He tallied 64 tackles, 8 sacks, 6 fumble-cause hits, 5 passes defensed, 2 fumble recoveries, 7 blocked kicks, 6 receptions for 141 yards, one touchdown.

Free accepted a football scholarship from Northern Illinois University, with the plan of being converted into an offensive tackle.

The next year, a season-ending injury to Marc Colombo pushed him into starting seven games at right tackle, performing at a high level while allowing only one sack.

[4] In 2012, the team decided to move him back to right tackle after his play regressed; exchanging positions with Tyron Smith.

[8] In October, he suffered a sprained right foot in the last minutes of the Week 6 win against the Seattle Seahawks, causing him to miss three games.

He also missed the team's last four games (including two in the playoffs) with a left ankle stress fracture, which led him to have off season surgery.