If a few things had worked out a little bit differently, Jason Garrett might not have been able to keep the head coaching job he took over on an interim basis. Without the help of cornerback Bryan McCann, the Cowboys might not have won Garrett's first two games last year.
In Garrett's debut as head coach, the upset at New York last November, McCann returned an interception 101 yards for a touchdown to put the Cowboys up 19-3 in the second quarter. The next week, he made a heady play to pick up a bouncing ball on a punt, and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown against Detroit.
Cookies crumble all the time in this NFL, though. With a starting cornerback returning from injury in Terence Newman this week, and the wide receiver position ailing, McCann was deemed unnecessary by the Cowboys on Tuesday, and was released to make room for pass-catcher Laurent Robinson, a move Garrett explained on Thursday.
"It's a hard decision," Garrett said. "He's been a really good player for us the last couple of years, and he's been a good player for us on defense and he's been a good player for us in the kicking game. But because of different injuries that we had, we feel like we had to make that move. And it was a hard move to make.
"Sometimes you have to make those decisions for the overall welfare of your team, and we had to do that this week."
An SMU product who went to camp with the Cowboys in 2010, McCann was let go on final cuts and was picked up by Baltimore, but soon made it back to the practice squad in Dallas. He was bumped to the active roster in Week 9 of last year at Green Bay.
With 11 games played already in his career, McCann is no longer eligible for the practice squad.
The 24-year old was not claimed on waivers Wednesday, and has yet to sign with another team.
