IRVING, Texas – Much of the Dallas Cowboys' salary-cap shaving has featured the moving of money. On Monday morning, it featured the moving of a player.
"I've been informed I'm being released for cap purposes,'' starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh tweeted. "Had a great run. I appreciate the organization and my teammates.''
The organization has an appreciation for Sensabaugh, too. But this move saves them about $1.4 million on the 2013 cap and frees them of $3 million in total.
It's the "hard decision'' some Cowboys followers have been looking for … but it's also "hard'' because it leaves Dallas thin at the safety position, where incumbent starter Barry Church is coming off an injury and Matt Johnson completed a rookie season in which he couldn't get on the field due to a series of injuries. Restricted safety Danny McCray played there, too, last year, but is viewed as a special-teams ace only.
This could accelerate Dallas' interest in drafting a safety like Texas' Kenny Vaccaro. There will also be speculation about veterans like ex-Packers defensive back Charles Woodson and Ravens star Ed Reed, though the Cowboys continue to be not in shopping mode but in restructuring mode.
Executives at Valley Ranch today are also working on a Tony Romo extension to reduce his $16.8 million cap number.
Meanwhile, other potential Cowboys cuts could include defensive lineman Marcus Spears ($2.7 million salary) and fullback Lawrence Vickers ($1.3 million salary).
