The Dallas Cowboys have placed defensive end turned outside linebacker Greg Ellis on the trading block, reports Calvin Watkins of fanhouse.com.
Ellis, who didn’t participate in Friday’s OTA, has been publicly uncomfortable with the move to linebacker in 2006.
Dallas has since drafted two more outside linebackers in the first round (Bobby Carpenter in 2006, Anthony Spencer in 2007). The team spent two fourth round picks on pass rushers in the fourth round of last month’s draft.
All of this, more or less, equates to an unhappy Greg Ellis and a noncommittal Dallas Cowboys’ front office.
After the draft, owner Jerry Jones commented on Ellis’ status within the organization, saying, "Right now, he's on the roster."
At 33, Ellis was the Cowboys’ first round pick in 1998.
If Dallas can’t find a suitor to which they can trade Ellis, he will likely be released. The team has reportedly reached out to New England and Cincinnati, where Ellis would be reunited with former Cowboys’ safety Roy Williams and, former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.
If they release Ellis outright, the team will save $4.15 million against the cap in 2009. This may be crucial, considering that the team is still in long term negotiations with Demarcus Ware, on what will no doubt be a leviathan deal.
Ellis had spent eight years at defensive end before being moved to the linebacker position.
In that season, Ellis thrived before going down with a torn Achilles tendon in a game against Arizona. His comeback in 2007, marked by 12.5 sacks, earned him the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, as well as his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
Anthony Spencer would likely replace Ellis full time if he is released; Spencer, somewhat to Ellis’ chagrin, got the lion’s share of first and second down snaps in 2008.
