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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cowboys’ decision to move Tyron Smith to left tackle in 2012 is something that was in the plans when they selected him in the first round last year, but it is not the cure-all for the offensive line.

There is no doubt Doug Free struggled last season. He was not as comfortable as he was for whatever the reason: the lockout forced a short camp, the pressures of a $32 million extension, the loss of technique and the loss of confidence.

But playing right tackle is no easy thing, especially in the NFC East.

Washington can throw Ryan Kerrigan (7.5 sacks in 2011) and Brian Orakpo (nine sacks) at either tackle. Philadelphia can throw Trent Cole (11 sacks) and Jason Babin (18 sacks) at either tackle. The New York Giants can throw Jason Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks), Justin Tuck (five sacks) or Osi Umenyiora (nine sacks) at either tackle.

Outside the division, the Cowboys have to contend with Pittsburgh’s James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Baltimore moves Terrell Suggs all over the field. Chicago does the same with Julius Peppers.

The adjustment to the right side should not take Free too long. He broke into the lineup there in 2009 after Marc Colombo suffered a broken ankle and showed the Cowboys he can play. The Cowboys felt comfortable enough the next year to let Flozell Adams leave via free agency and slide Free to left tackle. After the lockout ended the Cowboys gave Free the contract.

To me, the switch is more about Smith’s ability than Free’s lack of it but one of the top jobs facing new offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Bill Callahan is rebuilding Free.

During the unprecedented offseason of 2011, ESPN.com has ranked the top pass-rushers in the NFL. We've ordered linebackers, rated cornerbacks and chosen the league's top 10 safeties as well. Now it's time to start putting it all together.

This week's challenge: Meld those four ballots into a single list of the NFL's 10 best defensive players. The subtle shift in parameters required us to consider not only a player's individual impact, but the overall importance of his position to the game.
Both in the draft and in the free-agent market, NFL teams place premium value on pass-rushers and interior defensive linemen. Other positions, most notably safeties, are relegated to secondary priorities. So in that sense, it's both remarkable and telling that Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was the unanimous top choice of our committee.

"Troy has a skill set that I've never seen from the safety position," said AFC North blogger James Walker, who has covered Polamalu for years. "He has the hands, coverage skills and acceleration of a corner, but the instincts and timing on the blitz and against the run like a linebacker. When I've asked coaches to draw a comparison to another safety, they struggle to come up with a name, because there's really no one like him. [Steelers defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau also deserves credit for building his defense around Troy, because that's really hard to do for a safety."

To what extent do NFL teams typically value safeties? Consider that in last month's draft, the first safety wasn't selected until midway through the second round (UCLA's Rahim Moore, by the Denver Broncos, at No. 45 overall). And in determining franchise tag numbers for a potential 2011 market before the lockout, the league was set to assign safeties the third-lowest figure among all positions, ahead of only tight ends and kickers.

One other safety made our list: Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens. But for the most part, the list was dominated by players known for getting to the quarterback. Our top pass-rusher, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, ranked second. Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers were among our top eight.

NFC East blogger Dan Graziano rated Ware No. 7 overall and is braced for the wrath of his new readership, but I thought it was healthy and important to add a fresh view that didn't participate in our individual position rankings.

"Guys like Harrison and [Ravens defensive tackle Haloti] Ngata made more of an impression on me," Graziano said. "I certainly don't think calling someone the seventh-best defensive player in the league is any kind of insult. But from what I watched the past couple of years, I felt guys like that impacted the games in which they played more completely than did Ware. If I made a mistake, I'm certainly happy to own up to it and listen to the reasons why I was wrong."

In this debate, right and wrong mattered less than philosophy. Graziano, for example, rated New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis No. 2 overall and also included Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha at No. 8. On the other side of the spectrum, I joined NFC West blogger Mike Sando in choosing only one cornerback (Revis) and one safety (Polamalu). Sando, in fact, ranked Revis No. 9.

