The Dallas Cowboys are taking a flier on an offensive lineman in hopes of shoring up their depth.
The Cowboys signed Chris Glaser, a versatile interior lineman who played for the Columbus Aviators of the UFL this spring, to a contract after working him out earlier this week.
Glaser, 26, has bounced around throughout his now-five-year tenure in professional football. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2022 and has played eight games, with one start, for the New York Jets and Chicago Bears between 2023-24.
Chris Glaser Signed With the Cowboys
GettyChris Glaser, No. 64 left, made his only NFL start as a member of the New York Jets back in 2023.
The realest Cowboys fans may remember Glaser from his ever-so-brief tenure with the ‘Boys in 2023. The 306-pound offensive lineman signed to their practice squad in October of that year but spent only a week in North Texas before the Jets plucked him onto their active roster in November.
Glaser has not played in a regular-season NFL game since 2024 and was left out of the league entirely after failing to make the Bears out of training camp last summer.
But instead of sulking, Glaser went to work and signed with Columbus in January ahead of its inaugural season under head coach Ted Ginn Jr. and offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
There, Glaser played 430 snaps and helped Columbus finish second in the league in rushing yards (1,307). The Aviators also led the NFL in time of possession per game, despite the fact they went 3-7.
Glaser showed his versatility by playing in all 10 games. He even caught a pass from Aviators quarterback Jalan McLendon during their game in Birmingham last month.
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Chris Glaser may Play Center but Could be a Guard or Tackle
GettyChris Glaser, left, is a tackle by trade by could end up playing either center or guard as a member of the Cowboys.
There is a lot of offensive-line toggling throughout an NFL season, which means an O-lineman can’t be too married to one position.
So even though Glaser has mostly played tackle in his pro days, and is sized like an outside offensive lineman, he is being signed by the Cowboys to spell reserve center Matt Hennessy.
Hennessy is the backup center to Cooper Beebe, and he dealing with a neck-disc issue that required surgery earlier this month. The injury could cause Hennessy to start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
So insert Glaser, a player Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows well since they were together in his first season in Dallas as offensive coordinator.
Whether Glaser ends up on the team’s 53-man roster remains to be seen, but he is an example of the UFL’s success.
The league is designed to give journeymen a showcase, since all spring-league games were broadcast nationally. Glaser is one of the most recent league alums to catch on with an NFL team after Louisville claimed the league title with a 27-20 win over D.C. on Saturday.
Cowboys Sign ‘Versatile’ 26-Year-Old UFL Offensive Lineman After Workout