Cowboys' latest decision might snowball into a team's defender losing his job

The Dallas Cowboys announced their practice squad elevations ahead of their Week 3 showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, and there are no major surprises:  LB Nick VigilDE Carl Lawson This is Vigil's third elevation of the season, which brings up the question about whether or not the Cowboys will sign him to the 53-man roster, […]

Mauricio Rodriguez Dallas Cowboys News Writer
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on in the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys announced their practice squad elevations ahead of their Week 3 showdown against the Baltimore Ravens, and there are no major surprises: 

  • LB Nick Vigil
  • DE Carl Lawson

This is Vigil's third elevation of the season, which brings up the question about whether or not the Cowboys will sign him to the 53-man roster, as three elevations per season is the maximum allowed. After three elevations, a player must go through waivers before being re-signed to the practice squad. 

Vigil has become an important player on the Cowboys' special teams, logging a 63.5% snap count on John Fassel's unit, which is the eighth highest mark on the team. Additionally, Vigil can play as the green dot defender on Mike Zimmer's defense, as Patrik Walker from DallasCowboys.com recently noted on Twitter/X. 

That versatility might cost a teammate his job because if the Cowboys want Vigil on the field beyond Week 3, they might opt to free up a roster spot by releasing fellow linebacker Buddy Johnson, who has been a healthy scratch for the first two weeks of the season while Vigil has been elevated to play. 

Dalvin Cook won't play versus the Ravens

Notably, Dalvin Cook is not being elevated for gameday and therefore his Cowboys debut will have to wait for yet another week. The news is unsurprising, as the team hasn't indicated they plan on elevating Cook anytime soon, although that could change at any moment as the team's run game struggles continue

Another non-elevation worth noting is that of DL Denzel Daxon. Starting nose tackle Mazi Smith was listed as questionable on Friday's final injury report of the week and not elevating Daxon suggests the former first-round pick will be active on Sunday.