The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from starting defensive tackle Carlos Watkins, per Heavy.com’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo. Watkins started 14 games for the Cowboys in 2021 notching 32 tackles, five tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, an interception and a sack in his 15 appearances.
“Cowboys have released DT Carlos Watkins, person familiar with move said,” Gehlken tweeted on August 30, 2022. “Long, athletic veteran was a 14-game starter in 2021, his most memorable snap arguably an interception for a touchdown during win over Saints.”
Watkins was slated to have a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Cowboys, but Dallas’ strong depth on the defensive line made the veteran the odd man out. The Cowboys faced difficult decisions across the roster, but especially on defense. Other notable early Cowboys cuts include running back Malik Davis, offensive lineman Aviante Collins, receiver Dontario Drummond and tight end Sean McKeon as the list continues to grow.
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The Cowboys Could Attempt to Re-Sign Watkins to the Practice Squad
Neville Gallimore and Osa Odighiszuwa are the favorites to start inside on the Cowboys defensive line. The Athletic’s Bob Sturm projected the Cowboys would release Watkins but added that Dallas may be able to re-sign the defensive tackle to the team’s practice squad if he clears waivers.
“This is my deepest and highest quality pool on the team for sure,” Sturm wrote on August 28. “I did not mention Watkins, Tarell Basham or John Ridgeway, but I don’t think I can keep any of these three initially and I assume Watkins and Basham will be available once they pass through waivers.
“Ridgeway would look good on the practice squad, but I think we are left with no choice. This is an excellent group that I wish was slightly more excellent with Randy Gregory, but life must go on. But, given the improvement of Bohanna and Hill, these are pretty much my best nine.”
Jones: Tyler Smith Is Expected to Start at Left Tackle
Watkins was not helped by the strong camp performance from former second-round pick Trysten Hill. Dallas had until 4 p.m. Eastern on August 30 to finalize their 53-man roster.
During an August 30 interview with Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that rookie Tyler Smith is expected to start in place of the injured Tyron Smith. The Dallas first-round pick is also dealing with an ankle injury.
“We’ve got to get him out here and get him practiced here over the next couple of weeks relative to any issue he had with a little high ankle (sprain),” Jones explained. “But we don’t think that’s serious enough to limit his preparation.
“Now, what is the case is he hasn’t been there at left tackle. He is a rookie. But he’s a first-round pick and he deserved to be a first-round pick in my mind. And so we knew – we just didn’t want to come any earlier than it needed – but we knew we had to get ready to replace our left tackle and he was the pick.”
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