Who is Carlos Watkins, the defensive tackle the Cowboys signed to replace Jordan Phillips?

The Dallas Cowboys defense was completely battered by the New Orleans Saints last week, giving up 44 points, 190 rushing yards, and four touchdowns on the ground in the Week 2 home loss. The Cowboys are hoping to bounce back from that this week as they host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but the defense has a lot of work to do.

Jordan Phillips’ injury

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is a 10-year veteran and was signed to the Dallas Cowboys late last month. He played in 19 snaps during their loss to the Saints on Sunday. Alongside him were Mazi Smith, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston and Linval Joseph.

Last December, when Phillips played for the Buffalo Bills, he had surgery on his wrist. On Wednesday, the Cowboys placed Phillips on Injured Reserve, reporting that he’s dealing with a wrist injury, and will now be out for at least four weeks. What’s interesting is that just hours after Dallas placed him on IR, Phillips said his wrist felt fine and that he wasn’t sure why he was placed on IR.

Still, the Cowboys have already signed a new defensive tackle to replace Phillips for the next four weeks.

Who is Carlos Watkins?

The Cowboys signed Carlos Watkins to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. Watkins has played with the Cowboys before, from 2021 to 2022. During that time, he recorded 21 tackles and 16 stops. He’s been in the league since 2017 and has since played in 72 games, starting in 37.

Watkins signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the spring of 2023, but suffered an injury early in the season that kept him out for a while and he ended up playing in just two Games with one start and ending the season with seven tackles (one for a loss), one sack, and one pass defended. He began this season on the Washington CoMMAnders’ practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster during their Week 2 win over the New York Giants and played two snaps.

The Cowboys defense will once again be put to the test when they face the Ravens on Sunday. Although they’re currently 0-2, Baltimore ranks third in the league with 5.7 yards per carry and have stayed in the top 5 in that category every year since Lamar Jackson arrived as their quarterback in 2019. The Cowboys and Ravens last played each other in 2020, when Jackson racked up 294 rushing yards and came away with a 34-17 win.