IRVING, Texas – Having signed Phil Costa to a two-year deal last week, the Cowboys made a tender offer of $1.323 million Friday to safety Danny McCray, their only restricted free agent.
The Cowboys will have the right to match an offer to McCray but would not receive any compensation if he were to leave.
McCray has been the Cowboys’ best special-teams player the last three seasons and finished second on the team with 18 special-teams tackles in 2012. McCray started 10 games at safety because of injuries and finished second on the team with 87 tackles and had five pass breakups, but his playing time decreased later in the season.
Safety is a position of need after the Cowboys cut their other starting safety last season, Gerald Sensabaugh. The only safeties signed for 2013 are Barry Church, who is coming off a torn Achilles, and Matt Johnson, who did not play in a game as a rookie because of hamstring injuries. McCray is a restricted free agent while Eric Frampton and Charlie Peprah are set to be unrestricted free agents.
The Cowboys will not tender an offer to defensive lineman Brian Schaefering, an exclusive rights free agent who signed late last season. Linebacker Orie Lemon is also an exclusive rights free agent.
