{"id":180739,"date":"2026-04-27T13:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739"},"modified":"2026-04-27T13:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:27:41","slug":"undrafted-ambush-alert-while-everyone-laughed-the-cowboys-quietly-paid-200k-guaranteed-for-a-258-pound-tcu-freak-the-project-no-one-saw-coming-is-now-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739","title":{"rendered":"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0spent the bulk of their NFL draft capital on the defensive side of the ball over the past three days, using five of their seven picks on players who could potentially help out a defense that was the worst in the league in points allowed, at a franchise-record 511 in 2025. And certainly, no one is complaining about that. But after the draft wrapped up, the Cowboys went to work on the undrafted free agent market and immediately got themselves some offensive depth pieces\u2013most notably, tight end DJ Rogers from TCU.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

And Rogers was in demand. The Cowboys beat out other bidders with one of the more expensive UDFA deals the team has ever given out, as ESPN\u2019s Todd Archer reports. That\u2019s an indication that the Cowboys feel Rogers will be able to make the 53-man roster this summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Wrote\u00a0Archer on Twitter\/X: \u201cThe Cowboys have an agreement with TCU tight end D.J. Rogers on an undrafted free agent deal that guarantees him $200,000, per source. Tight end was a position Cowboys were looking to draft but Rogers will have chance to make a spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

DJ Rogers Just Became at TCU Starter<\/h2>\n

The Cowboys, in the end, did not draft a tight end, but Rogers should be the kind of long-term project who could come along, either on the roster or on the practice squad, with time. The Cowboys have as good a track record with undrafted free agents as any organization in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0and, indeed, take pride in their record of development.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Rogers played 53 games for TCU in his five-year college career, catching 53 passes for 539 yards in that span. He was only a starter for one season. But at 6-foot-4 and 258 pounds, there is a lot to work with when it comes to Rogers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the\u00a0NFL.com scouting report: \u201cRogers is an adequate athlete who possesses the play strength and catch-point savvy to compete for a depth-level role. He needs to play with better short-area urgency on routes underneath, but he has the catch radius to bring in off-target and contested throws. While his effort and technique are inconsistent as a run blocker, he flashes the strength\/body control to win reps. Rogers is still developing but should be in the conversation as a Day 3 pick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cowboys Have Good Tight End Foundation<\/h2>\n

The Cowboys will enter the 2026 season feeling pretty good about their tight-end room, with\u00a0Jake Ferguson\u00a0having gotten himself back on track last season, catching 82 passes for 600 yards and eight touchdowns\u2013Ferguson had zero touchdowns the previous season.<\/p>\n

But the depth around Ferguson remains a question. The Cowboys used a second-round pick on\u00a0Luke Schoonmaker\u00a0in 2023, but he has shown no development since then, and there is a strong chance he will be replaced on the depth chart by\u00a0Brevyn Spann-Ford, one of the Cowboys\u2019 UDFA success stories.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Cowboys also have\u00a0Princeton Fant\u00a0under contract for 2026, but he might be a longshot to make the team. That\u2019s the situation that Rogers is walking into, and it\u2019s one that could afford him a real chance to earn a spot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0spent the bulk of their NFL draft capital on the defensive side of the ball over the past three days, using five of their seven picks… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":180743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0spent the bulk of their NFL draft capital on the defensive side of the ball over the past three days, using five of their seven picks...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739\",\"name\":\"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA","og_description":"The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0spent the bulk of their NFL draft capital on the defensive side of the ball over the past three days, using five of their seven picks...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739","name":"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-27T13:27:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/681530817_122223810482311244_7843331269519695548_n.jpg","width":1200,"height":1200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=180739#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cUNDRAFTED AMBUSH ALERT: While Everyone Laughed, the Cowboys Quietly Paid $200K Guaranteed for a 258-Pound TCU Freak \u2014 The \u2018Project\u2019 No One Saw Coming Is Now Dallas\u2019 Most Intriguing Hidden Gem\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=180739"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180744,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180739\/revisions\/180744"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/180743"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=180739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=180739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=180739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}