Tag: Dakoda Shepley

Cowboys’ offensive line already accounts for almost 25% of ’24 salary cap

Following the money spent on the offensive line finds Dallas’ depth impressive but two big holes have to be filled. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Budgeting for the offensive line is not an easy task as this group, whose numbers normally hover around 10 every season, can consume a large portion of a team’s salary cap. Even when only one player is paid top dollar, the amount of money spent on linemen can be a burden based on sheer numbers. With so many teams across the league scrambling for viable options, Dallas has assembled a cast of young hopefuls that could provide depth for the next few years.

The Cowboys will need to address the starting left tackle position this offseason, and although the upcoming draft is full of options, bringing back Tyron Smith could be the smart play. So could an agreement with center Tyler Biadasz, who is slated to hit the open market for the first time in his career. Here’s a rundown of what is currenly on the ledger for the group going into 2024.

Cowboys re-sign O-lineman to practice squad, lose 2 newcomers

From @ToddBrock24f7: Dakoda Shepley spent 2022 with Dallas before being poached by the Colts. TE Eric Saubert and G Chris Glaser move to the AFC with new teams.

The Cowboys stood pat at Tuesday’s trade deadline, but there is nevertheless some roster churn this week heading into a huge divisional matchup Sunday against the 7-1 Eagles.

Dallas lost two recently-signed members of the practice squad in tight end Eric Saubert and guard Chris Glaser. They then brought back a former practice squad offensive lineman for insurance depth.

Guard Dakoda Shepley returns after being with the Cowboys in 2022. An early-season practice squad add then, he did see in the field in each of his three gameday elevations and was brought aboard the active roster late in the season. He was waived just prior to the start of the postseason with an eye toward re-signing him to the practice squad, but the Colts snatched him up during his 24 requisite hours on the waiver wire.

Indianapolis released Shepley in mid-October. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds, the once-promising CFL star had also been with the Jets, 49ers, and Seahawks.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

As for the departures, Saubert had just signed with Dallas during the bye week. A former fifth-round draft pick of Dan Quinn’s Atlanta Falcons, the big tight end was elevated to the Cowboys’ 53-man roster just four days after his arrival at The Star and played 14 special-teams snaps versus the Rams. He’ll now join the Houston Texans’ active roster.

Glaser heads back to New York to suit up for the Jets- for a second time after his own one-week stint with the Cowboys; the versatile lineman can play every spot on the O-line.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01he5pf7xsehqdr4p978 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01he5pf7xsehqdr4p978/01he5pf7xsehqdr4p978-06fed568a7b67537d5d6fdf9992ca564.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Colts make slew of roster moves

The Colts made a slew of roster moves Tuesday.

The Indianapolis Colts made several roster moves both to the active roster and practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.

Following the news that defensive tackle Grover Stewart will miss the next six games due to suspension, the team added a player to the active roster while making a few changes to the practice squad.

Here’s a look at the moves the Colts made Tuesday:

Colts sign G Dakoda Shepley to practice squad

The Colts brought G Dakoda Shepley back to the practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed guard Dakoda Shepley to the practice squad and placed cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart on the practice squad injured list, the team announced Thursday.

The injury that landed Taylor-Stuart on this list was not disclosed so it is unclear how long he will be on the list.

The Colts used that open spot to bring in some depth to the offensive line. As center Ryan Kelly (concussion) and guard Quenton Nelson (toe) are dealing with injuries, Shepley can provide depth at both positions.

There’s a good chance the Colts will be without Kelly this week as he’s in the concussion protocol. He was replaced by second-year undrafted free agent Wesley French. The Colts also signed Arlington Hambright to the active roster earlier this week from the practice squad for more interior depth.

[lawrence-related id=89023,89018,89015]

Colts release C Dakoda Shepley, waive DT Caleb Sampson

The Colts made two more roster cuts, parting ways with C Dakoda Shepley and DT Caleb Sampson.

The Indianapolis Colts made two more cuts Monday as they work to get the roster down to 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. Those two moves include releasing center Dakoda Shepley and waiving defensive tackle Caleb Sampson.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reported the Colts are releasing Shepley, who joined the team in January as a waiver claim.

