Dallas Cowboys makes multiple roster moves on Tuesday

After their Sunday Night Football win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys sit atop the NFC East with a 6-1 record. On Tuesday, they made two moves as they continue fighting for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

First, linebacker Jabril Cox was moved to injured reserved after tearing his ACL on Sunday. He was covering a punt during the third quarter when the injury occurred.

He is expected to undergo season-ending surgery later this month.

Cox is a rookie who originally played for FCS North Dakota State before transferring to LSU for his senior season. Dallas selected him in the fourth round with the No. 115 overall pick. His role slightly increased within Dan Quinn’s defense after Jaylon Smith was cut back in early October.

However, most of his snaps have come on special teams.

The second roster move was waiving second-year defensive end Bradlee Anae. A former fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Anae was inactive for nine of his 23 possible games and did not play in another two.

His stint in Dallas ended with two career tackles and no sacks. Similar to Cox, most of Anae’s playing time came via special teams.

A few penalties for special teams coordinator Bones Fossil’s unit may have been the reason Anae is no longer on the Cowboys. The latest came on Sunday night, as the defensive end jumped offsides, extending Minnesota’s drive. They got a field goal as result.

A Dallas return for Jaylon Smith?

Some were surprised when former second-round pick Jaylon Smith was back in October. He was quickly picked up by the Green Bay Packers and said his release from Dallas was “nothing other than business.”

“It’s the National Football League,” Smith said. “I’m just blessed and thankful to be able to play at the place I wanted to play, and that’s with the Green Bay Packers.”

Earlier on Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Packers had released Smith. He played in just two games, recording two tackles.

With an open spot at linebacker due to Cox’s injury, there was a thought Smith could return to Dallas.

ESPN’s Todd Archer quickly shot it down, saying he does not expect the Cowboys to resign Smith after his release from Green Bay. The main reasoning being Cox’s main role within the team was special teams. Smith did not feature in any packages for the unit during his four plus years in Dallas.