FRISCO, Texas — After setting their 53-man roster at the deadline on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys have begun re-signing players to their practice squad ahead of their season opener.
The Cowboys may have shocked some fans on Tuesday after having Dak Prescott as the only quarterback on the roster -- along with no kicker.
However, the move was done strategically as Dallas added players to the injured/reserve list to start the season.
The Cowboys moved veteran tackle Tyron Smith and receiver James Washington to the IR after injuries during the preseason.
Dallas has nearly filled up their practice squad to their maximum of 17 players (the max is usually 16, but the Cowboys have an exemption for Isaac Alarcon for the league's International Pathway Program), and many who were signed Wednesday had just been cut on Tuesday.
The biggest question regarding the quarterback situation was answered after Dallas re-signed backups Cooper Rush and Will Grier to the practice squad.
In fact, head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Rush will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Prescott as the team gets ready for the Sunday night opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 11.
The Cowboys also answered the kicking situation by re-signing Brett Maher to practice squad, as well. He's expected to be on the active roster for Week 1.
Although there's a lot of roster shuffling going on, the Cowboys are expected to have their gameday roster situated in time for the opener.
Aside from the practice squad, Dallas also added cornerback C.J. Goodwin and long-snapper Jake McQuaide to the current active roster.
Below is the full list of practice squad signings on Wednesday. The Cowboys still have two spots available.
- G #60 Isaac Alarcon
- T #76 Aviante Collins
- S #31 Tyler Coyle
- RB #34 Malik Davis
- WR #19 Dontario Drummond
- QB #15 Will Grier
- LB #45 Malik Jefferson
- C #65 Alec Lindstrom
- K #19 Brett Maher
- TE #84 Sean McKeon
- QB #10 Cooper Rush
- WR #80 Brandon Smith
- DE #52 Mika Tafua
- S #40 Juanyeh Thomas
- DT #91 Carlos Watkins