Cowboys waive fan favorite Isaac Alarcon; OL expected to return to practice squad

One of the stars of 2021’s “Hard Knocks,” the Mexican-born lineman could stay with the OL-thin Cowboys by serving on the practice squad. | From @ToddBrock24f7

It’s a long way from Monterrey, Mexico to Dallas.

The road from there to the Dallas Cowboys roster is considerably longer, but Isaac Alarcón appears to still be on it.

The offensive lineman was one of the stars of last summer’s Hard Knocks series on HBO thanks to his hard work, his charismatic family, and his own on-the-field hankering for a piece of Dak Prescott’s birthday cake.

But on Tuesday, the Cowboys officially waived Alarcón as they trimmed the roster to 53 active players.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports, however, that the Cowboys, who are heading into the regular season with a severe lack of depth along the offensive line, plan to sign Alarcón to the practice squad on Wednesday, keeping him stashed away in case of emergency for a third year.

As part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program beginning in 2020, Alarcón was allowed to practice and train with the Cowboys while not counting against any of the team’s roster limits. That two-year exemption has ended, but the 6-foot-6-inch 24-year-old has demonstrated enough progress this offseason to apparently warrant a practice squad spot on his own merit.

“He’s doing great,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said of him in early August. “I think the thing that you appreciate about him is just all the extra work that he’s done. I just recall my first year with him. Where he is today, he’s made tremendous strides. He’s done a great job with his body; his strength and conditioning has been exemplary. He’s definitely going to be competing in the preseason games, and he’s done a great job.”

Alarcón played 22 snaps against Denver in the preseason opener and just nine snaps the next week versus the Chargers. After 33 snaps in the Cowboys’ preseason finale against Seattle, he suffered an ankle injury and left the field early.

But it seems that despite being left off the 53-man roster, he won’t be leaving the team entirely.

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