Despite seemingly operating at near full strength, the 2019 Cowboys fell well short of expectations, en route to missing the playoffs for the third time in five seasons. Every year, every team is affected by injuries, and how well each team adapts generally determines how far they ultimately reach. Dallas might’ve been spared injuries to their most prominent names, but they also felt subtle losses from key depth players throughout the season.
Which Cowboys players were most missed due to injuries in 2019, and how did their absences contribute to the year’s disappointing results?
5. DE Tyrone Crawford
The seventh-year Canadian had a very busy 2019, just not on the football field. Crawford’s status was in doubt from the very beginning, as his involvement in a Panama City bar fight opened the door for the NFL to hand down punishment.
However, it was a lingering hip injury that eventually ended his season, after he appeared in only four games. Previously, Crawford had missed just four games total over his first six seasons, during which he was a reliable presence along the Dallas defensive line. A versatile, veteran leader, Crawford had recorded at least four sacks and 27 tackles in each season from 2015 through 2018, yet managed only one sack and three total tackles in 2019.
But perhaps even more impactful than the loss of Crawford’s modest production was the ripple effects his absence caused. Would the Cowboys still acquire DT Micheal Bennett if Crawford were healthy? Or how differently would Trysten Hill’s rookie season be viewed, had he not been pressed into action too early after Crawford first went down? Oftentimes, the secondary effects of losing a player make a bigger impact than the player’s actual loss.
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