Few better Cowboys stories right now than the story of Terence Steele

The undrafted free agent has signed a massive extension for Dallas

It doesn’t happen very often.

With all of the comings and goings of different players on their different stories, we usually see players stay in their lanes.

For instance, it is normal for the big-time prospect (let’s say CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons) to realize their status translating from major college football to the NFL. They were stars in the Big 12 or Big 10, so it doesn’t come as a massive surprise to find out that they are stars in the NFL. They were big-money guys as rookies and now became even bigger money guys — the rich getting richer is not uncommon.

Then, you have the other end of the spectrum. Let’s say someone like Rico Dowdle or Peyton Hendershot. Those guys are under-the-radar guys on draft weekend, sign contracts that contain no leverage whatsoever, grind their tails off to make the team, then do it again the next year because they are always trying to replace you. They usually sign working-class contracts for their entire career. Worker bees seem to stay worker bees. There is very little chance for massive promotion.

But, once in a while, we see someone make it across the bridge. They are able to start as a pawn but earn their way to being a knight or a rook. We say “earn” because there is literally no other way to do it. Reputation doesn’t help you if you are an undrafted free agent (an UDFA). They definitely started at the bottom, but now they are here.

And that is why everyone in the organization is so darn happy for Terence Steele.

Steele was undrafted in 2020 and now is one of the Cowboys biggest earners. It can be done, but the number of Cowboys players in the 26 seasons I have covered this team that have gone all the way from “undrafted college free agent” to “Top 5 AAV earner on the entire roster” is now at three, I believe.

Tony Romo, Miles Austin, and now, Terence Steele.

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