about Doug."
And that's a good thing. Even if you don't like this move, at least you know the Cowboys didn't make a blind move with a HOPE to get something better.
They firmly believe they've got something better in Free. They're not looking to fall back on Free if they don't land an offensive tackle in the draft. No, it sounds like the Cowboys are content to start Free at left tackle - no matter if Bruce Campbell or Russell Okung fell right in their laps.
Then again, if the Cowboys indeed take a tackle in the first round, or even in the second, that isn't to say that all of this was just nonsense. Remember that Colombo isn't exactly young and lively anymore either. He's still got a few good years left, but injuries have taken their toll, especially last year. So the Cowboys might think the world of Free - and still feel the need to take a tackle.
Another thing that Jerry made clear on Tuesday was that he was tired of paying for veteran linemen. That's been the norm here of late, signing guys like Kyle Kosier, Colombo and Leonard Davis to shape what has been a pretty talented offensive line. But at some point, it was time to build from within.
"The real world is, at a juncture on your team, if you're in a cap system, we've invested significantly in our offensive line," Jones said. "If you really look at where we are with Davis, (Andre) Gurode, and if you look at that and you expect to have highly productive skill players in the future, then that doesn't work if you're in a cap system. You've got to basically have some young players coming along that really, not only can compete, but also their numbers are more compatible with your overall cap.
"You know you're going to be paying pressure players. You know you're going to BE paying coverage guys. You know you're going to be paying big-play guys on offense. So you can't have all expensive free agents, whether they're your own or someone else's, in the line. You've got to keep them coming. So I don't know that Flo impacts what we ought to be doing anyway at offensive line in the draft."
So like it or not, the Cowboys have moved on from Flozell. But they seem to be in a process of going younger all the way around.
Swapping Adams for Doug Free might just be the first of the line changes. What happens later this week in the draft could be a little foreshadowing for some rotation alterations down the road.
