Getty Christian Covington
From Dallas to Denver Christian Covington goes.
SiriusXM NFL Radio insider Adam Caplan reported Tuesday the Broncos signed Covington to a one-year contract worth up to $1.75 million in to-be-revealed incentives. He received $625,000 guaranteed as part of the agreement.
A 2015 sixth-round pick of the Texans, Covington spent his first four professional seasons in Houston before landing with the Cowboys in 2019. He appeared in all 16 games and somewhat surprisingly made six starts for Big D, delivering 28 tackles, three quarterback hits, and a sack.
Altogether, Covington has amassed 93 tackles (59 solo), 8.5 sacks, 19 QB hits, and two pass deflections through five big-league campaigns. His upside is that of a reserve who could start if need be, though a long injury history — dating back to college — and less-than-elite tools caps his potential.
“Rotational defensive tackle with functional power and enough initial quickness to play in an odd or even front,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting profile. “Covington has played just two years of college football after missing almost the entire 2014 season due to a knee injury. Missing an entire year of football and the injury that caused his absence will both be hills to climb, but he’s flashed NFL traits and talent previously.”
Covington is the Cowboys’ third notable offseason loss along their defensive trenches, joining 2019 sack leader Robert Quinn, who bolted to the Chicago Bears, and starting DT Maliek Collins, who left for Las Vegas.
To offset the free-agent departures, Dallas signed DL Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe and DE Aldon Smith. They also used a fifth-round draft pick on former Utah edge rusher Bradlee Anae.
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Fit with Broncos
Talk about an ideal landing spot for Covington, the latest addition to a Denver defense spearheaded by pass-rushers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. The 26-year-old will be plunked behind five-time Pro Bowl DE Jurrell Casey and developed by two of the best in the business — head coach Vic Fangio and line coach Bill Kollar.
Assuming he makes the final roster, Covington will operate behind first-string nose tackle Mike Purcell and third-round rookie DL McTelvin Agim. His arrival puts additional pressure on doghoused 2017 second-rounder DeMarcus Walker and 2019 third-rounder Dre’Mont Jones, and it almost certainly spells the end for off-and-on Broncos NT Kyle Peko.
UDFA DE Gets Staggering Deal from Cowboys: Report
The Cowboys inked more than a dozen college free agents following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL draft. Included among them is James Madison DE Ron’Dell Carter, who was handed $145,000 in total guarantees — $125,000 of guaranteed base salary and a $20,000 signing bonus — upon signing, NFL Network’s Jane Slater reported.
Carter was teammates at JMU with quarterback Ben DiNucci, whom the Cowboys drafted in the seventh round. The 6-foot-3, 269-pound pass-rusher was a three-year contributor for the Dukes, compiling 69 solo tackles, 48 tackles-for-loss, 23.5 sacks and four pass breakups across 44 games.
He set career highs as a redshirt senior in 2019 by making 27 TFLs and 12 sacks, sharpening his skills as a quarterback-harasser en route to consensus first-team All-American honors.
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