head, having this time to get ready for it is definitely going to be positive."

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Wearing a plain white T-shirt, a Dodgers cap tilted high, some shorts and a pair of Nike running shoes, Tyron Smith certainly didn’t look like a golfer when he took the course Wednesday.

But the 21-year-old sure looks like a prototypical left tackle with a chiseled 6-foot-5, 311-pound frame that features long arms and paws that look like catcher’s mitts.

Smith will get the chance to prove he can perform at the most important position on the offensive line in his second NFL season. He is spending the offseason preparing to flip sides with Doug Free and play left tackle, something he hasn’t done on a regular basis since high school.

“I’ve always prepared for it, switching sides, working on both stances every day,” Smith said at the Cowboys’ annual golf outing. “It’s just all about knowing what’s happening on the other side and knowing what you have to do.”

It isn’t as if right tackle is an easy position in the NFL, especially in the NFC East. Smith matched up with some pretty good pass-rushers as a rookie, including the Eagles’ Jason Babin, the Giants’ Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, and the Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan. However, the premier pass-rushers tend to come from the quarterback’s blind side.

That’s why the Cowboys essentially gave Smith a promotion after he was their best offensive lineman as a rookie who was too young to buy beer.

“Of course they have high expectations for me,” said Smith, the ninth overall pick in last year’s draft. “I have to do my best not to let my team down.”

The coaches anticipate the step up in competition will be a challenge. They also understand Smith will be learning the intricacies of a new position on the fly. But the standards are high due to Smith’s mixture of freakish talent and terrific work ethic.

“The stance is different. Just the angles of things will be a little bit different for him, but he’s a very good athlete,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s a serious, conscientious guy, so he works very hard at it. He’s one of those young guys who go about it the right way, he has the right approach and he has ability, so you see him grow really on a daily basis. It’s fun to see him out on the practice field now.”

Smith fits in much better on the practice field than the golf course.

IRVING, Texas – For most of his career as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, Tony Romo knew he would see Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo in front of him on the offensive line.

Over the last three seasons, all of them have departed.

Adams was the first following the 2009 season. Gurode, Davis and Colombo were gone entering the 2011 season. Kosier was released earlier this offseason.

Romo’s 2011 tackles – Doug Free and Tyron Smith – will switch sides in 2012 and there could be a change at center depending on how the Cowboys work the upcoming draft.

In March, the Cowboys signed guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to free-agent contracts.

“I think the coaching staff likes a couple of these guys,” Romo said. “Some of the guys I was with for a long run we had some great football and played in some great football games together and I’ll always be appreciative of Kyle and all those boys. And it’s kind of slowly the start of a new set of people up front.”

Earlier this offseason, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he made a mistake in changing the guard of the line so quickly and moving to a smaller, inexperienced interior. He felt that played with Romo’s thoughts about pressure up the middle.

“I just think you’re comfortable when you have a nice protected pocket,” Romo said. “At times you have that and you’re just always trying to get it to where that part of it feels good all of the time.”

As for the Free-Smith switch, Romo joked, “As long as people don’t touch you I don’t think it matters at all.”

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys tackle Doug Free didn’t get a vote, but he doesn’t have a problem with the decision to switch sides with Tyron Smith.

“I’ll do whatever we need to do to get the job done,” Free said at the Stars of Texas diabetes fundraiser. “I’m excited. If it’s what makes our team better, I’m all for it.”

That doesn’t mean Free wanted to essentially be demoted, moving from left to right tackle, one season into his four-year, $32 million deal. But he’s going to make the best out of the situation, not rock the boat.

The first seven starts of his NFL career came at right tackle, when he filled in for an injured Marc Colombo in 2009. He performed well enough there to convince the Cowboys that he was ready to take over for Flozell Adams at left tackle.

Free performed well enough at left tackle in 2010 to make his big contract seem like a decent bargain when he signed it last summer. He regressed significantly last season, while Smith was the Cowboys’ best offensive lineman as a 20-year-old rookie, prompting the Cowboys to flip the tackles.

“It’s not particularly my best spot, maybe. Well, it might be, I don’t know,” Free said of the right side. “I played pretty well over there last time, I’d like to say. But it’s going to be different. I’ve played primarily left in my career, but whatever. It’s just switching over to the other side. I’ve done it before, and I’m ready to do it again.”

