Most significant move: The Matt Johnson era has not officially ended, but the safety was waived by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday as part of the roster moves to reach the NFL-mandated 75-player limited.
A fourth-round draft pick in 2012, Johnson never played in a game. He missed his rookie season with recurring hamstring injuries as well as a back injury. He suffered an ankle injury in the 2013 preseason and was placed on injured reserve after having surgery.
Despite his limited practices, the Cowboys liked Johnson’s potential and kept waiting for him to get healthy. He suffered a hamstring injury early in training camp this summer in Oxnard, California, and was unable to return to practice. He returned to Dallas early to see if back problems were causing the hamstring issues but no relation was found.
If Johnson clears waivers, he would revert to injured reserve and the Cowboys could eventually receive an injury settlement.
Cowboys remain patient: By placing Amobi Okoye on the reserve/non-football illness list, the Cowboys are buying more time on the veteran defensive tackle. He will be unable to play in the first six games of the regular season but he will be able to continue his conditioning work as he attempts to return from anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, a brain disease that left him in a coma for three months last year. Okoye was cleared for full football activities by his doctor on Aug. 14, but the team is choosing to be cautious in his return after such a long layoff with the hope he could return by midseason.
Cowboys' moves: QB Caleb Hanie, WR Chris Boyd, TE Jordan Najvar (waived/injured), G Wayne Tribue, DL Adewale Ojomo, DE Ben Gardner (injured reserve), DT Amobi Okoye (reserve/NFI), LB DeVonte Holloman (waived/injured), CB Justin Green (waived injured), S Johnny Thomas (waived injured), S Matt Johnson (waived injured), P Tom Hornsey, LS Casey Kreiter
