With OTAs just around the corner for the Dallas Cowboys, the battle for the final 53-man roster spots will be intense. Can local UDFA signing DJ Rodgers make his way into the mix?
Staying in the Dallas area after playing his college football down the road at TCU in Fort Worth, his production in the Big 12 gives him a solid baseline. Still, fighting through a crowded depth chart means he will have to prove his worth early and often during summer workouts. The tight end can do so by showing his ability as a receiving threat. Rodgers’ quickest path to sticking around is making himself indispensable to tight ends coach Lunda Wells and the special teams units. While Jake Ferguson and Breyvn Spann-Ford hold down the top of the depth chart, the battle for the third and fourth tight end spots is wide open.
DJ Rodgers pro-day measurements
HT: 6-foot-3
WT: 258 pounds
Vertical jump: 31.5″
Bench press: 15 reps
Broad Jump : 10’00”
40 yard dash: 4.65 seconds
20 yd split: 2.77 seconds
10 yd split: 1.70 seconds
Shuttle: 4.33 seconds
3-cone drill : 7.03 seconds
Games Watched: vs Arizona St
Strengths
Rogers demonstrates adequate speed to separate from defenders and burst down the seam for a catch. He finished the day with four receptions for 60 yards, highlighted by an explosive 39-yard pickup. Rogers showed a strong ability to haul in passes through traffic, utilizing his impressive catch radius. What stands out most is his competitive toughness after the catch. Thanks to excellent leg strength, he continuously drives and lowers his shoulder to fight for extra yardage. He effectively uses his stockier frame to absorb contact, and he consistently translates that power and strength into his role as a willing, effective blocker.
Weaknesses
While Rodgers is a willing blocker, his overall execution can be inconsistent due to poor knee bend and subpar reactive mirroring at the point of attack. Furthermore, his hand placement tends to get too wide during base blocks, compromising his leverage.
As a receiver, Rodgers needs to improve his structural flexibility; he must learn to sink his hips and play with better short-area urgency on underneath routes to create cleaner separation. A one-year starter who didn’t crack the lineup until his senior season, Rodgers presents a classic developmental evaluation. This late breakout could suggest substantial untapped upside and room for growth, or conversely, that he has already reached his athletic and developmental ceiling.
How does DJ Rogers fit on the Dallas Cowboys
While Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford have the TE1 and TE2 spots locked down, the battle for the TE3 role is wide open between Luke Schoonmaker, Michael Trigg, Princeton Fant, and DJ Rogers. For Rogers to stick, he must leverage his raw traits: winning as a big-bodied, physical target in traffic and proving his worth as a core special teams contributor.
Realistically, cracking the 53-man roster out of training camp will be an uphill battle. However, a spot on the practice squad presents the ideal runway for Dallas to develop him into a complete, well-rounded tight end who can contribute to the active roster in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys UDFA can go from underdog to top dog if he fixes these issues
Reporting by Kenneth Ball, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
