The Dallas Cowboys have a banged-up secondary heading into Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season. On Tuesday, the team tried to address their defensive backs injury issues by reuniting with safety Juanyeh Thomas.
“Sources: The #Cowboys are signing S Juanyeh Thomas, bringing him back to where his NFL career began. Thomas joined Dallas as an undrafted free agent and played in 36 games from 2022-2025, recording 62 tackles, 5 PBUs and 1 forced fumble,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz said via a social media post on X (formerly Twitter).
Thomas did not hear his name called at the 2022 NFL Draft, but he later signed with the Cowboys. While he failed to notch a spot on the team's final roster at the time, he remained with Dallas as a practice squad player. A season later, he made his NFL debut, playing in 16 games for the Cowboys, including a start.
He suited up for the NFC East team in 2024 and 2025 before joining the Indianapolis Colts. He inked a 1-year, $1.33 million contract wtih the Colts in March, but Indianapolis released him just before the 2026 season.
Now, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive back will start over again with Dallas, which is nursing plenty of injuries on defense, with cornerback Cobie Durant and safeties Malik Hooker and P.J. Locke. currently labeled with injury designations.
During his first stint with the Cowboys, Thomas, who just turned 26 years old in June, appeared in 36 games (four starts) and recorded five passes defended, a forced fumble and 62 total tackles.
The 1-2 Cowboys will face the Houston Texans this coming Sunday on the road.