FRISCO, Texas — Isaac Alarcón hopes to stay with the Cowboys and have a chance to play after he had it in all four preseason games.
The Mexican offensive lineman knows that competition is tough to the list of 53 players who will be on the active regular season roster. But he has made all his effort in every single aspect.
Alarcón played again this Sunday in the final preseason game, almost two quarterback. The Cowboys lost 34-14 to the Jaguars.
"Right now, I'm just thinking, hopefully just to stay with the Cowboys", Alarcon said after the game. "I love this team. My goal wasn't ever to be in the NFL. This is a blessing for me. I am thanking God every day for the opportunity I have."
Alarcón played this Sunday in the position he has had since the spring, left guard, where he was moved after he came to the Cowboys as tackle in the NFL International Pathways program. His work and good performance, on and off the field, has been noticed by his coaches, teammates and even by" Hard Knocks," the HBO's reality show, in which he was one of the protagonists in the third episode, last Tuesday.
"My coaches and teammates told me that I improved a lot since last season", he commented. "Right now that I'm able to play preseason games, I thank God I didn't play last season. I didn't have the mental (aspect), to be quite honest. I think, I'm improving my knowledge. It's been really good."
Alarcón considered that his biggest improvement in this camp, compared to last year, has been his blocking on passing plays, for which he has worked a lot since the end of last season, with personalized help from coaches and teammates.
This Sunday, as in the previous game, his mother and two brothers accompanied Alarcón to the stadium to support him in the game.
The Cowboys will decide in the next few hours on the players who will start the season and those who will go to the practice squad, where Alarcón is still eligible another year as an international player exception.
The Cowboys have to send their roster to the NFL no later than Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT.
"I can only control what I can control. I did what I had to do. I did what I could. That's done", Alarcón said. "Now, I'll get a little relaxing time, and whatever happens… I'll start looking to Tampa. You never know what could happen. I've been in this situation a couple of times, so I don't get too high or too low."
