The Dallas Cowboys thought they had filled their need at the safety position opposite Xavier Woods by singing veteran Ha Ha Clinton-Dix during free agency. However, the experiment only lasted about five months before the Cowboys released him on September 3.
After this move, the Cowboys brought back veteran Defensive Back Brandon Carr who transitioned to safety for the Baltimore Ravens last season and played well. He was signed to the practice squad, but with the new guidelines of the CBA allowing two practice players to be added to the active roster each week, the thought was eventually Carr would be called up, which is exactly what the Cowboys did on Saturday by promoting him to the 55-man active roster vs the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Carr spent five seasons with the Cowboys from 2012 to 2016 playing the cornerback position and hauled in seven interceptions over that span (six in the first two seasons). Despite not participating in any training camp activities, Carr kept himself in great shape during the offseason and he’s ready to contribute, as he explained to the media earlier this week.
“I stay ready,” Carr said. “My grind never stops. I’m always staying ready for an opportunity. I’m ready to do what it takes to make this squad, but also to make the team as competitive as we can be to make a run.”
In his previous 12 seasons, Carr has started all 192 games he’s played in. He has a chance now to continue that streak, but the veteran is thinking more so about the bigger picture.
“I don’t think about the streak until you guys asked me about it,” Carr said. “Personally, I’m just so consumed on trying to figure out a way to get a championship ring. I’ve been playing, this will be 13 years now, and I don’t have any hardware. The streak is fine, but I want to end this game with hardware.”
Carr’s veteran savvy should allow him to pick up things quickly and be a contributor to this revamped defensive unit under the guidance of Mike Nolan.
