IRVING, Texas - When Brian Moorman came to the Cowboys a few weeks ago, he made it clear to punter Chris Jones of his role and his intentions.
"I never really viewed it much as a competition coming in," Moorman said. "I came in to spell him and get him healthy. I knew my place. I told him right from the start' I'm not here to replace you and here to help you as much as I can.'"
But Jones never did get completely healthy because of a nagging left knee sprain. The Cowboys have now decided to put their second-year punter on injured reserve, shelving him for the rest of the season.
That means what Moorman thought was just a one or two-week stint, has now turned into a season-long stay with the Cowboys as the team's punter and holder.
Moorman has punted two of the last three games for the Cowboys, only missing the Oct. 14 game in Baltimore with a groin injury. Jones was less than 100 percent but was able to get through the game and was fortunate the Cowboys only had to punt once.
Once Moorman got healthy again, it was clear he was in better shape to punt than Jones.
Still the 10-year veteran hasn't changed his tune when it comes to long-term expectations for this position.
"I think Chris is a great punter and he's got a long future in this league," Moorman said. "Just look at what he's done and what he's capable of doing. It's hard to see. You don't want it to come down to something like that – an injury to cost someone to lose their season like that.
Hopefully he stays positive and get him healthy and get him back next year."
But in the meantime, Moorman is going to take advantage of this opportunity. He said he's excited to move out of his hotel and get a stable place to live and possibly get his family down from the Buffalo area.
More than that, Moorman is feeling good about his own game and how he's striking the ball. The veteran punter said that's a more telling sign than any stat – although he's averaging 44.0 yards per punt with four inside the 20.
"I've hit the ball better this season year back to training camp than I've ever hit it in my career," said Moorman, who was cut by the Bills after 10 seasons early into the regular season. "I feel that my confidence has never wavered. I don't think my ability ahs ever wavered. It's been an unfortunate situation this year that I've come into. Sometimes you run into adversity. It's how you rally and move on."
