Getty The Cowboys rumors continue this offseason.
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Justin Hamilton is joining the enemy after inking a deal with the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys’ rival revealed they signed Hamilton and Willie Beavers after releasing cornerback Will Allen and kicker Brian Johnson on June 13.
Hamilton appeared in nine games last season for the Cowboys, notching 10 tackles, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss, and 10 games in 2020, including two starts, also making 10 tackles for Dallas.
The Cowboys have had a complicated relationship with Hamilton. They released him three times since 2019, only to later re-sign him. Most recently, the Cowboys released Hamilton in August 2021 before signing him again on November 6. Just over a month later, Dallas once again waived Hamilton on December 11 but opted to bring him back on December 28.
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The Cowboys Have Lost More Significant Players Than They Have Signed
Cowboys signed NT Justin Hamilton from practice squad to 53-man roster today, sources said. He earned it. Hamilton was a force last Sunday vs. Vikings, his night including a sequence in which he drew a holding call on consecutive snaps.
Clearly, Hamilton was not a major priority in the Cowboys’ offseason plans, but it does point to the larger reality that Dallas has lost several significant players this offseason. Star pass rusher Randy Gregory had a last-minute change of heart, opting to pass on the Cowboys’ offer in favor of signing with the Denver Broncos. Dallas signed Dante Fowler Jr. hoping he can help replace some of Gregory’s production, but on paper Fowler is a downgrade. He joins a growing list of former Atlanta Falcons players who have reunited with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Dallas.
Offensively, the Cowboys traded away Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round draft pick. Dallas lost Cedrick Wilson to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, and the team remains in a standoff with tight end Dalton Schultz as he seeks a long-term contract extension.
Schultz, who had been holding out, was expected at the Cowboys’ mandatory minicamp starting today, according to Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher.
Dallas drafted receiver Jalen Tolbert in the third round and signed ex-Pittsburgh Steelers wideout James Washington to add depth at the position.
Stephen Jones on More Signings: ‘I Think That Can Still Happen & Probably Will Happen’
This is a very underrated two-play sequence in the game. After the Eagles had 2nd-and-short, the Cowboys made two big run stops.
Neville Gallimore tosses 3-time All-Pro Jason Kelce aside like he’s nothing & Justin Hamilton powers his way through disrupting the blocking scheme.
Prior to the draft, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones indicated that more free agent signings were likely on the way. Dallas has nearly $20 million in remaining cap space, per Spotrac, but has not made a significant signing since the draft ended in April.
“I will say this, free agency’s not over,” Jones explained during the team’s April 26 pre-draft press conference. “There’s different waves of it, and there’s still going to be opportunities to improve different areas of our team other than the draft or college free agency. I think that still can happen and probably will happen.
“I wouldn’t say we have any musts left in terms of having to take a particular position. At some point, obviously, you’d like to look up nine picks later and hope that you really helped yourself across the board in terms of not only improving yourself for frontline players but also depth and things of that nature. So, I don’t think we have any musts going into the draft.”