Coinciding with the impending return of several players, including wide receiver Michael Gallup, the Dallas Cowboys created two vacancies on the 53-man roster.
The Cowboys sent defensive lineman Brent Urban and cornerback Maurice Canady to injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday. Urban is battling a triceps issue while Canady is nursing the aftereffects of a concussion he suffered during Dallas’ Week 7 victory at New England.
Both players will be forced to sit out a minimum of three games, per NFL rules.
The @dallascowboys placed DE Brent Urban and DB Maurice Canady on Reserve/Injured on Tuesday.
The IR transactions come one day after the Cowboys opened Gallup’s (calf) 21-day activation window. The team also started the clock on linebacker Francis Bernard (hamstring) and defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee), who was stashed on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin the regular season.
“We do intend to (have Michael Gallup start practicing this week),” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan. “We’re looking at Trysten Hill, and maybe starting to practice him this week, and Francis Bernard. So three more added to (tight end Sean) McKeon and (cornerback) Kelvin Joseph (practice this week).”
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Breaking Down Urban & Canady by the Numbers
An eighth-year vet who joined Dallas in free agency, Urban, 30, has compiled three tackles and one pass breakup across six appearances this season, working primarily as a run defender on early downs. He’s logged 161 snaps (42%) for defensive boss Dan Quinn, who’s also rotated DTs Carlos Watkins and Osa Odighizuwa.
“I was going over individual defensive drills with Will McClay and we were just commenting on what a great signing he was for us, just a great fit for us,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said of Urban in June, via beat reporter Brianna Dix.
Canady made his Cowboys debut this season after opting out of the 2020 campaign due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. The former Ravens and Jets cover man has notched three solo tackles. He’s seen just 42 defensive snaps in six games, buried on the depth chart behind Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis. Canady enjoyed a terrific training camp, however, which vaulted him onto the final roster.
“I didn’t know his ball skills were this good,” McCarthy said in August, according to the official team website. “He’s a heck of a player, we obviously we loved him when we signed him — didn’t have him because of the pandemic — but my goodness, just the way he tracks the football, I’ve been so impressed with him.”
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Parsons Running Away With DROY Odds
Speaking of the Cowboys’ defense, first-round rookie sensation Micah Parsons — he of linebacker and defensive end, and 20 solo tackles, 10 quarterback hits, and 2.5 sacks — is the current betting favorite to win 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year, according to Covers.com.
As of this writing, Parsons has +200 odds to capture the award, followed by Baltimore’s Odafe Oweh (+700), Cleveland’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (+900), the Giants’ Azeez Ojulari (+1000), and the Chargers’ Asante Samuel Jr. (+1000).
“I will say this, when Micah is out there,” Cowboys linebackers coach Scott McCurley said last week, per The Athletic, “I think he is impacting the offense and he is really dictating to the offense for us on defense. So no matter what shows up on the stat sheet, I think offenses feel that he’s out there. As long as he keeps playing his game and doesn’t chase big plays, I think he’s going to have an impact for us one way or the other.”
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Cowboys Lose 2 Veteran Defenders to Injured Reserve