How far has Dallas Cowboys DE George Selvie come since this time last year?

A year ago last Thursday, George Selvie arrived at the Cowboys’ training camp with little fanfare.

Many assumed then he was just another guy, filling a roster spot after Tyrone Crawford tore his left Achilles tendon days before.

“I remember that day getting in, and Coach [Rod] Marinelli was like, ‘Oh, we’re just going to have you sit on the sideline,’” Selvie recalled. “I get out there. He was telling me to get my [butt] in there and go make some plays. So with that that’s where I started from.”

And he didn’t stop, making seven sacks during a 2013 season in which he started every game.

Now, Selvie is considered one of the key members of the Cowboys’ defensive line, which has been in the throes of transition over the last 12 months.

Asked if he thought he would be in the position he is now at the time the Cowboys signed him off the street in July 2013, Selvie said, “I didn’t think so. But it happened for me. And I’m grateful for that, going out there and making plays and being one of the players on this team.”

Selvie is much more than one of the guys, according to head coach Jason Garrett. Selvie, Garrett said, embodies the persona of the Cowboys.

“George is a great example of what we believe in, the culture of our football team, which is give everybody an opportunity to show us what they can do,” Garrett said. “If the players have heard me say this once, they have heard it literally a thousand times: It doesn’t matter where you came from. A Pro Bowl player, college free agent we signed 15 minutes ago.

“We’re going to give you a chance to show us what you can do. George is a great example for all of us of a guy who came from nowhere, who was on the street, and we brought him in here and over and over and over again it was like, ‘Who’s this 99?’ He just showed up every day in practice, he showed up in the practices, he showed up in the preseason games. It’s a meritocracy. That’s what this thing is. That’s the greatness of the NFL. It’s based on merit and he showed us that he deserved to be here and deserved to have a role that he has on our football team. He has been a great addition.”