DALLAS COWBOYS SIGN FORMER PHILADELPHIA EAGLES OT JASON PETERS
The Dallas Cowboys signed former Philadelphia Eagles and veteran offensive tackle, Jason Peters, to the practice squad this week.
The nine-time Pro Bowler will join the team on a one-year deal. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed to reporters last week that Peters was having a medical physical on Friday morning before he had meetings with the team in the afternoon. The team also announced that they had released rookie defensive end Mika Tafua to clear room on the practice squad for Peters.
Brought in as the swing tackle or simply as insurance, Peters is a huge 6-foot-4, 328 lb. offensive lineman whose 9 Pro Bowl selections are tied most in the league among active offensive linemen with 49ers All-Pro left tackle, Trent Williams. The Texas native spent 12 years with the Eagles, where he earned seven of his nine career Pro Bowls before moving to Chicago last year. Peters has had 218 starts in his 18-year career and started 15 games at left tackle in 2021 with the Bears before he hit free agency in March. He is now back playing in the NFC East.
The expectation is that Peters will be slowly eased into the team after not going to a training camp and not playing a snap since early January. The Cowboys will give him time to get into shape before he can contribute to the lineup. Peters’ signing is not expected to have an impact on the starting o-line in the short term. The Cowboys’ addition to the position was necessitated by a hamstring injury to starting left tackle Tyron Smith and Peters will provide much-needed depth at the position.
“This is about adding depth and bringing another excellent player into your program,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously you have a tremendous amount of respect for what Jason has accomplished throughout his career. Going back, watching the video of his time with Chicago, it’s definitely an opportunity of mutual interest. He’d love to finish his career here in Texas. We had a chance to visit late last week and through the weekend. He’ll line up (in practice Monday) and we’ll bring him along a little more slowly. Just do the individual (drills).”
An undrafted rookie free agent in 2004 and now a Super Bowl champion, Peters has earned his stripes in the league and was named in the NFL 2010s All-Decade team.
“I’m excited,” said the East Texas native. “This is my home state, so it’s good to be back playing amongst family every week.” Peters admitted that playing in Cowboys colors will take some getting used to but he also revealed that he chose Dallas over several other teams that were interested this offseason.
“Umm, yeah, a little bit. Like I said, that was our rivalry,” said Peters. “You know the Dallas and Eagles rivalry goes deep so it’s kind of weird but I’m here in my home state and ready to roll… I had a few opportunities with some teams but like I was telling my agent, they like to go youth over age so I was just weighing my options, and then when this came up, my home state, I couldn’t pass it up. To play for the Cowboys, two hours from my hometown.”
Peters, 40, is expected to provide veteran leadership for the offensive line, which can help develop 21-year-old Tyler Smith. The Dallas Cowboys are ready to use their first-round draft pick Smith from Tulsa at left tackle to start the season. Head Coach Mike McCarthy didn’t officially name Smith the starter but said on Wednesday that he’ll “definitely get a lot of work at left tackle.”
Peters is expected to work his way into the team and allow the Cowboys to consider moving Smith to left guard, his original and favored position in college and where they intended to play him in 2022. If that happens, Peters will then replace the rookie at left tackle.
The Cowboys also signed another offensive lineman, Mexican-born Isaac Alarcon to the practice squad last week. Alarcon played at both left tackle and left guard for the team this preseason and is in his third year with the franchise as part of the league’s International Player Pathway Program. The team can also rely on fifth-round draft pick Matt Waletzko and 2021 fourth-round draft pick Josh Ball if they need more help at tackle. Both players have yet to play a regular-season game.
The o-line combination for the Cowboys this Sunday vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is expected to be: LT Tyler Smith, LG Connor McGovern, C Tyler Biadasz, RG Zack Martin, and RT Terence Steele.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.