Cowboys Sign TE Rucker, Cut Ties With Nichols

The Dallas Cowboys, in their ongoing quest to weather a rash of injuries at the tight end position, signed Martin Rucker on Thursday, and released quarterback Matt Nichols, who had seen time in each of the team’s two preseason games thus far.

Rucker was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 draft by the Cleveland Browns, and spent a year with the team before being waived in September of last year. The Eagles picked up the University of Missouri product and placed him on the practice roster shortly thereafter. He was placed on the team’s active roster in December and was released earlier this month.

Dallas’s initial attempt to land Rucker, a little over a week ago, was thwarted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won the tight end’s services over Dallas based on their 2009 record, but he failed a physical due to a hamstring injury, and went back on the market.

The Cowboys snatched him up as a sort of insurance policy, with John Phillips out for the season with a torn ACL, Scott Sicko out with a concussion and Martellus Bennett struggling to return from a nagging ankle injury. Last week, the team signed tight end DajLeon Farr, who, at the time of last week’s exhibition against Oakland, was one of the team’s two healthy tight ends, along with Jason Witten.

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