Two Cowboys starters- one on each side of the ball- will be heading into the weekend with question marks attached to their names as the team travels to New England to face the Patriots.
Left tackle Tyron Smith had an MRI on his neck Thursday, and while the results were called “favorable,” Dallas is expected to list him as “questionable” for the Week 6 game in Foxborough.
Defensively, cornerback Trevon Diggs has missed two consecutive days of practice as he deals with an ankle injury suffered last Sunday versus the Giants. He will reportedly be a “game-time decision” for the interconference showdown.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs (ankle) will be a game-time decision.
LT Tyron Smith (neck) had an MRI yesterday. The results were “Favorable.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 15, 2021
For Smith, news of a neck issue is particularly worrisome, given a history of problems that finally caused him to miss the vast majority of the 2020 season. The issue “showed up in practice” and limited him on Thursday, coach Mike McCarthy said, per the team website, and that it was a “no-brainer” to schedule the MRI as a precautionary measure.
“Obviously with his history, we’re just being smart,” McCarthy said.
Diggs hurt his ankle early in the Week 5 home date with New York and was seen getting taped and then riding a sideline bike to stay loose. He returned to action and intercepted a Daniel Jones pass in the third quarter of the 44-20 rout.
McCarthy said Thursday that the second-year phenom’s injury was “not of high concern,” and Diggs himself said there was no question in his mind as to whether he’d be ready to suit up against the Patriots.
“No question,” Diggs told reporters. “I’m still going to take it day by day, and Sunday, we’ll see what’s going on.”
But phrases like “day by day” and “we’ll see” leave a lot of gray area.
Owner Jerry Jones, however, was decidedly more black-and-white when asked on Friday about Smith and Diggs being good to go, even seemingly contradicting the somewhat ambiguous party line put out by the team.
“We’ve gotten full, positive reports on Tyron, and Diggs will be ready to play,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Friday morning. “There’s no being coy about it. There’s every reason to let them get rested, and let them ease off of the issues they might have had. But they’ll be ready to play.”
Friday will be the usual light walkthrough for the team, but Saturday’s short practice will likely be a more reliable indicator of both players’ availability.
The team has a bye week after their meeting with New England, and then plays the Sunday night game on October 31.
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