Dallas Cowboys promote ball-hawking cornerback from practice squad

John Stephens was sent to the IR with a knee injury and the Dallas Cowboys have replaced his roster spot with Amani Oruwariye.

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Amani Oruwariye (27) takes the field to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys received some unfortunate injury news earlier this week when second-year tight end John Stephen, Jr. suffered a torn ACL.

That makes it the second season in a row the promising pass-catcher tore his ACL.

On Saturday, he was officially placed on the injured reserve, freeing up space on the 53-man roster. Dallas filled that spot by promoting cornerback Amani Oruwariye from the practice squad.

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Oruwariye was initially signed to the practice squad after the final preseason game. A fifth-round pick from Penn State in 2019, he had 36 starts under his belt, giving the Cowboys some much-needed depth.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Amani Oruwariye (27) intercepts a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (13) in front of Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With Daron Bland dealing with a foot injury, Dallas has already had Oruwariye active in three games with two starts. He has 12 tackles, three pass defenses, and one interception this year.

His best campaign was in 2021 while he was with the Detroit Lions. That year, Oruwariye had 57 tackles, 11 pass defenses, and six interceptions.

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