Cowboys Claim The New Boz; Fill Their Practice Squad

The Dallas Cowboys have put the “labor” in the Labor day weekend. On Saturday, the team reduced their roster from 75 players to 53, as mandated by the NFL. They also placed guard Nate Livings on the season-ending IR list. And then they traded the Kansas City Chiefs a sixth round draft pick in 2014 for special teams ace and linebacker Edgar Jones and their 2014 seventh round selection.

Jul 28, 2013; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kyle Bosworth (48) during training camp at the Quest Diagnostic Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

On Sunday, the Cowboys made another trade. This one involving defensive tackle Sean Lissemore. The fourth year veteran is now a member of the San Diego Chargers, in exchange for the Chargers’ seventh round pick in 2015. But the Cowboys front office was far from done.

The Cowboys also picked up another linebacker via waivers. Kyle Bosworth, nephew of the infamous linebacker from the late 1980’s Brian “The Boz” Bosworth, was picked up after the New York Giants cut him on Saturday. The undrafted free agent out of UCLA was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars for his first two seasons in the league. His development was slowed by injuries as he was placed on season-ending IR both of those years. The new “Boz” is a native Texans, born in Irving. And he’s glad to be coming home.

"“It’s never felt better to be going home. Can’t wait to play for the ‘Boys. Childhood dreams do come true.” – @KyleBosworth via Twitter"

What is strange is that the Cowboys continue to ignore the obvious lack of depth on both their offensive and defensive lines. Instead, they have opted to add to their already brimming linebacker core. It could be argued that these moves are more about beefing up special teams, which have look horrid in preseason play. Both Jones and Bosworth are considered excellent special teams’ players. Actually, some Giants’ insiders were surprised by the release of Bosworth since he performed so well on special teams during the preseason. But his pick up could also be a case of insider information.

I wrote an article two years ago about the New York Jets picking up safety Andrew Sendejo after the Cowboys released him during final cuts. What was strange about that transaction was that the Cowboys were going to play the Jets in less than a week. During his weekly press conference, a reporter asked head coach Jason Garrett if he thought this pick up was at all suspicious by the Jets. Garrett, of course, blew him off. But the question was valid. Do teams pick up players solely to get insider information from them about their previous employer? According to Jamie Dukes of NFL Network, the answer is “all the time”.

Could this be the case with Bosworth? Did Dallas pick him up simply for the information he can give us as we face the Giants on Sunday Night? Only time will tell. Oh, and Sendejo. Yeah, the Jets waived him a mere 11 days after he was signed. But they did him a solid and placed him on their practice squad. Sendejo spent almost two weeks there before the Jets released him outright. He is now a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

Dallas was also able to set their practice squad, based off of the players they cut on Saturday who passed through the waiver wire unclaimed. Those players are: Wide receivers Danny Coale and Tim Benford, guard Ray Dominguez, defensive end Jason Vega, cornerback Micah Pellerin, safety Jakar Hamilton, linebacker Cameron Lawrence and quarterback Alex Tanney.

It’s surprising to see Coale on this list. Young wideout prospects like Eric Rogers or Jared Green were expected to take that spot. I guess the Cowboys want to give Coale more time to prove himself as he returns from injuries. Tanney is a relief to see on this list. The Cowboys need to develop young talent behind quarterback Tony Romo for when Kyle Orton’s contract expires after next season.