Love Me Tender: NT Antwaun Woods agrees to ERFA one-year Cowboys offer

Cowboys defensive tackle Antwaun Woods has signed his exclusive rights tender.

The Dallas Cowboys have revamped their defensive line this offseason with several key additions. Veterans Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe were added early in free agency as the team’s new anchors at defensive tackle. Aldon Smith was brought in as a reclamation project at defensive end. In the draft the team added Oklahoma DT Neville Galimore and edge rusher Bradlee Anae, both capable of having an immediate impact.

Now, the Cowboys have more firepower on their defensive front as Antwaun Woods, starter at nose tackle the last two seasons, has finally signed his exclusive rights tender.

Woods signed a two-year, $1.05 million deal in May of 2018 after being released by the Tennessee Titans, and made the final 53-man roster that August. He registered 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in 15 starts. 2019 was a rough year for Woods as multiple knee issues kept him sidelined. He finished with 23 tackles and a fumble recovery.

With only two years in the league, Woods was not eligible to negotiate with any other club. If the Cowboys wanted to retain him, all they had to do was extend the exclusive rights tag and he was theirs for the minimum veteran salary of $750,000. It made sense for Woods to wait until the eve of training camp to sign the agreement.

With Woods now locked in for the 2020 season he’ll have quite the battle for snaps with Poe and Gallimore expected to have big roles. Nonetheless, having him is a huge plus not only in terms of rushing the passer but also defending the run, an area the Cowboys struggled with in 2019.

New defensive line coach Jim Tomsula now has another piece to play with.

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