Tag: cowboys safety

Donovan Wilson misses Cowboys’ Wednesday with nagging groin issue

Safety Donovan Wilson dealt with a groin issue that kept him sidelined during training camp, and he aggravated it in Week 1 last Thursday. | From @StarConscience

Safety Donovan Wilson burst onto the scene last season with 71 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. During training camp, however, the Cowboy’s top strong safety dealt with a groin issue that forced him to miss some time, but he was ready for the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Every player comes out of each game with a few bumps and bruises, but unfortunately for Wilson, Week 1 saw a nagging issue flare up again. Wilson won’t practice on Wednesday after aggravating his groin according to head coach Mike McCarthy.

This isn’t unfamiliar territory for the former Texas A&M Aggie. He missed two games in 2020 with the same injury. Groin issues, much like hamstrings, can and probably will linger throughout an entire season even if a player doesn’t miss games.

If Wilson were to miss any time veteran safety Jayron Kearse, who tied for the team lead with 11 tackles in Week 1, would fill in. That’s the last resort the Cowboys want to take. Not that Kearse is a bad player, but when healthy Wilson is the guy you want getting the bulk of the snaps at strong safety.

This will be a situation to monitor throughout the week with the formidable passing attack of the Los Angeles Chargers on deck for the Cowboys defense this Sunday led by quarterback Justin Herbert.

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Darian Thompson among several Cowboys cuts named to practice squad

Safety Darian Thompson will be addd to the practice squad after being released on Tuesday along with quarterback Ben DiNucci and more. | From @StarConscience

The Dallas Cowboys cut their roster down to the mandated 53 players on Tuesday. One of the moves they made was to release veteran safety Darian Thompson who had been with the team for the past three seasons.

Thompson’s departure from the Cowboys would be short-lived, as it was revealed on Wednesday Dallas is bringing back Thompson to the practice squad. He’s one of 14 players who has been released over the month of August who will return.

The former third-round pick of the New York Giants in 2016 has buttered his bread with Cowboys on defense and special teams. After just one defensive snap in 2018, Thompson has logged 903 over the last two seasons with 11 starts. He’s amassed 88 tackles, an interception, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 1.5 sacks. The veteran has also been on the field for 483 special teams snaps during that span.

Several other players will still get another chance to once again wear the star on their helmets.

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Ben DiNucci’s time in Dallas has been a struggle. After going just 23 of 43 for 219 yards and fumbling four times (team lost two) in 2020, the seventh-round pick didn’t perform well in the preseason. He went 35 of 66 for 348 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. His three-interception outing against the Houston Texans likely played a huge in the decision to wave him. Nonetheless, he’s back with the Cowboys.

Hard Knocks’ feel-good story Issac Alarcon continues his intriguing NFL journey. As a member of the International Player Pathway Program (IPPP), Alarcon is a part of the NFL’s attempt to the amount of non-American and Canadian players in the NFL. He’s shown promise but will have to work on his technique and footwork to make it on the professional level.

JaQuan Hardy got his shot to win the RB3 role in the dress rehearsal game against the Houston Texans once Rico Dowdle went to injured reserve with a hip injury. Unfortunately, he only gained 26 yards on nine carries with nearly half of that total (11 yards) coming on one attempt. Hardy has some ability but will have to learn to hit holes faster and do a better job of catching the ball out of the backfield.

Fullback Nick Ralston made an impression on special teams and as a lead blocker during the preseason. Braylon Jones not only provides depth at guard but also at center, which is important with how Connor Williams struggled to snap the football in an attempt to see if he had value as a backup at the position to Tyler Biadasz.

In addition to Kyron Brown and Brandon Smith, the Cowboys are also re-signing cornerback Deante Burton and wide receiver Osirus Mitchell.

The rules for the practice squad are as follows. A player can be called up twice during the season to be activated on gameday and moved back to the practice squad without being a waiver risk. However, if a player is called up a third time and gets released, they can’t be added back to the practice squad and will be on the waiver wire instead.

Look for more moving and shaking in regards to the Cowboys roster now that the waiver wire is in full swing.

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Cowboys’ Israel Mukuamu is showing his versatility, highest-graded rookie safety per PFF

Mukuamu transitioned from cornerback to safety and that flexibility has led to an interesting development for the Cowboys when it comes to the depth department. | From @StarConscience

Making an NFL roster is tough, however sixth-round picks like Israel Mukuamu have an even harder climb. Players picked that far into the draft process are seen as projects and not someone who can contribute to a roster early. Nonetheless, the former South Carolina Gamecock proclaimed that he’d be the best cornerback in the 2021 NFL draft. His career has taken a slight turn.

The 6-foot-4 defensive back has taken his talents to the safety position. Mukuamu has played free safety and in the box and he’s played both positions so well that according to Pro Football Focus he’s the highest-graded rookie safety in the NFL during the preseason.

Mukuamu has also taken snaps at the line of scrimmage and slot or nickel cornerback. With Trevon Diggs and Donovan Wilson as seemingly the only locks at cornerback or safety heading into the new season, Mukuamu’s versatility will allow him to put plenty of reps on film and earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

It didn’t take long for Mukuamu to catch the eye of a former Cowboys safety. Barry Church, who played in Dallas for seven seasons (2010-2016), put everyone on notice during rookie minicamp back in May about what Mukuamu could bring to the Cowboy’s defense.

“You heard it here first, Mukuamu. Israel Mukuamu,” Church said. “He was the corner opposite of Jaycee Horn down there in South Carolina. And they moved him back to free safety and this is a big kid, 6’4, 212….so he’s a big guy, big kid. They moved him back to free safety – so I was looking a the DB drills. I’m just, you know, biased as a safety. So I’m looking at him and this guy looked fluid. I’m talking about from the breaks, I mean there was no false steps, he wasn’t stepping in a bucket. Everything just seemed to be a positive movement with this guy.”

Mukuamu played well in his first two seasons with the Gamecocks. He appeared in 13 games (two starts) as a true freshman in 2018 and registered 17 tackles, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble. After earning a starting role at safety for the 2019 season, Mukuamu was moved to cornerback to play opposite 2021 first-round pick, Jaycee Horn. He tallied 59 tackles, four interceptions (led the team), nine pass breakups, and scored a defensive touchdown which led to him garnering Second-Team All-SEC honors.

His junior campaign was cut short due to a groin injury. Mukuamu only played in six games but he logged five starts across cornerback and safety, again showing he has value in multiple areas. He finished tied for the team lead with two interceptions.

There are two preseason games left for the Cowboys. That gives Mukuamu a lot of opportunities to carve out a role on Dan Quinn’s defense this season and become one of the steals of the 2021 NFL draft.

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