Photo Credit: Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, TEXAS — The Dallas Cowboys have moved on from veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on Thursday per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The Cowboys signed Clinton-Dix to a one-year deal in March that guaranteed $2.25 million and his release will free up $1.5 million in cap space. All 32 teams in the league must cut down rosters from 80 to 53 players by 4:00 PM ET on September 5th. The club has been proactive in the trimming process and the move on Thursday did not come as a shock.
When Dallas signed the veteran, he was projected to be the starter opposite Xavier Woods in the backfield. That did not end up being the case. Darian Thompson bypassed Clinton-Dix on the depth chart and took first-team reps with Woods in the safety rotation.
It was predicted that after Woods suffered an injury in the Blue White Scrimmage on Sunday, that Clinton-Dix could potentially receive added reps in his absence. Obviously, a different turn of events ensued. At safety, the Cowboys currently have Woods and Thompson, Donovan Wilson and rookie Reggie Robinson II.
Dallas will likely float cornerbacks to safety. Mike McCarthy mentioned earlier in the week that he likes the flexibility with the current roster and that Chidobe Awuzie and Daryl Worley will likely be utilized at safety as well.
McCarthy does not like players to be one-dimensional and noted; “ I’m always looking at that group from a numbers standpoint because it’s a long year. I think ideally everybody wants to fill out their depth chart and put down 11 players. To me, that’s just not the way the league works. You need all those guys. And one of the things I look for from a job description standpoint is you want your players to be really good at more than one thing, whether it’s two or three things. Whether it be special teams, safety position, ability to come down and cover in the slot. “
