Former Giants pass rusher Damontre Moore signed with the Dallas Cowboys this week, making it his fifth NFL team in four years. The former third-round pick was selected out of Texas A&M by the Giants in 2013.
For most people, this will barely register as news. Over the course of his career, Moore has 77 tackles, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pair of blocked punts. Most of his damage was done as a raw, situational rusher for the Giants at a time when the team had talented pieces around him, like Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul.
But in his introductory interview with Dallas' official website this week, Moore said something interesting that could leave Dallas fans with a bread crumb of hope:
"Do whatever I can to contribute to the team -- as far as on defense, special teams or wherever they need me at," Moore said. "Just coming in, closed mouth, open ears and just ready to play."
The closed mouth thing was an issue for those who have followed Moore's career in the past. However, those who have followed Moore also know that he was once one of the most desirable prospects in football. Back in 2013, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper had Moore going No. 2 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in his first mock, which we bring up not to point out how wrong Kiper was but how highly thought of Moore was at the time.
A bad combine performance aided in Moore's bottoming out, as did his hot and cold streaks with the Giants. The much-publicized fight with Cullen Jenkins didn't help either. Beneath the surface, though, Moore isn't all he's cracked up to be. I once followed him through a day at his side job -- an aide at a second-chance school for behaviorally challenged students -- and saw a player who was immature but seemingly good natured. Maybe at 24, he can start to put it all together.
The update is significant now because the Cowboys might be Moore's last chance -- the perfect match for a team desperate for pass rushing help and a player looking for a chance to hang onto a roster again. Owner Jerry Jones has made his goal this offseason crystal clear: Find a pass rusher. Moore doesn't exactly fit the *War Daddy* description laid out by Jones, but he is talented enough to provide some help. At least Jones hopes so.