It's hard to predict where the Cowboys will go with the 14th pick of the first round in the NFL draft in a few weeks.

The projections have moved from offensive to defense.

After the Cowboys spent $30 million in free agency on offensive linemen Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings, it would be easy to assume defense is where the team will focus it's attention at No. 14.

But if you look closely at the pass rushers available -- Courtney Upshaw, Quinton Coples and Melvin Ingram are all projected to be available in the teens -- team officials believe they're not much different from Anthony Spencer.

The only major difference is Spencer's experience over Upshaw, Coples and Ingram.

Cornerback appears out with the Cowboys giving Brandon Carr, a five-year $50.1 million deal.

Safety is a possibility even with the team signing Brodney Pool to a one-year deal in free agency. Mark Barron, the safety from Alabama, is a good selection. But say the Cowboys don't get him?

Which brings me back to the offense.

Maybe the Cowboys take a chance on an interior lineman.

Guards David DeCastro and Cordy Glenn and center Peter Konz are players who can move right in and start.

If you take Konz, you got your starting center to go along with guards Livings and Bernadeau. Pair that up with tackles Tyron Smith and Doug Free and you have a pretty imposing offensive line for DeMarco Murray and Tony Romo.

You build a strong offensive line and you can run the ball with efficiency and keep Romo protected in the pocket. Of course, a new offensive line would need time to develop with five new pieces.

Smith and Free are switching spots at tackle, and you'd have three new interior linemen.

It's OK if the Cowboys stick with a defensive player in the first round, but there's nothing wrong with grabbing an interior linemen.

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Tim MacMahon and Nate Newton discuss the Cowboys' free agency signings and wonder why Dallas still hasn't signed a center. Listen

The Cowboys made it official Monday: Kyle Kosier will be released.

The Cowboys decided to part ways with the veteran guard after signing free agents Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings last week to contracts totaling about $30 million.

Kosier started 80 straight games in which he was active since joining the Cowboys as a free agent in 2006. He helped in the development of Doug Free at left tackle in 2010 while playing left guard and Tyron Smith at right tackle in 2011 while playing right guard.

More on the story here.

IRVING, Texas -- Having signed Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to free agent contracts in free agency, the Cowboys have decided to part ways with Kyle Kosier, according to a league source.

The move has not been made officially yet. Kosier had started 80 straight games in which he was active since joining the Cowboys as a free agent in 2006. He signed a three-year deal last summer after the lockout ended and started every game.

The move would save the Cowboys $1.55 million in salary cap space and continue the overhaul of the offensive line. Right tackle Doug Free is now the longest-tenured offensive linemen having joined the team in 2007. The second-longest tenured is center Phil Costa, who joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

Kosier earned a $1 million escalator that would have jumped his base salary in 2012 to $2.25 million. In the last two seasons the Cowboys have parted ways with Andre Gurode, Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis, mainstays on the lines for years.

With Bernadeau and Livings, the Cowboys could have at least two new starters on the line with Free and Tyron Smith flopping sides. Costa started every game at center in 2011, but the team could look to the draft or free agency at that spot as well.

Bernadeau signed a four-year deal worth $11 million and Livings signed a five-year deal worth $19 million in the first three days of free agency. Bernadeau started 20 games in four years with Carolina, and Livings started 47 in Cincinnati.

Kosier, 33, joined the Cowboys in 2006 after spending his first four seasons in San Francisco (three) and Detroit (one), taking over for Ring of Honor member Larry Allen and proving to be one of the team’s best signings. He did not miss a game in his two seasons but suffered a serious foot injury in 2008 that cost him 13 games. He missed three games with a knee injury in 2010 but did not miss a start in 2011. He was limited in practice for most of the year with plantar fasciitis and suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in the season finale vs. the New York Giants.

In the last four days, the Cowboys have said goodbye to veterans Terence Newman and Kosier, while also signing Dan Connor to effectively replace free-agent linebacker Bradie James, who had been a starter since 2005.

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have deals with seven free agents, but their first six signings will account for $11.16 million in salary-cap space in 2012.

Brandon Carr has the highest number at $3.2 million as part of his six-year, $60 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus. The final year of Carr’s contract can void, so the Cowboys will be able to turn Carr’s 2013 base salary of $14.3 million into signing bonus and prorate that through 2017.

