Cowboys bring undrafted rookie free agent signings up to 12 following NFL Draft
Following the 2024 NFL Draft this weekend, the Dallas Cowboys have brought their undrafted rookie free agent signings up to 12 new additions. The team will evaluate the UDFA players during rookie minicamp, OTAs, and training camp before inevitably releasing the majority of them to the free market or adding them to the practice squad roster for the 2024 season.
The Cowboys had several wins among their group of UDFA players last season. In the end, they kept Oregon guard T.J. Bass, as well as fullback Hunter Luepke for the active roster.
With this year’s undrafted free agent class, the team made a concerted effort to boost the secondary and add depth pieces for the wide receiver room. Among the six players added to the list on Sunday, the Cowboys added a running back, two wide receivers and three safeties.
Nathaniel Peat, RB, Missouri: Peat began his career with three seasons at Stanford, before transferring to Mizzou. In two seasons, he rushed for 755 yards and five touchdowns. He posted a 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.
Cam Johnson, WR, Northwestern: Johnson, 6-foot, 205 pounds, took three different stops at the collegiate level, first with Vanderbilt, then Arizona State, and finally, Northwestern. At Northwestern, he posted 50 receptions for 684 yards (13.7 YPC) and five touchdowns.
Corey Crooms, WR, Minnesota: Corey Crooms played four seasons at Western Michigan with second-round selection Marshawn Kneeland before transferring to Minnesota. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver had 28 catches for 376 yards in 2023 (13.4 YPC).
Josh DeBerry, S, Texas A&M: A transfer from Boston College, DeBerry posted 10 tackles, one interception and 1.5 tackles for loss in the first game of 2023. However, his stats dipped after the first game and he ended the season with 39 total tackles.
Emany Johnson, S, Nevada: Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 216-pound safety, played six seasons at Nevada. In 2023, he tallied a career-high 100 tackles and three interceptions.
Julius Wood, S, East Carolina: A standout for the Pirates, Wood, 6-4, 195, had two very productive seasons before entering the NFL Draft. He had 87 tackles in both 2022 and 2023, as well as four total interceptions, and one pick-six.
More Dallas Cowboys UDFA signings
The Cowboys announced six of their undrafted rookie free agent signings shortly after the end of the draft on Saturday.
Brock Mogenson, LB, South Dakota: He earned the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. He put together consecutive 100-plus tackle seasons while at South Dakota. He was an FCS All-American last season. Also, his teammates voted him as a two-time captain.
Byron Vaughns, LB, Baylor: Vaughns is sticking close to home. He grew up in Fort Worth. Since the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington, Vaughns’ friends and family won’t have far to drive. Vaughns had several stops in his college career. He started at Texas, then transferred to Utah State before spending last season in Waco. He played in 11 games in 2023, with 32 tackles, including three sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Denzel Daxon, DL, Illinois: He’s a big nose tackle who grew up in the Bahamas. He’s also a late bloomer who didn’t play football until he was 17. Daxon spent his first three seasons at Ohio before transferring to Illinois. He started 11 games last fall.
Alec Holler, TE, UCF: The Cowboys snagged another Central Florida standout. Holler is a former walk-on who has evolved into a nice receiving threat. He caught 22 passes last season for 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Overall, Holler posted 63 catches in his college career and was a starter the last three years.
Jason Johnson, LB, UCF: Highly productive inside linebacker with 240 tackles for the past two seasons. Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, projected Johnson as a practice-squad level player as a rookie. Zierlein described him as an “outstanding tackle-finisher who rarely misses.”
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota: Spann-Ford was a terrific run-blocking tight end in college. His most productive season as a pass-catcher came in 2022. He had 42 catches for 497 yards and two touchdowns.
On3’s Suzanne Halliburton contributed to this report.