Cowboys Place S P.J. Locke On IR

Locke joined the Cowboys as a free agent this past offseason on a one-year, $5MM deal. As an undrafted free agent in 2019, Locke initially signed with the Steelers but landed on the Broncos’ taxi squad after failing to make the 53-man roster in Pittsburgh. After spending his rookie season on the practice squad, Locke got an opportunity early in Year 2 as an elevation and quickly earned a spot on the 53-man roster.

After working almost exclusively on special teams for two years, Locke started getting more looks on defense in 2022. The next year, after working his way back from a season-opening stint on IR, Locke worked his way up the depth chart, landing a full-time starting role by the end of the season. He continued in that role as a full-time starter in 2024, but a lackluster performance led to the team signing Talanoa Hufanga out of San Francisco and reverting Locke back to a backup role.

Locke started his first season in Dallas as a backup, but an injury early in the team’s Week 1 matchup sidelined starter Malik Hooker, pushing Locke into first-team duties, once again. Unfortunately, the early-game injury that offered him playing time came back to bite him the next week as he was diagnosed with torn plantar fascia after an early exit in Week 2. In Locke’s absence, the Cowboys employed Markquese Bell in his spot for the rest of the game.

Barron, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse last year, has previously played in only three NFL games. Steward will be a decent addition to the secondary. He started five of 17 game appearances in Dallas last year.