Former Dallas Cowboys prepping for Super Bowl LIV are feeling great right about now
For many years the free-agent pitch from the Dallas Cowboys was, “Come to America’s Team and perform before the nation in the biggest games.”
Former Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells once likened the Cowboys to playing in the big room in Las Vegas, as opposed to the small lounges.
Well, as the years have gone by — 24 to be exact, but who’s counting — without the Dallas Cowboys suiting up on Super Bowl Sunday, there are about a half-dozen players who have not been unhappy with their decision to check out those smaller venues.
In fact, there are six former Cowboys who’ll be wearing a Super Bowl LIV patch on come Sunday. Linebackers Damion Wilson and Anthony Hitchens and cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Charvarius Ward are with the Kansas City Chiefs, and defensive end Damontre Moore and assistant coach Miles Austin are with the San Francisco 49ers.
And those six do not include wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who admittedly left more money on the table in picking the Chiefs over the Cowboys in free agency two years ago because he felt they had a better shot to win the Super Bowl in Kansas City than Dallas.
Ouch.
Wilson and Hitchens went to Kansas City for more money and a better opportunity in back-to-back off-seasons. Ward was traded. Claiborne was unsigned in free agency and finishing out his career in Kansas City.
Austin, who played eight seasons with the Cowboys and the worked in the scouting department for two years, landed in San Francisco after being turned down for a coaching job in Dallas.
All are thrilled with the opportunity to finally earn a championship ring.
“I’m still just trying to soak it in,” said Wilson, who signed a two-year, $5.75-million contract with the Chiefs in the off-season after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Cowboys.
“That’s why I came here, really,” he said. “Last year, the Chiefs were just one penalty away from going to the Super Bowl. I knew it was going to work out eventually. I had to get in when I could.”
Wilson has been a big part of Kansas City’s success after playing limited snaps in Dallas as a strong side linebacker and special teams performer.
In addition to the money in free agency, Wilson said the Chiefs presented a better opportunity for him to play. “They gave me a chance to prove myself,” he said. “I guess I have done pretty good.”
Wilson said he has no hard feelings towards the Cowboys. He knew he was going to get more opportunity elsewhere because of all of the talent Dallas had at linebacker position with Sean Lee, Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith.
Wilson was recruited to Kansas City by Hitchens, who a year earlier signed a five-year, $45-million contract to leave the Cowboys in free agency. “I called him,” Hitchens said. “I told him it was a better opportunity for him here and he took it and ran with it. He played the most snaps of his career.”
Hitchens said the decision for him was about doing what was best for his family. He, too, said he holds no grudges toward the Cowboys.
“I was trying to be part of something great right now,” Hitchens said. “[Quarterback] Patrick Mahomes was coming up. I was trying to be that guy to lead the defense in the right direction.”
The biggest revelation came from Claiborne, a former 2012 first-round pick of the Cowboys who never lived up to expectations, largely due to injuries, and left for the New York Jets in 2017 after five seasons.
He played two seasons with the Jets and signed with the Chiefs as a reserve cornerback.
“It’s awesome,” Claiborne said of being in the Super Bowl. “It makes everything worth it. When I look at all these cuts and stuff on my knees and shoulders. This is what it was all for. I have had eight surgeries — two knees, four shoulders, fingers and wrists.”
Claiborne said he has grown and matured since his time in Dallas, and he believes if he was the person then that he is now “it would have made me a better player then.”
Asked to elaborate, Claiborne said, “I know what’s important to me and I know why I do this. The injuries I know that is a part of the game and instead of beating yourself up over it you have to find a way to keep moving on. You can’t let what people say derail you from where you are trying to go or what you are trying to do. You have to keep going.”
Austin was never able to reach the Super Bowl with the Cowboys, despite some strong seasons a receiver with quarterback Tony Romo.
He got the coaching bug when he was working in the scouting department. He applied to be the team’s receivers coach in 2018 but was passed over for Sanjay Lal, largely because of his lack of experience.
He is getting all that and more as a quality control coach with the 49ers. His primary focus is working under wide receivers coach Wes Welker.
Austin said coming to the Super Bowl as a coach makes up for not getting there as a player.
“It’s more rewarding now because you work with these young players and I am happier for them than I would have been as a player myself at the time,” Austin said. “I would have enjoyed it, but as you get older you realize it’s more about the experience you can give to others. I am proud of that.”
