Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was blunt and to the point when speaking about practice squad member Michael Sam on Friday.
Jones compared the 2014 seventh-round pick of the St. Louis Rams favorably to players like Charles Haley and Terrell Suggs but insisted that Sam had a way to go.
“He’s a pass-rusher,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan. “He has a lot to go when he comes to working in space or a lot to go when it comes to special teams. It’s hard to be just a situational pass-rusher if you can’t be a special-teams player, so he’s got a long way to go. He’s in a good place.
Sam recorded three sacks in preseason play but was left off the Rams 53-man roster and waived. After passing though waivers he signed a practice squad deal with the Cowboys who are thin across the defense.
“As [coach Jason Garrett] said, the first thing for practice-squad guys is by its very name, it gives you practice. It allows you to practice better. That will be his primary responsibility, and he’ll get to be able to work and refine his skills. But it’s no secret we need pass-rushers, and we need some defensive linemen.”
When Sam plays in the regular season he will become the first openly gay player to do so in the NFL.
