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Cowboys part ways with Michael Sam, cutting DE from practice squad
The Cowboys released defensive end Michael Sam from the practice squad Tuesday.
Sam’s departure coincided with the signings of linebacker Troy Davis and defensive tackle Ken Bishop to the team’s 10-man developmental unit.
Sam has been a national story dating back to that winter day he declared he is gay — something that had never been done by a player attempting to make an NFL roster.
Drafted by the St. Louis Rams in May and cut in August, Sam joined the Cowboys on Sept. 3
After the media swarmed him on the day he signed with the club, Sam kept a low profile. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett made it a point to downplay Sam’s arrival and was reticent when he was asked to update his progress.
“Comes to work every day and practices hard,” Garrett said last week, when he was asked about Sam. “One of 10 practice roster guys that we have, so he’s working on his skills, trying to develop, but also doing a lot of other things.”
Questions persisted about how the 6-2, 261-pound Sam fit with the Cowboys. They passed on him during the draft, when they had nine picks, because they viewed him as a bit of a “tweener.” In other words, they weren’t quite sure if he fit the prototype of a 4-3 defensive end in a system that places tremendous emphasis on speed and explosiveness.
Sam bristled when he was asked whether he could play that position in this particular scheme, in light of his pedestrian 40-yard dash time of 4.91 seconds at the NFL combine.
“Did you not watch my preseason?” he responded last month. “Did it look like I was slow? Then I’m an end.”
Now, Sam will have to make his case with another club.
"I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support," Sam tweeted Tuesday. "While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday."
The Cowboys released defensive end Michael Sam from the practice squad Tuesday.
Sam’s departure coincided with the signings of linebacker Troy Davis and defensive tackle Ken Bishop to the team’s 10-man developmental unit.
Sam has been a national story dating back to that winter day he declared he is gay — something that had never been done by a player attempting to make an NFL roster.
Drafted by the St. Louis Rams in May and cut in August, Sam joined the Cowboys on Sept. 3
After the media swarmed him on the day he signed with the club, Sam kept a low profile. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett made it a point to downplay Sam’s arrival and was reticent when he was asked to update his progress.
“Comes to work every day and practices hard,” Garrett said last week, when he was asked about Sam. “One of 10 practice roster guys that we have, so he’s working on his skills, trying to develop, but also doing a lot of other things.”
Questions persisted about how the 6-2, 261-pound Sam fit with the Cowboys. They passed on him during the draft, when they had nine picks, because they viewed him as a bit of a “tweener.” In other words, they weren’t quite sure if he fit the prototype of a 4-3 defensive end in a system that places tremendous emphasis on speed and explosiveness.
Sam bristled when he was asked whether he could play that position in this particular scheme, in light of his pedestrian 40-yard dash time of 4.91 seconds at the NFL combine.
“Did you not watch my preseason?” he responded last month. “Did it look like I was slow? Then I’m an end.”
Now, Sam will have to make his case with another club.
"I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support," Sam tweeted Tuesday. "While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday."
