With inside linebacker Sean Lee done for the year with a toe injury that will require major surgery, the Dallas Cowboys signed veteran linebacker Ernie Sims on Wednesday.
Selected ninth overall by the Lions in 2006 out of Florida State, Sims played four seasons in Detroit before departing for Philadelphia in 2010 and then Indianapolis in 2011. Now with Dallas, 2012 will be Sims’ seventh season in the NFL.
“He’s a guy who is not real big, but watch him play, watch him play in college, watch him play in the NFL,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said of the 27-year-old, per the Dallas Morning News. “He plays with a great motor, a great demeanor. He runs to the football and he makes a lot of plays. We’re excited to have the opportunity to get him.”
For now, veteran Dan Connor is set to replace Lee in Rob Ryan’s 3-4 defense, opposite Bruce Carter. Sims’ role, meanwhile, remains to be determined. Garrett said Wednesday that any decision about said role will hinge on where the veteran is “physically and mentally in picking up our defense.”
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