The Dallas Cowboys have re-signed backup Linebacker Chris Covington to their 53-man roster today. They made room by waiving Running Back Jordan Chunn, leaving them with just Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard at the position for now.
The change feels motivated by special teams play, given the surprising imbalance it now creates at both linebacker and running back.
Dallas now has seven linebackers on the official roster. One of them, Luke Gifford, is still healing from an ankle injury and was inactive last week against the Giants.
But on top of that, backup LB Justin March didn’t play a single defensive snap in Week 1. Joe Thomas only played one snap, and Sean Lee was only used on about 16% of the defensive plays.
Given those figures, adding Chris Covington appears to be about giving Dallas a preferred player on special teams.
Dallas likely kept Jordan Chunn last week due to Ezekiel Elliott’s brief opportunity to practice. But Chunn didn’t play at all on offense, and the Cowboys do have Fullback Jamize Olawale who can be utilized as an emergency third RB if needed.
It’s nice to see Chris Covington, a 6th-Round pick in 2018, back on the roster. Given the big roles that other recent 6th-Round guys like Anthony Brown and Xavier Woods have, hopefully he will be able to use this opportunity to rise the ranks on the Cowboys defense.
