The Cowboys placed safety P.J. Locke on injured reserve Saturday after the foot injury he suffered against Washington, according to the team's roster update. The designation will keep him out for at least four games. Dallas made the move before Sunday's Week 3 meeting with Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro, where another safety, Malik Hooker, is also unavailable because of a fractured forearm.
Dallas said Locke tore the plantar fascia in his foot during its Week 2 win. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier in the week that the club had not decided whether to put him on injured reserve. Saturday's move resolved that roster question. It did not establish a return date beyond the minimum absence.
The Cowboys listed Jalen Thompson and rookie Caleb Downs as the starting safeties in their Saturday depth update. Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark are also available, while Reddy Steward was elevated from the practice squad for the game. The team said Steward has played both nickel corner and safety for Dallas. His flexibility is especially useful this week because cornerback Cobie Durant is out with a hamstring injury as well. Dallas has not announced a fixed snap plan for any of those reserves.
The same transaction report says linebacker Justin Barron moved from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Barron had been elevated for last week's game, and the Cowboys retain him as DeMarvion Overshown misses another game with a hamstring injury. That is a separate linebacker move, but it shows how injuries have forced decisions across the defense before the international game.
For Sunday's matchup, the immediate change is the smaller safety group. Locke's absence lasts beyond Rio under the injured-reserve rule; Hooker's status will require its own update. Dallas can use Steward in more than one spot, but the club's first defensive series against Baltimore will show how it actually distributes the work.
