FRISCO, Texas – There are not a lot of positive developments that come out of having 14 players on injured reserve in a season. The Cowboys have found one good thing though, and that's seeing their undrafted free agents step up into contributing roles.
In the last few weeks, there have been instances where as many as seven UDFAs have shared the field at the same time for Dallas. Cooper Rush, Rico Dowdle, KaVontae Turpin and Brock Hoffman are just a few of the glistening examples of the Cowboys finding gems that can play and contribute to winning.
Last week, the Cowboys had 14 players take the field in Carolina who were not drafted, including other starters such as Terence Steele and T.J. Bass, along with special teams contributors Brandon Aubrey, C.J. Goodwin and Trent Sieg.
"I think it reflects to the fact that we've been kicking ass in the eighth round…" Head coach Mike McCarthy said with a laugh. "I'm just proud of those guys, I think they're all examples of it's not where you start, you just keep working and when your opportunity comes, I think they've clearly taken advantage of it, I think that's awesome."
Cooper Rush is 8-4 as a starter for the Cowboys after going undrafted in 2017.
Rico Dowdle is the first undrafted running back to have three straight 100-yard rushing games since 2014.
KaVontae Turpin is one of the fastest players in the NFL after not being selected in the 2019 NFL draft and spending time playing football overseas before coming to Dallas.
It all goes to show that just because players don't start their football careers at the NFL level doesn't mean they can't eventually get there.
"That's probably one of my favorite memories of playing football at the NFL, that's cool…" Rush said. "It just shows in the NFL, they will find you. If you can play, you will play. A lot of the league is built on late round, undrafted guys."
"You come in undrafted, but people forget in the NFL you are allowed to get better. I think a lot of guys get better, they spend time at their craft and start producing and guys are playing together."
Naturally, undrafted players come into the league with a little extra motivation. They may feel like they've been overlooked, underappreciated, not good enough, etc. And with that comes a special kind of mentality.
"I think there's something to the guys that are undrafted. Some of the guys I've been around, there's a major, major chip on their shoulder that fuels them which I think is awesome," Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said.
"They feel like they were overlooked and it bothers them, and so it fuels them, it feeds them, it makes them do the extra little things before and after practice, in this game, in this league, you're going to have to play with guys like that."
Brock Hoffman is the embodiment of playing with a chip on your shoulder. His physicality, energy, and ability to wear opponents out mentally and physically has been a spark to a Cowboys offensive line that has been banged up all year. Going undrafted in 2022, he understands that the margin for error is small, and you have to make every opportunity count.
"When you've got guys that are hungry and that didn't get all the glitz and glamor coming into the league, when you're undrafted, you've got to fight to stay here every day," Hoffman said. "You've got to do the little things right, and you've got to do them over and over again."
"You can't make the same mistake twice because teams won't give you a second chance like they would a draft pick."
