The Cowboys have moved swiftly to address their dire situation on defense.
The aftermath of the Dallas Cowboys' 34-31 loss in Week 3 at Rio to the Baltimore Ravens has been negatively explosive not only because of poor play, but also because of the contributors the Cowboys lost along the way.
Dallas lost DBs Shavon Revel Jr. and Jalen Thompson, to add to the absences of Malik Hooker, DeMarvion Overshown, Cobie Durant, PJ Locke, and Jonathan Bullard.
Shortly after returning to The Star, Dallas went to work addressing what is now a dire defensive situation.
First, the franchise hosted tryouts with several "street free agents,'' including Juanyeh Thomas, Alex Austin, Shemar Bartholomew, Tyrek Funderburk, and Germaine Pratt.
And it didn't take long for the Cowboys to sign two of them.
A source tells CowboysRoundtable.com that Austin, a former New England Patriots corner who made two starts last season but spent most of it on the practice squad, is coming aboard.
Additionally, former Cowboys safety Thomas is coming back into the fold.
Austin (6-1, 191) has played 29 games in his three NFL seasons (six starts), has one interception, and eight passes defended.
It isn't clear whether Austin, 25, will be pushed toward an active roster spot, given the Cowboys' quick turnaround with the Sunday visit to the Houston Texans up next, so he could be the "next man up" for Christian Parker's defense.
That isn't ideal; Austin was a seventh-round pick out of Oregon State with a 4.5 40 time but not much else in terms of pedigree.
But the Cowboys have been decimated with injuries to a defense that could ill-afford to have any. ... and the scramble for bodies might continue; we heard Juanyeh Thomas might still be in the picture here. ... and that has indeed come true.
Now, in addition to trying (and failing) to establish his way of doing things on the field, Parker is juggling a handful of injuries to his defense as it is quickly becoming a nightmare for the first-time coordinator.
Maybe the Austin and Thomas moves help. However, right now, expect more of Reddy Stewart, Alijah Clark, Markquese Bell and Caelen Carson against the Texans.
The 1-2 Cowboys clearly need reinforcements on defense ... and they need a lot of other things as well.
