Free agency will officially begin in a few weeks, and it’s that time of year where some teams go out and try to make headlines while other teams go bargain-hunting.

I used to pay no attention to the off-season, but about eight years ago I started poring over the sports news daily for any word from the Cowboys. What I found was that the off-season, while not quite as exciting as the regular season, had its moments. It can be great fun to study what the Cowboys need, who’s out there, who they might get, and then watch the moves unfold.

But before looking to the outside, you have to look to your own house. The Cowboys have a number of key players who are free agents, so they’ll need to sign some of their own players before looking for a big name in free agency.

Cowboys Restricted Free Agents

Marion Barber III. Barber is a no-brainer to resign, the question is when. The Cowboys can put the highest tender offer on him in which case it would take a first and a third rounder for another team to sign him. They could wait on a big deal and see what kind of trade offers come down the pipe for him. Or they could lock him up to a big deal. I’m voting with that last one: Unless someone really gives the Cowboys a great deal, they are going to lock him up to a 4-5 year contract.

Chris Canty. This is another easy one. Chris Canty is a huge asset to the defensive line, and I mean huge. The guy makes Flozell Adams look like he’s been on a diet, and Canty can move that size around pretty good. The Cowboys are going to keep their hands on their steal of the 2006 draft.

L.P Ladouceur. Long-snapper is a position that the Cowboys just don’t want to be looking for. Teams tend to hold onto them when they find a good one, and bad things happen when they don’t. They Cowboys won’t mess with karma by giving up theirs.

Tyson Thompson. I expect a resign here. I also expect something above the minimum qualifying offer to make a team pay a bit in draft picks if they are interested in Thompson. After all, his ability to return kicks grants him some value. And, for Dallas — who may lose Julius Jones — keeping Thompson is a smart idea unless they pick up a decent running back in free agency or the draft.

Nate Jones. Minimum qualifying offer and probably resign him to a minimum one-year deal. He’ll be a bubble player in training camp and will either show something or not make the team.

Joe Berger. Same with Jones, though I’d give him better odds to make the team. Still, he’ll need to show something in training camp, and hope a younger player doesn’t impress.

Cowboys Unrestricted Free Agents

Flozell Adams. Lock him up before free agency begins. At least, I’m hoping that is Dallas’s strategy. Jerry Jones can sometimes pick funny times to look for bargains, and we all know that he views Leonard Davis as a possible replacement for Adams. But Davis proved himself a good guard last year — he hasn’t proven himself a good left tackle. And, love him or hate him for all those false start penalties, Flozell Adams is a proven commodity at the position that protects Tony Romo’s blindside. Resign. Resign. Resign.

Ken Hamlin. This will be an interesting one. It might come down to a matter of salary cap room. The Cowboys are known for not valuing free safeties as much as other positions. And they are still high on Pat Watkins who has the size and speed to make a great free safety if he can get raise his ball hawking skills. But Hamlin made a lot of nice plays and proved he could be the leader of the secondary. That’s a lot of value.

Julius Jones. I admit, I’ll be a little sad to see Julius go. He flashed some great potential that first year. And it seemed that he had some bad luck this year with several good runs getting called back because of penalties. But, in the end, he simply wasn’t as good as Marion Barber III. I’d love to have him as that second back, but I don’t think he would accept the pay cut. The real question becomes whether or not anyone else is willing to pay him.

Keith Davis. Davis is another interesting dilemma. He’s a solid backup to Roy Williams. He’s a fantastic special teams player. But, he’s also expendable because he is just a role player. I have a feeling he’s going to be in a Cowboys uniform next year, but don’t expect a quick resign.

Jacques Reeves. Reeves goes a little bit beyond an interesting dilemma. He started 13 games due to injuries to Newman and Henry, and while he didn’t turn any heads, he wasn’t that bad either. Certainly, he got picked on a number of times during the year, but no one is saying he’s better than Henry, and teams tend to avoid Newman. If Dallas had anything with promise behind him this might be different, but I can’t see letting him go unless he can be replaced by a solid player in free agency or if we are willing to use one of those first rounders on a cornerback.