The Dallas Cowboys have to make several difficult cuts every offseason, and this year was no different.
While they made the right call by keeping edge James Houston, who leads the team with 3.5 sacks, and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, who should return from injury soon, releasing running back Deuce Vaughn and tight end John Stephens couldn't have been easy.
While Vaughn has managed to stick on the Broncos' practice squad, other players haven't been as lucky in finding new homes. That includes former defensive back Israel Mukuamu, who was released from the Panthers' practice squad this week to make room for a new signing.
Former Cowboys draft pick Israel Mukuamu cut by the Panthers
It's a bit surprising that the Panthers would cut Mukuamu just days before they host the Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium this Sunday.
Not only could Mukuamu have presented some invaluable intel about Matt Eberflus' defensive scheme, but he's also familiar with almost every member of the defense. At the very least, he could've enlightened Carolina's coaching staff on the strengths and weaknesses of those players.
Why the 2-3 Panthers would punt on gaining a potential competitive edge against a superior opponent doesn't make any sense, but we suppose that's why they're the Panthers.
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Getting back to Mukuamu, his release sent shockwaves around the Cowboys' fan base. A sixth-round pick out of South Carolina in 2021, Mukuamu appeared in 50 games and made three starts in four seasons with Dallas. He played a lot of safety and nickel corner in training camp and the preseason, which seemed to indicate that he would wear many hats in Eberflus' defense.
It turned out that the 25-year-old played so many positions because the coaching staff didn't fully trust him in one spot. The Cowboys opted to keep Zion Childress as one of their nickel CBs, and he wound up getting poached off their practice squad by the Texans. They have since rolled with Reddy Steward in the nickel, while Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker (now on Injured Reserve), and Juanyeh Thomas at safety.
Mukuamu got caught up in a numbers game. It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys kick the tires on bringing him back, but that seems unlikely as the CB room continues to get healthier.