Doug Free

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Doug Free
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1984-01-16) January 16, 1984 (age 40)
Manitowoc, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:318 lb (144 kg)
Career information
High school:Manitowoc (WI) Lincoln
College:Northern Illinois
NFL draft:2007 / Round: 4 / Pick: 122
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× All-MAC (2005, 2006)
  • Second-team All-MAC (2004)
Career NFL statistics
Games played:124
Games started:114
Fumble recoveries:2
Player stats at PFR

Douglas Free (born January 16, 1984) is a former

2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Illinois University
.

Early life

Free attended Lincoln High School in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. As a junior, he received All-Fox Valley Conference honors.

As a

Defensive lineman of the Year, All-state, and All-Fox Valley Conference on both offense (tight end) and defense (defensive tackle
). He tallied 64 tackles, 8 sacks, 6 fumble-cause hits, 5 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, 7 blocked kicks, 6 receptions for 141 yards, one touchdown.

College career

Free accepted a football scholarship from

left tackle and 2 at tight end
.

As a sophomore, he developed into an athletic player that earned him the nickname "Doug Freak" among his teammates. He settled at

left tackle with 12 starts and was named second-team All-MAC
.

As a junior, he started 12 games at

All-American
honors.

Professional career

Free was selected in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the

2007 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys
. As a rookie, he was named a starter in his first preseason game, but suffered a knee sprain that would delayed his development and contributed to him being inactive for the first 15 games of the season, until playing at right tackle during the fourth quarter of the last game.

He was declared inactive during the first 13 weeks of the

left tackle
.

On July 26, 2011, the Cowboys avoided him testing the free agent market and rewarded him with a four-year, $32 million contract, with $17 million guaranteed.[3]

In 2012, the team decided to move him back to right tackle after his play regressed; exchanging positions with Tyron Smith.[4] He was still seen as a liability even with the change, so the team gave more playing time to Jermey Parnell in the final four games of the season.[5]

After having to share his playing time and giving up seven sacks, five holding penalties and seven false starts, he accepted a reduced salary in order to avoid being waived before the start of the 2013 season.[6]

In

offensive line in the league and also emerged as the unit's leader.[7] In October, he suffered a sprained right foot in the last minutes of the Week 6 win against the Seattle Seahawks
, causing him to miss three games. He also missed the team's last four games (including two in the playoffs) with a left ankle stress fracture, which led him to have off season surgery.

On March 7, 2015, Free re-signed with the Cowboys on a three-year, $15 million contract.[8] He started all 16 games and although he was a solid contributor at right tackle, he led the team in penalties (nine).

In

NFL. He started all 16 games, even though he was limited with foot and ankle injuries. On March 11, 2017, Free announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "Doug Free – The Ultimate Example of Hard Work and Dedication". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  2. ^ "Northern Illinois recalls its big man". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Doug Free Stays in Dallas". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "Cowboys want Tyron Smith at left tackle". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  5. ^ "Do Cowboys believe Jermey Parnell is ready?". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Doug Free accepts pay cut". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  7. ^ "Behind scenes Doug Free a leader". Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Coppinger, Mike (March 7, 2015). "Doug Free, Dallas Cowboys agree on three-year deal". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Doug Free tells Dallas Cowboys he's retiring from NFL". 247Sports.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  10. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (March 11, 2017). "Cowboys expect right tackle Doug Free to retire". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2020.

External links

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