The Dallas Cowboys placed safety P.J. Locke on injured reserve Saturday, according to ESPN's Todd Archer, and turned to two defensive reinforcements before facing the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
The corresponding moves — signing linebacker Justin Barron to the active roster and elevating cornerback Reddy Steward from the practice squad — deepen a defense already thinned at safety and linebacker, for a game being played at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Barron, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound linebacker, played both ways at Suffield Academy in Connecticut before landing at Syracuse, where he moved from safety to linebacker as a senior in 2024. He posted a team-high 93 tackles that season and won Walter Camp Connecticut Player of the Year honors.
Dallas signed Barron as an undrafted free agent in 2025. He spent most of his rookie year on special teams before a late-season promotion, then was waived at final cuts in 2026, returned to the practice squad and was elevated in Week 2 before Saturday's promotion to the 53-man roster, according to Cowboys Wire's player profile. He was elevated in Week 2 before Saturday's promotion to the 53-man roster, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The move gives Dallas a 21-day practice-squad protection window instead of burning another one-week elevation, according to CBS Sports' transaction log , which shows Barron and Steward were both cut and re-signed to the practice squad within the same 48-hour stretch late last month.
Steward, 25, twice earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors at Troy and finished his college career with nine interceptions, according to ESPN's player biography page . He broke into the league with the Chicago Bears in 2024, spent time on the Minnesota Vikings ' futures list, then landed in Dallas on a waiver claim last summer.
Steward started five of his 17 games with the Cowboys last season and finished fifth on the team with 63 tackles, developing a working relationship with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus that dates back to their time together in Chicago .
Steward's job Sunday is straightforward. He'll be asked to match up in the slot against Lamar Jackson 's motion-heavy passing attack, according to Cowboys reporter Tommy Yarrish . With Baltimore receiver Zay Flowers dealing with a hamstring issue, Steward figures to spend most of his snaps shadowing slot targets and chipping running backs on checkdowns, not replacing an outside cornerback for a full workload.
Barron slots in as coverage insurance against tight end Isaiah Likely and running back Derrick Henry , plus special-teams depth — a role he already logged 30 special teams snaps last season, according to Blogging the Boys . He is not projected as an every-down replacement for DeMarvion Overshown , but as a coverage-oriented hybrid who can spell Kenneth Murray or Jack Sanborn in dime looks.
Overshown remains out with a hamstring injury, and safety Malik Hooker (forearm) and cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring) were both ruled out, according to the Cowboys injury report . Locke, who tore his plantar fascia, is not eligible to return until Oct. 26, according to Archer . His injured reserve stint opened the 53-man spot Barron filled, while Steward's promotion uses one of Dallas' two weekly practice-squad elevations, leaving one more available before kickoff if the Cowboys need it.
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