The Dallas Cowboys are looking for the best value where they can get it, and some of that may have come with signing 6-foot-4, 316-pound offensive lineman DJ Wingfield after a lengthy court battle denied him a final season of college football at USC in 2025.

“The Dallas Cowboys just signed my client DJ Wingfield (OL, USC/Purdue) to a free agent deal after this weekend’s rookie minicamp,” sports agent Brett Tessler wrote on his official X account on Monday. “Very talented guy got a large NIL deal from USC last year but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA right before the start of the season.”

Wingfield, who reportedly landed a $210,000 NIL deal from USC for 2025, was denied a final season of eligibility after stints at a junior college, New Mexico, and Purdue before landing at USC, where he was trying to play a 7th season of college football.

With the Cowboys, Wingfield will get a chance to provide depth at guard behind starters T.J. Bass and 2025 1st round pick Tyler Booker.

From the Los Angeles Times in August 2025: “When they chose to continue their college careers, both USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield and UCLA wide receiver Kaedin Robinson thought the courts and NCAA had cleared the way for them to play a fifth season of football. USC had told Wingfield as much, offering him $210,000 in NIL to join the Trojans’ offensive line … but after first seeing their waivers rejected in the spring, then suing the NCAA this summer, a U.S. District Court judge has now shut the door on either Wingfield or Robinson suiting up this fall.”

Wingfield’s Case Emblematic of Changing Landscape

Wingfield’s case represented a peek into the changing landscape of college football in the NIL era.

The NCAA previously had a steadfast “4 seasons in 5 years” rule with few exceptions —  something that changed with the pandemic and NIL hitting around the same time.

Wingfield played 1 season at El Camino College in 2019, left school in 2020, and returned in 2021 before transferring to New Mexico. An injury wiped out 2022, and he played 9 games for the Lobos in 2023 before he started every game for Purdue in 2024.

“There is a subtle difference between a rule that retrains NIL compensation and a rule that limits one’s potential to negotiate a NIL agreement,” the judge wrote. “Putting aside the NIL agreements, the question of whether a player’s time has run remains in full force. The eligibility question is not tethered to the question of compensation or commercial transaction.”

Cowboys Have 1 of NFL’s Best Offenses

Wingfield might play the 1 position in the Cowboys offense, where an undrafted free agent might have a chance to crack the 53-man roster, as they already have 1 of the NFL’s elite offenses.

Another good sign for Wingfield? The Cowboys only selected 1 offensive lineman in the 2026 NFL draft, but he doesn’t even play Wingfield’s position — offensive tackle Drew Shelton in the 4th round (No. 112 overall).

“The Cowboys needed depth at tackle, with questions around Tyler Guyton as the former first-round pick moves into his third year,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote. “Terence Steele reworked his contract in the offseason, and Nate Thomas is the current swing tackle. Shelton made 34 starts at left tackle for Penn State. Can he come in right away and compete for a starting spot?”