OXNARD, Calif. – Cowboys VP Stephen Jones, the team's director of player personnel, had just one word to describe Tyrone Crawford's season-ending Achilles injury.
"Crushing," he said Monday morning. "Absolutely crushing."
Jones, who saw the entire injury develop Sunday evening from the makeshift training camp tower in between the two practice fields here in Oxnard, said Crawford's versatility made him such a key asset to the team's 4-3 scheme.
"He's a guy that can play end and tackle," Jones said. "It just makes you sick because we really had high hopes for him this year."
As for a replacement, even though the Cowboys still have an open spot on the 90-man roster, Jones said it's unlikely the team will go out and sign a player right away, at least not one of the bigger-named ends on the market such as John Abraham, Jamaal Anderson and Juqua Parker.
"The guy that will replace Crawford is already on the roster," Jones said. "We certainly like the guys on our roster better than anyone that is out there."
The Cowboys signed veteran Anthony Hargrove back in May but released him last month.
Behind starters DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, Crawford was slotted as the next guy at end. Now, that spot will likely revert to Kyle Wilber, who is making the transition from outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme. Expect more from Ben Bass, who is playing more defensive tackle but has some [embedded_ad]
versatility, like Crawford, to play both spots.
Other ends on the roster include Cameron Sheffield and Monte Taylor. And perhaps, the Cowboys could use some other versatile players such as outside linebacker Alex Albright and defensive tackle Jason Hatcher to slide out to end if needed.
