Training camp wasted no time putting the Dallas Cowboys’ depth chart to the test. While they managed to avoid a catastrophic injury to Tyler Guyton, who will only miss 4-6 weeks with a knee fracture, the secondary is reeling after losing Caelen Carson.
Carson is expected to miss several weeks after he hyperextended his knee over the weekend. The Cowboys signed fifth-year cornerback Christian Matthew on Tuesday in light of the news.
The addition of Matthew forced Dallas to make a difficult cut in the form of veteran wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, per Patrik Walker of the team’s official website.
Cowboys cut WR Kelvin Harmon after signing CB Christian Matthew
Harmon is no stranger to being cut by the Cowboys. He signed with Dallas last summer and was released during roster cuts before returning to the practice squad the very next day. He inked a reserve/future contract with the team in January.
A sixth-round pick by Washington in 2019, Harmon has been a part of a very healthy competition at the bottom of the WR room. This decision ultimately came down to a numbers game, and Harmon will turn 29 in December and hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since his rookie year.
The Cowboys have draft picks invested in Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy, and undrafted additions in Jalen Cropper, Traeshon Holden, and Josh Kelly. That group, along with injured veteran Parris Campbell, looks to be battling for the final roster spot.
The problem with all of these injuries is that Dallas can’t put players on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) after they’ve practiced once in camp. Putting them on injured reserve (IR) would rule them out for the whole season, so that’s not an option either.
Unfortunately for Harmon, wide receiver is arguably the deepest position on the roster alongside defensive end. With CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, and Jonathan Mingo, the Cowboys boast their strongest WR room in years.
Maybe there’s a path back to the practice squad for Harmon when all is said and done. The coaching staff clearly likes him, but for his sake, you hope he finds a team where cracking a 53-man roster is more realistic.
