The Dallas Cowboys' offseason continues with less than a week to go before the 2025 NFL draft. It's been a busy last month for America's Team, as the Cowboys have brought in a plethora of free agents while simultaneously saying goodbye to veterans who overstayed their welcome, leaving time to tell how Jerry Jones & Co. will navigate the rest of the offseason.
Certain ex-Cowboys quickly found new homes when free agency opened, while others haven't been as fortunate. When it comes to the latter category, one former Dallas player will likely have to wait even longer before landing a new NFL contract.
Former Cowboys CB Amani Oruwariye Will Stay Unsigned Until the End of April
Cowboys fans wouldn't be surprised if free-agent cornerback Amani Oruwariye isn't signed to a new team by the end of April. The former 2019 Detroit Lions fifth-round pick hasn't garnered much offseason attention after an uninspiring 2024 performance in Dallas.
Oruwariye, 29, was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars last offseason. The hope was that the ex-Penn State defender could return to the form that saw him record 89 solo tackles, 18 broken-up passes, and seven interceptions while starting in 29 games for the Lions between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Instead of being a frequent contributor, injuries prevented Oruwariye from barely touching the field last season. The veteran CB missed all of November with a back issue before suffering a season-ending foot injury in December, leaving him at four starts across seven appearances.
With only eight games played in the last two seasons, there's a good chance that Oruwariye's injury history is playing a big role in the lack of free agent interest surrounding him.
It doesn't help that Oruwariye didn't exactly thrive when healthy. The 6-foot-2 ballhawk surrendered 23-of-30 targets (76.7%) for 355 yards, two TDs, and a 123.6 passer rating despite his limited number of playing opportunities. His lack of discipline also resulted in a pair of penalties, bringing his total to a disappointing 27 across the last four seasons.
Oruwariye's lowest point in the 2024 season came in Week 14 when he messed up on a punt that let the Cincinnati Bengals recover the ball, costing the Cowboys the game in the process.
An all-time blunder by Amani Oruwariye on the blocked punt😬 pic.twitter.com/9C1jH7IuQP
— All-22 (@All22_PFF) December 10, 2024
Between his injury history, discipline issues, and poor decision-making skills, Oruwariye is far from the most attractive available option. CB-needy teams are more likely to roll the dice on a prospect in the draft since there's no guarantee that Oruwariye can fully bounce back at this stage of his career.
The silver lining is that the Cowboys only signed Oruwariye to a one-year deal, allowing him to be another team's issue going forward. That is, if he can even convince anyone that he's good enough to play on another NFL contract.