Getty Holton Hill #24 of the Minnesota Vikings attempts a tackle in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 8, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions 20-7.
Filling its lone practice-squad vacancy, the Dallas Cowboys inked former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Holton Hill, the team announced Wednesday.
If his name sounds familiar, that’s because Hill initially worked out for the Cowboys at the onset of training camp. The club, with a vacancy on its offseason roster, chose not to sign him at the time.
“The Cowboys are not signing free agent CB Holton Hill, per source,” Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on July 22.
Hill becomes the third defensive back to land on Dallas’ practice squad, joining CB Kyron Brown and safety Tyler Coyle. The team also has CB Deante Burton and S Darian Thompson on the practice squad injured reserve list.
The Cowboys head into Week 3 with six corners on its 53-man regular-season roster: Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Nahshon Wright, Maurice Canady, and CJ Goodwin.
“The Cowboys still are waiting to get rookie Kelvin Joseph back from IR. The second-round pick from Kentucky is eligible for return from a hamstring injury after this Week 3 game against Philly,” noted Nick Eatman of the official team website.
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Sign up for the Heavy on Cowboys Newsletter!Background on Holton
A fourth-year pro who appeared in 28 games (six starts) for the Minnesota Vikings, Hill entered the NFL as a 2018 undrafted free agent. The Texas product has logged 73 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and one interception across 779 career snaps.
As a collegian, Hill was a three-season contributor for the Longhorns, posting 92 solo tackles, eight PBUs, and five INTs over 25 games. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound cover man was billed as a mid-round draft prospect and drew comparisons to current Bengals defensive back Sean Davis.
“Hill has the size, strength and athletic ability that teams covet at cornerback, but his maturity issues will force teams to have early conversations about whether or not he will be on their board,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in 2018. “Hill made tremendous strides as a cover man this year and has the potential to take yet another big step forward once he trusts his footwork and becomes less grabby. His instincts and physicality in run support could allow teams to consider moving him to safety at some point. If Hill runs well at the Combine, that could override potential maturity issues.”
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Cowboys Add WR to PS
On Tuesday, Dallas signed former Cleveland Browns and New York Giants wide receiver Damion Ratley to the practice squad, the team announced. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu was released in a corresponding move.
Ratley is the fourth wideout to join Dallas’ 16-man practice squad, joining Osirus Mitchell, Brandon Smith, and Robert Foster.
Discluding Cooper, who suffered bruised ribs in Sunday’s win at Los Angeles, the Cowboys are rostering just four healthy receivers: CeeDee Lamb, Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Simi Fehoko.
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