The Dallas Cowboys used to have depth issues on the interior, but no more. Several years dedicated to improving the talent pool has gotten the club to the point they can actually withstand the retirement of a future Hall of Famer. Zack Martin won’t be manning the right guard spot for the first time in over a decade, but the Cowboys quickly moved to ensure they had starting quality veteran depth, and then used their first-round pick on the role as well.
The result? For the veterans who formerly were the backup depth, a longer road to making the 2025 roster. That group includes Dakoda Shepley, a journeyman who has been with the club for three years after spending time in several other NFL cities.
Rundown
Position: Offensive Guard
Age: 31 (Week 1 age)
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 290 pounds
Hometown: Windsor, Canada
High School: Holy Names
College: British Columbia (Film Study Video)
Draft: 2018 UDFA
Acquired: 2022 Practice Squad signing
Contract: Two-year contract (2025), $2.3 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.1 million
Career Earnings: $1.7 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Each time a player is released back to a practice squad, they have to sign a new contract. Shepley has signed 21 NFL contracts before the age of 31. That’s five more contracts than games played.
Originally a UDFA of the Jets, he’s spent time with San Francisco (1 game), Seattle (8 games) and in between two different stretches with the Cowboys (7 games), Indianapolis. Shepley hasn’t yet started a game in his career, and faces competition from Brock Hoffman, a teammate since 2022 who has started more games (9) than Shepley has appeared in.
Also part of the challenge are the newly signed Robert Jones, Hakeem Adejini and Saahdiq Charles. All of those players have more starting experience than Hoffman, which crystalizes just how difficult it will be for Shepley to make the 2025 squad out of training camp.
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