Neither one of us has any argument with the skills of Asomugha or Reed. But on a ranking of overall defensive players, we found it difficult to include more than two defensive backs.

"I moved down Revis and cornerbacks in general," Sando said, "for the same reason Patrick Peterson went fifth in the draft despite being arguably the best player available. It's just tougher for a cornerback to affect offenses the way a great front-seven player affects them. Quarterbacks can throw away from them."

Along those lines, Sando gave the highest vote for the player who topped our linebacker rankings, Patrick Willis of the San Francisco 49ers, placing him at No. 2. Willis finished No. 4 with votes ranking anywhere from No. 2 to No. 8

"Willis has no weaknesses and there is no avoiding him on the field," Sando said. "I've seen him return an interception 86 yards for a touchdown, knock out wide receivers with crushing hits, punish quarterbacks on blitzes and scrambles, lift a Pro Bowl offensive lineman off the ground in run support and just generally dominate. He was a serious candidate for the No. 1 spot on my ballot."

Matthews also received a wide range of votes, finishing No. 5 despite three ballots that placed him No. 2, including mine. Most of us considered Ware the top pass-rusher a few months ago, but a few believe Matthews is the better all-around player from the 3-4 outside linebacker position.

"Clay Matthews makes as many game-changing plays as any defender in the league," said NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, who joined the AFC South's Paul Kuharsky and myself on the Matthews bandwagon. "That makes him one of the league's best defenders in my eyes. And it doesn't hurt that his team has the Lombardi trophy at the moment."

Said Kuharsky: "Matthews is so dynamic and energetic it made it very difficult for me not to constantly circle back to him as I consider the highest-impact defenders in the league. That Seifert and Yasinskas also rate him second just goes to prove that what everyone says about those two is dead wrong."

A backhanded compliment from Paul Kuharsky? I can't think of a better line to close on.

ESPN.com’s NFL writers rank the top 10 pass-rushers in the league today. Next week: Top 10 tight ends.

ESPN.com's panel of power rankers had no trouble identifying the best pass-rusher in football. The rest of our Top 10 list? It was easily the most difficult to compile so far in what will be a 10-week project.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware received seven of eight first-place votes. AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky ranked him No. 2, putting Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney at the top of his ballot. Overall, a total of 17 players received votes, and the crowd was dense enough to exclude established veterans such as Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams, New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Colts defensive end Robert Mathis.

The category was tough, explained NFC West blogger Mike Sando, because "sack numbers tend to fluctuate from year to year and it's tougher to know which pass-rushers are truly the best. I think the proliferation of 3-4 defenses also made this a tougher call. We weren't evaluating defensive ends exclusively. We were also looking at 3-4 outside linebackers. That deepened the pool while forcing us to compare players at more than one position."

Ware, for one, wasn't a difficult choice -- as long as sacks are the primary statistical representation of pass rushing. Ware led the NFL in sacks last season with 15.5, and he has also had more combined sacks over the past two, three and five seasons combined than any other NFL player. At 28, he would seem to have several ultra-productive seasons remaining in his career.

Beyond Ware, however, the debate was fierce. The Green Bay Packers' Clay Matthews received the second-most votes (61), but there wasn't much separating him from Freeney (58) or Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (52).

Kuharsky's familiarity with Freeney gave him a unique perspective.

"I've had coaches and scouts I trust tell me, repeatedly, that Freeney is the best pure pass-rusher in the league," Kuharsky said. "They say he's the guy they'd want if they could have anyone and the most difficult guy to stop because of the way he plots out his game. That's stuck with me and was a big factor for me as I put together my ballot."

From an NFC North perspective, I think it's interesting that Ware is the only NFL player who has recorded more sacks than Allen over the past five seasons. Allen's total of 11.0 last season was his low-water mark over the last four seasons, however, and the explicit instructions for voters were to base judgments on what we can expect for the 2011 season.

