Costa Pushing For A Roster Spot

Rookie offensive lineman Phil Costa spent around 15 minutes after practice on Thursday going through technique drills with All-Pro nose tackle Jay Ratliff. Costa, who seems to have an increasing shot at making the team as a back-up center, was the one who initiated the ad hoc drill, and it’s just this sort of extra effort that has won his teammates’ respect.

He’s a tough guy,” Ratliff said, per ESPN Dallas. “He’s coming every play, regardless of what happened. You could beat him 1,000 times, he’s still coming. You can’t do anything but respect that. You know that he has the fight in him, the will and the want to win. I think he’s going about it the right way to get it all done, just constantly asking questions.”

To be certain, the undrafted Maryland product has plenty of questions. He has made no secret of the fact that he has a lot to learn in making the jump from college to the NFL, and, to his credit, Costa hasn’t been shy with respect to soaking up the knowledge of veterans like Ratliff, and starting center, Andre Gurode.

“It’s amazing how much you think you know in college,” Costa said. “[Ratliff]’s showing me stuff now that I’ve never even seen.”

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