NFL Free Agency: Doug Free, Cowboys Agree to Deal; Grade and Analysis

Cowboys offensive tackle Doug Free resigned with the team Saturday morning, a move that will ensure that the Cowboys will continue to have one of the dominant lines in the NFL.  Free signed a three year deal with the Cowboys Saturday morning.

ESPN Dallas reporter Todd Archer broke the news.

Here’s a a little background information about Free that I wrote prior to the free agency period beginning.

"Doug Free is a guy who’s really turned his career around. Just a few years ago, Free was seen as one of the worst offensive tackles in the league and his future in the NFL was in jeopardy. However, he’s been one of the key cogs in the rejuvenation of the Cowboys offensive line. Since the arrival of Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin, Free has developed into one of the better right tackles in the league. If he doesn’t stay in Dallas, he’ll make another team very happy on a short-term contract has he finishes out his NFL career."

This is a great resigning for the Cowboys. Offensive line chemistry is an extremely underrated aspect when gauging how dominant a particular unit can be. With this move, the Cowboys get to keep a talented player off the market while retaining a key player to their offensive line unit. Sounds like a win-win.

Grade: B+

A three year deal for Free seems a little lengthy as he is on the back end of his career, but offensive line chemistry is key to the Cowboys success. Dallas just retained one of the better offensive tackles in the game and ensured that their offensive line would be a dominant unit for a few more seasons.

Pretty good value for the Cowboys.

Update: The contract details are up. 3 years, 15 million dollars, 6 million dollars guaranteed. The Cowboys are getting great value here for a player who could’ve reeled in a bigger contract on the open market.

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