When NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players ahead of Week 1, multiple good players were available to new teams. Some of the NFL’s best teams must cut players they’d otherwise prefer to keep.
The Washington Commanders found one such player from their biggest rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas released third-year linebacker Jabril Cox during its final cuts and wanted to retain Cox on the practice squad. However, Cox wisely saw the Commanders as a quicker path to playing, instead choosing their practice squad over a return to Dallas.
Now, Cox will get his chance to impress Washington. Head coach Ron Rivera confirmed Friday that the Commanders would elevate Cox from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“We haven’t done that yet, but we will,” Rivera said when asked if Washington would elevate Cox on Sunday.
“He’s looked very good, very athletic. He’s shown his speed, his quickness, his athletic ability. That’s been kind of exciting to watch.”
A former two-time FCS All-American and three-time FCS national champion at North Dakota State, Cox spent his final season at LSU in 2020.
A fourth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2021, Cox missed half of each of the last two seasons as he recovered from a torn ACL.
Starting linebacker Cody Barton is out on Sunday, which means David Mayo and Khaleke Hudson will replace him alongside Jamin Davis. It will be interesting to see if Cox plays against the Eagles.
