Rainer Sabin - Before the terms of the proposed collective bargaining agreement were negotiated, the Cowboys' management could fall asleep at night, knowing that the team's stock of serviceable defensive ends was sufficient.
Aware that Marcus Spears would soon test the open market as an unrestricted free agent, they had offered Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher second-round tenders worth $1.9 million in March. The position seemed secure, especially after Spears tore a calf muscle last November and Bowen performed well after replacing him in the starting lineup.
But the rules have changed since the lockout went into effect March 12. In the coming days both Hatcher and Bowen could join Spears on the open market and the Cowboys' tenders could be nullified. That's because players with expiring contracts and four years of service would be allowed to sign with any team in the league.
For the Cowboys, it's a potentially troublesome development. With Spears, Bowen and Hatcher free to go elsewhere, the Cowboys could have a shortage of defensive ends. Igor Olshansky is the only major contributor who is under contract while reserves Clifton Geathers and Sean Lissemore played a total of 12 snap last year.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact that it's almost a certainty Spears, who has never produced more than 2.5 sacks in a single season, will be gone. He recently told the website, Blogging with the Boys, that he didn't participate in the player-run practices organized by Tony Romo in part because he didn't know if the Cowboys would continue to be his employer. So, it stands to reason the Cowboys will likely concentrate their efforts on re-signing Bowen, who collected 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.
Bowen, who has risen through the ranks since signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2006, was rated as one of the NFL's best 3-4 defensive ends last season by Pro Football Focus and is expected to be coveted by other teams.
But unlike Spears, Bowen appears more committed to staying in Dallas.
This offseason, he has been working out at a shuttered Hummer dealership in Grapevine, where outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware has created a makeshift gym that has attracted many of Bowen's teammates, including Hatcher, Anthony Spencer and Victor Butler. As they have lifted weights and maintained their fitness, Bowen and the other Cowboys players have also invested time learning new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's system.
That's a positive sign for the Cowboys' brass, which will be able to sleep easier at night if they can keep Bowen in Dallas.
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