IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys officially added veteran guard Uche Nwaneri to their roster Friday afternoon.
The deal hardly comes as a surprise, as word surfaced on Tuesday that the team had agreed to terms with the longtime Jaguars starter, but the move wasn't finalized until the end of the week.
To make room for Nwaneri on the 90-man roster, the team placed guard Tyronne Green on its reserved/injured list. Green had been on the roster for a month to the day, as the Cowboys signed him on May 27 after the first day of Organized Team Activities. [embedded_ad]
Nwaneri, a native of nearby Garland, Texas, was drafted by Jacksonville No. 149 overall in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He became the Jaguars' starting left guard in his second season before he switched to right guard in 2009. He stayed there from that point on, serving as the starter for five-straight seasons and missing just four of a possible 80 starts.
The Jaguars released the veteran in March as a cap-saving move.
All told, Nwaneri has 92 NFL starts to his name, giving him more than the Cowboys' duo of Ronald Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau combined.
It remains to be seen what the plan would be for Nwaneri going forward, but a backup role seems likely. Given his experience at both guard positions, he could potentially fill in for either Zack Martin or the eventual starter at left guard – be it Leary or Bernadeau.
