Canadian Influence at the Dallas Cowboys

Compared to other nationalities, no country outside the United States has provided more currently active NFL players than Canada. At present there are 16 active Canadian players linked to the NFL, of which 9 feature in team rosters for the 2019 season, while 2 are on reserve lists, 1 in a practice squad, and 3 who are free agents awaiting their next opportunity.

Of the 9 players currently listed in team rosters, there are 3 who play for the Dallas Cowboys and that’s not without some irony, making the franchise fondly known as ‘America’s Team’ the most Canadian flavored of any in the NFL at present. Let’s take a look at this trio of Canadian NFL stars.

Christian Covington

Position: Defensive Tackle
Age: 25
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C.
High School: Vancouver College
College: Rice (NCAA)

NFL Experience: 5th Season As the son of Grover Covington, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame defensive end and All-Star who spent a decade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1981 to 1991, while still considered one of the greatest players to grace the CFL to this day, it’s fair to say that Christian Covington was born with football pumping through his veins.

By contrast to his father, the junior Covington opted to head south of the border to follow his sporting dreams, playing college football at Rice University. Quickly impressing, he was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2015 and that’s where the NFL door opened.

After four seasons on the roster with the Houston Texans, where he started a total of 50 games, Covington switched to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2019 NFL season. Immediately considered a first-choice player at Defensive Tackle, the 25-year-old has started all 5 of their opening games.

Tyrone Crawford

Position: Defensive End
Hometown: Windsor, Ont.
High School: Catholic Central
College: Boise State (NCAA)
NFL Experience: 7th Season

A player who overcame numerous obstacles on his way to NHL stardom, Tyrone Crawford first encountered difficulties when he was recruited by Boise State University. This was due to the academic curriculum from his Canadian high school, Catholic Central, failing to meet NCAA requirements.

Nevertheless, after spending two years at Bakersfield College, focusing on developing his defensive end positional game, Crawford was soon ranked as one of the best junior college prospects in football. After eventually moving to Boise State, he continued to excel and his reputation as a winning tackler grew.

Selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, he played all 16 games that season and registered impressive numbers. A torn Achilles ruled him out of the 2013 season, but since bouncing back to action, Crawford has been practically an ever-present in the team. Selfless in his teamwork and switching between the defensive end and defensive tackle roles.

Louis-Philippe Ladouceur

Position: Long Snapper
Hometown: Montreal, Que.
High School: Collège Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur
College: California (NCAA)
NFL Experience: 15th Season

Such an instrumental specialist in so many plays at key points, arguably the best long snapper in the game, Ladouceur and the Cowboys are +1600 to win the Super Bowl according to the latest NFL odds on bet365, while also +800 to win the NFC Championship. His accuracy throughout the 2019 season, as always, will be a big contributor towards that aim.

Now aged 38 and one of those players who seems like he’s been around forever, despite first being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005, after being waived, it was quite by chance the opportunity arrived to sign for the Dallas Cowboys. Due to issues with their rookie long snapper, Ladouceur was given a try out. After snapping perfectly on his debut against the San Francisco 49ers in September 2005, the rest, as they say, is history.

Ladouceur has never missed a single game for the Cowboys since he signed back in 2005, becoming renowned for the perfection of his snaps, given that he has never failed a single one of them in any game, ever! Currently the oldest active player on their roster, up to and including the first 5 games of the 2019 NFL campaign, he has made a total of 226 appearances and shows no signs of quitting.

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