Cowboys add Sam to practice team

IRVING, Texas -- Michael Sam's second chance will be with the Dallas Cowboys.

Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that the league's first openly gay player has been added to the practice squad.

The Cowboys, who are seeking help with their pass rush because of injuries and the offseason release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware, added Sam four days after he was released by St. Louis when teams had to cut rosters to 53 players.

Sam isn't likely to be on the active roster for Sunday's opener against San Francisco.

Garrett said the move was "about football" and deflected any questions about the impact of bringing in Sam or how it might affect the locker room.

"That's your decision what question you want to ask," Garrett told a larger-than-usual crowd at his daily news conference. "We're focused on football. That's where our attention is, and what people say outside this organization is really up to them."

Any team can sign Sam off the Cowboys' practice squad but would have to put him on the 53-man roster for a minimum of four weeks.

Being on the Dallas roster means Sam is returning to his home state. He was a lightly regarded recruit out of Hitchcock, Texas, a town of about 7,000 along the Gulf Coast about 40 miles southeast of Houston. His first two years at Missouri, Sam backed up Aldon Smith and Jacquies Smith, both of whom are in the NFL.

The Cowboys didn't have Sam on their draft board, with owner Jerry Jones saying his size and skill set had him caught between defensive end and outside linebacker. Dallas passed on him with three of five seventh-round picks before the Rams got him at No. 249 out of 256 selections.

But Dallas heads into the opener with serious questions about its defensive line after giving up the most yards in the NFL last year -- and third-most in league history.