FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are keeping long snapper L.P. Ladouceur.
According to sources, Ladouceur will sign a one-year deal to remain with the Cowboys on Monday, and he will join some rarified air entering his 14th season with the organization.
The only players in franchise history with more service time to the Cowboys are Jason Witten, who is entering his 16th season, Bill Bates and Mark Tuinei, who played 15 seasons for the Cowboys each.
The Cowboys have released cornerback Orlando Scandrick, following the player’s request to do so.
Cutting Dez Bryant became tougher for the Cowboys after Tuesday’s spending spree on receivers suggested that his current deal is of market value.
1 Related
Ladouceur will join Hall of Famers Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro and Randy White as well as Lee Roy Jordan, Jethro Pugh, Tom Rafferty and Tony Romo with 14 years with the Cowboys.
Ladouceur turned 37 last week and has never missed a game in his career. Last season, the Cowboys monitored his practice time in the offseason and training camp, but he has yet to have a poor snap since joining the Cowboys in 2005.
The biggest beneficiaries to Ladouceur’s return are kicker Dan Bailey, punter Chris Jones and new special teams coach Keith O’Quinn,
Bailey and Jones have lauded Ladouceur’s work for years, while O’Quinn would not want to worry about a new snapper in his first season. The Oakland Raiders made contact with Ladouceur’s agent at the start of free agency and they already signed away special teams’ stalwarts Kyle Wilber and Keith Smith, who will rejoin former Cowboys special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia in the Bay Area.
Ladouceur is the second free agent the Cowboys have kept, having placed the franchise tag on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence before the market opened. In addition to Wilber and Smith, the Cowboys also lost linebacker Anthony Hitchens to the Kansas City Chiefs.