Meanwhile, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reported the Colts are waiving Sampson, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Kansas. The team hopes to bring him onto the practice squad.

The Colts have until Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET to finalize their initial 53-man roster. You can stay up to date with the latest moves via our tracker.

Cowboys lose backup center to waiver wire

Dallas looked to re-sign Shepley to the practice squad until Indianapolis claimed him Tuesday; Tyler Biadasz is expected to return soon. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Even after the regular season officially concluded on Sunday, the Cowboys continued making their usual personnel moves as they gear up for what they hope is a long postseason run.

But their latest bit of roster shuffling has backfired, leaving them just a little bit thinner at a position that’s had some issues of late.

Backup center Dakoda Shepley was claimed by the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday, one day after being waived by the Cowboys and just three days after he had been promoted to Dallas’s active roster.

The 28-year-old had been signed by the Cowboys in early September and spent most of the season on the practice squad. He earned three gameday elevations; in Week 8 versus Chicago and Week 10 at Green Bay, he saw just a handful of special teams snaps. He got into Week 11’s rout of Minnesota for his first action on offense.

Shepley was signed to the 53-man roster this past Saturday as insurance depth at center, with Tyler Biadasz out and Connor McGovern filling in. Shepley again made it in the game for a small number of offensive plays in the 26-6 loss to the Commanders.

The Cowboys officially waived Shepley on Monday, ostensibly with the intention of re-signing him to the practice squad, but he had to last 24 hours on the waiver wire first.

The Colts didn’t allow that to happen; they claimed him Tuesday.

Due to league rules regarding waivers during the playoffs, Shepley must wait until after the Super Bowl to join his new club, even though Indianapolis is not part of the tournament.

Shepley loses out on postseason play as well as the extra earnings that come with being on a playoff club.

Biadasz is expected back in time for the Cowboys’ Monday night game in Tampa. Reserve lineman Matt Farniok could also be making a return soon.

[listicle id=708480]

[listicle id=708507]

[listicle id=708478]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Colts claim C Dakoda Shepley off waivers from Cowboys

Colts claimed C Dakoda Shepley off waivers from the Cowboys.

The Indianapolis Colts claimed center Dakoda Shepley off the waiver wire from the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced Tuesday.

Because the playoffs are still going on, the waiver claim is deferred until Monday, Feb. 13. That is when the waiver period for the 2023 offseason officially begins. Teams can essentially make their claims, but they won’t be official until then.

Shepley, 28, appeared in four games with the Cowboys this season, logging a total of 14 offensive snaps. He’s appeared in 13 career games (no starts) since entering the league in 2018. He spent the 2019 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwdn1cy47y964q player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

Cowboys’ roster move sends clear message about Ezekiel Elliott’s status

By not elevating Qadre Ollison- as they had done in Weeks 8 and 10- the Cowboys seem ready for the return of the two-time rushing champ. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Officially speaking, the Cowboys made just one minor roster move on Saturday. But reading between the lines, it answers a major question heading into Sunday’s NFC showdown with the 8-1 Vikings.

Dallas elevated offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley from the practice squad to the active gameday roster. As Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News points out, it’s the third time Shepley has been elevated since signing with the club just before the start of the regular season. If the Cowboys are to use him again beyond Week 11, they will have to award him a full-time roster spot.

But the bigger news, perhaps, is what it says that Shepley was the only practice squad elevation.

The Cowboys did not move up running back Qadree Ollison as they had done in their previous two outings. And that seems to be a pretty clear signal that- unlike in Week 8 versus Chicago and Week 10 against Green Bay- lead back Ezekiel Elliott will suit up and play in Minnesota.

Elliott has missed the Cowboys’ last two games with a hyperextended knee, suffered in Week 7’s win over Detroit. He has been practicing with a knee brace, and he says he plans to wear it at U.S. Bank Stadium for the important matchup that quarterback Dak Prescott characterized as “a playoff game.”

