IRVING (March 4, 2013) -- The Dallas Cowboys are putting the franchise tag on linebacker Anthony Spencer for the second consecutive season.

Spencer's agent, Jordan Woy, wrote in a tweet Monday that the Cowboys and their sack leader from 2012 would work on a long-term contract. Spencer had a career-high 11 sacks last season.

Under the franchise tag in 2013, a player is paid according to a formula based on salaries for the past five years at the position and their percentage of the total salary cap.

With the non-exclusive tag, his team has the right to match any offer sheet, or get two first-round draft picks in return for allowing him to leave. An exclusive tag ties him to his current team at a higher, but as-yet-undetermined price, for one season.

The Cowboys also released safety Gerald Sensabaugh to clear more room under the salary cap.

Sensabaugh, a four-year starter for the Cowboys, sent a tweet Monday saying he had been released for cap purposes.

The team reported on its website that the move saves $1.4 million under the cap, and the Cowboys avoid paying his $3 million salary in 2013.

Sensabaugh signed as a free agent in Dallas 2009 and was a solid if not spectacular presence in their secondary. He missed two games in four years and led the team with a career-high five interceptions in 2010.

The Cowboys have cleared more than $20 million in cap space since last week.