NFL Free Agency: Raiders Poach Another Player From Cowboys Roster
FRISCO - Before defensive tackle Daniel Ross had his late-2019 legal entanglement with Frisco Police on charges of marijuana possession and unlawful carrying of a firearm, he was viewed by his Dallas Cowboys as a model citizen and a young "pro's pro.''
The Las Vegas Raiders - obviously keyed by Rod Marinelli, who was Dallas' defensive coordinator last year and now coaches the D-line in Las Vegas - still believe that is so.
Sources tell CowboysSI.com that the police incident is now viewed as a "non-factor'' in regard to Ross' football future. So off he goes to the Raiders, who in a very real sense have "raided'' the Cowboys of talent, not only because of Marinelli's presence there but also because the special-teams coordinator is Rich Bisaccia, who previously held that post in Dallas.
Head coach Jon Gruden's club has in 2020 NFL free agency now poached from the Dallas roster a collection of talent including tight end Jason Witten, safety Jeff Heath, defensive tackle Maliek Collins and now Ross, 27, who first joined the Cowboys in November 2017 after they signed him off the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. He made three game-day appearances that season and then played 13 games for Dallas in 2018.
In 2019, the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve in August with a shoulder injury. Dallas declined to tender him as a restricted free agent and has since moved on at defensive tackle, of course, with the twin NFL free agency signings of a pair of accomplished vets who are former first-round NFL Draft picks in Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe.
