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Cowboys Release S Gerald Sensabaugh

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) - 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 it 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.

Sources tell me that the Cowboys are on Monday talking to the agent for defensive standout Anthony Spencer, with both sides still believing the franchise tag (due to be used by today at 3 p.m. if at all) need not be applied. 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).

Update 1:00 p.m.

Sources say that the Dallas Cowboys will add the franchise tag to Anthony Spencer for another year...this story is developing.

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