Almost every year, a player that wasn't on your radar makes strides in camps and eventually works their way onto the 53-man roster. For the 2018 Dallas Cowboys, Guard Kadeem Edwards has a good shot at being one of the dark horse candidates who makes the team.
Edwards has been with Dallas as a practice squad player since the middle of the 2016 season. He was brought back last year and signed to the active roster for the season finale, though he did not dress in that game.
Kadeem has yet to be active for a game in his four-year career.
Before he became a Cowboy, Edwards was a fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. He was inactive for half the season and then placed on injured reserve due to a foot issue. Kadeem was released following the 2015 preseason, again struggling with his foot.
Edwards was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad a few months later and was with the team through the following offseason, but failed to make it past final cuts.
The Cowboys signed Kadeem to their practice squad in November of 2016.
So no, it hasn't been an encouraging start for Edwards' NFL career. But a report from yesterday's Cowboys minicamp shows that the 27-year-old may finally be on the right track.
In his observations from Dallas first day of this week's practices, Cowboys insider Bryan Broaddus twice mentioned Kadeem's positive performance:
“I liked what I observed from Kadeem Edwards and Cameron Fleming going to their left in order to get Rod Smith around the corner. Edwards had a beautiful kick out on Anthony Brown, as Fleming curled back to the inside to block Tre'von Johnson. Smith had clear sailing on the play.”
“What a good backside cut off block by Kadeem Edwards on Joe Thomas to give Bo Scarbrough space to run the ball. Blake Jarwin was able to pin Damien Wilson to the outside in order to create a lane. I thought this was the best Edwards has practiced in the opportunities we've had to watch this past month.”
Naturally, this is a very small sample and there's plenty of offseason work left. The pads aren't on for minicamp, and sometimes players look very different once the action picks up in July.
Still, this is a guy whose upside was once high enough for a mid-round draft pick. Even back then, he was seen as a raw talent who'd need time to develop.
It won't be easy to get on with the Cowboys offensive line. They already have returning veteran Joe Looney and free agent signing Marcus Martin as interior reserves. Plus, Chaz Green is still hanging around somehow.
Still, Kadeem Edwards has been here for almost two years now. The team must see something in him to keep bringing him back, and perhaps 2018 will finally be his year.
