The Dallas Cowboys made several roster moves Saturday ahead of their Week 9 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, starting with placing first-round rookie outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence on injured reserve. However, the move that deserves the most attention came from the practice squad, and it raises more questions about wide receiver George Pickens’ availability Sunday.

Lawrence suffered an ankle injury in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and the Cowboys had already said publicly that he was set to miss multiple weeks. So the IR designation was expected. That doesn’t make it any less painful.

Let’s dive into the Cowboys’ moves. 

Losing Malachi Lawrence hurts struggling pass rush

Dallas’ pass rush has struggled to generate consistent pressure. When it does get home, it hasn’t capitalized often enough. Losing Lawrence thins out a rotation led by Donovan Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary, whose snap counts will likely stay very high as a result.

In Lawrence’s place, the Cowboys activated Marist Liufau from Injured Reserve. Liufau is a former inside linebacker who moved to outside linebacker, so he reinforces the edge group on paper.

I’d question how much he can contribute as a pass rusher, though. Expect more Von Miller in the rotation. Beyond that, it’s unclear what the plan looks like as Tyrus Wheat and James Houston have taken turns on the inactive list. 

Dallas also elevated tight end James Mitchell from the practice squad. Mitchell already played last week while filling in for a banged-up Luke Schoonmaker, who was ruled out, and Jake Ferguson exited that game early with an injury of his own. Both Ferguson and Schoonmaker are questionable. Chances are one of them won’t play Sunday, so Mitchell takes that spot.

Roster move puts Pickens’ availability in question

The most notable move of the day was the elevation of Jordan Hudson, the undrafted rookie wide receiver out of SMU.

Here’s why it matters: this is the first time all season the Cowboys have elevated a wide receiver from the practice squad. KaVontae Turpin has been out for the last two weeks, and Dallas still didn’t elevate a receiver. Instead, the team let Camden Brown take his place.

So why now? Pickens is questionable.

He’s been dealing with a shoulder/hamstring injury, and the Cowboys have said publicly that his reduced snap count over the last couple of games is a result of that injury and nothing else. He was limited in practice throughout the week, but that isn’t new either. The same was true in the previous couple of weeks.

And yet, the questionable tag combined with this elevation makes you wonder. The Cowboys could be resting Pickens on Sunday against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. The Colts have struggled mightily against the pass, which makes it a more reasonable week to play it safe.

Then again, this is a team that can’t afford to take any chances. If Dallas sits Pickens, that’s noteworthy. Over the last couple of games, Ryan Flournoy has played more snaps than Pickens. If Pickens can’t go, it would fall on Flournoy to step up.

To be fair, an elevation doesn’t mean Hudson has to be active. The Cowboys can still leave him inactive and outside the 48-man game-day roster. This could simply be a scenario in which Dallas is treating Pickens as a true game-time decision and wants Hudson ready in case he’s needed.

Still, it’s an eyebrow-raising move from a team that hadn’t touched its practice squad receivers all season. Inactives come out 90 minutes before kickoff Sunday, and that’s when we’ll know Pickens’ status for sure.