Getty Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy
As it emerges from its brief respite, the Dallas Cowboys executed a roster move, releasing defensive end Breeland Speaks from the practice squad, the team announced Monday, December 6.
Speaks originally joined Dallas’ taxi squad in November 2020 but his contract expired last January. After spending part of the offseason with the New York Giants, he returned to the Cowboys’ practice team, inking a deal on September 1.
Speaks, 25, has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2018, his rookie campaign. The former Kansas City Chiefs second-round pick has 15 solo tackles, eight quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks to his name across 16 NFL appearances (four starts).
His departure leaves just two defensive linemen on the Cowboys’ practice squad: DE Bradlee Anae and DT Austin Faoliu. It’s unclear as of this writing whether the club plans to make a corresponding transaction.
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Reinforcements On the Way
The 8-4 Cowboys are readying for the impending playoff push coming off last week’s victory over the New Orleans Saints, which snapped a two-game losing skid. And they appear to be getting healthier as they do so.
Team vice president Stephen Jones confirmed in a December 6 radio interview that, “barring a surprise,” DL Randy Gregory and Neville Gallimore will play in Sunday’s divisional road showdown at Washington.
“They’ve had a great couple weeks and they’ll take another step this week (by taking part in) full practices. Unless there’s a setback, which we certainly don’t expect, we’re preparing them to play in the game,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan.
Jones’ projection matches that of his father, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones, who also anticipates both defenders suiting up in the nation’s capital.
“As we get these guys back, Gallimore next week, there’s a real good chance we’ll have Randy Gregory back next week,” Jerry Jones said December 3 on 105.3 The Fan. “It’s practice time.”
Gregory hasn’t played since sustaining a calf injury in November. Despite his recent inactivity, the walk-year veteran still ranks second on the team with five sacks, trailing only stud rookie linebacker Micah Parsons (10).
A 2020 third-round selection, Gallimore is set to make his sophomore debut after dislocating his elbow during the preseason. His practice window was opened on November 29; the Cowboys have until December 20 to activate Gallimore from injured reserve.
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McCarthy Nearly Out of COVID Protocol
Forced to sit out the Week 13 triumph at New Orleans, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is expected to rejoin the team on Thursday, December 9, according to Stephen Jones.
McCarthy tested positive for the coronavirus following Dallas’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and remains, for now, in the league’s stringent COVID-19 protocol.
“He’s doing all his work and getting the team prepared (remotely). I know he’d love to be there, hands-on. But at the same time, he does a great job Zooming in and getting his staff prepared. … He’ll do a good job and be ready to get back in the building,” Jones said of McCarthy, via 105.3 The Fan. “I’ve talked to him pretty much every day and he’s just dying to get his hands on the team. … He’s feeling really good. He’s getting through it in a good way. He’s done all the right things with vaccinations and things like that. … He’s been able to work right through it.”