Dallas Cowboys re-sign practice squad edge rusher Takk McKinley

The Dallas Cowboys announced that the team re-signed practice squad member Takk McKinley on Wednesday. The former first-round draft pick out of UCLA joined Dallas on a one-year deal in mid-November and now, he’ll be sticking around for another season.

Though McKinley made the active roster once during the 2022 season, he didn’t see action in a game. He spent most of last season with the L.A. Rams. They released him in October after notching one tackle in four game appearances.

Prior to his time with the Rams, McKinley spent one season with the Cleveland Browns. He signed a one-year deal for $4.5 million and wound up playing 11 games with 18 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

The most productive period of the defender’s career came in the first years he spent with the Atlanta Falcons. After they selected him at No. 26 overall in 2017, he went on to record two seasons with six and seven sacks apiece.

So far in his six years in the league, McKinley has 98 regular season tackles with 20 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His deal with Dallas for 2022 was for $277,200.

With McKinley back in the fold, the Cowboys now have 11 former first-round draft picks on the roster. The list includes recently re-signed LB Leighton Vander Esch, DE Dante Fowler, WR Brandin Cooks and CB Stephon Gilmore. The total would have been 12 but the Cowboys released 2016 first-rounder Ezekiel Elliott after seven seasons last week.

More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency

The NFL 2023 calendar year began at 4 p.m. ET on March 15. At that time, contracts running through 2022 officially ran out, making those players free agents.

Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams had a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7. The Cowboys used their franchise tag this year on Tony Pollard.

The legal negotiation period spanned from March 13 through March 15. The new year marked the beginning of all trades going official per the league office. April 21 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 26, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits.

There were 722 players due to hit free agency in 2023, including 20 unrestricted free agents for Dallas. Follow all the Cowboys free agency news with the offseason tracker.