AP

Daryl Washington lives four miles from AT&T Stadium, so close he can see the home of the Cowboys from his Arlington neighborhood. The former Pro Bowl linebacker just wants a second chance, with any team, but admits he would love to wear the star on the side of his helmet.

“Why not be a Cowboy?” Washington told Pro Football Talk over breakfast with his attorney, Daniel B. Moskowitz. “I’m settled in here. It’s home. Let’s try to get one this year. Come on Mr. [Jerry] Jones, you’ll be glad you took a chance on me. We’ll hold up that Lombardi Trophy together.”

Washington has never met the Cowboys owner but hopes the day is coming soon.

The Cowboys are conducting their due diligence on Washington, who was released by the Cardinals after the league reinstated him in April. The former TCU star has yet to get a workout with the Cowboys, but he spends his time working out at local gyms and high school tracks, readying for the chance.

He weighs 235, his playing weight with the Cardinals, and says he’s in the best shape of his life.

“You sit out for a couple of years, and you think to yourself, ‘Man, will there ever be an opportunity to get back,’” Washington said. “…It’s just the anticipation of now it’s here and just getting that opportunity to be able to put myself in a position to rise back to the top. I’m just preparing myself and controlling what I can control, and once that opportunity is given to me, it’s what you do with it. I’m excited about that.”

Washington insists he can become the same player – one who had 394 tackles, 18 sacks, 24 pass breakups and six interceptions in four seasons – but is a different person from the one who earned an indefinite suspension. His reinstatement, Washington says, shows he did all the right things in three years on the sideline.

“I take full responsibility for everything I went through,” Washington said. “I don’t blame anybody. But I’m not here to talk about it; I’m here to show you what type of person I am now and where I’m trying to go.”