If you’ve been following the Dallas Cowboys season at all, you are probably tired of the headline “Cowboys send such and such player to injured reserve”. It’s been the story of the year for the Cowboys. They can’t field their best team because the injury bug has run rampant through Arlington.
It has even reached the very top. QB Dak Prescott is the most important player on injured reserve, and we won’t be seeing him with pads and a helmet until training camp next July. Here is a list of players who have missed time for the Cowboys this season:
- QB Dak Prescott (IR)
- LT Tyler Guyton
- LG Tyler Smith
- RG Zack Martin
- WR Brandin Cooks
- DE Sam Williams (IR)
- DE Marshawn Kneeland
- EDGE Micah Parsons
- LB Eric Kendricks
- CB Trevon Diggs
- CB DaRon Bland
When you sit back and see the list, you realize now how a team that won 12 games in three consecutive years can just crumble to a 5-7 record the Cowboys currently have. Injuries have decimated the team, and they haven’t stopped yet.
We can add two more names to the injured list. CB Josh Butler (torn ACL) and CB Caelen Carson (shoulder) have both been sent to injured reserve. Neither player is expected back this year.
To fill those two positions, the Cowboys have signed two new faces to the practice squad.
CB Dee Delaney
Dee Delaney played most of his college career at The Citadel, where he ranks second all time with 13 career interceptions. He used his final year of eligibility to transfer to the University of Miami.
He went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, eventually landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars organization and making his NFL debut in London during the 2018 season. Delaney then bounced around Miami, New York, and Washington before finding a semi-permanent home in Tampa Bay.
Delaney spent three seasons (2021-2023) with the Buccaneers. There he started his first ever NFL game, and even recorded his first interception in that same game. He spent most of his time on special teams, but appeared in every game in that three-year span.
He doesn’t bring a ton of production, mustering 71 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 7 passes defensed, and 3 interceptions in his three seasons with Tampa Bay. However, the Cowboys are getting a willing tackler and special teams player. His effort will determine the rest.
Delaney stands at 5′ 11 1/2″ and 200 pounds. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2018 NFL Combine, and the Cowboys could surely use more speed in the secondary on defense.
CB Troy Pride
Troy Pride played his college ball at Notre Dame University, where he also starred on the track team. Like I mentioned above, the Cowboys could surely use more speed on defense and Pride brings a 4.40 40-yard dash along with him.
Pride was drafted in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Just for reference, the Cowboys’ 4th round pick in 2020 was the next defensive back taken: Reggie Robinson from the University of Tulsa.
He appeared in 14 games his rookie season, recording 42 tackles and 2 passes defensed before being placed on injured reserve. Pride was then injured in the 2021 offseason and spent the entire season on injured reserve once again. The young cornerback then failed his physical in 2022 and was released.
Pride spent time in New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Houston before landing in Dallas this week. The Cowboys hope Pride can bring some of the play that made him a 4th round pick in the first place.
Injuries have decimated the Cowboys’ defense this season, and the reinforcements keep rolling in.