Why Michael Sam to the Dallas Cowboys is Perfect
By Erik Lambert
Aug 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam (96) looks on prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Much will be dissected about Michael Sam signing on with the Dallas Cowboys practice squad. Here is why the fit is ideal.
Rod Marinelli needs all the pass rushers he can find
Put simply, the Cowboys defense is a mess. Rod Marinelli, their new defensive coordinator inherited a laundry list of problems from the moment he took over this year. Everywhere one looks there are problems. One corner, Orlando Scandrick is suspended to start the year. Another in Morris Claiborne looks like a bust. Linebacker Sean Lee is done with a torn ACL. Yet the biggest problem may lay up front. Henry Melton still hasn’t played a down after joining the team to be their cornerstone defensive tackle. Demarcus Ware is gone and key rookie draft pick Demarcus Lawrence is out with injury. In a word the team is starved for defensive linemen, particularly pass rushers. So Sam, who had a very good preseason doing just that was a logical addition.
Jerry Jones and Tony Romo media machine will erase him from sight
The other part is the notion that Sam won’t be taken off view screens if he lands in Dallas. That simply isn’t the case. The Cowboys are a team already packed with headline-grabbers like owner Jerry Jones, quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant. By the time the regular season is in full swing the name Michael Sam will have fallen to the back pages in favor of articles calling for Jones to sell the team, Romo to be traded and Bryant to be duct taped. The only way Sam becomes a serious lightening rod is if Dallas signs him to the active roster and plays him significant snaps.
Can that happen? Sure. Whether it will depends on just how bad the players above him on the depth chart really are.