Cowboys Officially Send Recent Draft Bust Packing Prior to Week 1 Game

The Dallas Cowboys have officially parted ways with one of their draft picks from the 2023 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Tuesday that the Cowboys waived defensive end Viliami Fehoko Jr. off injured reserve after reaching an injury settlement.

In addition to Fehoko Jr., the Cowboys waived wide receiver David Durden. Fehoko was initially waived with an injury designation before last week’s roster cutdown deadline. 

The former fourth-round pick was viewed as a likely cut candidate heading into the preseason and didn’t do much to change the minds of the Cowboys brass. Fehoko played a ton in Dallas’ preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers (38 defensive snaps), but only produced a tackle, pass deflection, and quarterback hit.

The former San Jose State lineman didn’t play at all last season as a rookie, spending most of it on injured reserve. With the Cowboys making additions in training camp and drafting Marshawn Kneeland in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they were sending Fehoko hints about his roster spot.

But the veteran defensive lineman couldn’t take his collegiate production and bring it to the pros. At San Jose State, he had 191 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, 12 pass breakups, and five forced fumbles. That said, Fehoko is only 24 years old and still has time to make an impact in the NFL. 

But he has to get healthy first and perform well in various workouts to land a practice squad opportunity with one of the 32 teams in the league.

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