America’s team is reloading when it comes to Canadian content.
Mississauga born defensive end Brent Urban has signed a one year deal to play for the Dallas Cowboys, according to a tweet from a knowledgeable source — his wife Kate.
The Cowboys topped the NFL last season with four Canadians on their roster, including veteran longsnapper LP Ladouceur, third round pick Neville Gallimore, defensive end Tyrone Crawford and nose tackle Eli Ankou. All except Gallimore have hit the open market, but the Urban addition means at least two Cowboys will have maple leafs hidden under the stars on their helmet.
Urban’s career started with the Baltimore Ravens in 2014 after he was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft. He has appeared in 70 games with the Ravens, Titans and Bears, making 27 starts and recording 104 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and six sacks.
The six-foot-seven, 295-pounder was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round of 2013 CFL draft as a redshirt junior out of Virginia. It was a high-risk, high-reward selection that didn’t pay dividends for the Ticats due to Urban’s success south of the border.
2020 was the best season of Urban’s seven year career, as he started 8 games for Chicago and racked up 36 tackles and 2.5 sacks, both career highs.
He’ll cash in on that successful, building on on over $6 million in career earnings.