3 former Dallas Cowboys who can get revenge in 2022
Whether they got picked up by other teams in free agency, traded away, cut, or anything else, there are former Dallas Cowboys all around the NFL right now. This offseason was a particularly tumultuous one for the Cowboys. The team said goodbye to Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory, Cedrick Wilson, Connor Williams, La’el Collins, Keanu Neal, and many more roster players.
Some goodbyes were complicated and tense (think Gregory’s dramatic 11th-hour switch to the Denver Broncos) and some were just a lack of space on the roster. Regardless, there are always feelings involved when you face off against your former team. Those emotions get higher based on how the exit was and how long you were with that team.
In this article, we will talk about some former Cowboys who will get to stake their revenge or prove themselves worthy in 2022. Unfortunately, we will not get to see the team face off against some of their biggest losses like Cooper, Gregory, and Wilson. But there are still some guys out there who would love to show Jerry Jones and Co. that they are better off in a new uniform. Let’s see who some of those guys are.
3 former Cowboys who get to prove themselves against Dallas in 2022
3. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Cincinnati Bengals
This chance at revenge will come very early in the season for Awuzie, despite the fact that he left Dallas last year. The former Cowboy was a second-round draft pick in 2017 and played in Dallas for four years. Except for a 2020 hamstring injury that kept him out of part of the season, Awuzie started 42 of 49 games at cornerback for Dallas.
When he hit the free market in 2021, the cornerback decided the bright lights and brand of Cowboys football weren’t for him. Instead, Awuzie took a three-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals. Maybe the defensive back had a premonition or something because that decision obviously paid off. While the Cowboys were out of the playoffs early on, Awuzie and his new team headed to the Super Bowl in his first season with Cincy.
During Super Bowl media week, Awuzie wasn’t shy about taking a subtle jab at his former team. The fourth-year corner said that he appreciated that the Bengals didn’t need all the lights to play football and appreciated the team’s “blue-collar mentality.”
Bengals CB Chidobe Awuzie on how the change of scenery in Cincinnati impacted him: “It showed me football can be played without all the lights.”
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) February 9, 2022
“We don’t have an indoor, but it all goes back to that blue collar mentality. That’s the kind of person I am.” pic.twitter.com/pQ9jShfOKw
Here’s more of what Awuzie had to say about Dallas in February:
"“I learned very quick that it don’t take much to form a winning football team. You know, football is football. You can play anywhere. You’re either going to win or you’re going to lose. I think we just have that mindset. That dog mentality. There’s no excuses. And we get it done no matter what.”"
Clearly, the corner is happy he moved on from the glitz and glamour. Now, he gets a chance to show his former team what they’re missing without him. Awuzie had a strong year with Cincy and even had an impressive third-quarter interception off of Matthew Stafford in last year’s Super Bowl. He will certainly be looking to do the same against Dak Prescott in Week 2.