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Was Doug Free the line's weak link or a pro playing through pain? Here's retiring Cowboys tackle's legacy

Kristi Scales, the sideline reporter for the Dallas Cowboys radio network, answered questions about the team in a live chat recently. Here are some highlights:

Question: Which of the players that have left will the Cowboys miss the most on the field?

Scales: The Cowboys have tried to stake their identity as a "hard-nosed, run first" team. So losing a very good guard like LG Ron Leary hurts. He will be missed, as will the veteran leader of the o-line, Doug Free. I know that many fans saw Free as the weak link of the line, but the reality is that he was that group's leader and the consummate pro who played through painful foot injuries. Too often in life, we don't appreciate things until we don't have them anymore. Will that be the case with Leary & Free?

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Defensively, Barry Church was defensive co-captain and the quarterback of the secondary. He topped 100 tackles for 4 straight seasons. He will be missed.  And Brandon Carr was the model of durability; never missed a game and was a solid corner. I really thought the Cowboys would keep either Carr or Morris Claiborne. The fact they both left is still a little surprising to me.

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Question: How comfortable is the team with the idea of starting Chaz Green at right tackle?

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Scales: OK, so Doug Free retires at RT. He started 16 games six times in his career. And now the guy penciled in to replace Free (Chaz Green) has been on the reserve lists each of his first two NFL seasons because of injuries. Green's rookie year it was a hip injury in the offseason, then inactive the final 9 games of the season. In 2016 he played in 4 games, including 2 starts at LT for Tyron Smith. But Green was inactive for 9 games before ultimately landing on IR with a back injury. Are you feeling comfortable? He has a lot of promise and played pretty well in place of Smith, but ability is all about availability in this league. He's already missed so much practice time (not to mention game time) in his first two seasons. The potential is there, though.

Question: Do you sense any anxiety in the Cowboys camp with the rest of the NFC East grabbing WRs and the Cowboys DBs leaving in droves?

Scales: The anxiety of "which Cowboys DBs will cover the upgraded WR corps of the Giants & Eagles" is palpable among Cowboys fans that are paying attention to free agency. So there is anxiety in Cowboys Nation, but within the walls of The Star in Frisco the Cowboys are sticking to their plan. They set a budget and priorities and didn't exceed their budget to keep DBs like Barry Church ($26m, 4 years from Jags) and Brandon Carr ($23m, 4 years from Ravens) and Mo Claiborne ($5m, 1 year from Jets). I thought Carr or Claiborne would be back (one of them, not both). The signing of CB Nolan Carroll helps fill the hole at CB, but let's hope that all the predictions of this 2017 Draft Class being heavy in talented DBs is reality. The main priority remains pass rush, but DBs is closing in the rearview mirror.

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Question: What's the one position the Cowboys don't need to worry about (if any)?

Scales: Every position needs attention because, in the NFL, you're one injury away from the best-laid plans going awry. There's never enough depth. For the Cowboys, the good news is the wide receiver corps returns intact thanks to the re-signing of both Terrance Williams and Brice Butler in free agency. Just looking at the WR depth chart, there are no obvious holes to fill. But that doesn't mean the team is not constantly looking to upgrade, even at WR.

Click here to read Scales' full chat transcript.