After four seasons in Dallas, the 32-year-old Davis will be released with hopes that Montrae Holland and/or Phil Costa can step in and take his place in the starting lineup. The Cowboys already agreed to terms with free agent left tackle Doug Free, so anchoring the offensive line will be complete once first-round draft pick Tyron Smith is signed.

Williams has been treading on thin ice in Dallas ever since he was brought in through a trade with the Detroit Lions. Now that Miles Austin has emerged as an elite NFL receiver and second-year pro Dez Bryant showed flashes of brilliance in 2010, Williams’ services and his hefty contract are no longer needed in Dallas.

Barber was once the workhorse of the Dallas backfield, but injuries and his hard running style slowed him in recent seasons. With the emergence of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice and the Cowboys’ drafting of DeMarco Murray in April, Barber knew his time in Dallas was up.

The release of Kris Brown proves Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is confident in David Buehler to handle the field goal kicking duties alone in 2011. Buehler was very inconsistent in his first season as an NFL field goal kicker, but made enough difficult attempts that Garrett believes he has the potential to become a reliable special teams weapon. However, Buehler will now have to compete with undrafted rookie kicker Dan Bailey, whom the Cowboys signed on Tuesday.

Due to the schedule of the shortest off season in NFL history, the Cowboys cannot officially sign Free until 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday. However, Free’s agreement to terms this early showed he never wanted to leave Dallas anyway.

Free’s deal is worth $32 million over four years, but he’s guaranteed $17 million of it. Since Free agreed to terms so quickly, he will join the Cowboys for the beginning of training camp at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Wednesday.

The Cowboys are one of five teams that have a payroll higher than $120 million heading into the 2011 season. The New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants also have more than $120 million already written out to players this fall. These teams will be required to trim their expenditures to the new limit by the time the season officially begins.

The Cowboys currently have $136.6 million scheduled in player salaries for this season, almost $17 million over the new salary cap. At first, it seems this would give Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones a good reason to release receiver Roy Williams, running back Marion Barber and offensive tackle Marc Colombo. Those three players combine for a whopping $11.25 million of the Cowboys’ 2011 payroll. However, releasing all three of them would still leave the Cowboys $5.35 million over the salary cap.

Judging by Jones’ history and reputation, he’ll find a way to make it work. The new CBA also creates a loophole for teams to fit all their players under the new salary cap. Leaked details of the new deal state teams can now restructure veteran contracts to reflect dollar amounts as mostly signing bonuses rather than cap dollars. That means Jones will still pay quarterback Tony Romo, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and receiver Miles Austin a combined $24.2 million in 2011. Instead of all that money counting toward the cap, Jones can change the words in those players’ contracts to where they receive the league minimum in salaries and the rest in signing bonuses.

By releasing Williams, Barber and Colombo and then restructuring Romo, Ware and Austin’s contacts, Dallas could bring its 2011 payroll down to $103.3 million. This is possible by Romo and Ware each making $765,000 and Austin earning $640,000 in cap salaries. That would leave the Cowboys with $16.7 million to spend on draft picks and free agents. That’s still pretty scary because first-round draft pick Tyron Smith was taken No. 9 overall and top 16 picks still make pretty good money under the new CBA.

Although absolute details of a new rookie wage scale have not been completely ironed out yet, a ballpark figure of Smith’s contract can be accurately estimated. Details of the new CBA state all rookies will be signed to four-year deals with a fifth-year team option. These new rules also state first overall pick Cam Newton will make roughly $22 million over his four-year deal with his salary gradually increasing each season the same way rookie deals were done under the old CBA. The details of the fifth-year option are still up in the air. The owners are looking toward $4 million for the last year while the players are leaning closer to $13 million.

From that, it can be estimated that Smith will make around $20 million over his first four years in Dallas. Jones could structure Smith’s deal in a fashion that would give him the league minimum during his first year, which would keep the Cowboys far enough under the salary cap that one or two marquee free agents could be signed.

