Cowboys add exciting rookie to active roster

The team turnstile seems to be in constant motion of late for the Dallas Cowboys. Quarterbacks, running backs, defensive lineman and now wide receivers are being cut, waived, placed on IR or added to this ever changing roster.

As expected, running back Lance Dunbar is done for the year after suffering a torn ACL against the Saints. While largely considered the third choice back on the team, he’s been a receiving threat currently second on the team with 215 receiving yards.

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With former Seahawks running back Christine Michael already part of the roster, the Cowboys have looked to shore up their receiving pool by promoting Vince Mayle from the practice squad to the 53 man roster right before Sunday’s matchup against the New England Patriots. But who is Mayle, and what does he bring to the Cowboys?

Mayle was drafted in the 4th round by the Cleveland Browns earlier this year. Thumb surgery soon after the draft, and an inconsistent time at camp meant he failed to make the final Browns roster. The Cowboys moved quickly to snatch him from waivers and get him on their practice squad where he’s been since.

The 24 year old rookie was deemed to have a 3rd/4th round grade heading into the draft. Were it not for the thumb injury and subsequent surgery, Mayle could well have been drafted higher than his 4th round spot.

His final year at Washington State was impressive and saw Mayle finish the year with 1,483 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. His 106 receptions was a PAC-12 record as were his receiving yards. While he didn’t flash at the Senior Bowl or Combine, his consistent improvement as a receiver year after year must be noted.

At 6-2 and 224 lbs, he’s a big receiver. Powerful but with deceiving speed (despite what his 4.67s 40 yard time at the combine suggests). He could well be the deep threat that the Cowboys have lacked in recent weeks. If the coaching staff let Brandon Weeden use his arm, Mayle would be able to display the excellent ball tracking skills he displayed when asked to go long at college. That said, he can be something of a body catcher like a certain Terrance Williams. He must work on his hands with too many juggles and fumbles flashing up on his film.

It’s unlikely we’ll see Mayle come into the roster and make significant plays early on. Despite his age he’s a relative football newbie; originally focusing on a basketball career. His vanilla route running will show him up at this level. You won’t see much from him as a blocker. And perhaps the biggest concern over him stepping up to the NFL is how he handles the better defensive backs; at college you’d often see him manhandled by cornerbacks and rerouted too easily.

Although he failed to record a reception against the Patriots on Sunday on only five snaps, I’m excited to see what opportunities Mayle will be afforded by the coaching staff after the bye week. As a college player and prospect, he excited me far more than Devin Street ever did. While Mayle still needs to work on some fundamentals, his ceiling is high. Whether he has the determination to reach it remains to be seen. Another lump of clay for the Cowboys coaching staff to get to work on.

Next: Cowboys offense anemic in blowout loss to Patriots, 30-6