Report: Cowboys' Doug Free to retire after 10 seasons

Dallas Cowboys right tackle Doug Free has informed the team that he intends to retire after playing 10 seasons, sources told ESPN's Todd Archer.

A report surfaced earlier this month indicating that Free was considering calling it a career, but Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett downplayed the possibility, saying that he was unaware of any such talk.

Free, a fourth-round pick in 2007, stepped in as a full-time starter at left tackle for the first time in 2010.

The emergence of Tyron Smith pushed him back to right tackle beginning in the 2012 season, and he would go on to contribute as a solid starter at that spot for each of the next five years.

Free is now the second lineman Dallas has lost from its league-best offensive front this offseason, as veteran guard Ronald Leary joined the Denver Broncos in free agency.

While La'el Collins has long been in line to replace Leary, Free's departure could create a need at right tackle as the offseason moves forward. Among the in-house candidates to fill the void is 2015 third-round pick Chaz Green.