FRISCO, Texas – For the last three years, the Cowboys have been developing Isaac Alarcón on the offensive side of the ball. Now, he's switching to defense.
The Cowboys are moving Alarcón from the offensive line, where he played both guard and tackle, to defensive tackle.
Alarcón, who had limited football experience in Mexico before joining the Cowboys, said he's never played defense until now. However, apparently Alarcón was impressive enough last season when he played some defense on the scout team, giving the coaches a thought he could make the switch.
"Issac is a big strong and athletic player and has physical skill set to play offensive line or defensive line," said Will McClay, the Cowboys' VP of player personnel. "He did some things on scout team defense toward the end of the season that opened defensive coaches eyes to give him a serious look on defense. His time working with OL will also give him an understanding about what they are trying to do to him on defense."
This is a big year for Alarcónn, who has spent the last three years as part of the NFL International Pathway Program, which allowed teams to have a roster exemption for him. But after three seasons, Alarcón is no longer eligible for any exemption on the practice squad or roster.
Alarcón's development was evident over the last three years. In 2020, there were no preseason games so he didn't get any game-reps until 2021. Alarcón showed some promise at tackle but last season, the Cowboys moved him to guard to see if he had some position flex.
While he wasn't ready to make a push for the active roster, he stayed on the practice squad and scout team.
Now he moves to defensive line, where the Cowboys currently have Quinton Bohanna, Neville Gallimore, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston. The team has two unrestricted free agents at the position in Johnathan Hankins and Carlos Watkins.
