FRISCO, Texas – For now, Brandon Carr is on the Cowboys' 16-man practice squad.
Could a call-up to the active roster happen soon, perhaps as early as this week?
That remains to be seen. Carr, signed to the practice squad on Sunday, is focusing on the playbook this week, trying to get acclimated to the defense as quickly as possible.
"I'm in a good space and just ready to work and ready to do what it takes to one, make this squad, but two, make the team as competitive as we can be to make a run," he said Tuesday via conference call.
The 34-year-old defensive back became a free agent in March after the Ravens did not pick up the option on his contract. He was productive in Baltimore the last three seasons and played a good amount of snaps at safety last year.
The Cowboys acknowledged last week they would seek veteran safety depth after releasing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Carr played primarily cornerback for Dallas from 2012-16 but has always been intrigued by making a transition to safety later in his career. He has seen veteran cornerbacks extend their careers that way.
"What I like most about it is I get the opportunity to have a little bit different impact on the game as far as just using my film study, be able to talk across the board as opposed to corner," he said.
"I enjoyed it, just being on the island and having a man-on-man type of personality and mentality. But now it's more so just trying to be a field general in both the run and the pass game, making plays, just trying to go out there and execute."
He might have the chance to do just that back in Dallas. Head coach Mike McCarthy hasn't specified exactly where Carr might play if signed to the active roster at some point. The biggest plus is that he can play anywhere in the secondary.
That's consistent with the team's emphasis on position flexibility between cornerback and safety. Several players took snaps at both spots in training camp.
Speaking Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones sounded confident that starting safety Xavier Woods (groin) will be ready for Sunday's season opener at the LA Rams. The Cowboys clearly were pleased enough with fifth-year veteran Darian Thompson's production in training camp that Clinton-Dix did not make the 53-man roster.
At cornerback, Jourdan Lewis (ankle) and Chidobe Awuzie (knee) have been making progress. The Cowboys return to practice Wednesday.
Overall, the club likes their depth and versatility in the back end. But Carr would provide experience at multiple spots if needed.
"I'm available all across the board, all over the field," he said. "Just ready for wherever duty calls."
