Amid several high-profile Cowboys players showing up on the injury report for the 2023 season opener against the Giants, the team will also be scrambling to deal with the temporary loss of one of its assistant coaches.
Jeff Blasko, the Cowboys running backs coach, is on a “health leave of absence,” according to the team. This is Blasko’s fourth year on staff in Dallas but his first as RB coach.
Blasko did not travel with the team to New York. The Cowboys announced via the injury report that “his coaching duties will be shared by the offensive staff.”
The Cowboys announced running backs coach Jeff Blasko is on a health leave of absence and his duties will be shared throughout the staff. Blasko is in his first year with the running backs after spending 3 with as assistant offensive line coach.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 8, 2023
Patrik Walker of the DallasCowboys.com crew said in a post, “I expect Mike Solari and Brian Schottenheimer to take the lead there.” Both are veteran coaches in the league with plenty of professional football experience, but it’s worth noting that they’re both already in brand-new roles themselves for 2023.
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Solari’s regular job as OL coach will be further complicated in Week 1 by recent injuries sustained by starting left tackle Tyron Smith and starting left guard Tyler Smith. The Cowboys are thin behind them; Brock Hoffman was elevated from the practice squad and may be pressed into service against the Giants as a result.
Week 1 will be Schottenheimer’s debut as Cowboys OC with the full complement of his starting playmakers. Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb and others will get their first game snaps on Sunday night after being held back for the entirety of the preseason schedule.
Now it looks like they’ll also be juggling Pollard’s first game as the Cowboys’ lead back on a very important and tone-setting night. Pollard will make his return from a brutal leg injury suffered in January’s playoff loss, and the team will be navigating the new workshare of Pollard’s backfield mates Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Hunter Luepke.
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