Tag: Saivion Smith

Randy Gregory is back, Cowboys DE returns as 2 players waived

From the probably-too-little-too-late department, the Dallas Cowboys are adding a certified NFL pass rusher to their defense. Almost two months after being reinstated by the league, defensive end Randy Gregory is finally eligible to suit up for game …

From the probably-too-little-too-late department, the Dallas Cowboys are adding a certified NFL pass rusher to their defense. Almost two months after being reinstated by the league, defensive end Randy Gregory is finally eligible to suit up for game action entering Week 7. Coming off a season-long suspension in 2019, Gregory was reinstated, but was ruled ineligible to play for the first six weeks of the season.

That has expired, and he has been added to the roster ahead of the NFC East tilt against Washington. He will join a rotation that includes Aldon Smith (4.5 sacks), DeMarcus Lawrence (1 sack) and Everson Griffen (0 sacks). Dallas could certainly use the help, as the defensive line didn’t register a single sack or QB hit on Kyler Murray in Monday’s 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

[Must Read: 2020 Profile and Backtory: Randy Gregory]

In other roster moves, the Cowboys released two additional players. Cornerback Saivion Smith, who was promoted from the practice squad a few weeks ago, was waived. That is likely a sign that CB Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) is set to return to action soon as well.

Also waived was WR Ventell Bryant, who was injured during training camp.

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Cowboys place CB Chidobe Awuzie on IR, promote from PS

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 …

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.

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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Cowboys waive WR to activate two players off COVID-19 list

Dallas activated WR Jon’Vea Johnson and CB Saivion Smith to the roster, waiving undrafted free agent WR Kendrick Rogers in order to do so.

Wide receiver Jon’Vea Johnson and cornerback Saivion Smith were activated to the Cowboys’ active roster on Sunday after spending time on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. But with team rosters set at just 80 players under current coronavirus protocols, the club had to waive wide receiver Kendrick Rogers to make room.

Johnson was signed by Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and enjoyed a promising rookie camp. Hurt in that preseason’s final game, though, he spent all of last season on injured reserve. He was the first Cowboys player to be placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in late July. While that designation alone does not necessarily mean a player has contracted the coronavirus or even received a positive test, it was later reported that Johnson was found to be “actively positive from a PCR nasal-swab exam.”

Smith is technically a first-year player from Alabama, even though he spent last year’s training camp with the Jaguars. Cut at the end of the preseason, Smith was out of football for the remainder of 2019. He played with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks before signing with the Cowboys in April. He was found to be actively positive for COVID-19 (from the same type of exam as Johnson) on July 31, but was reported to be asymptomatic.

Thought by some to be a potential first-round talent at the end of the 2018 NCAA season, wideout Kendrick Rogers returned to College Station and ended up catching 30 balls for the Aggies in 2019, totaling 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 40-yard dash time at February’s combine was impressive, but Rogers ultimately went undrafted in April.

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Cowboys News: Gallup leap in Year 3? CB has Covid, Kicker comp is off

Michael Gallup doubled his production in 2019 from his rookie campaign, but improving his drop issues and playing alongside CeeDee Lamb could see his numbers increase even more. Even after resigning with the team in March, kicker Kai Forbath was released on Saturday.

Wide receiver Michael Gallup doubled his production from his rookie campaign in 2019. However, improving on his drop issues coupled with the addition of CeeDee Lamb could see his game reach an even higher plateau this season. Kicker Kai Forbath re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year deal in March, but with a longer investment tied into the new special teams coach’s guy made a decision before the competition.

Safety Donovan Wilson shined during last year’s preseason but will have a much tougher route in 2020 with exhibition games being eliminated as he looks to compete for a starting role. The current pandemic has again landed at the Cowboys doorstep as cornerback Saivion Smith has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Stephen Jones’s excitement about the receiving corps, how Mike McCarthy embracing analytics could lead to huge results, and where Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott land in a 2016 redraft and more are covered in the news and notes.

Cowboys reserve cornerback Saivion Smith diagnosed with COVID-19 :: Dallas Morning News

Saivion Smith becomes the second Cowboys player (Jon’Vea Johnson) to land on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. This brings the total of players impacted through quarantine or opt out to four.

Mike McCarthy’s embracing of analytics could be the key difference for the 2020 Dallas Cowboys :: Blogging The Boys

Mike McCarthy let it be known that he became up to date with the analytical side of football during his time away from the NFL, and that could lead to monster success in 2020.

S Donovan Wilson Facing Challenging 2nd Year Without Preseason Games :: Inside The Star

Safety Donovan Wilson was the Cowboys defensive standout during last year’s preseason with three interceptions. Unfortunately, the versatile second-year talent is facing a tough 2020 with exhibition games now canceled.

Stephen Jones hasn’t ‘seen anything like’ Cowboys WR corps :: NFL

The addition of CeeDee Lamb has Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones excited about the team’s aerial assault.

Plexiglass, trackers and high-tech laundry: From Jerry Jones on down, rigorous COVID-19 protocols await Cowboys :: Dallas Morning News

Extreme measures have been taken to keep The Star in Frisco safe for all Cowboys players and personnel.

How DeMarcus Ware opened a fitness center during a pandemic :: ESPN

Former Cowboys great DeMarcus Ware has used his time during the COVID-19 pandemic constructively by opening up a fitness center.

After an impressive 2019 campaign, Michael Gallup can take another leap in 2020 :: Blogging The Boys

Improving on his drop issue and having CeeDee Lamb as a member of the Cowboys receiving corp could see Michael Gallup take his game to another level in 2020.

Covid-19 ends Cowboys kicker comp before it starts, Forbath released :: Cowboys Wire

Even after signing him to a one-year deal in March, the Cowboys have released kicker Kai Forbath, leaving Greg Zuerlein as the only player at the position on the roster.

Prescott No.1 in 2016 redraft, Cowboys’ Elliott drops out of Top 10 :: Cowboys Wire

A redraft of the 2016 NFL Draft has new landing spots for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The former went from a fourth-rounder to the top overall pick, while the latter fell out of the top 10 after being drafted fourth overall.

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Cowboys continue to augment CB group with former Alabama product

The Dallas Cowboys have signed free agent CB Saivion Smith.

The departure of Byron Jones to the Miami Dolphins made cornerback arguably the biggest need on the Cowboys roster. While they haven’t been able to replace Jones with an established starter, that hasn’t stopped the Cowboys from adding depth at the position.

The Dallas Cowboys have signed free-agent CB Saivion Smith.

The signing of Smith marks the third cornerback signed by Dallas during this free agency period. The Cowboys retained Anthony Brown, and added Maurice Canady.

Smith, Brown, and Canady are set to join returning contributors Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in the cornerback room.

Smith last played football for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL’s innagural season. The newest Cowboy was once a top high-school prospect who finished his college career at Alabama after starting at their rival, LSU. The former SEC corner’s last NFL stint was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 preseason, but he was released in the final cuts prior to the regular season.

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. Despite that production on one of the top programs in the nation, Smith wasn’t drafted and would later be signed by Jacksonville.

As he is yet to play in a real NFL game, it is unlikely that the Cowboys will rely heavily on Smith on the outside. However, at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds Smith seemingly has the physical profile  and talent to make an impact as a rotation cornerback or on the Cowboys revamped special teams unit.

This latest signing shouldn’t be enough to impact the Cowboys draft strategy in a few short weeks. Dallas’ first selection, pick No. 17, has been commonly linked to cornerbacks Kristian Fulton from LSU, and CJ Henderson from Florida.

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