As the Dallas Cowboys try to figure out how to make needed improvements to their defense, one question that just seems to keep getting more important is what to do about OLB Anthony Spencer. While many argue that he is just not giving the team what it needs, others point out that he is quite capable at what he is asked to do and the odds are that whoever replaces him if he leaves will actually be a step backwards. But with free agency rushing towards us like a tree sloth on downers, the chances are growing that his services may be bid up, to the point that the team could have to hang a franchise tag on him to retain his services, using up more valuable cap money than most of us would like.

The main argument against Spencer has been his lack of success getting to the quarterback. Generally, the belief is that he is not helping his teammate across the way, All Pro DeMarcus Ware, enough. The counter argument is that he has a different role in the defense, and if you take a more analytical view at the big picture, you would see that.

But if the issue is how much Anthony is helping DWare, wouldn't it be nice to find out what DWare thinks?

If you haven't guessed by now, he discussed just that, as reported by Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

What he said, and a few other things, after the jump.

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As we get closer and closer to the onset of the new NFL season, it becomes clear how difficult the road ahead will be to traverse for Jason Garrett, Stephen Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. The Scouting Combine gets underway today, and the drills to come in the next couple of days will probably be used to finalize the order of the hundreds of prospects that Dallas has on their big board. Free agency kicks off in earnest two weeks after, and the slow grind to improving the franchise begins.

One of the leading areas where the Cowboys need improvement is the secondary; that's no secret. Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are penciled in as the starters for 2012 and the Cowboys will need to bring in at least three bodies to supplement the cornerback position. They could go in a multitude of directions; big ticket free agent, draft picks from any of seven rounds or inexpensive vet. None would be surprising. About the only move the Cowboys could make that would shock people would be if they didn't release veteran Terence Newman.

When the Oakland Raiders released Stanford Routt, he was quickly connected to the Cowboys under false pretenses. He has now signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, which led to this "domino chain" wonderment from ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The Cowboys had some interest in cornerback Stanford Routt, but not as much as some other teams did, and Routt signed Monday with the Chiefs. What this means, however, is that the Chiefs are likely to let talented 25-year-old cornerback Brandon Carr leave via free agency, and that adds Carr to the mix of available cornerbacks for the Cowboys to target. Carr is better than Routt, but with star wide receiver Dwayne Bowe still to worry about, the Chiefs appear to have decided to go with a cheaper option.

I'm on the fence between Carr and Falcons FA Brent Grimes. I like both players a lot and want one to have a star on his helmet. The question is whether or not Dallas would enter, or win, a bidding war for either. Even as Dallas has $20 million in cap space, there are plenty of other teams that have more, and Dallas has multiple holes to fill, as Rabble pointed out.

Are they going to use up 40-50% of their 2012 cap space on one player?

To me, that's a question of long-term philosophy, and it might just differ from conventional wisdom.

Follow the jump to see why, and get more of the latest in Cowboys news.

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As I was clicking through stories about the Kansas City Chiefs signing Stanford Routt yesterday, I stumbled over a report from the Associated Press that had this little nugget buried in the middle:

Routt spent several days in Kansas City before choosing the Chiefs over competing offers from Buffalo, Cincinnati, Houston, New Orleans, Minnesota and Tennessee.

Conspicuously absent from that list: your Dallas Cowboys.

Just last week, news reached us via the NFL Network's Jason La Canfora that free agent CB Stanford Routt would visit the Cowboys later in the week. Apparently, La Confora's sources were wrong about Routt taking a trip to Dallas. But the fact that players or their agents name-drop or even use Dallas to ostensibly drive up their price or bargaining position is nothing new.

You probably remember the Nnamdi episode in training camp last year. You may also remember when Julius Peppers, Ray Lewis and Chad Ochocinco hit free agency a couple of years ago. All of them said they wanted to play for the Cowboys at the time. In hindsight, it's fairly clear that throwing the Cowboys into the ring as potential suitors was little more than an attempt to gain leverage heading into free agency.

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With free agency coming just around the corner, it's time to start looking at our own free agents. We'll start with punter Mat McBriar.

The Good: McBriar was an elite punter for the Dallas Cowboys for years. In 2006 and 2010 McBriar represented the Cowboys in the Pro Bowl. Through the years he's lead the league, or been at the top of the league-leaders, in various punting categories. McBriar is equally good at booming a punt, or nailing an opponent deep in their own territory with precision punts. In normal circumstances, there would be little debate about the Cowboys re-signing him. But...

The Bad: McBriar suffered an injury that is referred to as drop foot. This was caused by a cyst in his left leg and kept him from finishing out the season. Reports vary on how it will affect his career going forward. He recently completed surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and they gave him a clean bill of health.

