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Dallas Cowboys: David Irving signs tender, another prove-it year

By Steven Mullenax

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 18: David Irving #95 and Maliek Collins #96 of the Dallas Cowboys sack Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 18: David Irving #95 and Maliek Collins #96 of the Dallas Cowboys sack Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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The Dallas Cowboys will have the services of defensive tackle David Irving for another season, as he has now signed his tender for 2018.

Ever since the Dallas Cowboys signed him off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in 2015, defensive tackle David Irving has been trying to prove himself. As a rookie, Irving was trying to prove he could be a starter. In the two years that followed, he’s been trying to prove he can just stay on the field.

This upcoming season, Irving will have to prove himself once again. This time, that he’s worthy of a long-term contract in Dallas.

On Monday, the 24-year old restricted free agent signed the second round tender Dallas offered him, making him a Cowboy through the 2018 season. That means Irving will receive $2.9 million this year before becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

The 6-foot-7, 290 pound defender has show tremendous growth during his time with the Cowboys. Now entering his fourth season, Irving is coming off a year where he posted a career-high 7.0 sacks. Unfortunately, he do so in just eight games as a PED suspension and a concussion limited his play in 2017.

Undrafted out of Iowa State, Irving first made an impact for the Cowboys through special teams. During his rookie season in Dallas, the former Cyclone blocked a field goal that nearly won the game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week Eight.

In his sophomore campaign, Irving exploded onto the national scene when he recorded four total tackles, 1.0 sack, one pass defend and three forced fumbles in a 30-16 win over the Green Bay Packers. And he did all that on just 19 defensive snaps!

Next: Dallas Cowboys 2018 NFL Draft: 7-Round Mock 5.0

So far, David Irving’s time with America’s Team has been all about potential. But the young defensive tackle will need to fulfill that potential in 2018 if he expects the Dallas Cowboys to give a long-term deal to a fourth-year defender who has yet to play a full 16-game season in his NFL career.

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