Connor McGovern won't be debuting in the NFL any time soon.
There's a lot of excitement in North Dallas surrounding the rookie offensive lineman, following the Dallas Cowboys' decision to select him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The team didn't expect McGovern to still be available when they went on the clock with the 90th-overall selection, but there he was, and a celebratory Cowboys front office collectively hi-fived each other as they gave him the nod. Unfortunately, the former Penn State standout has been out of practice since suffering a torn pectoral muscle months ago, and his entire season is now in jeopardy.
After suffering a setback in August, the Cowboys have opted to move McGovern to injured reserve to start the 2019 season -- per Todd Archer of ESPN -- in an expected move following final roster cutdowns. League rules require a player to first be on a team's active roster before they can be moved to IR, and the freed up roster spot will reportedly go to running back Jordan Chunn.
The promotion for Chunn isn't in the books yet, though, per Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News.
As Archer notes above, Chunn is an able-bodied special teams player as much as he is depth as a third-string RB.
It's fair to assume the Cowboys are simply protecting themselves in the event a deal isn't finalized with Ezekiel Elliott this week, with the team having hoped to get things ironed out over the weekend. Sources continue to affirm to me that barring a setback, things are on schedule for Elliott to report to the Cowboys in ample time to begin practicing for the season opener against the New York Giants, as the two sides work out the structure of the new contract -- with money having already been agreed upon.
It isn't done until it's done, however, and the aforementioned roster moves help the Cowboys polish their final roster for Week 1.