The Dallas Cowboys have finally addressed the vacancy left on the roster from losing DT Trysten Hill to an ACL tear. The second-year interior defender was lost in the Week 5 win over the New York Giants, but his injury has been lost in the shuffle as most of the attention has been paid to QB Dak Prescott.
But the Cowboys, already thin after losing free-agent signing Gerald McCoy in the offseason, desperately need help on the defensive line. Rookie Neville Gallimore has been inactive for two weeks due to coaches decision, and Tyrone Crawford hasn’t played at the same level as prior to his 2019 hip surgeries. The position is thin. Instead of moving in anyone from the outside, head coach Mike McCarthy is promoting from within, bringing Justin Hamilton up from the practice squad.
The Cowboys will sign Justin Hamilton to their 53-man roster, replacing Trysten Hill to fill a defensive tackle need. Hill suffered a torn ACL last week. Mike McCarthy said he prefers to promote from within when it comes to filling roster spots and has… https://t.co/LgaMZ6N8Uh
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 19, 2020
The Cowboys have taken a strange approach to roster management this season. Since Week 2, the Cowboys have rolled with less than the maximum 53 players on their roster. On gameday, there isn’t an impact, but week after week the club has neglected to bring in outside help in search of the proverbial diamond in the rough.
In addition, the club has waited until the last possible minute to move players to injured reserve, even though their fates are long known. Week 6 has been as glaring an example as any. The team entered Week 5 with just 51 players on their roster, then lost Prescott and Hill in Sunday’s win, knocking them down to 49.
Garrett Gilbert was signed earlier in the week, and moving Hamilton brings that number back to 51. The activation of Leighton Vander Esch puts the number at 52.
Randy Gregory will be added back to the roster following the game, bringing the total to 53 again, but there’s been several weeks where Dallas could have been bringing in players to try and help a struggling defense and offensive line.
Measurables
Background
(This information originally appeared in our 2020 Player Profile article from Ben Grimaldi.)
Hamilton signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent and from 2015 and stayed in western New York until early in the 2017 season. He was then on the practice squads of the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn’t until late September of 2017 that Hamilton was finally promoted to the Eagles’ active roster.
During the 2017 season, Hamilton played in three games for the Eagles and picked up a half-sack before being cut and re-signed to the Eagles’ practice squad again. However, the Kansas City Chiefs poached Hamilton from Philadelphia in December and he started in one game to end the year.
Hamilton appeared in four games with the Chiefs in 2018, but was released by the team in August of 2019 before their Super Bowl season began.
The Cowboys entered the picture in October of 2019 when Crawford’s injury sent him to the sideline for the year.
However, it was short-lived stay. Bennett’s addition made Hamilton expendable and Dallas released him in October. The team brought Hamilton back on a futures contract in late January.
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