FRISCO — Completing the four-week mark in the NFL means there’s a chance for some roster reconstruction. Players placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season with the designation to return are now eligible to return.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys could potentially exercise that option with a few of their players, but there’s still some evaluation remaining.
“We’re going to talk about that probably into tonight and into tomorrow. I think there’s a chance with a couple of guys. I won’t share with you who, but those conversations are a little bit early for us. We just kind of finished up the game, and now that we start getting ready for preparing for the Jets, we’ll have a better idea. But there’s a chance that you could see a little bit of movement.”
The first step for players returning from injured reserve is for the team to open their 21-day practice window. A player can be activated onto the roster at any point during that window. If they aren’t active after 21 days, then they will revert to season-ending injured reserve. They could also be released or traded.
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The Cowboys have a handful of eligible players to return from injured reserve: cornerback Caelen Carson, rookie running back Phil Mafah, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and defensive end Payton Turner.
Carson told The Dallas Morning News that he feels physically ready to return after suffering a knee injury in camp. He said he’s waiting for the green light from the team to start practicing.
Third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. is also eligible to be activated from the Non-Football Injury list. Revel was eligible for that list because he was recovering from a torn ACL he suffered early in his final season at East Carolina. Rookies who enter the league while recovering from a college injury are eligible for the list.
The Cowboys have erred on the side of caution when it comes to Revel’s knee. Revel told The News on Monday that he’s been patient in the hopes of hitting the ground running once he’s fully healthy. He said he has another upcoming scan scheduled with Dr. Dan Cooper, who did the surgery.
Schottenheimer said Revel will be one of the players they discuss about potentially activating.
“Again, these things are all different,” Schottenheimer said of Revel. “Everybody’s timeline is different. You’re talking about a young player that wants to learn the defense, having to go through all the rehab. He’s still good and doing well.”
Schottenheimer said they also don’t plan currently to place wide receiver CeeDee Lamb or rookie right guard Tyler Booker on injured reserve. Both Lamb and Booker suffered high ankle sprains in the Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears. Schottenheimer did caveat that prognosis about Lamb and Booker by saying he reserves the right to change his mind, however.
The Cowboys also lost three players to injury in the Week 4 tie against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Schottenheimer said left tackle Tyler Guyton (concussion) and running back Miles Sanders (ankle) will both have the chance to play against the New York Jets on Sunday. He said starting safety Malik Hooker will likely miss a couple weeks with a toe injury that’s considered more serious than the other two injuries from Sunday.
With Hooker expected to be out, safety Juanyeh Thomas is expected to play more.
“I love his professionalism. I love his work ethic. I love his grit,” Schottenheimer said of Thomas, who replaced Hooker on Sunday. ”He’s smart. He is a good communicator, I think that’s important. We’re looking to improve the communication. I think he does a really good job of that. He’s actually gotten a lot of reps in practice. We’re smart with what we’ve done with Malik and [Donovan Wilson] from a practice standpoint. He’ll definitely be ready to go. I thought he did a nice job yesterday getting called upon.”
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