The Dallas Cowboys can only carry 80 active players during training camp, thanks to Covid-19 protocols. Their cutdown was made easier thanks to opt-outs, but when a move is made to bring in additional help, there will always be someone who has to pay the price.
In the wake of agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent Everson Griffen, Dallas has made the coordinating move of releasing second-year pro Jalen Jelks, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Second-year defensive end Jalen Jelks has been released to make room for the impending addition of Everson Griffen. Jelks, a seventh round pick in 2019, spent last season on injured reserve. https://t.co/3iYGIOg73U
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 16, 2020
Drafted No. 241 overall out of Oregon in 2019, the 6-foot-5, 256 pound Jelks was placed on injured reserve after the Cowboys’ final preseason game last year. It was one of those, wink-wink, undisclosed-variety injuries that kept him out the entire season. His rookie season ended before it began, but he entered 2020 hoping for a fresh start and brand new coaching staff.
The previous Dallas regime was reportedly much higher on Jelks than his seventh-round draft slot. Said former head coach Jason Garrett of Jelks:
“(He was) rated very high on our board, and we’re getting to the end of our draft, and he’s still sitting there like a blinking red light. There is so much to like about this guy: He’s big, long, athletic, plays with a relentless spirit, great motor, great energy, around the ball a lot. He plays the right way, has a lot of the traits we’re looking for in our defensive linemen.”
Of course, the brand-new staff cut both ways and for Jelks in the wrong direction. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan seems to prefer bulkier body types, but Jelks had the size and versatility to be a move piece, and potentially get snaps as the designated pass rusher in a multiple-front defense.
In the end though, the staff would prefer to get more reps for the players they brought in this past offseason. It’s going to be a standard theme as the roster gets molded over the next month. Dorance Armstrong and Joe Jackson remain from the previous draft classes while the 2020 squad has added fifth-round pick Bradlee Anae and UDFAs Ron’Dell Carter, Ladarius Hamilton and Azur Kamara.
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