The Dallas Cowboys didn’t have enough depth on the defensive line in 2019. After losing Tyrone Crawford to a season-ending injury in October, the team made the move to trade for the versatile Michael Bennett.
Ineffectiveness still led to disappointing results from the defense and the Cowboys went into the 2020 offseason determined to make sure that didn’t happen again. Mike McCarthy and his new defensive staff set to fixing the defensive line. Veterans who were signed included Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe and Aldon Smith. Also brought in was journeyman DT Justin Hamilton, who has bounced around the league since arriving in 2015.
Hamilton signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent and from 2015 and stayed in western New York until early in the 2017 season. He was then on the practice squads of the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn’t until late September of 2017 that Hamilton was finally promoted to the Eagles’ active roster.
During the 2017 season, Hamilton played in three games for the Eagles and picked up a half-sack before being cut and re-signed to the Eagles’ practice squad again. However, the Kansas City Chiefs poached Hamilton from Philadelphia in December and he started in one game to end the year.
Hamilton appeared in four games with the Chiefs in 2018, but was released by the team in August of 2019 before their Super Bowl season began.
The Cowboys entered the picture in October of 2019 when Crawford’s injury sent him to the sideline for the year.
Jason Garrett says the Cowboys are signing veteran DT Justin Hamilton to fill Tyrone Crawford’s spot on the roster. Hamilton has been in the league since 2015 and spent training camp with the Chiefs.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) October 16, 2019
However, it was short-lived stay. Bennett’s addition made Hamilton expendable and Dallas released him in October. The team brought Hamilton back on a futures contract in late January.
Hamilton faces an uphill battle to make the Cowboys’ roster, but the veteran defensive tackle out of Louisiana-Lafayette has a chance to stick. Hamilton racked up 28 TFL’s and 13 sacks during his time in college.
The biggest trait Hamilton brings is size. At 6-foot-2 and weighing 315 pounds he is stout at the point of attack and can be part of the solution to one of the Cowboys’ biggest weaknesses in the last two seasons, stopping the run.
Hamilton is unlikely to be a starter on Dallas’ defense, but he could be part of the defensive tackle rotation as a grinding run stuffer. McCoy and Poe are currently penciled in as the starters, so the main obstacles for playing time in front of Hamilton are Trysten Hill, Antwaun Woods and rookie Neville Gallimore.
As someone who has managed to continue to stick around for a number of years, it would be foolish to count Hamilton out.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi.
This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. With 78 days remaining until the NFL’s first game, up next is offensive lineman Cody Wichmann.
| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell |
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