Dallas Cowboys makes it clear they’re done with Dontari Poe

The Dallas Cowboys are committed to moving on from Dontari Poe by the end of Wednesday.

The Dallas Cowboys made it crystal clear that they are ready to move on from defensive lineman Dontari Poe. In fact, the team made plain to the media that he will be released by the end of the day on Wednesday if other NFL franchises aren’t inclined to trade for him.

Poe isn’t the only Cowboys player on the move. NFL reporter Tom Pelissero reports that cornerback Daryl Worley will also be on the lookout for a new job if another team doesn’t trade for him as well.

Both players would become free agents if released instead of being subject to waivers, given their veteran status in the NFL.

The Cowboys originally signed Poe to a two-year deal in free agency last April worth up to $8.5 million.

Poe was signed to help the Cowboys run defense up front as a rotational lineman who had once gone to consecutive Pro Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, he made ownership upset from the beginning by kneeling for the national anthem. Since then, his play has hardly inspired any change in emotion on the part of Jerry Jones. Dallas, as the entire NFL knows, has arguably the worst overall defense in the league.

At present, the Cowboys are ranked No. 30 overall in defensive DVOA. They are ranked 30th in run defense per DVOA and Poe’s own contributions to the mix are abysmal. Pro Football Focus has him graded at 55.7 on the season, and despite playing on 53 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps this year, Poe hasn’t generated a single quarterback pressure in 7 games. He also only has 7 total tackles.

It’s hard to imagine anyone wants to trade for Poe’s current contract as structured, but there was a time when Poe was among the game’s elite defensive lineman, a surprisingly athletic player who stood around 350 pounds. During his tenure with the Chiefs, Poe was an immovable force inside and looked like a future great—until back issues started.

Poe spent the last couple seasons with the Carolina Panthers and also played a single season with the Atlanta Falcons as well. In his 9th NFL season, Poe has a career stat line of 285 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 49 quarterback hits, and 14 pass deflections.