Frisco, Texas The Cowboys ceded wide start receiver Dennis Houston on Tuesday, creating an open spot on the 53-man roster ahead of week three.
Houston made the team as an unpolished rookie from Western Illinois after an impressive bootcamp. With the Cowboys losing Michael Gallop (knee) and James Washington (reserve/injured foot) to start the season, Houston played 60 shots in their first two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cincinnati Bengals, earning two passes for 16 yards.
Gallup may start his first season as early as Monday night against the New York Giants depending on how the training week goes. So far his participation has been limited, but the Cowboys hope to continue increasing his workload. And ceding Houston creates a path for Jalen Tolbert to be selected in the third round to be active for the first time in his career, possibly as early as week three.
This move also gives the cowboys some flexibility in the menu for the week. The team gets two standard practice hikes each week, but now there’s an open spot on the roster if another player can be added before the Giants game. Reserve quarterback Will Greer is expected to be called up again as a backup to fill in for Cooper Rush’s start, and last week Alec Lindstrom’s position was also raised further to the depth of the offensive line with Conor McGovern (a high ankle sprain) injured. Veteran attacking tackle Jason Peters continues to ramp up his coaching work, and Sean McKeon may be a tight choice as well, depending on whether starter Dalton Schultz (a knee sprain) is able to play this week. It is considered day in and day out.
Houston will be eligible to sign the coaching staff if they agree to the concessions.