Training camp is fast approaching and deals are getting done all around the league. There wasn’t such a case for the Cowboys’ Anthony Spencer, who will play out this season under the franchise tag. Will Spencer respond with an effective season and make Dallas a good team to utilize with your free NFL football picks?
While big names like Matt Forte and Ray Rice were signed to long-term deals right before the deadline, the same cannot be said for Cowboys linebacker Anthony Spencer.
The team, as expected, let the deadline pass and now their linebacker will receive $8.8 million under the franchise tag.
Spencer, a six-year veteran out of Purdue, was hardly a slouch at all last season for the underachieving Cowboys, recording six sacks, four forced fumbles and 66 total tackles.
Apparently that wasn’t enough to justify a hefty contract heading into the new season.
As a result, the future for Spencer in Dallas isn’t looking too good, that is unless he comes out with reckless abandon in 2012 and has a career year. The Cowboys slapped the franchise tag on him because he’s one of the more reliable defensive starters they have, but it’s clear they don’t rate him as a untouchable asset.
You know, an untouchable asset like DeMarcus Ware, who lines up on the opposite side of Spencer.
The Cowboys nonetheless will hope Spencer can team with Ware to provide a devastating pass-rush. They made plenty of moves to shore up their secondary to give more support, moving up to draft Morris Claiborne and signing Brandon Carr in free agency.
These were significant moves aimed at improving a shaky Dallas defense from last season. Is this the year where the pieces finally all fit together in the right way?
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