FRISCO – The Cowboys’ defensive line had one player go on injured reserve, lost another early in Wednesday’s practice, and signed a former player from a divisional rival.
All of this occurring less than a week before the Baltimore Ravens bring running back Derrick Henry, quarterback Lamar Jackson and 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard to AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
The Cowboys placed Jordan Phillips on injured reserve with a sprained wrist. He’ll miss at least four games with a potential return after the bye week in mid-October. Phillips said he felt fine, but team officials expect more medical tests to determine the extent of the injury, though it’s not considered serious.
Phillips suffered a dislocated right wrist while playing for Buffalo last season.
The Cowboys’ signed defensive tackle Carlos Watkins from the Washington Commanders practice squad as a replacement. Watkins hadn’t played in the first two games of the season.
He’ll play both defensive tackle spots with an emphasis on backing up Mazi Smith at nose tackle. Watkins played 27 games for the Cowboys between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“I was excited to get here and get to work,” Watkins said. “I appreciate their belief in me, that’s one thing I pride myself on is doing my job and helping guys around me get better. It’s positive for me to hear that feedback that they need me.”
Smith left in the early stages of Cowboys’ practice with a back issue. His status will be determined later this week. Losing him creates concern for the Cowboys considering their struggles against the run (190 rushing yards allowed) against the New Orleans Saints last week.
“It’s about beating Baltimore, staying specific to the challenge they bring in here on Sunday,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “How they play, particularly schematically, what they do, they have a long history there.”
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