Cowboys granted roster exemption for rookie defensive lineman Denzel Daxon

The Dallas Cowboys received some advantageous news this week, learning that rookie defensive lineman Denzel Daxon qualifies for the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. Via the program, the team can have Daxon on the practice squad this season without counting him against the 90-man roster.

Dallas took a similar advantage of the program when signing offensive lineman Isacc Alarcon. However, Alarcon is now with the 49ers, which opens up the spot for Daxon.

The former Fighting Illini star was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas. He moved to the United States with his family in 2016.

“He was officially on the roster as part of the 90 as a normal non-international guy, before Kane (Doyle-Durde, scouting assistant) called that out,” Will McClay, Cowboys VP of player personnel, said.

“It’s a great bonus for us, it’s a great bonus for him because that extra practice squad spot gives us an opportunity to develop him, gives us an extra player, gives him an extra opportunity to make the roster too from a practice squad standpoint.”

There are only a handful of players in the NFL who hail from the Bahamas. Mike Strachan, Devard Darling, Jocelyn Borgella, and Ed Smith preceded Daxon. Since he qualifies as an international player, the Cowboys can sign him to the team’s 16-man practice squad as a bonus member when the team ends up cutting the active roster down to 53 members.

Daxon begins NFL career in Dallas

After joining his high school football team in Florida, Daxon received offers from several D-I programs before committing to Ohio University. He played four seasons for Ohio before opting to transfer to Illinois for his final season.

“Back in my home we didn’t have the opportunity to play football in The Bahamas,” Daxon said. “It was something I always wanted to do.”

At Illinois, Daxon played 12 games while making 11 starts at nose tackle. He posted 27 tackles, including three or more tackles in seven games. His performance garnered attention from NFL scouts and affirmed his choice to leave Ohio for Illinois.

“It was a hard decision (to transfer) but, I did it with faith,” Daxon said of his move. “It all worked out for me, I went to Illinois, had the best year of my college career.”

“Coach Terrence Jamieson, he’s probably the best coach I ever had, was under him for the year,” he added. “Through each game you could see the steady progression, because of him and his coaching, because of him, I made steady strides to be here today.”

While the ultimate goal for Daxon is to make the active roster after training camp, he can rest assured that he’ll have a spot on the team thanks to the IPP program.