Carrollton, TX -- (Sports Network) - Dallas Cowboys linebacker Greg Ellis will not be with the team for the upcoming season.

Earlier in the off-season, Ellis told reporters he was told that Anthony Spencer would be put ahead of him on the depth chart. He has expressed concern about his diminishing role with the team and the status of his contract.

Should the Cowboys release him, the team would save about $4.15 million on the cap, while a trade would save them more than $5 million since the team would not have to pay a $1.5 million guaranteed bonus.

Ellis, 33, has been with the team since being drafted in the first round in 1998. He had eight sacks last year and 77 for his career. In 2007, he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he recorded 12 1/2 sacks after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that limited him to nine games in 2006.

He has also added 504 tackles, four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, 46 passes defensed and 20 forced fumbles.