IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys might never lose a player in free agency like DeMarcus Ware again. But he's not the only former Cowboys player moving on.
Center Phil Costa, who was released by the Cowboys last week, has agreed to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. Costa was expected to visit the Bengals and Patriots as well before signing with Indy.
Costa, who joined the Cowboys as a rookie free agent in 2010, started 20 of his 26 career games played, but he hasn't started a game since 2012.
Last year, he played in only three of 13 games, working behind starting center Travis Frederick.
His last starting role occurred in 2012 when he played just three games before suffering a broken ankle injury against Carolina. The injury came just one week after arguably his best game with the Cowboys, when he paved the way against the Ravens for a 227-yard rushing day. Costa battled perennial All-Pro nose tackle Haloti Ngata all game and helped the [embedded_ad] Cowboys rush for the most yards against the Ravens in their franchise history.
The Colts released two-year starter at center Samson Satele last week and appeared to be in the market for a more established starting center, such as Cleveland's Alex Mack. The signing of Costa could be an insurance plan for the Colts, who could also use his versatility to play both center and guard.
"Phil is a young, hard-nosed and physical center who has shown he can play at a winning level in our league," Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said in a press release. "He will provide strong competition at the center position."
For the Cowboys, losing Costa's position-flex means they could add a veteran interior lineman to the equation behind Frederick. Mackenzy Bernadeau played both guard and center, but look for the Cowboys to either get some backup relief through free agency, the draft or both.
