FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys haven't officially filled the open spot on their 53-man roster as of Friday afternoon, though cornerback Leon McFadden appears to be a strong candidate to get signed from the practice squad in time to be available for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.
McFadden is the most experienced player on the practice squad; he has played 25 career regular-season appearances with the Browns, 49ers and Giants. The Browns drafted him in the third round in 2013. Released by the Giants at final cuts this year in September, he was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad on Oct. 24.
Asked Friday morning if McFadden will get promoted from the practice squad, head coach Jason Garrett said. "We haven't made all those roster determinations yet. But he's had a good week."
The Cowboys have only three healthy full-time cornerbacks on the active roster: Orlando Scandrick, Brandon Carr and Anthony Brown. (Byron Jones has played corner but he's also the starting free safety). Morris Claiborne hasn't practiced this week due to a groin injury and could miss extended time.
Speaking to reporters in the locker room after Friday's practice, McFadden sounded confident about his chances of being promoted and was "excited" about the possibility of facing his former team Sunday.
"It's been a while, so I'm ready to get back into the swing of things," he said.
The Cowboys created an open active roster spot Thursday by waiving fullback Rod Smith, who played only four offensive snaps in the first seven games but ranked second on the team with four special teams tackles.
"Rod's done a nice job for us," Garrett said. "We've had some injuries at different spots. We anticipated making a move and we felt like that was the right thing to do for our team."
