The Dallas Cowboys are looking to make a few extra additions to the roster before they head to training camp in Oxnard next month. After wrapping up mandatory minicamp, the team hosted UFL cornerbacks Gareon Conley and Deandre Baker, as well as linebacker Noah Dawkins, for workouts.
Conley and Baker are both former first-round draft picks. The Raiders drafted Conley with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft out of Ohio State. The New York Giants snagged Baker at No. 30 overall in 2019 out of Georgia. Both cornerbacks spent the 2023 UFL season with the DC Defenders.
Meanwhile, Noah Dawkins, a former standout at The Citadel, began his NFL career with the Buccaneers and Jets from 2019-2021. Last year, he played for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, notching 38 tackles.
Baker had a great rookie season for the Giants in 2019. However, an arrest for armed robbery put him on the commissioner’s exempt list, leading to New York waiving him before the 2020 season. After charges were dropped, the Kansas City Chiefs added him to the roster. He played in 10 games for the Chiefs before breaking his femur.
Conley had a good run with the Raiders before they traded him to the Houston Texans in 2019. He went on injured reserve before moving to the UFL. This year for the Defenders, he notched two interceptions.
As the roster stands, the Cowboys have just two open spots to fill for training camp. The team will trim the roster down to 53 men before the start of the 2024 regular season.
Cowboys workout Willie Harvey Jr.
The Cowboys also brought in linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. for a workout, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Harvey played for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL) this spring and finished the 2024 season with 78 tackles, and four sacks in 10 games, leading the league in tackles. The 28-year-old also led all linebackers in tackles for loss (nine) passes defended (six) and forced fumbles (two). His production led to him being named to the All-UFL Team.
Harvey has been with the BattleHawks since 2023. He originally signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and played four games in three seasons. Harvey was waived by the Browns in August 2022 and was drafted by the BattleHawks in November of that year.
Harvey played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was named to the Honorable Mention All-Big 12 for three consecutive seasons. In an interview with theDes Moines Register in 2019, Harvey talked reflected on not being drafted after having a strong career at Iowa State.
“I had one or two choices,” Harvey said in a phone interview at the time. “You could either bag it or you could just put your head down and just continue to do the things and more that got you to that point. And that’s really what I did — because it’s nothing new for me.”
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