Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

The Cowboys have a lot of youth at guard, but injuries and the age of Kyle Kosier slowed progress on the offensive line as a whole in 2011. Dallas drafted Bill Nagy in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft and he played outstanding until he broke his right ankle in October. That’s when things began to unravel with guys like Derrick Dockery and Montrae Holland bouncing in and out of the starting lineup. The Cowboys need to bring in an anchor to solidify this unit.

Fortunately, there are multiple free agent guards that are proven NFL veterans. The New Orleans Saints’ Carl Nicks and Baltimore Ravens’ Ben Grubbs are 26 and 27 years old, respectively and both made the Pro Bowl this year. The best part for Dallas is both are unrestricted free agents.

Nicks won’t be offered the kind of cash he wants from New Orleans; the Saints signed guard Jahri Evans to a big deal last offseason. Grubbs wasn’t offered a contract extension by the Ravens during the season, so he’ll be on the open market in March.