Linebacker Dan Connor will count $2.15 against the cap, followed by quarterback Kyle Orton ($1.9 million), guard/center Mackenzy Bernadeau ($1.81 million), safety Brodney Pool ($1.2 million) and fullback Lawrence Vickers ($900,000).

The breakdown of Nate Livings' five-year contract is not yet known, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported it pays him $19 million over five years with $6.2 million guaranteed.

Before free agency started, the Cowboys cleared about $17 million in salary-cap space by restructuring the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick, tackle Doug Free and wide receiver Dez Bryant. They also released cornerback Terence Newman and kicker David Buehler.

Those moves helped offset a $10 million hit against the Cowboys’ cap handed down by the NFL on Monday. The league took away $5 million from the Cowboys this year and will take away another $5 million in 2013 for the deal wide receiver Miles Austin signed in 2010, which was an uncapped year.

IRVING, Texas – When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Tyron Smith, David Arkin and Bill Nagy last year, in addition to adding Kevin Kowalski as an undrafted free agent, it appeared as if they were preparing for a youth movement on the offensive line.

After all, they cut Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo, too.

But with the team’s additions of Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings over the last three days that not no longer appears to be the case. It’s not that the Cowboys got old -- though Livings turned 30 today -- but they definitely got new.

Bernadeau and Livings received starter’s money from the Cowboys.

They also add size to the interior of the line, which was a problem last year.

Nagy started the year and checked in at 303 pounds. Costa is listed at 314 pounds. Kosier is listed at 305 pounds. Montrae Holland and Derrick Dockery, who replaced Nagy after the rookie suffered a broken ankle, checked in at 340 and 325 pounds, respectively.

Too many times the pressure up the middle bothered Tony Romo.

Carolina listed the 6-foot-4 Bernadeau at 308 pounds. Cincinnati listed the 6-foot-5 Livings as 332 pounds.

At first guess the line in 2012 projects to be, from left to right: Tyron Smith, Nate Livings, Phil Costa/Kyle Kosier, Mackenzy Bernadeau and Doug Free.

Now that’s quite an overhaul in a short amount of time.

IRVING, Texas -- On Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys re-worked the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick and tackle Doug Free to save about $8.5 million against the salary cap in 2012.

They also made a bookkeeping adjustment on the contract for wide receiver Dez Bryant that day, turning a $1.435 million roster bonus into signing bonus, which allowed them to save about $957,000 against the cap.

All told, the Cowboys created about $17 million in space by restructuring those contracts and releasing cornerback Terence Newman and kicker David Buehler.

It’s important to note that the Cowboys did not add or subtract any money from Bryant’s contract. He is getting the same $1.435 million. It is just being counted against the cap in a different way.

Bryant is signed through 2014.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys continued to create salary-cap space as free agency approaches by reworking the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick and tackle Doug Free to save the team $8.56 million, according to sources.

The Cowboys had it written into the deals of both players to make such a move to create room.

The Cowboys knocked Scandrick’s base salary down from $7.1 million to $1.2 million. The $5.9 million difference was turned into signing bonus to help lower the cap figure. Free’s base salary was lowered from $6 million to $1.2 million with the difference turned into signing bonuses.

Scandrick and Free were set to count $7.7 million and $8.06 million against the cap.

Reworking DeMarcus Ware’s contract would save the Cowboys $3.26 million.

The decisions to cut Terence Newman and David Buehler as well as reworking Scandrick’s contract have created $15.82 million in salary cap room against the 2012 cap.

As it stands, the Cowboys' salary cap situation looks terrible.

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ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer explains how the Cowboys violated a rule that did not exist during an uncapped year. Listen

But there is a silver lining. (We think.)

The Cowboys can create room under the salary cap by releasing Terence Newman (as much as $6 million) and restructuring the deals of Dez Bryant, DeMarcus Ware, Orlando Scandrick and Doug Free (saves nearly $13 million). Kenyon Coleman could also get clipped at a savings of $1.9 million.

So if all goes well (again, we think), the Cowboys might be able to save about $20 million if they rework some deals.

But the Cowboys still have some work to do once things get cleared up.

They need to put a tender on fullback Tony Fiammetta, re-sign Laurent Robinson, figure out what to pay Mat McBriar and find a cornerback and possibly a guard/center in free agency.

