The Dallas Cowboys will go to war with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4 to kick off the NFL season.
It's a brutal opening draw for Dallas, but if there was ever a time to face Philly, it's probably Week 1. No team is firing on all cylinders out of the gates and the Eagles could be nursing a potential Super Bowl hangover.
There's no need to sell a Cowboys-Eagles rivalry game. The storylines often write themselves. However, Philly's front office added another layer of intrigue on Tuesday when they signed for Dallas draft pick Justin Rogers, per Zach Berman of The Athletic.
Eagles sign former Cowboys DT Justin Rogers to their offseason roster
On one hand, this kind of reeks of desperation from the Eagles.
A seventh-round pick last year, Rogers had two chances to make it work with the Cowboys and he never made any headway. He was let go during final roster cuts last August and did not make it back to the practice squad. The Bengals scooped him up on waivers and he did not appear in a game before Dallas signed him off Cincy's practice squad before Week 16.
After failing to impress defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, the Cowboys sent Rogers packing again following mandatory minicamp.
Read More:Stephen Jones all but reveals Cowboys' starting RB for Week 1
That was to make room for free agent DT Perrion Winfrey, who has impressed in camp and was Dallas' best defensive lineman in Week 1 of preseason. It would be shocking at this point if Winfrey doesn't make the 53-man roster, so it seems that the front office made the right call.
On the other hand, we don't fault Cowboys fans who are a little skeptical about a former draft bust joining the Eagles, who have a habit of making lemonade with a single ingredient. While it would surprise if Rogers makes waves on a team that starts Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis on the interior, but if there was ever a team that could maximize Rogers' potential, it's probably Philly.
The silver lining is that Rogers has failed to catch on with the Cowboys, Bengals and Seahawks, who signed him just before training camp to reunite him with former Dallas defensive line coach Aden Durde, now Seattle's defensive coordinator.
Cowboys fans didn’t need a reason to keep tabs on Philly before the regular-season opener, but this is as good a reason as any.