The Vikings are allowing a middle-of-the-road 118.3 rushing yards per game; Dallas is averaging 134.6 yards per game on the ground. In the two games Elliott sat out, Tony Pollard set career highs in carries (22) in Week 10 as well as rushing yards (131) and rushing touchdowns (three) in Week 8.

Elliott has just 443 rushing yards so far this season, but the team maintains that his return will bring more than just an extra set of legs to the offensive backfield.

Elliott’s bruising style of play “rubs off on guys,” guard Zack Martin told reporters this week. “I think [the combo of both Elliott and Pollard] gives us something. When you get smacked in the mouth a few times by 21, you’re going to be breaking down in the hole trying to to make a tackle.”

By not elevating Ollison from the practice squad, the Cowboys appear to be prepping for Elliott to get back to his mouth-smacking ways in Minneapolis.

[vertical-gallery id=705588]

[listicle id=705436]

[listicle id=705520]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Ex-Falcons RB, CFL offensive lineman round out Cowboys practice squad

Qadree Ollison gained 158 yards over 3 years in Atlanta; Dakoda Shepley was Saskatchewan’s top rookie in 2019. Both joined Dallas Thursday. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Fifteen of the 17 players who make up the now-complete Cowboys practice squad are familiar faces, guys who spent training camp with the team and, in some cases, have contributed heavily on past gamedays or even hold franchise records.

But two of the practice squadders are brand new to the organization, with the newest signings taking place on Thursday.

Running back Qadree Ollison is an ex-Atlanta Falcon, having been drafted in the fifth round in 2019. He had won ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors at Pitt in 2015 and finished his collegiate career with 2,859 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns for the Panthers.

The New York native saw limited action as a rookie while current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was still head coach in Atlanta. He logged 22 carries for 50 yards and four touchdowns over eight game appearances. He got just 22 more carries over the next two seasons, racking up 108 yards and one more score. He was in camp with the Falcons this summer, lasting until final cutdowns earlier this week.

Ollison will join undrafted free agent Malik Davis as the other practice squad running back.

Officially listed by the team as a tackle, Dakoda Shepley began his pro career with the New York Jets, signing as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and going through camp with the club. But the Canadian native who attended the University of British Columbia had also been drafted- fifth overall- by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Draft that same year. He was the team’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2019 and was looking at a promising return when COVID-19 canceled the CFL’s 2020 season.

After opting out of his CFL contract, Shepley spent 2020 with the San Francisco 49ers, mostly on the practice squad. The 6-foot-5-inch, 290-pounder was claimed off waivers by Seattle the next season and got into eight games for the Seahawks. He, too, was cut just this week.

(Fun fact: Shepley has the distinction of being the only Cowboys player to have an uncredited cameo appearance in the 2018 feature film Deadpool 2, where he played “Omega Red Prisoner.”)

Isaac Alarcón, Aviante Collins, and center Alec Lindstrom are the other offensive linemen on the Cowboys practice squad.

Both Ollison and Shepley signed their contracts in time to join the team for the final practice of the week.

[listicle id=701423]

[listicle id=701386]

[listicle id=701413]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Seahawks 2022 roster cuts: C Dakoda Shepley among those being waived

The Seahawks have informed backup center Dakoda Shepley that he’s been waived, according to a report by Brady Henderson at ESPN.

The Seahawks have informed backup center Dakoda Shepley that he’s been waived, according to a report by Brady Henderson at ESPN.

Shepley was claimed off waivers by the 49ers last season and played eight games for Seattle, totaling 37 snaps – all on special teams.

This news likely means that Kyle Fuller will serve as the backup center behind starter Austin Blythe, who had previously worked with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on the Rams. Fuller was the team’s worst offensive lineman last year though, so it’s possible Shepley will return if Fuller doesn’t show improvement.

Shepley is the fifth roster cut that the team has either announced or has been reported so far. NFL teams have three and a half more hours to get down to 53 players.

Update:

Seahawks beat writer Gregg Bell believes that the team is hoping that Shepley clears waivers so they can add him to their practice squad.

[vertical-gallery id=92936]