The Cowboys had pursued defensive tackle Terrell McClain before he signed a one-year, $4MM deal with the Falcons this offseason, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
“We wanted him here,” Garrett said. “Different factors played into it for him and he decided to go to Atlanta.”
The Cowboys had been seeking depth with their interior line as defensive tackle Malik Collins is expected to miss at least three months after undergoing foot surgery. McClain started 15 games at defensive tackle for the Cowboys when they went 13-3 in 2016 but departed in free agency to the Redskins in March 2017. The Redskins released him this offseason, though, and the Cowboys were one of several teams he visited with before signing with the Falcons.
Johnathan Hankins, Alan Branch and Karl Klug all still remain unrestricted free agents.
Here’s more from the Cowboys:
- Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli seemed adamant that the team’s best acquisition this offseason didn’t come in the form of a player but rather a coach — new secondary coach Kris Richard, who helped construct the Legion of Boom as Seattle’s former defensive coordinator. The Cowboys weren’t overly active on the defensive side in free agency but did use their first-round pick last month to take Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. “Might be as good as any acquisition coming in,” Marinelli said to Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “This guy’s really good. He is special. He is one of the best things we’ve got. He did a terrific job in Seattle. The resume is in the tape. He brings energy, intensity. And he can relate well to these players. That’s what I really like. You get tickled when you get a guy like that.
- Tavon Austin has plenty of special teams experience over his five-year career but it appears the Cowboys plan to use the former longtime Ram mostly at wide receiver. “We’ll use him for a lot of things, but he’s a receiver first,” said Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). “He’s really in a lot of ways…an outside receiver, which is really unique, but he can move around, the slot. … He can move in the backfield at times. He’s done that his whole career.”
- Earlier this week, we learned that Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is no longer wearing a brace following the severe injury he suffered in his final game at Notre Dame in January 2016. Smith made his Cowboys debut last season and played in all 16 of the team’s games, starting six.
It’s about time someone decided to use Austin as a receiver – as a longtime Rams fan I was always dumbfounded by the big contract and limited use especially not as a receiver