Cowboys cut DT Jay Ratliff

The Cowboys have made an interesting subtraction from their roster just days before their matchup against the Eagles in Philadelphia. Dallas released former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jay Ratliff from their roster on Wednesday. He was initially put on reserve/PUP with a hamstring injury during training camp. A failed physical is said to be the reason for Ratliff's dismissal, according to the Associated Press.

Ratliff played for the Cowboys for eight seasons and missed the first six games of this year. During his tenure, Ratliff was elected to four Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro in 2009 and had 27 sacks. He was perfect as the nose tackle in the 3-4 defense that Dallas used for years, but this season the Cowboys moved to a Tampa 2 under Monte Kiffin.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said that Ratliff could miss the whole season with the hamstring injury, but now the former All-Pro can sign and rehab with any team. He was going to miss Week 7, so this really does not impact the Cowboys matchup with the Eagles this week, but could play a factor down the road. Ratliff played well against the Eagles through his Cowboys career, with 6.5-career sacks.

[Note by Brandon Lee Gowton, 10/16/13 4:38 PM EDT ] Important:

The Cowboys didn't get a single snap out of Jay Ratliff for the $18 million guaranteed he got on extension that just kicked in this year.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) October 16, 2013