The Cowboys aren't pulling any punches when it comes to addressing their salary cap situation.
Dallas has released kicker Greg Zuerlein and waived tight end Blake Jarwin with an injury designation, the team announced.
The team also announced it has released cornerback Reggie Robinson II and running back Ito Smith, along with wide receiver Robert Foster, who was on the practice squad.
After playing the first eight seasons of his career with the Rams, Zuerlein signed with Dallas in 2020, appearing in 32 regular-season games and converting 82.9% of his field-goal attempts and 89.3% of extra-point attempts. With a cap number of $2.8 million entering 2022, Dallas chose to release him, recouping $2.485 million of that total.
Jarwin displayed promise in 2018 and 2019, but after signing an extension in early 2020, the tight end has struggled to stay on the field in the last two seasons, appearing in a combined total of just nine games between 2020 and 2021. Jarwin suffered a torn ACL in his first regular-season game following his extension and missed the remained of the 2020 season. The 2021 campaign also wasn't kind to Jarwin, who returned as a backup and landed on injured reserve again in November with a hip injury.
With a cap number of just $5.85 million, Dallas could seemingly afford to keep Jarwin around had he proven to be a productive -- and more importantly, available -- tight end. But with the Cowboys up against the cap and turning over every stone to attempt to shed salary (see: wide receiver Amari Cooper, offensive tackle La'el Collins), they'll quickly make such a decision on a player who just hasn't been able to produce enough to warrant keeping him.
And as for kicker, they'll be able to find a cheaper, younger option elsewhere.
