Cowboys Elevate Newly-Signed DB for Week 4 vs. Texans

In need of help in the secondary, the Dallas Cowboys unsurprisingly elevated two players from the practice squad for their Week 4 contest against the Houston Texans. With multiple players dealing with injuries, the Cowboys will add cornerback Reddy Steward and safety Juanyeh Thomas to their game-day roster.

For Steward, this will be the second week in a row he's been activated. Last week, he helped fill in after Cobie Durant was ruled out with a hamstring injury. With Durant out of action again in Week 4, Steward will get the call.

Steward is in his second season with the Cowboys and earned plenty of praise from fans last year. Despite being on a defense that struggled mightily, Steward continually showed off plenty of grit and had 63 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and three pass defenses. He was at his best in the slot, but when asked to expand his role against the Ravens in Week 3, Steward struggled and was one of the lower-rated players on the team during the loss.

At safety, the Cowboys were thin as well entering the game against Baltimore with Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke both out. Their depth was challenged even more when Jalen Thompson was injured during the game. With him out, Alijah Clark was given an opportunity, but Dallas had no more depth to lean on.

Juanyeh Thomas was ready to return to Dallas

Dallas Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas reacts during the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That led to Thomas reaching out via social media, saying he was ready to help. The Cowboys were in agreement that a reunion with Thomas was a good idea, signing him to the practice squad as they prepared for the game against the Texans. Now just a few days later, Thomas will be active and could end up with a significant role for Dallas.

The Cowboys are hopeful that Hooker can return, but even if he does, they might not be willing to let him go full speed. As for the safeties they know will suit up, Dallas is down to Markquese Bell and Clark. Caleb Downs is an option as well, but he's better suited in the slot.

Thomas, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, has 62 tackles, five pass defenses, and a forced fumble in 36 career games with four starts. He's also known as a special teams ace, even recording a kick return for a touchdown in 2024.

Dallas Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas runs on to the field prior to the game against the New York Giants. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

Add us as a preferred source on Google