Watkins: Brandon Magee impresses Cowboys

Cotton

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Brandon Magee impresses Cowboys

April, 30, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

At the end of last year's NFL draft, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones announced the signing of undrafted free-agent guard Ronald Leary from Memphis. The Cowboys guaranteed $214,000 to Leary with the hope he would make the 53-man roster out of camp.

Leary didn't, instead playing on the practice squad for the bulk of the season until the Cowboys had to promote him to the 53-man roster after theOakland Raiders put a claim in for him.

Leary improved as the season progressed and again has a shot to make the 53-man roster in 2013.

Fast forward to this year when the Cowboys signed undrafted linebacker Brandon Mageeover the weekend. Magee received a $70,000 signing bonus, more than any seventh-round pick from last year's draft.

The Cowboys were interested in drafting Magee in the middle rounds, but his size (5-foot-11, 229 pounds) and health (he injured his elbow in Arizona State's bowl game) made selecting him a risky proposition. However, the Cowboys were impressed with his 113 total tackles last season at Arizona State, which earned him second-team All Pac-12 honors.

Magee is completely healthy, according to his agent, Blake Baratz, and looking forward to next week's rookie minicamp.

The Cowboys project Magee as a strongside or weakside linebacker because of his speed (4.68 40-yard dash at Arizona State's pro day) and ability to make plays on the ball.

Some NFL teams were a little scared off by Magee's baseball ambitions. The Boston Red Sox own his rights, but Magee's desire is to play in the NFL.

The Cowboys are looking for good fits in Monte Kiffin's 4-3 defense, and once they find someone, Jones will make sure he spends to the money to grab him, much like he did with Leary.

This year's pet project, if you will, is Magee, who will have to play well on special teams and on the defense with the backup units to make the roster.
 

boozeman

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ASU LB Brandon Magee promises to make Cowboys' money well spent
Star-Telegram
Posted: 05/01/2013 3:19 PM

Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee went undrafted last weekend, but the Cowboys liked him enough to give him a $70,000 signing bonus as a free agent. That’s more than any seventh-round pick from the 2012 draft received.

Fortunately for Magee, the team with the top offer was the best fit for him.

The Cowboys, who didn’t have a seventh-round pick but ended up with two third-rounders, used only one choice on a linebacker. They selected South Carolina’s DeVonte Holloman in the sixth round, with their final choice. Magee said he will begin his career at middle linebacker next weekend at the team's rookie minicamp. He played the strongside and the weakside at ASU.

"I just wanted the best fit for me," Magee said. "The Cowboys are the best opportunity for me to come in here and contribute. It's exciting. Even though I'm a free agent, it doesn't mean anything. I'm going to get out there and I'm going to show what I can do.
 

boozeman

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Undrafted free agent LB Brandon Magee gets $70,000 first-year guarantee, not $70,000 signing bonus



Arizona State linebacker Brandon Magee received a $70,000 first-year guarantee from the Cowboys to sign as an undrafted free agent, not a $70,000 signing bonus.

He got an actual $5,000 signing bonus and $65,000 of his salary was guaranteed. If he is cut in training camp, the Cowboys will cut him a check for $65,000. If he cut after the first game, they will cut him a check for the difference.

Clearly the Cowboys don't expect him to be cut. He was a player they had rated as a fourth-round pick on their draft board that they coveted to sign as an undrafted free agent, which is why they gave him the guarantee to sign with them over other teams.

It was similar to what the Cowboys did last year when they gave guard Ron Leary a $214,000 guarantee of his first-year salary to sign as an undrafted free agent.

According to Magee's agent Blake Baratz, the Cowboys were one of the first team's to use a first-year guarantee to entice coveted undrafted free agents to sign with them. It was born out of the rules in the new collective bargaining agreement that limit how much signing bonus teams can give to undrafted free agents.

Clarence Hill
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A fourth? That means he was one of the top 133 in this draft. No way.

If Jerry is a real issue, our Ciskowski and our scouts might be too if our board had him that way.
 

Cotton

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Well, this is written by Hill, and he is an imbecile so hopefully that isn't true.
 
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