The Dallas Cowboys made a roster move on Saturday, prior to facing off against the Seattle Seahawks in their Week 3 matchup in the Pacific Northwest. Already ruled out of action for the week and thought to be out for multiple weeks, things became official for cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, as the club has placed him on injured reserve.
Awuzie will now be out through at least their first NFC East game, Week 5 against the New York Giants. To fill his spot, free agent signing and second-year corner Saivion Smith has been signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The team also took advantage of the 2020 rules and has elevated practice squad players CB Deante Burton and OT Eric Smith to the active roster.
The Cowboys have placed CB Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) on injured reserve.
CB Saivion Smith has been signed to the active roster.
CB Deante Burton and T Eric Smith have been elevated to the active roster.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 26, 2020
Awuzie, a fourth-year corner, seemed to have injured his hamstring in the game against the Falcons. He had started for Anthony Brown who went on IR the week prior with a rib injury. Dallas will continue to start rookie corner Trevon Diggs on one side. Fourth-year corner Jourdan Lewis and free-agent Daryl Worley are expected to be the other key corners in use, as well as veteran Brandon Carr. Carr was signed right before the season to the practice squad and was active for 17 snaps against the Falcons in Week 2. He was signed as a safety, but will have to resume corner duties as injuries have ravaged Dallas’ already suspect secondary.
Smith went undrafted out of Alabama, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an udrafted free agent in 2019. He never appeared in a game so Sunday will be his professional debut.
Smith last played football for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL’s inaugural, then defunct season. He was once a top high-school prospect who finished his college career at Alabama after trasnferring from LSU.
The Florida native started 12 games as a junior for the Crimson Tide in 2018 and racked up 60 tackles, three interceptions, and five pass breakups, Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 200 pounds, Smith seemingly has the physical profile necessary to play in the league.
Burton signed with the Cowboys down the stretch of the 2019 season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound corner came off of the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad and has a wide receiver background before making the conversion to defense.
Both players seem to have leapfrogged 2019 UDFA and 6-foot-4 Chris Westry, who still remains on the practice squad.
As for the tackle, Eric Smith, he has to be seen as a precaution against a second-straight week of not having Tyron Smith available. Last week, Smith was replaced by Brandon Knight, who fared very well while UDFA rookie Terence Steele continued to struggle in replacing right tackle La’el Collins. Eric Smith was brought up last week as well.
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