The Dallas Cowboys have taken care of a lot of business this offseason. They had a productive draft, which was very important since they rely heavily on draft picks. Also, they shocked everyone by trading for wide receiver George Pickens. However, there is one piece of bookkeeping that’s unresolved, and that’s the rookie deal of edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku who was taken in the second round.
As things currently stand, he’s the only member of the Cowboys draft class that remains unsigned. Despite this, Ezeiruaku has been present for all of the OTAs and minicamp practices. On top of that, he’s already bonding with All-Pro Micah Parsons.
Ezeiruaku was asked about his rookie deal. The former Boston College Eagle isn’t phased at all that he hasn’t put pen to paper yet.
I’m here doing what I have to do every single day. That’s between the organization and my agent. I have full faith that they’re gonna get that done. When it’s ready, it’ll be ready and I’ll sign that piece of paper.
This year is a unique one when it comes to second-round picks. Only wide receiver Jayden Higgins of the Houston Texans and linebacker Carson Schwesinger of the Cleveland Browns have signed their rookie deals as second-rounders. That’s because both got fully guaranteed contracts. So, it’s simply going to take a little longer with agents wanting to get their clients the most money and the teams resisting.
Right now, players are just in shorts and jerseys and there’s no tackling, making it hard to get any real analysis of fieldwork. These are critical sessions nonetheless, especially for rookies, and the fact that Ezeiruaku is still able to be present for everything without his deal shows that the kid just wants to play football.
Although it’s in a limited fashion, Ezeiruaku is already making an impression according to Cowboys’ head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
He’s doin really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really great. You can’t watch the guy and not get excited just watching him do the things that we’re doing out there on the grass, the things that we saw coming out of Boston College. And then the work ethic is elite.
Ezeiruaku won’t be asked to shoulder any huge load with guys like Parsons, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, and Marshawn Kneeland on the roster. However, the natural skills of Ezeiruaku when it comes to getting to the quarterback give him a shot to make an impact as a situational pass rusher in his first year as he develops.
