At this point, the Cowboys are a walking M.A.S.H. unit. Their list of injured players isn't simply long, it's filled with cornerstone players like Tyron Smith, La'El Collins and, of course, two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott. You can now add veteran punter Chris Jones to that catalog of sidelined talent, and it's undetermined when he'll return to the field this season, if at all. Jones will undergo surgery to repair a core muscle injury, per head coach Mike McCarthy, and will be unavailable for "multiple weeks" as he works to recover from the injury, making him the latest to land on injured reserve -- when the Cowboys officially make that move this week.
In his stead, the Cowboys will activate Hunter Niswander from the practice squad and name him starter in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source confirmed to CBS Sports, instead of attempting to add another punter to the roster with more NFL experience. Niswander was signed last week as insurance with Jones having battled a previously undisclosed injury, and the Cowboys protected him on the practice squad to prevent any possible poaching by another team.
It's not hard to see why, in looking at his performance at the XFL level.
Through it all: Trust God, Stay Humble, & Hustle Hard. #Ao1 @XFLDefenders @xfl2020 @peterjschaffer pic.twitter.com/QIY3mikwL0
— Hunter Niswander (@HunterNiswander) April 5, 2020
Niswander definitely has some talent.
It's clear the Cowboys felt Jones' ailment was degrading to the point of no longer being manageable, and he's now been shut down for the foreseeable future. A former undrafted free agent in 2011, Jones worked his way up to the starting role in Dallas through both impressive punts and his willingness to get his hands dirty when necessary -- earning him the nickname "The Puntisher" for the hard hits he's been known to lay on opposing punt returners. He's not been operating in prime form the last two seasons, however, calling into question his future with the organization, but having battled injury last season as well, the Cowboys retained him for 2020 with the hopes he'd bounce back. He has not, however, thanks to another bout with injury, and his absence will also create an issue at holder.
Jones is arguably the best holder on the team, and that makes for an interesting decision on if the Cowboys. L.P. Ladouceur, the team's legendary long snapper, isn't known for holding field goals, but instead his immaculate career snapping punts. They could potentially use one of their quarterbacks to do the job, likely the non-starter in Week 8, but that's also not a guarantee Greg Zuerlein will avoid having to go full Ray Finkle -- screaming about how the laces should be out and not in.
Contractually, the injury puts Jones in an uneasy spot with the Cowboys.
The 31-year-old enters a contract year in 2021 that is set to hit the team's salary cap for $2.5 million, a robust figure for a punter who also happens to be on the decline. The Cowboys would gain $2 million in cap space by waving goodbye, and considering the front office is doing all it can to squirrel money away for Prescott this coming offseason, it just makes sense to part ways with Jones -- especially if Niswander impresses in 2020.
Prior to his stint in the XFL, Niswander was a three-year starter at Northwestern University who averaged 43 yards per punt in his senior year, before going on to finish second in the XFL with 44.6 yards per punt and eight punts that pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard line. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound leg swinger was named an XFL All-Pro, and will now audition for the Cowboys while earning $142,800 in base salary, having a great opportunity to land a new deal that's worth exponentially more -- even if it still lands below what Jones is set to earn next season.
