How much credit does Will McClay deserve with the undrafted free agents?

Regardless of personal opinions about the Dallas Cowboys, it’s undeniable that they offer something that not many other teams have.

Their trifecta of Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Will McClay will be in place until Jerry breathes that final breath.

Jerry Jones owns the organization, and his son Stephen will take over someday. The Jones family is synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys.

However, for Will McClay, he could have walked out the door into the arms of other opportunities, but he hasn’t.

Why is that? Job security is the low-hanging fruit, right?

Over the last decade, McClay has climbed to Vice President of Player Personnel for the Cowboys.

With him at the helm, Dallas has struck multiple home runs with the selections of Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, and Zack Martin.

Whether you believe some picks were just sheer good fortune, these are still A+ players.

The draft is only part of the reason McClay and his team get praise.

Year after year, this team locates starting-level talent in the days following the draft.

Some high-profile undrafted free agents in Cowboys history have been Tony Romo, Miles Austin, and Hall of Famer Drew Pearson.

While McClay won’t get much credit for them, he deserves a lion-share of the love for others.

Dallas is attempting to strike it rich with Isaiah Land, Tyrus Wheat, and Hunter Luepke as this year’s undrafted free-agent pool.

How they impact the team and season is to be determined.

We know that America’s team has a penchant for doing some good things in this space under Will McClay.

Cooper Rush has solidified his position as the backup to Dak Prescott

If Cooper Rush’s performance in the 2022 season is not enough to justify his inclusion on this list, then no one else deserves to be on it.

In any instance, I’ll carry forward.

Rush was an undrafted free agent in 2017 out of Central Michigan. You should look elsewhere if you are looking for an immediate rise-to-fame story.

It took the veteran quarterback a few times around the bin to solidify his status as a legitimate backup quarterback.

From 2017 to 2019, the starts, stats, and game film were a barren wasteland.

In 2020, for some reason or another, the team decided that Andy Dalton was an upgrade.

That didn’t turn out well, and they quickly brought Cooper Rush back into the fold.

Between 2021 and 2022, there were a few magical moments for Cooper.

The Minnesota game in 2021 was more memorable for him than anyone else who participated in the matchup for obvious reasons.

In 2022, he was the most essential player on the offense when Dak was injured. Without him, this team was heading to a bottom-15 finish.

Cooper Rush is the first NFL QB to win his first four starts with a passer rating of 90 or more in each game; he's also only the sixth undrafted QB in the Super Bowl era to start 4-0. https://t.co/Zz1nHXMzeF

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 3, 2022

Teams are falling over each other trying to locate competent quarterbacks, whether you are the starter or backup.

This team has found one without using a draft pick. That’s a win all day in my book.

It is a testament to the front office and a giant check mark for Will McClay.

Charvarius Ward is the player we identified but unfortunately got away

At this point, the Dallas Cowboys are on a roll.

The team located a quarterback in 2017 and found a cornerback in 2018.

Granted, the kick in the groin is that Charvarius Ward has played for one Super Bowl team and another that booted Dallas out of the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Will McClay and the front office identified a player with physical traits and talent that could translate to the NFL.

At that point, he is responsible for passing that player over to the coaching staff to develop and prepare for Sundays.

Let me think about this for a second. Does anyone remember who the coach was in 2018?

We’ll let that marinate for a second. It’s not fair to judge in hindsight.

However, criticizing the coach for attempting to bolster their offensive line depth with a player no one has heard of before will be allowed.

The Cowboys have acquired offensive lineman Parker Ehinger from the Kansas City Chiefs In exchange for undrafted rookie corner Charvarius Ward. Ehinger, who started five of the six games he played in his first two years, will fill a backup interior role on a line that did not…

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 31, 2018

Let’s refocus. The conversation is about the player personnel department led by McClay.

No one knew that Ward would be a solid corner in the league. It was a crapshoot.

He has collected 227 solo tackles and five interceptions in five seasons in the league. So, Kansas City and San Francisco have received returns on their investments.

Last year, he had an 83.2 player grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

You win some, and you lose some. We’ll have to meditate on the silver lining with this one.

Terence Steele at right tackle. [Courtesy: AP Photo/Newman Lowrance]

The Cowboys continues to find a way to secure help on the offensive line

Dallas Cowboys fans can argue that La’el Collins should have started at the top of this list.

However, I just would have felt wrong, including him. Collins was an undrafted free agent but not in a conventional way.

Terence Steele, on the other hand, was just that.

Considering his resume, including Steele on the list may be early.

His first season in the NFL was tumultuous.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line was in shambles, and they didn’t do the rookie any favors. He was moved back and forth from the left to the right side.

Making it thru his rookie season was a success story in itself. There were moments against Myles Garrett where his mental fortitude could have crumbled.

This problem differed from the Chaz Green situation, but after the 2020 season, it could have headed in that direction.

Instead, he was one of those players who went from bottom of the barrel to legit starter.

With thanks to @DallasCowboysPR, Terence Steele was the 2d undrafted free agent ever to start a season opener in the offensive line for @dallascowboys (ot Charley Granger in ‘61). Kid had an above average game. Worth a mention.

— Brad Sham (@Boys_Vox) September 18, 2020

An athlete of this size (6’5″, 325lbs.) with decent athleticism typically finds a home in the NFL during the draft.

Unfortunately for him, he went unselected. Dallas was then able to grab another tackle in as many as five years to dominate the right side.

I can’t personally name another team who has been able to locate a starting-level tackle, much less two in undrafted free agency.

Kudos to the front office and once again another feather in the hat of Will McClay.