Injured Reserve can be tricky to navigate for teams with questionable roster depth, and the Dallas Cowboys are experiencing it firsthand. Dallas headed into Week 3 for their international matchup against the Baltimore Ravens with four defensive starters sidelined, and returned with a loss and three more injured players, namely safety Jalen Thompson, cornerback Shavon Revel Jr., and defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard.

On Wednesday, the Cowboys announced via X that Thompson and Bullard are placed on injured reserve. According to ESPN’s list of Dallas Cowboys Injuries, the Cowboys now have around 15 injured players, with half a dozen of them belonging on the defensive side of the ball. With 11 on IR and just two slots open, head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s defense is in shambles.

Four defensive starters recovering from short-term injuries have landed on the Week 4 Injury Report after Wednesday’s practice, with safety Malik Hooker marked for ‘Limited Participation’, while cornerbacks Revel Jr. and Cobie Durant, and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown marked ‘Did Not Participate’. 

This alarming depth at defense has forced the front office to sign more players to the practice squad and transfer a third defensive player from the practice squad to the team’s active roster.

“The Cowboys added defensive tackle Elijah Garcia from the practice squad to the active roster. They also signed three defensive backs to the practice squad: cornerback Alex Austin, Tyrek Funderburk and former Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas, who was with the club from 2022-25,” The Dallas Morning News reported on September 30.

Currently, according to the Cowboys’ depth chart, the team has Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell as options at safety. The inside linebacker position is also giving the team grief, lacking any depth behind backup LB Jaishawn Barham. But Barham might become a silver lining for the Dallas defense too.

After struggling in Week 1, the rookie took over “green dot” duties surprisingly quickly and seems to have settled into the role well. Across three games, the rookie LB recorded 20 combined tackles (11 solo, 9 assisted) and 4 tackles for loss. Barham seems to have gotten over his nerves after being tossed onto the gridiron mid-game and is now laser-focused on making the most of every opportunity he and the defense get.

But Barham unlocking his true potential does not solve the team’s cornerback depth issues. That is a problem only the front office can effectively address.

Dallas HC Speaks Out About CB Depth Ahead of Week 4

Although Revel missed Wednesday’s practice, he was not placed on injured reserve. The front office is being doubly cautious with putting players on IR to prevent losing any more roster depth. But head coach Brian Schottenheimer does have alternatives in place in case Revel is unable to recover in time for their Week 4 game against the Houston Texans, namely, cornerbacks Caelen Carson and Ameer Speed. 

“I think if they’re both pressed into duty, they’ll both be ready,” Schottenheimer said after Wednesday’s practice. “I think you start with Caelen, his instincts are really, really good. His ability to anticipate and read route matches and things like that are great. And of course Speed is a guy that’s got size and speed, no pun intended, and both those guys have value to us.” 

After Revel sustained injuries in the second half of the game, both Carson and Speed were thrown into the final moments of the high-pressure game. While Carson managed to score one combined tackle, Speed added much-needed depth at secondary. With Cobie Durant and Devin Moore out of commission, the Cowboys will likely depend on Carson and Speed for Week 4 as well.