FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys placed safety P.J. Locke on injured reserve with a foot injury Saturday and signed linebacker Justin Barron from the practice squad to the active roster, the team announced.
Dallas also elevated cornerback Reddy Steward from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
P.J. Locke Lands On Injured Reserve With Torn Plantar Fascia
Locke tore the plantar fascia in his foot on Washington’s opening drive of the 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Sept. 20. He went down on a third down and walked off before being taken to the locker room. A player placed on injured reserve must miss at least four games, beginning with Sunday’s game in Rio.
On Sept. 21, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Locke’s tear was complete rather than partial and that Locke and cornerback Cobie Durant could each miss a few weeks.
“That is correct. You and I are both learning about doctor stuff,” Schottenheimer said. “But yeah, they say it’s better. It’s pretty sore for a week. And then it begins to heal much quicker when you tear it fully.”
That same week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan that he did not expect Locke or Durant to go on injured reserve. Durant, who strained his hamstring against Washington, remains on the active roster and has been ruled out for Sunday.
Locke signed with Dallas in free agency after his time with the Denver Broncos. He was starting at safety because Malik Hooker fractured his forearm in the season opener. Markquese Bell took Locke’s snaps against Washington. The team has said Hooker will be out until at least Week 4.
Rookie Caleb Downs played some deep safety in the opener when Hooker went to the sideline. Schottenheimer said Sept. 14 that Downs could move around the defense.
“We love P.J. Locke,” Schottenheimer said. “I think Caleb played really, really well. … Caleb’s a guy that can move around, but we like him down near the line of scrimmage.”
Justin Barron, Reddy Steward Add Depth For Dallas Cowboys In Rio
Barron’s signing fills the roster spot Locke opened. Dallas elevated Barron and linebacker Curtis Robinson for the Week 2 game after DeMarvion Overshown strained his hamstring in the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants. Overshown is out again Sunday, along with Durant, Hooker, and Locke.
On Sept. 14, Schottenheimer said Overshown would miss one to two weeks and that Dallas had options for elevations on the practice squad.
“Dee Winters, obviously most experienced of the group,” Schottenheimer said. “Jaishawn [Barham] got some valuable playtime yesterday, did some good things, did some things that he needs to improve on.
“Shemar James is a valued member of our football team, very smart, very bright. And then we’ve got some guys on practice squad, we’ve got elevations. Curtis Robinson is a veteran, he’s played a lot of football in this league. And then Justin Barron’s a guy we have a lot of high expectations for,” Schottenheimer continued.
Rookie Jaishawn Barham started at middle linebacker against Washington and wore the green dot. Dee Winters led Dallas with 9 tackles in that game.
Barron went undrafted in 2025 and spent most of his rookie season on the Dallas practice squad. The Cowboys signed him to the active roster Jan. 3, waived him at final cuts Aug. 31, and signed him back to the practice squad the next day.
Steward is the fifth available cornerback with Durant out. The others are DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel Jr., and Caelen Carson, and Carson was inactive for each of the first two games. Dallas claimed Steward off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 27, 2025. He played 17 games for the Cowboys last season and had 1.5 sacks.
The Cowboys (1-1) play the Houston Texans in Week 4 on Oct. 4.
