When it rains, it pours, and the Dallas Cowboys simply can't catch a break right now. As if losing by multiple touchdowns to the previously winless Bears wasn't bad enough, they also lost CeeDee Lamb and budding right guard Tyler Booker for multiple weeks due to high-ankle sprains.
While the offense fell well short of expectations in Week 3, the defense is on pace to become one of the worst in franchise history. Not only does Matt Eberflus need to simplify his scheme, but it would behoove him to send a message by benching some starters.
One potential solution was to give undrafted rookie Zion Childress more burn. Well, that is no longer an option after the Texans signed Childress off the Cowboys' practice squad. Childress confirmed the news on his Instagram story.
Cowboys lose promising DB Zion Childress amid secondary struggles
Childress is from Houston, so this is an awesome opportunity for him. The Texans surprisingly released safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on Tuesday, so they had a need in their secondary.
From a Cowboys perspective, though, this is a major bummer. Childress was among the top performers in training camp. He made the initial 53-man roster before getting waived and then signed back to the practice squad.
While last-second signing Reddy Steward has played well in the nickel position, Childress was arguably the next man up. Even with DaRon Bland expected to return this week, it stands to reason that Childress would've gotten more looks if the secondary continued to struggle.
Regardless of whether Childress cracked the lineup in the near future, he was viewed as a nice development piece for the secondary. The defensive backfield will likely look a lot different this time next year. Whether at cornerback or safety, it was easy to envision a path to playing time for the 23-year-old.
Cowboys fans are disappointed Childress hasn't already seen the field. As an undrafted rookie, odds are Eberflus didn't trust him to execute his scheme. Well, nobody has accomplished that other than Steward, and now Dallas has lost one of its most promising young DBs.