The Dallas Cowboys have released another notable player from their roster.
Via the Cowboys’ public relations Twitter account, the team has released defensive end Takk McKinley. The Cowboys signed the 27-year-old to their practice squad in November last season and handed him a one-year extension in March.
Earlier this year, owner Jerry Jones cut two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott in a cap-saving move. With McKinley now gone, that’s two former first-round picks that the Cowboys have moved on from in a matter of three months.
McKinley was a star linebacker at UCLA, where he played from 2014 to 2016. The Atlanta Falcons drafted McKinley 26th overall in 2017, hoping he’d do wonders on a young defense that was looking to rebound from a heartbreaking Super Bowl 51 collapse against the New England Patriots.
McKinley showed promise in his rookie year, recording six sacks and a pair of forced fumbles as Atlanta qualified for the postseason for the second straight year. In 2018, he recorded a career-high eight sacks.
But McKinley recorded just 4.5 total sacks over his final two seasons with the Falcons, and a move to the Cleveland Browns in 2021 did nothing to help. In 11 games, McKinley had just 2.5 sacks and 18 combined tackles.
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He was briefly on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad in 2022 and appeared in four games for the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams before eventually joining the Cowboys. For his career, McKinley has 20 sacks, 98 combined tackles and three forced fumbles.
