<
        >

          NFL Nation

          With Eagles calling on Cowboys tight end, QB Kellen Moore released

          The Cowboys released backup QB Kellen Moore on Thursday, but there's a chance he could be brought back to their practice squad. Joe Robbins/Getty Images

          FRISCO, Texas -- Last week, the Dallas Cowboys made Cooper Rush the backup quarterback to Dak Prescott over Kellen Moore for the first time. On Thursday, the Cowboys released Moore in order to call up tight end Blake Jarwin from the practice squad.

          Moore, who does not have to clear waivers, is eligible to return to the Cowboys’ practice squad.

          The Philadelphia Eagles wanted to sign Jarwin to their 53-man roster, but the Cowboys did not want to lose him so they added him to their active roster. Jarwin signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent and caught four passes for 31 yards in the preseason.

          The Cowboys now have four tight ends on the active roster with Jason Witten, James Hanna, Geoff Swaim and Jarwin. Rico Gathers has been eligible to practice the past two weeks, but he remains on injured reserve with a concussion he suffered in training camp. Gathers has been working out with the team’s strength and conditioning staff for the past few weeks.

          Rush, an undrafted free agent, excelled in the preseason with six touchdown passes and no interceptions, forcing the Cowboys to initially release Moore on the cutdown to 53 players and bring him back a day later. He saw action in the fourth quarter of last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, completing 1-of-1 passes for 2 yards. He also had a 15-yard run.

          “We all saw the progress he made in training camp and felt like it was a work in progress,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “When you’ve got a young quarterback, regardless of what round he was drafted, you’d like to, if you have that chance, to have a progression of teaching. It was good for him in the first five games to be able to see a pro’s pro like Kellen prepare in that backup position and see how that really works, because it’s really different. In college, you probably get a lot more reps potentially than you would just because of the number of plays you run. ... Here it’s maybe two or three a week with the first group, if any. You’re getting your reps as a show-team guy.”

          Moore will not pass through waivers and will be free to sign anywhere else. There is a chance he will be brought back to the Cowboys' practice squad.