What was thought by some to be the deepest position on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster has been tested severely. From the mysterious neck ailment that Leighton Vander Esch has kept him out of the last four games, to Joe Thomas’s knee injury and the sketchy history of Sean Lee, and finally now rookie Luke Gifford’s fractured arm that has him sidelined for the rest of the year, the group is in need of reinforcements.
The Cowboys are set to work out two players in the wake of the injury bug. ESPN’s Todd Archer is reporting that Malcolm Smith and Ray-Ray Armstrong will compete for a potential roster spot in short order.
Smith knows at least one familiar face in Dallas, de facto defensive coordinator Kris Richard who was part of the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff for the entirety of Smith’s career there, his first of four stops around the league. Smith is most famous for recording ten combined tackles (six solo), deflected a pass, recovered a fumble, and returned an interception for a touchdown in the Seahawks’ 43–8 victory over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, earning the MVP award.
The 30-year-old was most recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars after playing Weeks 8 and 9 without logging a single snap on defense.
Armstrong was most recently with the New Orleans Saints, playing on special teams in just five games in 2019 before being cut. He has never filled a full time starting role in the NFL.
This is what the free agent landscape looks like in December. Finding a quality player isn’t an easy task, but the Cowboys are desperate to ensure that they’re able to field a full complement of linebackers down the stretch.
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