Heavy on Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys poached Cincinnati Bengals rookie Justin Rogers.

The Dallas Cowboys added a bit of reinforcement to the team’s defensive line ahead of the Week 16 clash versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. The team announced the addition of rookie defensive tackle Justin Rogers who was previously on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.

NFL rules permit teams poaching players off opposing practice squads if they are being signed to the active roster. The middle of the defensive line continues to be an area Dallas will want to address this offseason.

For now, Rogers offers great size at just over 6-foot-2 and 330 pounds to clog up the middle of the defense. Rogers was originally a seventh-round pick by the Cowboys in the 2024 NFL draft.

Back in August, Dallas released Rogers as the team finalized their 53-man roster. Rogers later signed with the Bengals where the rookie spent the majority of the season.

The Cowboys Drafted Justin Rogers in 2024 Before Releasing the Defender in August

Rogers began his college career with three seasons at Kentucky before playing his final year with Auburn. The defender’s best statistical season came in 2022 when Rogers notched a career-high 35 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Heading into the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had a sixth-round grade on the Rogers.

“Rogers is a ‘what you see is what you get’ nose tackle with a girthy build and film full of fistfights where he gives as well as he gets,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile of Rogers. “He’s built low to the ground and plays with a terrific anchor to ward off block finishes and stay on his feet.

“He has decent length for his size but not enough to consistently shed blocks, despite possessing the power to stack single blocks. Rogers is a drain-clogging nose capable of muddying the A-gaps for teams looking for depth and help slowing the run.”

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy on Justin Rogers: ‘We Still Consider Him One of Ours’

Despite releasing Rogers ahead of the regular season, the defensive tackle was a player who the Cowboys kept tabs on throughout the season. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy indicated the team is pleased to have Rogers back on the roster.

“Been keeping an eye on him,” McCarthy explained on December 19, per USA Today’s Todd Brock. “Fortunate to have the opportunity to bring him back.

“We still consider him one of ours. … Obviously, we thought enough of him to draft him, so it’ll be great to get him back into the mix.”

Cowboys Star Micah Parsons Is Expected to Play vs. Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football

The Cowboys are 4-point underdogs versus the Buccaneers in the SNF primetime showdown. Tampa Bay is looking to keep their playoff hopes alive as Dallas attempts to play spoiler.

Star pass rusher Micah Parsons popped up on the injury report late in the late week as the defender battled an illness. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Parsons is trending towards playing against the Bucs.

“Cowboys star LB Micah Parsons, who was dealing with a stomach bug and is listed as questionable with an illness, is likely to play today, source said,” Rapoport detailed in a December 22 message on X.

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams

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