The Dallas Cowboys have issues in the secondary. That was true at the start of the NFL season, before the team played a down and before anyone got injured. Since then, the Cowboys have been ravaged on the back line: Malik Hooker is out (hopeful to return in Week 4), PJ Locke is on the injured list with plantar fasciitis, and star addition Jalen Thompson joined him there this week with a hamstring injury. Add a knee injury for corner Cobie Durant, and the depth chart is not exactly deep.
Again, this was a defensive unit that was already thin to start the year, though the safety room was probably the deepest on the team. But by the end of Week 3, the Cowboys were down to last-ditch safeties Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark, and that’s not a sustainable situation.
Cowboys Looking at Junayeh Thomas
So, on Tuesday, the Cowboys went on the hunt for reinforcements before they take on the Texans this weekend in what might well be a must-win game for both teams. Among the handful of players the team brought in: Juanyeh Thomas, the well-liked, but oft-injured safety who had been with the Cowboys for three seasons before he was let go in free agency this winter.
Thomas signed with the Colts for training camp but did not make the team, released by Indianapolis on August 31. He was at The Star for a workout, as the Cowboys have a number of spots that need filling with NFL-ready players.
‘That Safety Position is Tough’
From ESPN Cowboys beat reporter Todd Archer: “The Cowboys had former Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas among five players in for workouts Tuesday. Also worked out LB Germaine Pratt, CB Alex Austin, DB Shemar Bartholomew and DB Tyrek Funderburk. Lots of issues with health in the secondary after Sunday’s loss to the Ravens.
Speaking to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday, EVP Stephen Jones had suggested that there would be roster changes coming. Thomas would be welcomed back .
Said Jones: “The safety position is tough, we have been hit there no question. We’ll see. The corner spot a little bit not to the same degree. … Hooker hopefully comes back this week, but it looks like we will miss JT for a couple of weeks along with Locke. That safety spot, we’ll definitely be looking seeing f there is a way to shore that up while those two, both of them are looking at four-plus weeks.”
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