Cowboys Cut Ex Longhorns CB, Sign Former Raiders 6-2 CB Isaiah Johnson

Johnson played collegiately at Houston, and at the 2019 Scouting Combine impressed by running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds while recording a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

FRISCO - Trevon Diggs is fine - in terms of performance and health. But the Dallas Cowboys are nevertheless making a roster move to help the secondary, signing former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Isaiah Johnson to the practice squad, a transaction announced by Johnson’s agent, Murphy McGuire of Octagon Football.

“PUMPED to have my guy @_bigplayzay sign with the @dallascowboys p-squad today!” McGuire tweeted.

Johnson, 25, is part of a large collection of defensive backs occupying spots on the Dallas practice squad, joining cornerbacks Kyron Brown and safety Tyler Coyle. ... a group that had included University of Texas corner Holton Hill.

Hill, though, is being released to make room for Johnson.

The Cowboys also have two more DBs, Deante Burton and Darian Thompson, on the practice-squad injured list.

And of course the 3-1 Cowboys, coming off a dominant Week 4 win over previously unbeaten Carolina - a victory powered in part by cornerback Trevon Diggs adding two more interceptions to his NFL-leading total of five - are also full-up in the secondary, with 11 DBs on the roster.

Maybe soon will come more help, as second-round rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph is on short-term IR, with Cowboys COO Stephen Jones suggesting that his 21-day clock to return may start soon.

But coach Mike McCarthy on Monday suggested that Joseph isn't scheduled to practice this week. And in the meantime, Diggs took a cleat to the back in Sunday's win, causing him to sit out the end of the game as a precautionary measure.

“Yeah,'' McCarthy said in regard to Diggs' availability for Sunday's Week 5 visit from the New York Giants, "I think he’s gonna be fine.”

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So it is a mistake to draw a direct correlation between Diggs' back soreness and the Johnson signing. But it is not a mistake to take note of the attributes of Johnson, a 2019 fourth-round pick (No. 129 overall) of the Raiders who at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds fits the "traits'' desires of both Will McClay's scouting department and coordinator Dan Quinn's defensive coaching staff.

Johnson, a native Texan, has not been a starter but has appeared in 19 games over his first two NFL seasons, notching 15 tackles (eight solo) and five pass deflections. He was released by the Raiders this summer and spent some time on the Houston Texans practice squad.

Johnson played collegiately at Houston, and at the 2019 Scouting Combine impressed by running the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds while recording a 36.5-inch vertical jump.

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