Michael Sam: Why the Dallas Cowboys are the perfect fit

When Michael Sam was cut by the St. Louis Rams, the surprise was only mild. Or at least it should have been, because as impressive as Sam was during the preseason, making that roster at his position was always going to be a mountainous challenge for a seventh-round pick.

When Michael Sam wasn’t retained by the Rams and placed on their practice squad, the surprise grew. Then when 31 other teams made the same decision and allowed Sam to clear waivers entirely, there was no surprise anymore. Disbelief and confusion took over.

Thankfully, it seems common sense is about to prevail, and Sam will land in a spot that’s ideally suited for his skillset. He’ll be on a team decimated by injuries, and he could quickly move from the practice squad to a valuable, contributing role.

Welcome to Dallas, Michael. Almost.

Barring an unforeseen injury or some other rogue snag during his physical, at some point today Sam will be signed by the Dallas Cowboys and placed on their practice squad. That’s their intention according to Adam Schefter: to bring Sam in for a physical, and sign him once he passes.

When that formality is completed, Sam will join a team that desperately needs someone who can do one job, and do it at a high level: rush the passer.

Sam fits that description. In fact, it’s the only description he fits, and asking him to do anything else is wasteful and foolish.

The primary reason Sam fell to the seventh round of the draft is becauseright now he’s a one-dimensional defender. He’s a little undersized at 6’2”, but the more glaring concern during the pre-draft process was his slow 40-yard dash time of 4.91 at the Scouting Combine.

His slow sprinting clashed with 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss during his final season at Missouri, numbers that won him the title of SEC defensive player of the year, a pretty difficult distinction to earn. That lack of speed and smaller frame told general managers Sam couldn’t function at even an adequate level in coverage as an outside linebacker. He’s ideally suited for a 4-3 then, which the Cowboys use.

That description of Sam isn’t an insult, or intended to be seen as a negative. Right now it’s just reality, and in the preseason it mattered little. Sam showed that even during limited snaps he can be productive, with three sacks and 11 tackles over four preseason games, and six of those tackles came last Thursday alone.

At minimum, Sam’s August play showed deserves a longer look, and an opportunity for further development. He’ll find that chance and more in Dallas, where he could quickly be on the active roster.

The Cowboys’ defensive injuries and general unraveling throughout the offseason are well documented. But to review:

• Sean Lee is out for the year after he led the team last season in interceptions (four) and finished second in tackles (99) even while missing five games.
• Salary cap hell led to DeMarcus Ware’s release, and Jason Hatcher walked as a free agent. When they left Ware and Hatcher took 17 sacks with them, a significant chunk of the pass-rushing pressure removed from a front seven that was already weak last season. Overall the Cowboys finished 2013 with only 34 sacks.
• The Cowboys traded up early in the second round this past May to grab DeMarcus Lawrence at 34th overall, with the expectation he could be leaned on to replace at least part of that pocket pressure after recording 20 sacks over two seasons at Boise State. Then he broke his foot, and will be out until at least Week 9 after being placed on the short-term injured reserve.

The latter two points apply directly to Sam. The Cowboys were set to have a pass rush that was only slightly above dumpster-fire status even before Lawrence’s injury, and now it’s been reduced to toxic dumpster fire. They need someone with promise and potential, because currently their projected starting defensive ends had a combined nine sacks last year.  That’s combined, and now George Selvie hasn’t practiced since Aug. 23 after injuring his shoulder, and he could be set to miss regular-season time too.

Sam has promise and potential in abundance, and he’ll be given a chance in a system suited for what he does best. A chance is all he asked for, and it’s what he deserves.