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<\/p>\nhe\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0had a successful go through the NFL draft, bringing in six new players plus new linebacker Dee Winters as the team focused pretty intently on rebuilding a defense that was rated the worst in the league in 2025, and gave up a franchise record 511 points. But after the draft, the Cowboys continued to add players, taking advantage of the undrafted free-agent system, one in which the team has frequently found useful players.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big, big part of what we do,\u201d Cowboys VP of personnel Will McClay said, via The Athletic. \u201cThere are players that weren\u2019t drafted that we like. It doesn\u2019t matter where you come from. We talk about that all the time. You get the opportunity. There have been free agents and guys that we\u2019ve found that have played big roles for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting right tackle Terrence Steele was an undrafted free agent, as were fullback\u00a0Hunter Luepke, running back\u00a0Malik Davis\u00a0and key backup lineman TJ Bass. This time around, the Cowboys have pretty clearly tried to target one position where they feel someone might stick: Defensive linemen, the spot played by three of the 11 undrafted players the Cowboys signed.<\/p>\n
Cowboys Add 3 Defensive Linemen as UDFAs<\/p>\n
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The UDFA defensive lineman group is led by Kansas\u2019\u00a0Tommy Dunn\u00a0Jr., a fifth-year senior for the Jayhawks who was listed at 305 pounds by the school entering the draft process. The Cowboys also signed his teammate, DJ Withers, another fifth-year 300-pounder\u00a0according to the school\u2019s bio.\u00a0 Like Dunn, Withers is a rarity in that he spent his entire collegiate career in Lawrence.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys will give them a look beginning this weekend as the team hosts its first rookie camp for all the incoming players. No doubt, depth on the defensive line is something the team will be looking at, with stars\u00a0Kenny Clark\u00a0and\u00a0Quinnen Williams\u00a0anchoring the position, but in need of effective backups and players who can rotate in.<\/p>\n
TJ Dunn, DJ Withers Close Friends and Fellow UDFAs<\/p>\n
Dunn probably has the better chance of earning a spot on the Cowboys roster\u2013he was generally rated higher on boards ahead of the draft.\u00a0Dane Brugler of The Athletic\u00a0had him ranked as the No. 49 defensive tackle coming in, while Withers\u2013the two are close friends\u2013was No. 74. The Cowboys also added\u00a0Kelvin Gilliam\u00a0from Virginia Tech, who was No. 86 among interior defensive linemen.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys, of course, are changing the approach to the defense as a whole with new coordinator Christian Parker, and traded away star defensive lineman\u00a0Osa Odighizuwa\u00a0in the offseason. In Parker\u2019s defense, there is more emphasis on interior beef and again, that could open a path for Dunn to earn a spot.<\/p>\n
Cowboys Need Depth on Defensive Front<\/p>\n
As things stand for the defensive front, the Cowboys have some depth options. The team signed\u00a0Otito Ogbonnia\u00a0and 32-year-old veteran journeyman Jonathan Bullard this offseason, while fourth-round pick LT Overton is also on board.<\/p>\n
But behind them, there will be room for 2025 seventh-round pick\u00a0Jay Toia\u00a0and perhaps one of the UDFAs, either on the roster or on the practice squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
he\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0had a successful go through the NFL draft, bringing in six new players plus new linebacker Dee Winters as the team focused pretty intently on rebuilding… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":44809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n