Dallas Cowboys sign Michael Sam to practice squad
Sam didn’t last with the team that drafted him, but he might have a real home on a Dallas defense that needs work.
UPDATE: The Cowboys made it official Wednesday morning, signing Michael Sam to their practice squad.
Free-agent defensive end Michael Sam will work out for the Dallas Cowboys, per Adam Schefter:
Cowboys plan to bring Michael Sam to Dallas for a physical Wednesday, per team source. If all goes well, Sam will be a Cowboy.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 2, 2014 #Cowboys spent today calling players, gauging reaction to signing Michael Sam. They’ll have him in with the plan to sign him to P-squad
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 2, 2014 The St. Louis Rams released the rookie defensive end during final roster cuts down to 53-man rosters, but for a team loaded along the defensive line, Sam wasn't able to make the team. He was also left off of the team's practice squad, which made him a free agent.
The Cowboys need some significant work up front on their defense, which finished as the league's worst in yards allowed in 2013. The Cowboys also had the sixth-worst pass-rush in the NFL last year, with only 34 sacks on the season. That's also before they lost DeMarcus Ware to the Denver Broncos.
Sam had a nice preseason overall for the Rams, finishing with 11 tackles and 3.0 sacks, including sacking fellow rookie Johnny Manziel when the Rams played the Cleveland Browns. As mentioned, the Rams are flush on their defensive line with players like Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Eugene Sims and William Hayes.
The Rams selected Sam in the seventh round after he fell down the draft board, having been projected as a third-to-fifth-round pick. Many around the league felt Sam was too slow to play at 3-4 outside linebacker after running a 4.91 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine in February, and too small at 6’2 and 255 pounds to be a defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, viewed as more of a “tweener” without a real fit in an NFL scheme.
See More:
