Getty The Cowboys have had a quiet offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys revealed two roster moves heading into the team’s Week 16 rivalry matchup against the Washington Football Team. The Cowboys released pass rusher Azur Kamara along with wide receiver Osirus Mitchell. According to DallasCowboys.com’s Nick Eatman, the team is hoping to re-sign Kamara to the practice squad, but it is a gamble as the defender has to clear waivers first without being claimed by another franchise.
“The Cowboys cut DE/LB Azur Kamara on Monday,” Eatman detailed on Twitter on December 20. “Also waived WR Osirus Mitchell from practice squad with hopes of getting Kamara back if he clears waivers.”
Kamara has played in ten games this season for the Cowboys with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. The roster moves were partly made to make room for safety Donovan Wilson, who is expected to be eligible to play in Week 16 against Washington. USA Today’s Art Stapleton sees the Giants as a potential fit to claim Kamara.
“Cowboys waived edge player Azur Kamara today. The Giants should claim him for spite,” Stapleton tweeted on December 20. “Well, that and he strikes me as a pretty good developmental player at the position.”
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Kamara Was One of the Stars of the HBO Hard Knocks Series Featuring the Cowboys
Kamara is a familiar name to some Cowboys fans given he was one of the stars of the HBO Hard Knocks docu-series during training camp. The pass rusher making the team’s final roster was one of the more memorable moments from the show.
“Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy called DE Azur Kamara and told him he made 53-man roster,” Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken tweeted on September 2. “Kamara then video called his mother, relaying the news. ‘Right when I said, ‘I made the 53,’ she didn’t hear anything I said after that. She just started singing and dancing and jumping around.'”
McCarthy admitted that having the camera crews around the team in the preseason created some challenges. The Cowboys coach felt a bit more free with the players after the show ended.
“I would say it gives you a chance to be more genuine,” McCarthy explained in September, per USA Today. “I think a lot of things we do in life, especially in professional sports and specific to the Dallas Cowboys, it’s about time and place. There are things you’re able to do and say in particular spaces that are important to the individuals in that space. And you clearly wouldn’t say it, probably, exactly how you would or maybe behave exactly how you would or respond exactly how you would. And I think it’s human nature if there’s 15 cameras in the room. I think we all understand that.”
Mitchell Was a Standout Receiver at Mississippi State
Mitchell was one of Mississippi State’s top receivers but found himself on an extremely deep Cowboys roster at wideout. During his four seasons with the Bulldogs, Mitchell notched 107 receptions for 1,413 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler detailed Mitchell’s outlook heading into the 2021 NFL draft.
“Mitchell led the team in receiving in 2018 and 2019 and set career-bests in 2020, including a notable performance in the opener vs. LSU (7/183/2)- the type of performance that created buzz with scouts,” Brugler wrote in his annual draft guide. “Mitchell presents a large target in the passing game with his impressive catch radius, locating, tracking and hand catching outside his frame. His speed is more build up than immediate, and he comes off the line sluggish and tall.
“He has a linear, lanky body type, lacking ideal play strength and bulk. Overall, Mitchell has a long, rangy frame with accepting hands, but his game lacks suddenness, and his laboring attempts to separate will be an issue in the NFL.”
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Cowboys Gamble by Releasing Former Hard Knocks Star & Wide Receiver