So the question is, do you re-sign McBriar counting on him being, and staying, fully recovered? Or do you move on and find a new guy? What say you, BTB community?

CBSSports' Pete Prisco played matchmaker yesterday and matched up one top free agent with each NFL team. He didn't include players like Drew Brees and Calais Campbell who will either sign an extension with their team or get franchise tagged, but all other free agents were fair game.

With the Cowboys in need of help at cornerback, Prisco proposes Chiefs corner Brandon Carr as the best match:

Dallas Cowboys Best match: Brandon Carr

They have to improve their corner play. It was a big problem last season. Carr could step in and be an immediate help -- especially in man coverage.

At cornerback, Carr might be the No. 1 guy available, at least according Prisco. In his rankings of the top 50 free agents, Carr comes in at No. 2.

How often do good man-cover players in their prime hit the market? This kid is about to get paid. He is this high because he plays a premium position well. He turns 26 in May.

Young. Premium position. Good locker room guy. What more could you want?

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During free agency there are always a handful of names that make the rounds in every NFL fanbase. This year, some of those names are Mario Williams, Carl Nicks, Cortland Finnegan and Calais Campbell, and perhaps a quarterback or two. Those are the guys that every fanbase is talking and dreaming about.

Yet those top tier free agents will only be able to sign with one team, and other teams will still need to fill gaps in their roster with other free agents - second tier free agents whose names may not carry quite that allure.

One of those free agents this year is the Cowboys own Anthony Spencer.

To say that fan opinion on Anthony Spencer is divided may qualify as the understatement of the year. The recent discussion about potentially franchising Spencer once again highlighted how much opinions about Anthony Spencer differ. Some argued that franchising Spencer is a good idea, others argued that it's high time he left, many more were caught somewhere in between these extreme positions.

In free agency, the grass is almost always greener on the other side, so today we're going to take a look at what fans of other teams think about Anthony Spencer.

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What the Cowboys decide to do with outside linebacker Anthony Spencer will likely decide the course of the offseason more than any single other decision they'll take. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that the Cowboys are considering using the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer.

According to Football Outsiders, the franchise tag at that position could end up costing the Cowboys around $9 million. That may not be the kind of money the Cowboys are willing to invest in the position, but the Cowboys may find themselves out of options. They do not have an immediate successor on their roster, as Victor Butler has seen little more than spot-duty on pass rushing downs and there are no other immediate candidates.

Many of the available free agents like Mario Williams, Cliff Avril or Robert Mathis will likely command prices close to or even above that $9 million mark, and carry the additional risk of not having played in a 3-4 for any extended period of time. Unless of course the noises coming out of Valley Ranch about moving to a 4-3 scheme are more than just idle chatter.

Letting a known commodity like Spencer go, simply to replace him with an unknown commodity at the same price doesn't seem like a wise decision. At the same time, if the Cowboys want equivalent production from a draft pick, they'll have to spend their first-round pick on a pass rusher. Sure, you could always hope for a pass rusher to emerge in later rounds, but hope is not a strategy.

At the end of the day, the decision on what to do with Anthony Spencer will impact free agency, the draft and ultimately the decision on which defensive scheme to use. It could easily be the most important decision the Cowboys make this offseason. Let's hope they get it right, whatever route they choose.

The Cowboys can use the tag in a two-week window starting on February 20 and ending on March 5.

Pet peeve time. I hate it when people perform what I will call, in deference to BTB decorum, anal extractions. You know, when they throw things out there with no regard for facts and reality. I love a good argument if people do a little research and base their opinions on something solid, but I can't stand things that just get thrown out there without at least some consideration of the reality of the situation.

In the discussions of what the Dallas Cowboys can do in free agency to try and solve some of the problems the team faces before the draft comes rolling around, there are a lot of proposals that some people seem to love, but when you start looking at things, they don't hold much water. One example is the eagerness by some to go after Mario Williams to shore up the pass rush. Now, while he would certainly be a great acquisition, I have to wonder just how much of a pay cut he would take to come play for Dallas. He made $13.8 million last year, with a cap hit over $15 million. You cannot decide how to spend your cap budget without having some idea of how much the players are likely to cost, and decisions have to be made about whether to sink a lot into one or two stars, or to get more players that are likely upgrades but more affordable, thereby improving more areas of the team.

Part of the problem is that it is hard to get a handle on all the different factors in free agency. So I set out to look at what the top free agents out there might cost, by researching how much they made last year. I think it is logical to think that they will be trying to get a good paycheck if they seek a new team, and looking at what they made last year might help sort that out.

What I managed to gather after the jump.

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