Given a choice between Allen, Matthews or Freeney in building a Super Bowl team for 2011, whom would you choose? With all due respect for Freeney (and Kuharsky, such that he deserves it) Matthews, 24, seems the right answer to me.

Matthews, Allen and Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers gave the NFC North a league-high three members of this exclusive group. Peppers' all-around contributions last season earned him a spot on The Associated Press' All-Pro team, but his total of eight sacks left him ranked eighth on our list.

Illustrating the difficulty of this exercise, two voters left Peppers off their ballots entirely and a third -- AFC North blogger James Walker -- ranked him No. 10. The Atlanta Falcons' John Abraham, The Associated Press' other first-team All-Pro defensive end, ranked a composite No. 7.

NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, who covers Abraham and until 2010 covered Peppers as well, ranked Peppers No. 5 and said: "I know the sack numbers can rise and fall, but he has the ability to completely take over a game at any time." Meanwhile, a younger Abraham would have ranked higher.

"He had 11 sacks last year but 5.5 the year before," Yasinskas said. "At 32, you have to at least question whether he would sustain 2010 numbers in 2011."

Finally, if you're outraged about the absence of Williams, Tuck, Suggs, Mathis, the Philadelphia Eagles' Trent Cole or even the Denver Broncos' Elvis Dumervil, you probably need to focus your ire at the inclusion of Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake. In his second NFL season, Wake exploded for 14 sacks.

Does one elite season merit inclusion on this list? Opinions varied widely among our voters. Wake was left off three ballots and voted No. 10 on three others. AFC East blogger Tim Graham, who saw more of Wake last season than any other voter, placed him No. 4.

"If we're ranking the best overall defensive ends or outside linebackers, then maybe Cameron Wake doesn't make my list," Graham said. "He's not a run-stuffer and is lacking when it comes to pass coverage. But we're rating pure pass-rushers, and that's the one thing Wake does on an elite level. He's a freakishly gifted athlete who creates havoc in the backfield.

"I also don't view Wake as a one-year wonder because he had a strong season in 2009 despite playing behind Joey Porter and Jason Taylor in most situations and under a different defensive coordinator. He should continue to thrive under Mike Nolan's guidance. I view Wake as a legitimate star who was overlooked on a mediocre team."

Your thoughts? I'm expecting them.

The Cowboys will face a defense that will present them a different set of challenges as opposed to what they faced last week in Washington.

Lovie Smith and former Lions head coach Rod Marinelli have once again hooked up and continue to put the Bears in the Tampa 2 scheme that they ran with great success for the Buccaneers under Tony Dungy.

In 2009, the Bears were a banged up defense and struggled without several key members in the lineup. This year, with the addition of Julius Peppers from Carolina, it gives them a much more dynamic pass rusher than you have to deal with off the edge.

Peppers tends to play the open side of the formation which is away from the tight end, so a matchup against just one of the offensive tackles is possible if the Cowboys want to set the formation to one side or the other. Peppers is one of those defenders that doesn’t give you much of a hitting surface when blockers set on him. He has shown the ability to dip his shoulder and work underneath the tackle. He can be explosive from the backside as Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford learned.

Peppers does a nice job in the running game because he is difficult to hook or reach. He has very long arms and he uses them to keep blockers off him as he works down the line and into the backfield.

At the other end is Mark Anderson. Anderson is not a bulky player, but he is very quick. When Smith and Marinelli slant this line, Anderson is a problem to block on the move because he is a feel for how to beat blocks.

Anderson is the type of player that just keeps coming at you. He doesn’t want to fight these tackles toe to toe, so he needs to be on the move.

The type of player that tends to give Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis fits are the ones with quick movement off the snap. Davis and Gurode will struggle because they have to move their feet and extend the blocks. It’s the big inside guys that try to bull rush them that tends to be easier for them to block. The Bears have two of these types of players inside. Tommie Harris and Anthony Adams are both quick, up-the-field guys. Their game is based on movement more than strength.

