Dallas Cowboys expected to place La’el Collins, Sean Lee on IR

The Dallas Cowboys will be without La’el Collins and Sean Lee to start the season

On Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys trimmed down their roster to 53 players in-line with NFL rules. And there were a few surprises. But the team is far from done making some impactful moves.

In fact, according to report by ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Cowboys are expected to place both starting right tackle La’el Collins (hip) and linebacker Sean Lee (pelvis) on Injured Reserve. Both are currently on the team’s 53-man roster and if they are moved to IR, it would allow the team to add two players to replace them.

Due to COVID-19, the restrictions surrounding the return of players on Injured Reserve have loosened. This would allow any players placed on IR now to return in three weeks. If either Collins or Lee are placed on Injured Reserve soon, the quickest they could return to play would potentially be Week Four against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 4.

Without Collins starting on the offensive line, the newly signed Cameron Erving is expected to take his place. But that wouldn’t rule out Dallas looking for an experienced lineman in free agency or on the waiver wire for a bit of insurance. Especially considering the recent injury issues suffered by left tackle Tyron Smith.

Dallas Cowboys: Another possible name to watch landing on IR

Another player that Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News believes could be a viable candidate to be placed on Injured Reserve is cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The fourth-year defender hasn’t been able to practice since suffering an ankle injury on Aug. 20.

A couple surprising names that were released by the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday were veteran cornerback C.J. Goodwin and linebacker Justin March. Both are major contributors on special teams. If Dallas does indeed place a couple players on Injured Reserve, expect the team to try and bring both Goodwin and March back into the fold.