The Dallas Cowboys are breaking for the summer, as the final day of mandatory minicamp practice took place on Thursday. It'll be over a month until the team takes the field again for training camp, but then things will quickly transition to the preseason, and real games will be here before we know it.
But Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones aren't just resting on their laurels. They are constantly tinkering with the bottom of this Cowboys roster and finding any way to upgrade the depth of a position or increase the competition at key spots. They did so again with their recent batch of moves.
Just before things really shut down at The Star, ESPN's Todd Archer reported that Dallas reached an agreement with three UFL players, one of whom is a former Baylor star, and made three corresponding roster moves to shake things up in the locker room.
Dallas Cowboys sign WR Denzel Mims, UFL OL Chris Glaser and veteran CB Ameer Speed
Wide receiver Denzel Mims is the former Baylor star who is now a member of the Cowboys, as the 2020 second-round pick has been given yet another new lease on life in the NFL. After a First-Team All-Big 12 bid in 2019, Mims got off to a solid enough start with the New York Jets.
His production fell off rather quickly, however, and Mims fatefully requested a trade in 2022. He has not played in an NFL game since. Mims bounced between the Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars before heading to the UFL in an attempt to reboot his career.
Mims appeared in six games for the Dallas Renegades during the spring season and hauled in six catches for 55 yards. It feels like a long shot that he'll make the roster, or even the practice squad, but the Cowboys are hoping that Mims can finally show why he was once a top-60 draft selection.
Guard Chris Glaser was also signed by Dallas from the UFL's Columbus Aviators. Glaser went undrafted in 2022 but landed with the Kansas City Chiefs after a strong showing at their rookie minicamp, and then he bounced around. He was actually on Dallas' practice squad for a week in 2023.
Glaser then found a home with the Jets, playing in five games in 2023, even starting one. Then, he played in three games with the Chicago Bears in 2024. More recently, he helped carve out lanes on an Aviators offense that averaged 4.6 yards per rush and 5.2 yards per play.
Veteran cornerback Ameer Speed also reached a deal with the Cowboys after a nice showing for the UFL's Houston Gamblers this past season. He played in five games and recorded 16 tackles and two passes broken up.
Originally a sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2023, Speed played for five different NFL franchises before his UFL stint. Once a National Champion at Georgia, Speed has played in just 17 games in three NFL seasons, tallying 11 tackles, including one for a loss.
Of course, with three additions, the Cowboys had to clear up three roster spots. Backup center Matt Hennessy, who signed a minimum contract with Dallas this offseason, is headed to the Injured Reserve, so he will be out for the entirety of the 2026 NFL season.
Hennessy was a third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 out of Temple, and he was a full-time starter in 2021. But he has failed to be anything more than a depth piece or spot starter in the years since, and now, Hennessy's 2026 bid has been shut down before it even began.
Defensive back Corey Ballentine has also been released by the Cowboys after playing in five games for Dallas last year, albeit mainly in a special teams role, and then re-signing with the franchise this offseason. He'll now try to find his 10th NFL team to play for in seven seasons.
The final corresponding move was the release of Romello Brinson, a UDFA who signed earlier this month in the wake of Parris Campbell's sudden retirement. The SMU product must not have shown enough in OTAs or minicamp to be granted another chance in training camp.
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