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A second Dallas Cowboys starter has been moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Veteran defensive end Tyrone Crawford was placed on the list Wednesday, joining quarterback Andy Dalton, the team announced.
WFAA’s Mike Leslie reports Crawford’s designation is due to him recently coming in close contact with an infected individual rather than testing positive for the virus. The soon-to-be 31-year-old will need to pass a series of tests to return to action. ESPN beat reporter Todd Archer tentatively expects Crawford and Dalton to receive clearance after Dallas’ Week 10 bye.
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Retained for 2020 despite an egregious $9.1 million salary-cap hit, the Cowboys’ most overpaid player has appeared in all nine games for the 2-7 club, recording just five tackles and one QB hit. Crawford was restricted to rotational duties following the offseason additions of Gerald McCoy and Everson Griffen but became an every-down contributor opposite DeMarcus Lawrence when the former was lost for the year and the latter was traded.
A 2012 third-round draft pick, Crawford has totaled 23 sacks across 78 starts with Dallas. He’s lasted an entire regular season three times, making only four appearances in 2019 before hip bursitis forced him to injured reserve. He soon after underwent dual hip procedures to repair long nagging issues while surprisingly surviving the chopping block.
“We have every reason to believe he’s going to be productive,” Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said in February, per the Dallas Morning News.
Crawford is among 18 Cowboys players set to hit unrestricted free agency in 2021, a star-studded in-house class headlined by quarterback Dak Prescott.
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Cowboys Reunite With DL
In a corresponding roster move following Crawford’s COVID-list placement, the Cowboys claimed rookie defensive lineman Ron’Dell Carter off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts, the team announced.
Teammates with Dallas rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci at James Madison University, Carter was a three-year contributor for the Dukes, delivering 69 solo tackles, 48 tackles-for-loss, 23.5 sacks, and four pass breakups across 44 games. He set career highs as a redshirt senior in 2019 by making 27 TFLs and 12 sacks, sharpening his skills as a quarterback-harasser en route to consensus first-team All-American honors.
Although he went undrafted, Carter was heavily courted by the Cowboys, who included $145,000 of total guarantees — $125,000 base salary and a $20,000 signing bonus — into his rookie contract. He was waived at final cuts but re-signed to the practice squad, from which Indianapolis poached him on Sept. 30.
Carter’s acquisition offsets the potential short-term loss of Crawford. He joins a DL group led by Lawrence and featuring key backups Dorance Armstrong and rookie Bradlee Anae.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL