IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys activated Josh Brent to the 53-man roster Tuesday, but coach Jason Garrett indicated that the defensive tackle needs to improve his conditioning before making his season debut.
Brent's 10-game suspension ended Sunday. The Cowboys have a bye this week and Brent will be eligible to play Nov. 23 at the New York Giants, but the team could choose to make him inactive for that game.
"He's got to get his weight down," Garrett said. "He's got to get more into football shape. But the move we're going to make is to put him on the 53 and see where he is here for the next couple of weeks."
Brent is on probation after his conviction of an intoxication manslaughter charge stemming from the December 2012 accident that resulted in the death of his best friend and former Cowboys practice squad player Jerry Brown. Brent was sentenced to 180 days in jail, spending the final 45 days of his sentence in a drug and alcohol treatment facility.
Brent, who was listed at 320 pounds during the 2012 season, has not played in a game since the accident. He retired before last season to deal with his legal issues and was re-signed by the Cowboys on Sept. 2, when commissioner Roger Goodell announced the terms and conditions of his suspension.
The NFL allowed Brent to practice with the Cowboys the last two weeks, and he was cleared by league and law enforcement officials to travel with the team to London last week.
A source said the Cowboys wanted an exemption to push back the deadline to activate Brent, but that was not an option because he had already practiced with the team.
The Cowboys waived linebacker Tim Dobbins, who signed with the team Oct. 29, to make room on the roster for Brent.