The Dallas Cowboys are already at training camp in Oxnard, California, as rookies and veterans reported on Monday. This will be one of the more intriguing training camps around the league as the Cowboys have a new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, who will look to put his stamp on this team.
Whenever a new coaching staff takes over, it allows players who might have been on the bubble last year to compete for a roster spot. At the same time, the new coaching staff can also get rid of certain players who may not fit their scheme.
The Cowboys did that last month, when they parted with 2024 draft pick Justin Rogers, who was taken in the seventh round. The move didn’t make sense at the time, given the unproven depth at the nose tackle spot behind Mazi Smith. However, the former Cowboy has already found a new opportunity.
Former Cowboys NT Justin Rogers Signs With Seattle Seahawks
On Monday, the Seattle Seahawks announced that they signed the 23-year-old defender to their 90-man roster.
The former Cowboys draft pick will have an uphill climb to make Seattle’s 53-man roster out of preseason, as the Seahawks are deep at nose tackle. However, after being cut a month before training camp begins, Rogers is likely happy to be on a roster to compete.
The 23-year-old defensive lineman was taken in Day 3 last year after playing his college ball at Kentucky and Auburn. Rogers appeared in all three Cowboys preseason games last year and had five total tackles and a pass deflection.
However, it wasn’t enough to get Rogers on Dallas’ 53-man roster, as they released him at the end of preseason. But he was immediately signed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad a couple of days later.
The former Cowboy didn’t appear in any games with the Bengals before Dallas surprisingly brought him back later in the season.
Now, the young defensive lineman will get to prove himself again, this time in the Pacific Northwest with the Seahawks. It won’t be easy, but all he needs to do is make a couple of splash plays to put himself on the radar for a 53-man or practice squad spot.