Position: Guard/Center
Height/Weight: 6-3/307
Age: 23
College: Maryland
NFL Exp: Rookie
How Acquired: FA-'10
Hometown:Moorestown, N.J.
Fitting In: Costa was a long shot to make the Cowboys final roster a few weeks ago. Now, however, he's an Andre Gurode injury away from being an NFL starting center. After backup center Kyle Kosier went down with an MCL sprain earlier this week, offensive line coach Hudson Houck said Costa would likely be Gurode's backup.
So Far: Costa estimated he played about 15 snaps in the first preseason game against the Bengals and about 50 snaps in the second game against the Raiders. He felt like he played "pretty decent" in both games, but mentioned the coaching staff would like him to sustain his run blocks a little more.
Best Asset: He's versatile. Costa played both guard positions and center in 30 career starts at Maryland.
You Should Know: At 6 feet 3 inches, 307 pounds, Costa is a very large man. But he's still extremely athletic. Costa has a 35.5-inch vertical leap and said he can dunk a basketball. He also owns the all-time Terps offensive lineman record in the clean lift with 435 pounds in 2008.
A Mouthful: "If I was maybe a sixth-round pick, would everybody be more comfortable with me being the backup center? Maybe. But I was a free agent, so there were a lot more questions there and I have to prove more. And that's fine; I'm willing to do that. I have three more preseason games to do that, and I'm going to do it."
