Cowboys Fish The Waiver Wire: Is Safety Atogwe A Big Catch?

The Dallas Cowboys, along with every other NFL team, cut their rosters down to 53 players Friday night. As a result, there are now many possible hidden treasures to be had in the NFL waiver wire, at least for the next 24 hours. And it appears the Cowboys have gone fishin’.

Let’s first take a look at what the Cowboys’ possible areas of need are. Offensive line has been an issue all preseason. With injuries disseminating the line, any decent veteran help would be welcomed. Dallas traded a seventh round draft pick to Miami on Thursday for veteran lineman Ryan Cook, which added some much needed depth to the Cowboy’s soft interior line. So, you know the Cowboys are looking to buy.

With All-Pro tight end Jason Witten’s availability in question for the next couple of weeks, due to a spleen injury, Dallas could also be in the market for a tight end. And let’s not forget the ever popular wide receiver core, which gets incredibly younger and more inexperienced the further down it goes. It is also possible that the Cowboys would want a little more  veteran experience within their defensive backfield, specifically at safety.

Now, here’s a list of some of the bigger names currently on the waiver wire at each of these positions:

• TE –  Chris Cooley (WAS), TE Dan Gronkowski (CLE), TE Evan Moore (CLE)

• WR –  Anthony Armstrong (WAS), Deon Butler (SEA), Marvin McNutt (PHI), David Douglas (NYG), Greg Camarillo (NO), Deion Branch (NE),

• OL –  OL Trai Essex (PITT), OL Dan Koppen (NE)

• CB/S –  CB Drayton Florence (DEN), S O.J. Atogwe (PHI)

The biggest name that popped up to me was safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. Two years ago, Dallas was looking to upgrade our safety position. Atogwe’s name came up but he instead signed a signed a five-year, $26 million deal with the Washington Redskins. Various injuries hindered the talented safety, but he was still able to amass 60 tackles and three interceptions in 13 games.  The Redskins cut him after only one year.

The Philadelphia Eagles picked him up just before training camp but nagging injuries forced the team’s hand and he was waived on Friday. Atogwe, when healthy, is a quality safety with ball hawking abilities. In his first six season with the St. Louis Rams, Atogwe recorded 394 tackles, 22 interceptions and five sacks. He was the NFC interception leader in 2007 with eight takeaways, and named the Rams’ MVP in 2008.

If the Cowboys took a chance on Atogwe, he would not be able to immediately contribute. The former Stanford alum re-injured his hamstring in the final preseason game for the Eagles earlier this week. But Atogwe would be great insurance for the Cowboys later in the season if Barry Church is unable to perform in his new role as the starting safety.

ESPNDallas’ Calvin Watkins reported that the Cowboys have shown interest in wideout David Douglas, who was released by the New York Giants. Douglas is an undrafted rookie from the University of Arizona. He is said to have good route running ability, good hands, and 4.4 speed. A bonus for the Cowboys is his ability to also play special teams. Rumor has it that the Giants want to sign Douglas to their practice squad, which might be enough of a reason to claim him. Unfortunately, I’m not sure another rookie  is what the Cowboys need at that position.

No matter what, today promises to be an exciting one as we’ll find out who ends up where, and if any of the former Cowboy players land back in Big “D” on the practice squad. Speaking of  former Cowboys, here’s a list of the former Cowboys who landed on the waiver wire today from other teams:

• Former Cowboys Released: P Mat McBriar (PHI), WR Isaiah Stanback (NYG), WR Jesse Holley (NE) and LB Brandon Williams (ARZ)

You never know, they could always find their way back to Dallas.