Dallas Cowboys: Doug Free’s retirement creates another hole to fill
By Carl Daley
The recent retirement of starting offensive tackle Doug Free will force the Dallas Cowboys to pick up some linemen at some point this offseason.
The loss of Doug Free in Dallas is huge. It would have been supremely helpful if the Dallas Cowboys longtime starter at right tackle could have waited to retire until after next season.
America’s Team already had enough holes to fill due to free agency. With Free opting to call it a career after ten years, now the Cowboys have yet another position to address.
The immediate answer to Free’s retirement is to promote offensive tackle Chaz Green to a starting role. The only problem is that Green has been hit with a ton of injuries over the short time he has been with the Cowboys.
Regardless if Green starts, the team will need to add some depth this season along the offensive line. The best offensive linemen in free agency have already been signed away. However, there are still some promising players available that could help patch the hole Free left behind.
The addition of Green Bay Packers’ free agent offensive guard T.J. Lang could allow Dallas to swing out either La’el Collins or Zack Martin to the right tackle position. This fix would likely only be a one-year Band-Aid. And there are several other players currently available who could be used in the same way.
Update: T.J. Lang was signed by the Detroit Lions an hour after this article was published.
The New York Jets recently released center Nick Mangold, who has always been a leader and productive player along the offensive line. Another former Jet who was released is offensive tackle Ryan Clady, who could also help this team in a pinch.
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But I believe the long term answer to replacing Free in Dallas is to pick up an offensive tackle in the upcoming NFL Draft. Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk or Utah’s Garett Bolles would each make excellent additions to the roster this season as the draft is somewhat limited in talented offensive linemen this year. Ramczyk is currently recovering from an injury but could be the most talented offensive linemen in this draft class.