Of course, one of those would have to be left tackle Doug Free, who is now an unrestricted free agent thanks to the new CBA. This new deal will give Jones a 72-hour window to sign Free once free agency officially begins, whether it be on July 21 or later. Jones might can sign Free to a big contract and put a majority of it in signing bonuses if the new CBA holds true, but that still doesn’t leave much room for a big prize like Oakland Raiders free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Plus, releasing Williams, Barber and/or Colombo could result in cap penalties, which also haven’t been set in stone. Those cap penalties could keep Dallas from signing any free agents, including Free. Is all of this clear as mud? Needless to say, Jones needs to tread lightly during his 72-hour window and then even lighter after that. Otherwise, the Cowboys could be doomed to another disappointing season.

NFL owners and players have announced a target date of July 21 for the end of the lockout. If they meet that deadline, they will have until July 25 to re-sign players who are now unrestricted free agents under the new CBA.

Cowboys left tackle Doug Free is entering his fifth season in the NFL and would be a restricted free agent under the old CBA. However, leaked details of the new collective bargaining agreement state players with only four years of service will now be unrestricted free agents. That means Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones will have one shot to retain the most sought after free agent left tackle in recent memory.

Of course, Free isn’t the only free agent the Cowboys will have a mere three days to try and keep for the future. Defensive ends Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher and Marcus Spears will both test the market unless they re-sign with Dallas by the tentative July 25 deadline. Receiver Sam Hurd, linebacker Leon Williams, guard Kyle Kosier, offensive tackle Alex Barron and safety Gerald Sensabaugh will also be set free unless Jones can come up with an attractive in a short amount of time.

The Cowboys are not the only team with key players who are now suddenly unrestricted free agents during this dreadful off season. The Carolina Panthers will now have three days to retain star running back DeAngelo Williams. The Indianapolis Colts are in the same boat with Joseph Addai as well as the New York Giants with Ahmad Bradshaw. Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller and safety Michael Huff, New York Jets receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, Minnesota Vikings receiver Sidney Rice, Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker are all now on the open market two years before expected.

A full list of all 2011 NFL free agents under the new CBA can be found here.

Beginning the very year Jones bought the franchise, Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson used free agency to build arguably the most complete football team in history. After he ran Johnson out of town and the Cowboys entered the franchise’s dark ages, Jones built a reputation for swinging for the fences in free agency to try and make Dallas an instant contender.

Exhibit A: Terrell Owens. That worked out well.

This off season, Jones may not only lose key guys like left tackle Doug Free to free agency; Jones may not be able to replace them. Unlike most off seasons, Jones won’t have six months to woo controversial players to North Texas and overpay them to underachieve while wearing the uniform of America’s Team.

Instead, Jones might have a couple of weeks to try and resign Free and defensive ends Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen while trying to sign replacements for them in case they leave. Talk about a dilemma. What if Free waits until literally the last minute and signs with another team while Jones is left without a reliable starter at left tackle? What if Bowen and Hatcher each sign elsewhere and the Cowboys are left without any pass rushers on the outside of new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s highly touted defensive line?

Needless to say, Jones is in a pickle. As an owner, Jones is technically against his players in the labor dispute, but may very well ruin their chances of winning once they’re on the ‘same team’ again. Jones and the owners might ‘win’ the lockout battle, but they’ll ultimately lose if it costs them free agents that would be signing with teams right now during a normal off season.

So instead of going all out and signing big-name free agents to try and win another Super Bowl now, Jones may be looking for to sign anyone to fill holes in the Cowboys’ depth chart. That sure sounds like a winning plan. How does that little stunt you pulled at the negotiating table looks really now, Jerry?

The Cowboys absolutely have to retain left tackle Doug Free if the team has any hopes of contending for the Super Bowl anytime soon. Free became an instant star in his first season as a starter and the Cowboys cannot afford to take the field without him in 2011. However, Free will be an unrestricted free agent when the offseason begins thanks to the lockout.

Details of the new collective bargaining agreement allow veterans with only four years of service to become unrestricted free agents rather than the previous minimum of six. That means Free will be free (no pun intended) to sign with any team in the league since Jones wasn’t smart enough to put the franchise tag on him before the lockout began.

