IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys kept another one of their free agents on Thursday afternoon, as they agreed to terms on a one-year with cornerback Josh Thomas.
It's understandable if Thomas' name sounds unfamiliar. The Cowboys drafted him five years ago, as their fifth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He didn't make the 53-man roster out of training camp as a rookie, but he signed in Carolina and spent three seasons with the Panthers.
In total, Thomas has spent times with six total teams over the past five seasons. The Cowboys signed him during the last week of the 2015 regular season, after he had been released by the Indianapolis Colts. He did not appear in that Week 17 loss to Washington, but he does have 52 total games and 10 career starts on his resume.
Re-signing Thomas means the Cowboys have kept two of the unrestricted free agents from their 2015 roster. They agreed to terms with Rolando McClain on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million on Wednesday morning.
The veteran corner also gives Dallas an extra corner on the roster while they conclude free agency and begin preparations for the 2016 NFL Draft. Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick currently top the cornerback depth chart, with Thomas, Terrance Mitchell and Deji Olatoye behind them. Byron Jones also remains as a versatile option, as he has the ability to play both cornerback and safety.
Tyrone Triggered
It's not a signing, but the Cowboys took time Thursday to free up salary cap space on their current payroll.
The front office re-structured Tyrone Crawford's current contract to free up an additional $4.4 million in salary cap space. It's not going to affect Crawford's payday. The 2012 draft pick signed a five-year, $45 million contract in September, and the re-working should convert most of his $6.75 million 2016 salary into a signing bonus, lowering the hit on the cap.
Crawford has long been considered a candidate for a re-structure, given his young age. Tyron Smith is another candidate for a re-structure, given the team-friendly nature of his eight-year, $96 million extension. It remains to be seen if the Cowboys will go through with that re-structure, though they stand to free up some more cap space should they choose to.
[embeddedad0]
