Getty Cowboys rookie Denzel Daxon (left)
The Cowboys originally signed Illinois defensive tackle Denzel Daxon shortly after the NFL draft because they liked his raw makeup at the position, weighing in at 318 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands.
But it turns out that the reason Daxon is raw—he is from the Bahamas and did not begin playing football until he was 17 years old—will have an added benefit for the Cowboys. Daxon was classified as an international player last week, giving Dallas some extra roster wiggle room to keep him, at least on the practice squad.
This summer, Daxon will not count against the 90-man roster the team brings to training camp, and when it comes time to sort out practice-squad spots, he will not count against that 16-man roster limit, either. The Cowboys can keep him on as a developmental player all season.
It was front-office staffer Kane Doyle-Durde who pointed out that Daxon qualified as for an international exemption, despite the fact that he’d played high school football in Florida and spent four years at Ohio before finishing his career at Illinois, where he played all 12 games last season.
Cowboys Will Get a Roster Break
The Cowboys do need depth on the defensive line, but do not expect to see Daxon stepping onto an NFL field this season—he is very raw. He was not invited to the NFL combine in February and ran a 5.51 40-yard dash during the Illini’s pro day. He was never really considered a candidate to be drafted in April.
Not only did Daxon not play as he was growing up in the Bahamas, but he also did not get on the field once he reached Ohio. He redshirted his first two seasons, and did not really begin playing until 2021, when he was already 22 years old. Daxon is 25 now.
Said Cowboys VP Will McClay, per Cowboys.com: “”It’s a great bonus for us, it’s a great bonus for him because that extra practice squad spot gives us an opportunity to develop him, gives us an extra player, gives him an extra opportunity to make the roster too from a practice squad standpoint.”
Denzel Daxon Still Has Untapped Potential
Though he is of advanced age for a raw rookie, Daxon has made quick progress, especially once he left Ohio and landed at Illinois with defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Terrance Jamison, who Is credited with coaching Jer’Zhan Newton—who was a potential Cowboys pick in 2024—into a high second-rounder.
No doubt, it was while watching Newton that Daxon caught the eye of Cowboys personnel types. Though Daxon had not shined at Ohio, Jamison had an inkling he had untapped potential.
“I look for the intangibles when I look at film,” Jamison said, per 24/7 Sports. “Can he bend, can he move laterally, can he transition from speed to power? He showed all those things at that girth, at that size, and he played winning football at Ohio. They made the MAC championship, and he was a major contributor for those guys. He’s a great student and also a good football player.
“To learn the game that fast and apply his athleticism to the game, you could see those elements when you see him play, when you see him practice. I think the sky’s the limit. The future’s bright for him.”