The Cowboys apparently went back and forth on whether to use the franchise tag on linebacker Anthony Spencer.
In the end, they went with the time-honored reality known in most circles as “use it or lose it.”
The team has announced that Spencer is only the third franchise player in franchise history, joining Flozell Adams (2002) and Ken Hamlin (2008).
Spencer joined the team in the first-round of the 2007 draft. The Cowboys had traded out of round one with the Browns, who took quarterback Brady Quinn. And then the Cowboys traded back in with the Eagles, who took quarterback Kevin Kolb.
He’ll be eligible for a one-year guaranteed contract that is expected to be in the range of $8.8 million. Spencer could try to make the Terrell Suggs argument that he’s actually a defense end, which carries a franchise tender of $10.6 million.