When it comes to the draft, the Cowboys will have the rookie pool to help them out at an undetermined financial amount.

Yes the Cowboys should have more money to spend, but they don't, so now they have to live with the strange ruling by the league today and move forward, starting Tuesday afternoon when free agency begins.

IRVING, Texas -- The NFL’s decision to dock the Cowboys $10 million in salary-cap space, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported, wounds the team’s ability to improve in free agency but does not kill it.

PODCAST
ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer explains how the Cowboys violated a rule that did not exist during an uncapped year. Listen

The Cowboys can spread that hit over the next two years if they choose but they were already planning on re-working a number of contracts to create enough salary-cap space anyway.

The Cowboys have triggers in the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick and tackle Doug Free that would save them roughly $8.6 million in cap space. Re-working the contracts of DeMarcus Ware and Dez Bryant could net about another $4 million in space.

The Cowboys can create as much as $7.26 million in room on Tuesday by cutting cornerback Terence Newman (designated as a post-June 1 cut) and kicker David Buehler, who is scheduled to count more than $1.6 million against the 2012 cap and lost his job to Dan Bailey last year.

On Sunday the league announced the 2012 cap would be $120.6 million.

The Cowboys were carrying a credit of around $17.1 million over from 2011, which would have in effect made their cap $138.2 million in 2012. If the Cowboys chose to take a $5 million hit in each of the next two years because of the sanctions, then they would have a cap of roughly $133.2 million this year.

With the $8.856 million franchise tag on linebacker Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys would be just below that threshold and that would not including the tenders offers they would put on restricted free agent fullback Tony Fiammetta and exclusive rights free agents Jesse Holley, Clifton Geathers and Jermey Parnell.

Make the aforementioned contract and roster moves, and the Cowboys would have about $15 million to $17 million in cap room, which is plenty to sign a starting cornerback, guard, backup quarterback and Laurent Robinson depending on the structures of the deals.

IRVING, Texas – The NFL’s 2012 salary cap increased by less than $300,000 over last year’s figure to $120.6 million, which is close to what the Cowboys were expecting as they budgeted for their offseason spending.

The Cowboys will not have to release players to get under the cap by Tuesday, but if they are to be as aggressive as owner and general manager Jerry Jones said they will be when the market opens, they will have to re-work a number of contracts to have money to spend.

The official cost of Anthony Spencer’s franchise tag is $8.856 million, which leaves the Cowboys with around $3.5 million of room. That does not include the tenders that will be given to restricted free-agent fullback Tony Fiammetta (expected to be $1.26 million) and exclusive rights free agents Jesse Holley, Clifton Geathers and Jermey Parnell.

The Cowboys can create cap room by releasing Terence Newman, which could save either $4 million or $6 million. They can also re-work the deals of DeMarcus Ware, Doug Free, Orlando Scandrick and Dez Bryant and create as much as $13 million in room.

The Cowboys would like to re-sign wide receiver Laurent Robinson and have been linked to free-agent cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan as well as guard Ben Grubbs.

Before free agency starts, we've decided to give you the base salaries and cap numbers for the projected returning members of the Cowboys.

These financial figures might change next week as the Cowboys begin the process of restructuring deals to get more cap room.

Have fun.



Notes: Miles Austin and DeMarcus Ware restructured their deals to lower their cap numbers for 2011 and Tony Romo restructured his deal last season to get lower cap numbers for 2011 and 2012. The following players are due either roster, workout or option bonuses this year: Ware ($500,000 workout), Ratliff ($500,000 workout), Bryant ($1.4 million roster and $250,000 workout), Coleman ($100,000 workout), Carter ($50,000 workout), Murray (25,000 workout), Lee ($510,000 roster), Arkin ($20,000 workout), Chapas ($7,000 workout) and Harris ($10,000 workout). Tyron Smith gets $3.7 million from deferred money on March 15. Anthony Spencer was tagged at $8.8 million but he hasn't signed the tender yet.

The following players enter the 2012 season in the last year of their contracts: Felix Jones, Kenyon Coleman, Mike Jenkins, LP Ladouceur, Stephen McGee, Victor Butler, David Buehler, John Phillips, Barry Church, Phil Costa and Danny McCray.