Dallas Cowboys: Anthony Spencer Making a Case for Long-Term Commitment

We've learned a lot about this Dallas Cowboys football team in a short period of time. After starting the season on a high note by beating the New York Giants, the Cowboys have also delivered some low notes with losses to Chicago, Seattle and Baltimore.

So here they sit with a 3-3 record coming off a tough win against the Carolina Panthers. Just when you think this team gets a jolt of confidence, the reality of the Sean Lee injury somehow quickly smolders those thoughts and leaves the Cowboys in scramble mode to adequately replace his contributions.

But through seven weeks of the season, we've also learned a couple of other things about this team. We've learned that the Cowboys play defense pretty well and that Anthony Spencer is finally emerging into the player a lot of people thought he was capable of becoming. Suddenly, his one-year, $8.8 million franchise tag seems like a pretty good bargain. 

Spencer's absence during the Cowboys' two-game losing streak was apparent and his loss was felt. Against Carolina, Spencer asserted himself once back in the lineup by compiling six tackles, one of which for a loss, one sack and he put Cam Newton under duress on more than one occasion.  

When you watched Spencer play against Carolina, it's easy to see his ability to make a difference for this defense. With the absence of Sean Lee for the rest of the season, the Cowboys will have to ride Spencer's performance even more as a difference maker. He's always been a stout run defender, which is hard to question, but consistency as an impact defender was always viewed as his shortcoming. 

Should Spencer keep playing at a high level, he may force the Cowboys' hand into signing him to a long-term contract. He's certainly making his case and could potentially make Jerry Jones look foolish by letting him walk away. At 28 years old and being an established veteran, Spencer would be very attractive on the open market should he be allowed to test it.  

So far in this short 2012 season, Spencer has amassed 35 tackles (three for losses), three sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries in only four games played. The Cowboys' record in his four games played is 3-1 and that's probably not just by shear coincidence. Just look at the non-existent pass rush in the Chicago game that allowed Jay Cutler to pick this defense apart.  

On Carolina's final desperation drive, Spencer’s sack virtually sealed the Cowboys’ win by burying Newton at the Panthers’ own 36-yard line. That play by Spencer was the result of staying disciplined, staying contained and staying in pursuit. With DeMarcus Ware continuing to draw major attention, Spencer should continue to be the prime beneficiary with playmaking opportunities.   

Against Chicago, the Cowboys were given a sample of what life without Spencer would be like by finding out what Victor Butler could do as a starter. So much for Butler being a potential asset to this defense or a breakout performer. His performance lacked impact and, well, performance. As it stands right now, Butler in no conceivable way is ready to take over for Spencer in 2013. 

Butler's stats during that game included a paltry one tackle, no sacks and he failed to provide any consistent pressure. He was able to get to Cutler on one series but still failed in his attempt to bring him to the turf. For most of Butler's brief career in Dallas, his performance has been of the invisible variety. 

The dilemma that Jerry Jones will face regarding Spencer's future with the team, is a problem Jerry created by himself. The Cowboys' inability to sign, draft or develop any outside linebackers aside from Spencer and Ware, falls on the shoulders of Jerry the genius. Should we believe that Butler, Kyle Wilber or say Alex Albright are the answer should Spencer walk?

The better defenses in the NFL consistently contain multiple, impact playmakers along the defensive front and the Cowboys failed to properly address that this past offseason. They drafted Wilber and Tyrone Crawford but failed to bring in any veterans aside from Dan Connor. Now, with the injury bug in full effect, the Cowboys have to rely more than ever on the few consistent options they have. 

The fact is that Spencer is a force in the Cowboys' ability to defend the run and he's been just as successful at getting to the quarterback as Ware. Would Spencer have been the difference in the Chicago game?

Maybe not the difference but he certainly would've made Cutler's pocket a little less clean. From a pure physical standpoint, the Cowboys' other options don't have much in the way of even competing with Spencer and his ability to handle offensive lineman. 

Anthony Spencer might not fit the definition of a true franchise player in the mold of Ware, but in some ways he carries almost the same value. The problem with Spencer was that he was always on the cusp of greatness but something was holding him back. Butler is far from being that type of player at all but he's never developed into that situational pass-rusher the Cowboys were looking for. 

There's a lot of football left to be played and for Anthony Spencer that works to his advantage. That means at least 10 more games to showcase his abilities, prove that he has valuable prime years left in his career and show management that he should be considered cornerstone player for this franchise.

Whether the Cowboys decide to let Spencer walk, sign him to a long-term deal or bring him back on a second franchise tag, the ultimate decision will be thought-provoking. From the time he was a first-round pick in 2007 to the present, Anthony Spencer has had a solid but not star-laden career. 

But maybe the Cowboys have found a new appreciation for the type of player Spencer is becoming and what type of future impact he can have for this team. The ultimate decision, of course, will rest on the shoulders of Jerry Jones.

That decision could already be made or maybe it's not. One way or the other, the correct decision should be based on results. Results we should all be interested in watching unfold.