The Cowboys’ lack of cap space has been discussed quite often this offseason and tackle Doug Free’s outsize salary cap hit has come up whenever those discussions turn toward ways to alleviate the concern.
It doesn’t look like Free or his cap hit are going anywhere, though. Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com reports that there currently aren’t any plans to release Free, who struggled so much last season that converted defensive lineman Jermey Parnell split time with him at right tackle over the final stretch of the season.
That would seem to make his $10.02 million cap hit an untenable one, especially since the Cowboys could clear $7 million right now by designating Free as a June 1 cut and spreading the hit out over the next two years. That’s what they did with defensive lineman Marcus Spears, but it apparently isn’t in the works a second time.
Per Watkins, Free’s status could change if the Cowboys land a tackle in the draft that they believe is capable of starting. Barring that, though, it looks like Free will be free in name only.