Former Cowboys John Ridgeway and Jaylon Smith both signed by NFC East rivals
It appears that multiple (now-former) Dallas Cowboys players have gone over to the dark side, and by that, we mean signed with NFC East rival teams.
On Monday, two former players joined the practice squads of the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.
The first was more of a recent disappointment. John Ridgeway — a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft who you may remember as the guy who said he was ready to “break someone’s neck” in the NFL — was released by the Cowboys last Saturday in order to make room for Cooper Rush on the 53-man roster after the team decided not to put Dak Prescott on IR.
Dallas hoped Ridgeway would clear waivers, but the 6′ 5,” 322-pound NT was swooped up by Washington. The Commanders released DT Donovan Jeter to make room for the former Cowboy.
This move makes a ton of sense for the Commanders given their recent injury issues at the defensive line. They lost Phidarian Mathis to a torn meniscus and saw Jonathan Allen suffer a groin injury in Week 1. Then, backup Daniel Wise injured his ankle.
Ridgeway will likely get playing time when the Cowboys host Washington in Week 4 at AT&T Stadium.
Cowboys hoped to re-sign NT John Ridgeway to practice squad this afternoon. But they lost him. Commanders were awarded Ridgeway on waivers. They weren’t the only team to submit a claim on the rookie fifth-round pick from Arkansas either, a person close to situation said.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 19, 2022
Former Cowboys John Ridgeway and Jaylon Smith were recently added to NFC East rival practice squads
Ridgeway isn’t the only one headed to a rival team. For the second time in two seasons, former Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is heading to the Giants.
Smith started his NFL career as a second-round pick by Dallas back in 2016. Sadly, he missed his entire rookie year recovering from a knee injury he sustained in his final college football game.
After that, he participated in every game for America’s Team from 2017 to the beginning of 2021. With the success of Micah Parsons and a heavy cap hit, the Cowboys decided to say goodbye to Smith in the middle of the 2021 season. Here’s what ESPN’s Todd Archer previously said about the move:
"The timing of the release might seem confusing. Why did the Cowboys wait four games into the 2021 season to do this? Why not wait a little longer? According to sources, they had some trade discussions and were willing to eat a good portion of his $7.2 million base salary, but nothing came close to happening.Plus, Smith’s $9.2 million base salary in 2022 was guaranteed for injury. The Cowboys did not want to take the financial risk, so they were willing to take the full cap hit of releasing him now. Next year, Smith will cost $6.8 million against the cap.With how well rookie linebacker/defensive end Micah Parsons is playing, the return of linebacker Keanu Neal from the reserve/COVID-19 list and the potential coordinator Dan Quinn sees in linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, there simply wasn’t enough room for Smith, who did not help on special teams."
Former Cowboys LB Jaylon Smith joins the Giants’ practice squad, one week before Giants host the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. https://t.co/svFgwoJEIU
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) September 19, 2022
After getting cut by Dallas after Week 4, Smith played two games with the Green Bay Packers before getting picked up by the Giants at the end of the 2021 season (ironically just ahead of a Cowboys matchup as well). The linebacker started two games (appeared in four) for the Giants and had 19 tackles and a sack.
New York’s new head honcho, Joe Schoen, decided not to keep Smith, making him a free agent this offseason, but now the former Cowboy is back for another try.
The former second-rounder is replacing guard K.C. McDermott on the practice squad.
The Giants are certainly thin at linebacker after cutting Blake Martinez and choosing a rookie to start. However, this decision may be about gaining Cowboys intel before a big Week 3 matchup more than anything else.
