The Washington Commanders are looking to add depth on their interior defensive line and are turning to a longtime NFL veteran defensive tackle.
“The Commanders are expected to sign DT Byron Cowart, per source,” Commanders reporter Ben Standig wrote on his official X account on Monday night. “4-year vet (51 games) and ex-Terp. Was one of 8 players to work out for Washington today. IDL depth after DJ Davidson retired. He spent most of last season on IR (ankle).”
Cowart, 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, was a 5th-round pick (No. 159 overall) by the New England Patriots out of Maryland in the 2019 NFL Draft. He is perhaps better known as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in 2015 coming out of Armwood (Florida) High School — Cowart started his college career at Auburn before transferring to Maryland for his final season.
Headed into his 8th NFL season, Cowart is on his 8th NFL team after stints with the Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and the New York Jets in 2025.
Davidson Decided to Retire From NFL
The move to sign Cowart comes after the Commanders placed Davidson on the reserve/retired list on August 8.
“Commanders signed Daniel Brunskill, Nicholas Petit-Frere and Max Scharping, released Chris Hilton Jr. and Timothy McKay, placed DJ Davidson on reserve/retired list,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account on Saturday.
Davidson, 6-foot-4 and 327 pounds, was a 5th-round pick by the Giants in the 2022 NFL Draft and signed with the Commanders in March after spending his 1st 4 seasons in New York.
“The Commanders have signed former Giants DL D.J. Davidson,” FanSided’s Doug Rush wrote on his official X account on March 31. “Davidson was the Giants 5th round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft. He appeared in 47 games during his 4 seasons, starting in 4, and had 49 total tackles with 2.5 sacks. Davidson will stay in the NFC East and look to make the Washington roster in 2026.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Commanders Sign 6-foot-3, 300-Pound Free Agent DT appeared first on HEAVY.