IRVING, Texas – Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted at the possibility Tuesday. And it became reality on Wednesday.
The season is over for Anthony Spencer, who needs another surgery on his left knee, perhaps the microfracture procedure. Spencer was placed on injured reserve officially on Wednesday as the Cowboys replaced his spot on the roster with cornerback Chris Greenwood.
When asked about the disappointment of losing Spencer this year, Jones focused more on the person than the player.
"The first thing I do is think of Anthony," Jones said Wednesday. "We don't have anybody that has a higher substance than him as a ballplayer. You can't keep him off the field. He's been exemplary in his rehab work. He pays attention to every aspect of his game. He's the consummate pro."
The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on Spencer in the spring for the second straight year. The hefty $10.63 million price stays on the Cowboys' books all season. However, Jones doesn't regret the move to sign him. [embedded_ad]
"We certainly would like to have those dollars, but I'd rather have Spencer than those dollars," Jones said. "I can't look at the obvious. Any time something doesn't work out, I can look at it that way. But I can tell you, if anybody is going to get the money under these circumstances, I'm glad it's him. He's worked hard."
In terms of Spencer's future, Jones would not speculate on the free-agent-to-be, however he did talk about the duo he forms with DeMarcus Ware, assuming of course the Cowboys choose to re-sign Spencer in the offseason.
"He's just coming into his own," Jones said of Spencer, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2012. "But he would be a great complement, if we go that way, to Ware, in the future."
For this year, the Cowboys will team up George Selvie with Ware. Selvie has started all three games and has recorded two sacks and ranks 12th on the team with five tackles.
But in terms of replacing Spencer with anyone, it seems like a dubious task.
"He's a heck of a football player, and he's a guy that we will sorely miss," head coach Jason Garrett said. "He's been a great leader for our football team. He was a really productive player, a guy that people on our team, players and coaches, look to as an example of how we want to do things. He had a fantastic year last year, and it's unfortunate that he's going to have to have a procedure done on his knee and we're going to lose him for the season."
