Newly reinstated LB Daryl Washington wants to play for Cowboys
Daryl Washington has one particular team sitting atop his wish list after being reinstated from a lengthy suspension.
His free-agent market has been slow early on, and it remains to be seen whether any club will give him a chance, but the now-former Arizona Cardinals linebacker would love to play for his hometown Dallas Cowboys.
"Why not be a Cowboy?" Washington told Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "I'm settled in here. It's home. Let's try to get one this year. Come on Mr. (Jerry) Jones, you'll be glad you took a chance on me. We'll hold up that Lombardi Trophy together."
Washington was a top defensive talent during the first four years of his career in Arizona, highlighted by a 2012 season where he earned second-team All-Pro honors after racking up 134 tackles, nine sacks, and one interception.
Related: Washington vows to return to All-Pro level after being cut by Cardinals
Interested teams will be weighing both his troubled past and the fact that he's been out of football for three full seasons.
Washington's first suspension, a four-game ban to start the 2013 campaign, came for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Another violation after the season led to an indefinite ban, and he was also arrested in May 2013 on two counts of aggravated assault.
"I take full responsibility for everything I went through," Washington said. "I don't blame anybody. But I'm not here to talk about it; I'm here to show you what type of person I am now and where I'm trying to go."
The Cowboys will enter the 2017 season with back-to-back Pro Bowler Sean Lee holding down one of three starting linebacker spots. Provided that things continue to move in the right direction with his recovery from a college knee injury, the hope will be that 2016 second-round pick Jaylon Smith can work his way into another.
Adding a player like Washington, either as a prospective starter or veteran depth behind Anthony Hitchens or Damien Wilson, would certainly make for an intriguing option to round out the already-promising group.
According to Williams, Dallas is doing its due diligence on the 30-year-old.