A roster flip-flop that the Cowboys had hoped would be strictly procedural has cost them one of their fifth-round draft picks from this past spring.
Defensive tackle John Ridgeway was awarded to the Washington Commanders on Monday. The Cowboys had waived the Arkansas product over the weekend in order to get the roster down to 53 players for Sunday’s game versus Cincinnati.
The Commanders were one of multiple teams to put in a claim on Ridgeway, according to reports, but were the highest-ranking team in the waiver order.
Chosen 178th overall, Ridgeway was drafted for his immense size (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) and nasty attitude. He quickly became a fan favorite due to his “Vanilla Gorilla” nickname and colorful interview answers. But the rookie appeared to struggle in camp and was inactive for the Week 1 opener against Tampa Bay.
Dan Quinn said he’s going to miss John Ridgeway (5th round pick) who was picked up off waivers by Washington. “He’s tough. He’s strong.”
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) September 19, 2022
The Cowboys have elected in this early part of the season to do some weekly shuffling with their roster. as a way to keep a maximum of players in-house. Backup quarterbacks and several other specialists have been left on the practice squad to be gameday elevations. For Week 2, quarterback Cooper Rush and kicker Brett Maher had to be signed to the active roster. And Jayron Kearse and Connor McGovern were left off short-term injured reserve in hopes that they’ll be back in fewer than four weeks.
With all of that maneuvering, the team needed to make room on the roster, even if only temporarily.
Ridgeway was one of those cuts for Week 2. And while the Cowboys had hoped to re-sign him back to the practice squad, the move did require exposing Ridgeway to waivers, where another team could claim him for themselves.
Now the fifth-round pick will suit up for a division rival. The Commanders visit Dallas in Week 4.
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