Can a bruised secondary rebound after a flurry of workouts? Dallas brought four defensive backs to the facility, hoping to patch the hole.
The tryouts featured DBs Juanyeh Thomas, Alex Austin, Shemar Bartholomew and Tyrek Funderburk, plus linebacker Germaine Pratt on Tuesday.
Austin, a corner, lands on the practice squad per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Thomas, a safety, also inks a deal, though Jordan Schultz of The Schultz Report leaves his roster status ambiguous.
For my money, Austin’s 31 tackles and eight pass breakups in 29 games make him a solid depth piece. A seventh‑round 2023 Bills pick, Austin has logged 29 appearances with six starts, tallying 31 tackles, eight passes defensed and one interception.
Thomas entered Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has seen action in 36 contests, compiling 62 tackles, five passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Injuries continue to plague the Cowboys’ back end: safeties Malik Hooker (fractured forearm) and P.J. Locke (foot) are sidelined, Locke already on IR; Jalen Thompson (hamstring) heads to IR this week. Cornerbacks Shavon Revel (knee/ankle) and Cobie Durant (hamstring) also miss time. Will these additions stabilize the secondary for the stretch run?