Getty The Cowboys are releasing Antwaun Woods.
The ramifications of the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive-heavy draft are starting to be felt as the team is releasing tackle Antwaun Woods, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Woods is a cap casualty after the team selected two defensive tackles. It marks the second difficult post-draft decision for the team as the Cowboys also declined to pick up Leighton Vander Esch’s fifth-year option.
“Cowboys waived NT Antwaun Woods, source confirmed,” Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken tweeted. “Woods sparked defense’s midseason improvement in 2020 when moved to starting lineup. Team has added six D-linemen since March (three free agents, three draft picks). All six with at least 34-inch arms. Length a Dan Quinn emphasis.”
Woods has been a Cowboys starter for the past three seasons, including seven games last season. The defensive tackle notched 23 tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits in 2020. Woods was slated to have a $2.1 million salary this season, per Spotrac.
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The Cowboys Are Prioritizing Different Types of Defensive Players Under Quinn
Woods does not appear to fit the mold of the type of players new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn prefers. The Cowboys placed a high priority on size, length and speed with their 2021 defensive draft picks, a nod to Quinn’s presence in Dallas.
“I think when you assess everything, you want to make sure from an entire package that you’re versatile enough defensively to have different packages, and also for the different styles of offenses that you play,” Quinn noted, via The Athletic. “Just think of our league today, to some who are wide open and spreading it out, to some who will pack it in and run some option stuff, the Baltimores. So you want to have enough different players that you’re versatile enough to adapt to any offensive scheme. Some are going to play in three-wide-receiver sets. Some are going to play in two-tight-end sets.”
The Cowboys Are Hoping the Draft Can Help Offset Prescott’s Contract
Without mentioning Woods by name, the Cowboys alluded to these kinds of moves happening this offseason. With Dak Prescott signed to a lucrative long-term deal, the Cowboys wanted to use the draft to save money under the salary cap where possible. The Cowboys had five draft picks in the first three rounds and made no secret about the team’s need for the rookies to contribute right away.
“As I said last night, the best way to help our salary cap are for these five players to come in here and make a difference and in some cases certainly replace players that would have cost you quite a bit more money,” Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones explained after the second day of the draft.
Jones cited the combination of a shrinking salary cap along with signing players like Prescott to new deals as making this year’s draft even more important. Teams are going to need the 2021 rookies to replace the more costly contracts of veterans as a result of having less salary cap room.
“Certainly, I think everybody’s feeling the effects of, there is a salary cap,” Jones added. “You just get used to those steady bumps [up], and obviously this year we went backwards in terms of the amount of cap room that we had to spend, and I think all teams feel that. And that’s why this draft, and why we really emphasized taking all our picks because the draft is your lifeblood in terms of offsetting when you pay your great players like Dak [Prescott], like Zeke [Elliott], like Tyron [Smith], like D-Law [Demarcus Lawrence]. Your draft picks are what offset that.”