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Dallas Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein is unlikely to play in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons after it was announced Tuesday that he’s being placed on the Reserve-COVID-19 list, prompting a scramble for his replacement.
The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken reports the Cowboys will conduct an open kicker audition on Wednesday that “likely will determine its kicker this Sunday vs. Falcons.”
Gehlken did not specify which free agents would take part in the workout, but the official team website speculated the Cowboys could look to first-year pro Lirim Hajrullahu, who spent part of the preseason on its roster and the start of the regular season on its practice squad.
Zuerlein, 33, has converted 14 of 18 field goals and 21-of-23 extra points across eight appearances this season, largely reliable following a shaky Week 1 outing in which he missed two FG tries and one XP attempt.
It’s unclear as of this writing whether Zuerlein tested positive for the coronavirus or came in close contact with an infected individual. If vaccinated, the former Pro Bowler must return two negative tests spaced 24 hours apart and remain asymptomatic for 48 hours to be eligible for Sunday’s game.
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Jerry Issues Latest on LT Tyron Smith
Conducting his weekly radio spot Tuesday, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was noncommittal on left tackle Tyron Smith’s chances of suiting up against Atlanta. Smith sat out Sunday’s loss to the Broncos due to a bone spur in his ankle.
“We’ll see,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan, via the official team site. “That is one that they’ll continue to take a look at. It’ll be dictated the amount of, frankly, pain that he can withstand there. Really, there’s not a lot you can do other than rest it and try it. It’s one that will get better whether he’s on it or not on it as we go along. I don’t look at it as long-term.”
Fill-in right tackle Terence Steele spot-started for Smith and struggled versus Denver, who notched two sacks and five hits on quarterback Dak Prescott. The Cowboys’ decision-makers badly want their seven-time Pro Bowl protector back where he belongs — and there’s hope he will be.
“You’d like to see him get a practice in this week and be able to play. We certainly haven’t ruled that out,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on 105.3 The Fan, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He had a good week last week.”
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Jones Admits Overconfidence in Week 9 Drubbing
The Cowboys entered Sunday holding a sterling 6-1 record, winners of six consecutive games, delusions of grandeur in their minds. But it proved to be just that — delusions. The ten-point road underdogs embarrassed the home team at AT&T Stadium, inflicting a beating so severe that FOX cut away from its live coverage for a more competitive affair.
Head coach Mike McCarthy downplayed the notion that his squad took the Broncos too lightly or expected a walk-in-the-park victory. Jones, though, did not stop short of leveling such claims.
“The thought of getting beat was not in my mind,” he said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. “… I do believe we let the momentum get away from us, and it reflected in our body language. … When you don’t concentrate on just the physicalness. … You can have what happened to you the other day,” Jones said. We thought we were ready. … We weren’t, and that’s as flat as any team I’ve seen. We’ve got to get back. … We let our home crowd not get into the game the way you expect a home crowd to do. We basically played what seemed lackadaisical.”
READ NEXT: Mike McCarthy Criticizes Dak Prescott’s Performance vs. Broncos
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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