Dallas Cowboys lose offensive lineman Josh Ball to 'significant' injury

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy shared on Monday that the team believes offensive lineman Josh Ball suffered a “significant” injury versus the Raiders this weekend.

His injury, currently unspecified, could either make the Cowboys’ upcoming roster decision easier or harder. McCarthy said they expect Ball to miss “multiple” weeks.

The NFL’s roster deadline to cut the list down from 90 to 53 men is on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Dallas could keep Ball on the 53-man roster until Wednesday, and then move him to the Injured Reserve where he’d have to stay for the first four weeks. Or, the team could put him on IR before the deadline, effectively ending his 2023 season.

Another option is to release him entirely, which will be the fate of 21 others this week. After the cut from 90 to 53 men, teams can put another 16 players on the practice squad.

Ball, a fourth-round selection out of Marshall in 2021, has swapped from interior to tackle roles to help the Cowboys achieve their ideal positional flexibility this preseason.

Cowboys lose Josh Ball for ‘multiple weeks’

The Cowboys have another lineman in the mix who also has an injury. Free agent pickup Chuma Edoga suffered a knee injury during training camp. Edoga played in two games at left guard for the Atlanta Falcons last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

In ESPN’s recent projection of the Dallas 53-man roster after Tuesday’s deadline did not include Josh Ball, but did include Edoga. Reporter Todd Archer predicts Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, and Terence Steele will all make the roster. He also named Chuma Edoga, T.J. Bass, Matt Waletzko, and rookie Asim Richards as the backups.

Dallas begins the 2023 regular season with a road game versus the New York Giants on Sept. 10. The team went 1-2 during the preseason with a win versus Las Vegas and losses against Seattle and Jacksonville.

Ahead of the roster deadline this week, the Cowboys traded with the San Francisco 49ers for third-string quarterback Trey Lance. The Cowboys acquired the 2021 No. 3 overall pick from the 49ers for a future fourth-round pick.

With Lance inking with Dallas, the Cowboys decided to release Will Grier, bringing the QB room back down to three players.

The franchise has numerous difficult decisions to make before the 4 p.m. ET deadline. Already down to 80, however, there aren’t too many left. On Monday, the team informed defensive end Ben Banogu and center Alec Lindstrom that they were released.