Dallas Cowboys 2022 NFL preseason round-up: Smith, Washington to IR, Jason Peters, trade moves…
The Cowboys made more moves yesterday after their initial roster cuts, including moving Washington and Smith to injured reserve.
Cowboys move Smith and Washington to IR, bring back Goodwin and McQuaide
On Tuesday, the Cowboys released all of their special teams players in order to comply with the 53-man roster limit. Of course, they always intended to bring them back on board, and now they have brought back two of them. The Cowboys placed WR James Washington and OT Tyron Smith on injured reserve in order to open up two spots. With those two spots open, they re-signed special teams ace C.J. Goodwin and long-snapper Jake McQuaide.
If you’re confused about why they didn’t just do that in the first place, there’s an explanation for it. The official NFL rules state that a player who is injured must be on the active roster for at least a day before moving to IR if they intend to bring them back on board in the regular season. Considering that both Goodwin and McQuaide are vested veterans, they made sense to release, as they were not subject to waivers, and they agreed that they would re-sign with the Cowboys within 24 hours.
As for kicker Brett Maher, who was also released on Tuesday, he has since re-signed to the Cowboys practice squad and is expected to move to the active roster before Week 1 to be the starting kicker for the season opener.
Rush and Grier on practice squad, Rush to move to active roster
Backup quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Will Grier were both among the Cowboys’ initial roster cuts on Tuesday, and now they have re-signed both to the practice squad. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after the signing that they plan to promote Rush to the active roster to be the official backup to Dak Prescott before Week 1.
There are still more moves to make, and it’s possible Grier could also join the active roster eventually, but for now, we know who the QB2 is.
OT Jason Peters possibile new sign with the Cowboys
On Wednesday, it was reported that offensive tackle Jason Peters would be practicing with the Cowboys this week. The 40-year-old free agent spent 13 years with the Eagles, starting for the 2017 Super Bowl champion team, and has made nine Pro Bowls since he joined the NFL in 2004. When the Cowboys lost Tyron Smith to injury last Thursday, it looked quite bleak for them. This could be just what they need.
Rookie Tyler Smith is still technically the lead candidate to start at left tackle on the season opener against Tampa Bay on September 11. But adding Peters to the mix would give them the depth they desperately need. Behind Smith is Matt Waletzko and Josh Ball. Smith is brand new to the league with hardly any practice at left tackle, and the other two simply have not shown they are legitimate options for full-time fill-ins for Tyron. Bringing in Peters could keep Tyler Smith at left guard, where he has been practicing and where he best fits.
Cowboys sign Qadree Ollison to practice squad
The Atlanta Falcons released running back Qadree Ollison, making him a free agent. The Cowboys are now signing him to their practice squad.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn used to be the head coach of the Falcons and knows Ollison well. The 25-year-old out of Pittsburgh didn’t make the cut on a Falcons team full of talent at back, but in his rookie season, he scored four touchdowns on just 22 carries - he has the talent. Though in Dallas, he also is behind the likes of Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and Rico Dowdle, he joins the Cowboys practice squad along with Malik Davis. Davis was among the cuts made on Tuesday, but re-signed to the practice squad on Wednesday.