Cowboys add DE to active roster, 2 to practice squad before season finale

From @ToddBrock24f7: Earnest Brown IV earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams. CB Luq Barcoo was an XFL all-star; OG Jack Anderson played 12 games as a Giant.

With just one game left to play before lockers are cleaned out for the long offseason, the Cowboys are still shuffling their roster, adding three players on New Year’s Day.

Dallas signed defensive end Earnest Brown IV to the active roster on Wednesday. Brown is a homegrown product who played high school ball in Denton, Tex. before going to Northwestern as a four-star recruit. He was selected in the fifth round of 2021’s draft by the Los Angeles Rams and won a Super Bowl ring with that team as a rookie, though he never saw the field in his first year.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 300-pounder remained with the Rams for two more seasons, getting in 12 games before becoming a free agent. He landed in Tampa Bay for the 2024 campaign and saw action in three midseason contests for the Buccaneers but played fewer than two dozen total snaps.

While Brown will be eligible to play in Sunday’s season finale, his addition at this late date is more likely a signal that the Cowboys are interesting in inking the soon-to-be 26-year-old to a reserve/futures contract once the regular season is concluded.

The Cowboys also signed two new faces to the practice squad. Cornerback Luq Barcoo has spent time with six NFL teams since 2020, though he’s appeared in just three games, all with Jacksonville that year. He also played with the San Antonio Brahmas, earning All-XFL honors for the 2023 season.

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Guard Jack Anderson was also added to the practice squad. The 6-foot-4-inch Frisco native played collegiately at Texas Tech and went on to be drafted in 2021’s seventh round by the Buffalo Bills. He’s bounced around with five other clubs, most notably seeing time in 12 games for the Giants in 2022.

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Bucs announce roster moves ahead of Week 7 matchup against the Ravens

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made several roster moves ahead of their Week 7 matchup in primetime against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made several roster moves ahead of their primetime Week 7 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed cornerback Jamel Dean and wide receiver Kameron Johnson on injured reserve. In a positive move, the team has activated defensive lineman Earnest Brown IV from Injured Reserve and punter Trenton Gill.

Brown IV was placed on Injured Reserve earlier in the season and has not played in the 2024 season. He previously played in 12 games for the Bucs and had 14 tackles in those games. For Gill, he has played in three games for the Bucs this year and has a net punt average of 36.2 yards.

The loss of Dean will mean that Zyon McCollum and rookie Tykee Smith will have larger roles going forward. Both have had their moments in recent weeks, highlighted by Smith, who, in Week 6, played well enough to be nominated for NFC Rookie of the Week.

Bucs sign 2024 third-round pick

The Buccaneers officially signed their 2024 third-round pick, safety Tykee Smith.

The Buccaneers officially signed 2024 third-round pick Tykee Smith to the roster, the team announced Tuesday. The former Georgia safety was the first of Tampa Bay’s two third-round selections in this year’s draft.

The Bucs also signed former Rams defensive lineman Earnest Brown IV and cut running back Patrick Laird. Brown was taken by the Rams in the fifth-round of the 2021 draft and played just under 200 snaps over two years with Los Angeles.

Laird entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Miami Dolphins. After three years with Miami, Laird signed with the Bucs during the 2022 preseason but spent the entirety of his time in Tampa Bay on the practice squad.