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Jerry and Stephen Jones are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on the Dallas Cowboys‘ final roster.
After cutting a trio of players, including quarterback Clayton Thorson and former Jets bust Devin Smith, the team announced Wednesday the release of four others: offensive tackles Mitch Hyatt, Wyatt Miller, and Pace Murphy and tight end Charlie Taumoepeau.
It’s unclear if Hyatt was waived with an injury settlement after the second-year lineman recently was lost to a significant knee injury. He may revert to the team’s injured reserve list upon clearing waivers. A 2019 UDFA, Hyatt spent much of last season on the Cowboys’ practice squad before his December elevation to the active roster.
Miller was signed by Dallas last December, plucked off the Cincinnati Bengals’ taxi squad, amid his rookie NFL campaign. He was scooped up by the New York Jets after the 2019 Draft, appearing in four preseason games before New York waived him at final cuts.
Murphy’s departure is something of a surprise considering he received a two-year contract from the Cowboys on Aug. 19. A 2016 UDFA, Murphy began his career with the Los Angeles Rams, appearing in one game as a rookie. He was chopped at final cuts in 2017. Waived by the Chiefs last year, Murphy landed on the Dallas Renegades of the XFL, which folded league operations back in April.
The flurry of OL moves — including guard Adam Redmond’s dismissal — signals that Dallas has decided on its backups behind starters Tyron Smith, Connor Williams, Joe Looney, Zack Martin, and La’El Collins. They likely are Connor McGovern, Tyler Biadasz, Cam Erving and Brandon Knight, depending on how many linemen they carry.
Taumoepeau, a rookie out of Portland State, joined the club following April’s draft. He was deemed obsolete with Blake Jarwin, Blake Bell, and Dalton Schultz entrenched on the TE depth chart.
The Cowboys have until 4 p.m. ET on Saturday to reduce their roster to 53 players ahead of the Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. They will then formulate a 16-man practice team for the 2020 season.
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