The linebackers for the Bears are a veteran group. Brian Urlacher was throwing his body around. Lance Briggs was effective on the blitz, causing a turnover on the Lions’ 1, and Pisa Tinoisamoa can really run. This group was very active attacking the Lions.

That’s understandable because of a second-year quarterback at the controls for Detroit. It will be interesting if they try to blitz Tony Romo and allow this secondary the responsibility of playing coverage.

It’s a Cover 2 look (safeties on the hash) with the corners playing short and the safeties behind. The Bears secondary will also use a technique of the corners turning their rears to the sideline and trying to funnel the receivers inside. In the Cover 2 look as well, you will a see deep drop by Urlacher in the middle of the field.

Romo always talks about patience when playing a Cover 2 team and taking what they give you.

Charles Tillman is the better of the two corners. Zackary Bowman was picked on by the Lions. I would think that the Cowboys might do the same.

*The Bears on offense were able to move the ball on the Lions, but turnovers and red zone problems allowed to Lions to hang in the game and even have a chance to win it in the end.

The Bears will struggle to block the Cowboys’ front. Tackles Chris Williams and Frank Omiyale will have a difficult job of blocking DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer in the passing game.

Williams is the better player here because he plays with some strength. Omuyale just doesn’t play with much upper- or lower-body strength at all. You see him come out of his stance then get worked back. He is always fighting just to sustain his block. The Bears will chip with their backs out of the backfield.

At center for the Bears is veteran Olin Kreutz, who is an old-school type of player. Kreutz is one of those guys who skills have left him, but he gets by because he has the ability to hold, trip and clip. Kreutz will have his hands full with Jay Ratliff. Ratliff just plays with too much quickness for Kreutz, who will have a hard time adjusting.

The Bears might not have big names at wide receiver, but what they do have is a group that can really run. Johnny Knox is a 4.29, Devin Hester a 4.41 and Devin Aromashodu a 4.35.

Knox is a smooth route runner that will go all over the field to catch the ball, Hester is outstanding in the open field with the ball in his hands, but the interesting player to me is Aromashodu. This player can cover some ground on the outside and does a nice job in the slot. In the Lions game, Cutler was going to him more than the other receivers.

It will be interesting if the Cowboys try to press these receivers and not allow free access in the routes. If the secondary can hold up on the outside, it will make Cutler have to face this pass rush and the possibility to creating turnovers. In the Lions game there were several times where Cutler was under pressure and just unloaded the ball.

Running back Matt Forte had two huge plays in the passing game for the Bears that resulted in touchdowns. Forte’s running style is that of a slasher. If he had a problem in the Lions game, it was his inability to punch it in from the 1, but the Bears really didn’t do a very good job of securing the hole. The Bears like to pull guards in short yardage, which was a big problem against the Lions. The Cowboys need to be careful in this game not to allow Forte to have a similar game to what he did against the Lions.

The Cowboys have done nothing in free agency.

It's not a big deal because the team normally doesn't make a splash the first day, or even the first weekend, of free agency.

The last time the Cowboys made news with free agency was 2006, Bill Parcells' first season, when six players were signed. Only one of those players, Kyle Kosier, is still with the team. Kicker Mike Vanderjagt is out of the league, and Akin Ayodele was recently cut by the Dolphins.

The Cowboys were not going to become major players in this market.

They weren't going to go after Julius Peppers, who signed with the Bears.

You could ask why the Cowboys wouldn't go after Brandon Marshall, a player they like. Well, the team is already committed close to $13 million in guaranteed money to wide receiver Roy Williams, whether he's on the team or not. So, why get Marshall?

Antonio Cromartie's name was floated about in terms of a trade with the Cowboys. To get Cromartie, the rumors had the Cowboys giving up one of their three running backs, something team vice president Stephen Jones said wasn't going to happen. The Chargers ended up sending Cromartie to the Jets for a future third-round pick that could become a second-round pick.

