Cowboys Place OL Marcus Martin On IR
Marcus Martin has landed on the injured reserve. After injuring his toe during the Cowboys preseason opener, the team placed the offensive lineman on the IR today, reports ESPN’s Todd Archer. The Cowboys have also waived/injured wideout Marchie Murdock, and they’ve signed lineman Jacob Alsadek and receiver Darren Carrington to fill the open roster spots.
The former 49ers starter was planning on returning to football for the first time since 2016, and the Cowboys were hoping they’d have a reliable backup guard and center. Unfortunately, Martin injured his toe on Thursday night, and the injury will require surgery. The lineman was ultimately diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right big toe.
With Martin out of the lineup, key reserve Joe Looney will now be tasked with a larger role behind projected starters Zack Martin, Travis Frederick and Connor Williams. The team will also be giving a look at Alsadek, who went undrafted out of Arizona in this year’s draft.
Murdock, a former standout at Iowa State, joined the Cowboys shortly after going undrafted. The team will be replacing him with the six-foot-two, 199-pound Carrington, who split his collegiate career between Oregon and Utah.
Cowboys Sign 18 UDFAs
The Cowboys have added 18 undrafted players to their offsaeason roster. Here’s the full breakdown:
- Dalton Sturm, QB, UT-San Antonio
- Jordan Chunn, RB, Troy
- Malik Earl, WR, Missouri State
- Marchie Murdock, WR, Iowa State
- David Wells, TE, San Diego State
- Jay Robertson, OL, Tennessee
- Jacob Campos, OL, Iowa State
- Bryce Johnson, OL, St. Cloud State
- Austin Larkin, DE, Purdue
- James Hearns, DE, Louisville
- Dequinton Osbourne, DT, Oklahoma State
- Joel Lanning, LB, Iowa State
- Ed Shockely, LB, Villanova
- Kyle Queiro, LB, Northwestern
- Charvarius Ward, CB, Middle Tennessee State
- Kam Kelly, CB, San Diego State
- Donovan Olumba, CB, Portland State
- Tyree Robinson, S, Oregon
The Cowboys have found gems in the UDFA ranks before, including quarterback Tony Romo and offensive lineman La’el Collins. In total, the Cowboys now project to head into camp with 27 rookies.
Sturm threw for 2,185 yards and 15 touchdowns against five interceptions while completing 62.3% of his passes last year. He came to UTSA as a walk-on and did not earn a scholarship until 2016, so he has a history of achieving when up against long odds. In the ’16 season, he set a UTSA record with 20 passing touchdowns.
Chunn isn’t the speediest running back in the world, but he does offer the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. In his final two years on campus, he caught 58 passes. The Cowboys have three established running backs in Ezekiel Elliott, Rod Smith, and Trey Williams plus seventh-round pic Bo Scarbrough. Fullback Jamize Olawale is also under contract.