After all the months of hand-wringing over who would play where along the Cowboys’ offensive line in 2022, the team’s regular season starters lasted all of seven snaps.
Left guard Connor McGovern left Sunday’s game during the offense’s first possession with what was later determined to be a high ankle sprain. The third-round pick from 2019 has already been ruled out of Dallas’s Week 2 game versus Cincinnati and is expected to miss two to four weeks as he heals.
The injury- one of several suffered by Cowboys starters in Week 1 against Tampa Bay- leaves the team even thinner on the O-line than they were before kickoff. The club will now be forced to scramble for options moving forward, including possibly accelerating recently signed All-Pro Jason Peters into the lineup.
Matt Farniok, a seventh-round pick last season, came in for McGovern, leaving rookie Tyler Smith at left tackle. Smith had spent training camp at the guard position until a late-August injury to perennial Pro Bowler Tyron Smith forced the Tulsa product to slide over in relief.
The former Cornhusker did not make a strong impression over the course of the game.
Per @PFF Cowboys guard Matt Farniok allowed 6 pressures, 3 hurries, 3 QB hits and a 26.7 pass blocking grade.
😬
— Matt Owen (@ProfessorO_NFL) September 12, 2022
The loss of McGovern is a blow to not only the piecemealed Dallas offensive line (where he can play any of the five positions), but also to a handful of gadget-play formations in coordinator Kellen Moore’s playbook. McGovern has lined up previously as blocking fullback, tight end, and even wide receiver.
Josh Ball was the only other tackle on the Cowboys’ active roster; he dressed but did not play Sunday night. There are additional lineman options on the practice squad, though: Aviante Collins, Isaac Alarcón, Dakoda Shepley, Alec Lindstrom (though he is listed as a center), and the aforementioned Peters.
The nine-time Pro Bowler, now 40 years old, was signed as a free agency add just a week ago, following Tyron Smith’s hamstring injury just before the final preseason game. The team had been giving Peters a chance to ramp up on the practice squad before moving him to active duty, but that methodical timeline is a luxury the Cowboys may no longer have.
MM said Jason Peters continues in the ramp up phase. Still trying to get in proper shape for football.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) September 12, 2022
Head coach Mike McCarthy was quoted Monday as saying the club would “see where he is tomorrow” when asked about Peters’s readiness for action.
Whatever combination of linemen the Cowboys employ, they’ll be charged with protecting someone other than starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott suffered a fracture to the thumb of his throwing hand and will require surgery. He will likely miss six to eight weeks. Cooper Rush finished the season opener; he and Will Grier are the Cowboys’ current backup passers.
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