The Dallas Cowboys have looked impressive 2 weeks into the season. They have a perfect 2-0 record and both games were against division foes. Despite the poor quality of opponents the Cowboys faced in those games, both wins were convincing. The offense, led by QB Dak Prescott and new OC Kellen Moore has looked outstanding and Cowboy fans are as optimistic as they have been in over a decade. The last victory however came at a price. Breakout second year wide receiver Michael Gallup and starting nose tackle Antwaun Woods were among the Dallas Cowboys injured players on Sunday and both players will miss multiple weeks going forward.
It could be a lot worse for the Cowboys. Looking around the rest of the league, here is a list of players that have suffered season ending or significant injuries after only 2 weeks into the regular season: Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Nick Foles, Sam Darnold, Joe Staley, Tyreek Hill, C.J Mosley, Quinnen Williams, Jonathan Allen, Malik Jackson, and Tim Jernigan. just to name a few. The division rival Philadelphia Eagles have been hit particularly hard in the early going so for Cowboy fans there is not really a whole lot to complain about.
It should be noted though, that among the Dallas Cowboys injured players, the two that did get hurt on Sunday are the biggest contributors. Michael Gallup was expected to have a breakout season this year and he started hot right out of the gate. It was really a shame that he got hurt because he has really emerged as a legitimate number 2 wide receiver to compliment Amari Cooper and he has that game breaking big play ability that could generate momentum in an instant. The Cowboys do not have another receiver on the same level as the second year standout Gallup on their current roster. They will have to depend on the speedster Devon Smith or fellow second year man out of Boise State Cedrick Wilson to step up in his absence.
On the defensive side of the ball the loss of Antwaun Woods is a major blow to a defensive unit that has struggled some to begin the year. Woods is underappreciated by fans but his teammates consider him a catalyst on the interior line. He does the dirty work that allows the rest of the defense to make plays. The Cowboys are already thin at defensive tackle and they lack size at that position. Now they will probably have to move Maliek Collins to Wood’s position and either promote rookie Trysten Hill to the active roster or use one of their versatile defensive ends like Tyrone Crawford or Kerry Hyder at Collins’ three technique position. That is truly a shame because Maliek Collins is the best three technique the Cowboys have on the roster. Collins has experience playing nose tackle for the Cowboys but it is not his ideal position. The Cowboys lack of size at defensive tackles makes the loss of Woods all the more significant and makes them vulnerable to teams with big offensive lines that like to run the ball. (Refer to Colts game and Rams playoff game 2018).
These injuries are clearly concerning but luckily the Cowboys have what appears to be an easy schedule upcoming. They have the Dolphins next week and that team is a complete dumpster fire. The Saints are up next and they suffered a huge blow with Drew Brees being out of the lineup. Next is the Packers at home which could be the first real test for the Cowboys and then they face the Jets the following week, another easy opponent. In the NFL there are no guaranteed victories but that schedule is far from daunting. If the Cowboys can get through that stretch without any more significant injuries, they should be firmly in the NFC East drivers seat in time for a big match-up against the Eagles.
Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode