IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys managed to get under the salary cap while holding onto linebacker
Anthony Spencer
, but it comes at the expense of linebacker
Dan Connor.
In addition to releasing Connor, the Cowboys also restructured the deals of cornerback
Orlando Scandrick, defensive tackle
Jay Ratliff and guard
Mackenzy Bernadeau in an effort to get under the cap before Tuesday's deadline.
Connor's release isn’t entirely surprising, considering the Cowboys were expected to ask him to take a pay cut or let him go. The linebacker competed with
Bruce Carter for a starting job in the preseason, which Carter won outright.
Connor, who was signed through next season, finished with 57 combined tackles in 14 games in 2012.
Dallas sat nearly $7 million over the cap prior to the start of this week after restructuring deals for cornerback
Brandon Carr, tight end
Jason Witten, wide receiver
Miles Austin, linebacker
DeMarcus Ware and center
Ryan Cook and giving the franchise tag to Spencer.
Keeping Spencer without extending quarterback Tony Romo initially seemed like an impossible endeavor, but the Cowboys figured out a way to complete the task while staying under the cap by the deadline. Extending Romo now becomes one of the premier objectives in order to stay active in free agency.
