The Dallas Cowboys have added more players to their linebacker unit. Damien Wilson, a former linebacker with the Cowboys, was worked out by the team alongside La’el Collins, and Wilson was added to the practice squad today.
In 2015, Wilson was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round, the same year Collins moved to Dallas. As a rookie, he recorded just 15 tackles and did not start. Over the following three seasons, he would start 22 games for Dallas and have 34, 35, and 37 tackles. Wilson played with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons, starting 29 games and racking up 154 total tackles. With the Jacksonville Jaguars, he started all 17 games and recorded a career-high 106 tackles and three sacks in 2021, which was his best productive season in the NFL. Wilson played with the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 season, recording 38 tackles on just 204 snaps.
The Cowboys are not making a splashy acquisition here; rather, they are just adding a veteran to the linebacker room in the wake of Rahsaan Evans’ recent release and the loss of Leighton Vander Esch earlier in the season. The Cowboys do use Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse to assist in specific formations, but it essentially only left Damone Clark and Markquese Bell as viable choices at the position.
With more than 3,200 defensive snaps, he is a good stopgap at linebacker for the Cowboys. If Bell is brought up, he can provide them with great reps to keep Clark and Bell fresh. Wilson has almost 1,700 snaps in the special teams role, which adds to his worth.
Although the Cowboys and La’el Collins have not yet finalized a deal, there appears to be hope that it will be finished.
