The Dallas Cowboys thought they had something special in their 2020 UDFA class. After selecting James Madison quarterback Ben DiNucci with their seventh-round pick, the front office circled back around and acquired the Dukes player most prognosticators felt had the best chance of making it in the pros. Rutgers transfer Ron’Dell Carter earned one of the class’ largest guarantees among undrafted prospects, $145,000 including a $20,000 signing bonus.
Those large guarantees for a player who had to wait until after the draft to learn he had a professional future normally indicate a team has high hopes. So it was surprising the team didn’t protect Carter on the initial 53-man roster, instead placing him on the practice squad after he cleared waivers. Dallas came close to never having him on their active roster as the Indianapolis Colts signed him when their defensive line was ravaged, but three weeks later, he was back with the Dallas. Now, there’s a new defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn, a new defensive line coach in Aden Durde and a new opportunity for Carter to prove he belongs in the NFL.
Background Detail
Jersey No.: 97
Position: Defensive Line
Age: 24
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 269 pounds
High School: Long Reach High, Baltimore, MD
College: James Madison
Draft: Undrafted, 2020
Acquired: Free Agent
Pro Stats / Collegiate Stats
2020 Stats
Games Played: 3
Tackles: 1
Sacks: 0
Interceptions: 0
Forced Fumbles: 0
College Stats
| Season | GP | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL-YDS | SACKS-YDS | INT | PD | FF | FR | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 8-46 | 4-38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 13 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 13-62 | 7.5-45 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 16 | 28 | 38 | 66 | 27-123 | 12-77 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 44 | 69 | 83 | 152 | 48.0-231 | 23.5-160 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
(AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Player Profile
Carter was a three-star recruit out of Long Reach High School and ended up heading north on I-95 to Rutgers University. He redshirted his freshman year, then appeared in just two games in 2016 as a sophomore with two tackles and a half a sack. Looking for more run, he transferred to James Madison.
As a redshirt junior he was First-Team conference defensive lineman. As a redshirt senior he was an All-American. Dallas of course has plenty of experience with JMU defensive line warriors, as it’s the alma mater of one Charles Haley.
Carter turned down offers from 24 of the other 31 NFL clubs to sign with Dallas as a UDFA, which made it even more shocking to some he wasn’t in the initial plans of Jim Tomsula and Mike Nolan. The Cowboys’ defensive line they did role with was an abject failure, but he sat on the practice squad not getting a chance until injuries led to him being plucked by the Colts. Three weeks later he was back with the org. Now, he’ll need to impress a coaching staff intent on turning over the defensive roster.
His size and pass rush ability seem to give him a chance as a tweener in an in-between defense. He’ll battle with last year’s fifth-round pick, Bradlee Anae as body-type similars to this year’s third rounder Osa Odighizuwa. They are all in the 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3, 255-270 pound range with the latter having the upper hand based on draft pedigree and which staff brought him on board.
This new regime did tender him an offer, as he was an exclusive rights free agent after his initial contract was voided in the initial release in 2020. Dallas had to re-sign him to a deal to complete last season. With less than two accrued seasons, Dallas had right of first refusal and brought him back.
Carter was of interest to several teams and he may have a longer learning curve based on where he was at in college, but it shouldn’t surprise for him to be on someone’s roster in the fall.
This profile is part of our countdown series to the regular season.
- No. 99: DT Justin Hamilton
- No. 98: DT Quinton Bohanna