Jerry Jones believes that the 2009 draft class, a disappointment due to the injuries it suffered, will bounce back and the upcoming draft is a place where this team can get younger and better.

Will the Cowboys sign somebody in free agency? Sure, but not right now.

The first day of free agency is underway and we've seen Julius Peppers head to Chicago, Nate Burleson and Kyle Vanden Bosch sign with Detroit.

What about the Cowboys?

We've been told nothing is happening with the Cowboys right now.

Is that how it should be?

Jerry Jones said the team isn't resting on its laurels despite winning the NFC East and its first playoff game since 1996. He expects the team to add to the roster, but should they?

"If an opportunity presents itself to improve in an area, then we’ll be ready to move if we see that opportunity," Stephen Jones said.

The biggest issue for the Cowboys it seems is what to do with some of their veteran players such as Marion Barber, Flozell Adams and Ken Hamlin.

Welcome to Day 2 of our free agent series. On Monday, we looked at Miles Austin, the restricted free agent wide receiver.

Today, it's time to look at the Cowboys defensive line.

Of the Cowboys' 13 restricted free agents, four are from the defensive line and each played well last season.

Who are they? Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears and Junior Siavii.

Should they keep them? Yes.

How much to pay? The Cowboys will probably tender all four of these players, but Spears, an end, was looking for a new contract after his rookie one expired following the season. Spears, a starter who had 50 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and a career-best tying 16 quarterback pressures, should return.

The Cowboys will probably offer Spears, a five-year veteran, a first-round tender of $2.621 million for 2010.

Under normal conditions, another NFL team might scoop up Spears. But with the 2010 year expected to be uncapped because the owners opted out of the collective bargaining agreement, and teams probably not willing to spend as much, we doubt Spears will go elsewhere.

Bowen, an end, has shown the most upside among the backups by playing well on passing downs last season. He compiled career highs in sacks (three) and quarterback pressures (35). He had two more pressures than two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Jay Ratliff.

It's hard to say what to give Bowen, a four-year veteran. The Cowboys value him a lot, but do you place a second-round tender on him at $1.759 million or a first-round tender of $2.521 million?

Hatcher, another four-year veteran who plays end, came on strong toward the end of the year after finally discovering a groove after offseason surgery. Hatcher had six quarterback pressures the last four weeks of the season.

Hatcher most likely will get a second-round tender offer of $1.759 million.

The Cowboys like Siavii's ability to back up Ratliff at nose. He's had some moments, like the seven-tackle, one-quarterback pressure performance vs. Atlanta, and he picked up three solo tackles vs. Washington. But his snap count changed.

He played just 13 snaps the last three weeks of the season, including one play in the regular-season finale vs. Philadelphia. But in two postseason games, Siavii played 27 total snaps.

Siavii could get an offer of $1.176 million or a minimum salary of much lower than that.

Other free agents worth looking at this position: This is a strong position as evidenced by Aubrayo Franklin, Vince Wilfork and Richard Seymour getting franchised. Pittsburgh locked up Casey Hampton with a new contract. Also, Julius Peppers, who wouldn't mind playing for the Cowboys, is an unrestricted free agent. Dallas won't dip into the free agent market here because it likes its depth at this position.

IRVING, Texas -- A reporter asked Brad Childress to comment on Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie's recent poor performance against Panthers defensive end and the problems DeMarcus Ware will pose.

"How about if I just talk about the challenges with DeMarcus Ware?" Childress asked before proceeding to rave about the Cowboys' premier pass rusher.

Childress didn't want to revisit a performance by the Pro Bowl tackle that was so poor that McKinnie spent most of the second half on the bench.

Peppers had one sack and constant pressure on Brett Favre. The 6-8, 335-pound McKinnie, who was nursing a sore ankle, committed two penalties.

Childress isn't the only one who had no interest in discussing McKinnie's sorry effort in that loss. Ware also avoided the subject.

"I know I'm going to get his best game," Ware said, "and I've got to do what I need to do to get prepared for him."