The Dallas Cowboys released second-year defensive end Ben Gardner on Friday, according to a source.
The Cowboys have started making their final cuts at Valley Ranch on Friday as they work to get their roster down to the 53-man limit before the 3 p.m. Saturday deadline.
Gardner played well in the Cowboys’ preseason finale Thursday night against Houston, but couldn’t survive final cuts. Gardner, a 2014 seventh-round pick out of Stanford, missed his entire rookie season after tearing ligaments in his shoulder in training camp.
“I appreciate all of the love from #CowboysNation. Always amazed by these fans,” Gardner tweeted Friday afternoon after he had been told he was being released.