Of course, Free is not the only example. The Cowboys have three other free agents who will now be free to sign wherever they please. Receiver Sam Hurd and defensive ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher may have each played their last game in Dallas. Elsewhere in the league, the Carolina Panthers may now lose star running back DeAngelo Williams to name one other notable player.

In an attempt to gain an extra $1 billion in annual credit, the NFL owners have allowed their players to switch teams more frequently, something they originally wanted to avoid. Jones may very well lose the anchor to his to the Dallas offensive line and thus a chance at a Super Bowl with this generation of Cowboys. Money is the root of all evil and pride clouds judgement, Jerry. Food for thought.

As a restricted free agent in March, the Cowboys offered Free a first and third-round tender worth about $3.5 million to keep him for at least the 2011 season. During that time, the team would have worked on a long-term contract. Now Free may sign anywhere he chooses for any amount he desires. The Cowboys have no control over where he goes except to try and offer him more money than any other team.

The same goes for Hurd, Hatcher and Bowen. Although the Cowboys have not expressed the determination to sign those three as the team has for Free, but all of them can play vital roles in 2011 and the foreseeable future.

The Cowboys took a risk of not putting the franchise tag on Free and now will pay the price, literally. First-round draft pick Tyron Smith may now have to play left tackle if Free signs elsewhere and Dallas would have to keep right tackle Marc Colombo, who Smith was drafted to replace.

As for the defensive ends, the Cowboys would become extremely thin at the position if both Hatcher and Bowen leave. The Cowboys have only one other veteran defensive end in Igor Olshansky. Marcus Spears is already an unrestricted free agent, so the Cowboys’ defensive line could be depleted now that Bowen and Hather’s tenders are void.

Needless to say, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has to be kicking himself now that the lockout he caused may cost him his prize free agent and other key players.

Cowboys team owner and general manager Jerry Jones was interviewed moments after his team drafted Smith and was asked what that meant for right tackle Marc Colombo. Jones insinuated that Smith’s drafting mean the end of Colombo’s career in Dallas and you can read all of it right here.

Indeed, Colombo and his $2 million salary should be let go, Smith should step right in and the Cowboys shouldn’t miss a beat. However, Dallas offensive line coach Hudson Houck said Free might be moved from his position at left tackle where he became the anchor of the Cowboys’ offensive line in 2010.

“I think we have to work that out,” Houck said. “I think we have to look at it and see. Free has proven he can play well on the left side and [Smith] has been on the right side. We could switch them very easily. That’s a possibility.”

But why? Free was the only sure thing on the Cowboys’ offensive line last season. Solid left tackles are a rare thing in the NFL and the Cowboys have one. In addition, Smith played right tackle at USC at a high level, earning a top 10 NFL Draft selection. So why in the world would the Cowboys fix something that isn’t broke? Oh, wait, that’s what Jones does all the time. Exhibit A: Jimmy Johnson and the early ‘90s Super Bowls. Dallas head coach Jason Garrett has some sense. He said Tuesday that Smith played right tackle and that’s where he fits best.

“We feel like he certainly has the attributes and traits to be a left tackle in this league,” Garrett said. “His experience at USC over the last couple of years has been as a right tackle and we feel great about how Doug Free played for us at left tackle last year. So, he’s a young guy. There’s been discussion about plugging him in on the right side and just letting him do that and get himself acclimated to the transition he’ll have to make to the NFL.”

Garrett cleared up the hoopla by saying Smith will be evaluated like every other player on the team.

“Like we do with all of our lineman throughout training camp, we try to put them in different spots and to see how they feel in different stances, how they feel making the different blocks, and how the combinations of the offensive line work together,” Garrett said. “He’ll have equal opportunity at both sides. We’ll just see how it plays out.”

Even if Smith can play left tackle, it doesn’t matter. Free can play left tackle well and he’s proven that. The Cowboys should leave Smith at the position where he’s best and go win some football games in 2011.