Dallas Loses Secondary Depth to Injury
Two Cowboys picked up injuries in the first game of the pre-season against the Miami Dolphins: Rookie cornerback Tyler Patmon has a high ankle sprain and will miss approximately 3 weeks, while 5th-year safety Barry Church will be out with torn knee cartilage, and will miss at least the rest of the pre-season and possibly the first week or two of the regular season.
These are significant losses for Dallas, who is lacking in secondary depth. Now, at safety, the Cowboys are left with just J.J. Wilcox, a third round pick in 2013, and Jeff Heath, a 3rd-year player who was signed as an undrafted free agent from Clemson. Wilcox recorded four solo tackles against Miami last weekend while Heath recorded two and had two passes defended.
Patmon recorded two tackles in last weekend's loss to Miami, while Church lasted just three snaps before being taken off. At cornerback, the Cowboys still have depth with veterans Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick, former undrafted 4th-year player Sterling Moore and former 6th overall pick Morris Claiborne, who hasn't worked out as expected but can still get some snaps in.
To replace Patmon and Church, who were de-activated, the Cowboys activated Tyrone Crawford, a 3rd-year defensive end from Boise State, and Cameron Lawrence, a 3rd-year linebacker out of Ole Miss. Both are expected to suit up and play against Oakland this weekend.
In other news...