ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 19: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys looks on as the Cowboys take on the New York Jets in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 19, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

After injury-riddled start, Cowboys move to release veteran

A shocker out of Big D.

A lot of the discussion surrounding the Dallas Cowboys right now centers on Jerry Jones and his stance against protests during the national anthem. With that said, the Cowboys are kind of a mess on the field through five games and the team's 2-3 record is a reminder of that.

Beyond that, Dallas has encountered serious injury issues on the defensive side of the ball and, while that is not the only reason for the squad's troubles on the field, it certainly matters. To that end, the Cowboys are now electing to make a roster move that has a lot to do with availability concerns and that results in veteran cornerback Nolan Carroll being released.

Carroll signed a three-year contract in Dallas this offseason and his release, in some ways, is jarring as a result. Prior to coming to the Cowboys, Carroll was a mainstay in Philadelphia but he has missed the last few games with a concussion (as noted above) and was not particularly effective on the field before that absence.

More than anything, this could be seen as an endorsement of former Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who has been the starter since Carroll went down. Ironically, Lewis was involved in the back-breaking play in a loss to Green Bay last week but, on the whole, the former All-American has been quite good on the field and that likely played a part in this decision.