Tony Hills was sitting in the cold tub at the Dolphins’ practice facility Tuesday when he received word from his agent that the Cowboys were interested in signing him to their 53-player roster.
He arrived at Valley Ranch in time for practice Wednesday.
“When [my agent] told me what team it was, I was pretty excited about it,” Hills said. “They pulled the trigger on it and got me here. Right off a plane, downed a couple of Gatorades and went out there and tried to make the most of it.”
Hills was born in Dallas, grew up in Houston and played at the University of Texas. He was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2008 and has been with six teams previously, most recently on the Dolphins practice squad.
Hills has played 10 NFL games, with his only start coming for the Colts in 2012.
Asked how he would describe his career journey, Hills said, “A long one.”
“Ups and downs. Super Bowl victory. A lot of playoffs. Super Bowl loss. Spot playing a little bit to being out of the league to being back in the league,” Hills said. “So it’s just been a blessing, to be honest with you.”
The Cowboys are desperate at tackle, where Doug Free will miss 3-4 weeks with a fractured foot, Tyron Smith missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury and Jermey Parnell was limited with a chest injury.
Donald Hawkins is the only other true tackle on the roster.
“Hawkins certainly has an advantage,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “[Hills] is just getting here. But we like this guy. He has a little experience, so we’ll see.”
The Cowboys released defensive lineman Lavar Edwards to make room for Hills.
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