The Cowboys’ mini-bye following their Thanksgiving Day game was supposed to give everyone a chance to rest up and be feeling in top shape heading into December, a time of year when head coach Mike McCarthy has told the team they should be playing their best football.
Despite the extra time, though, two of the team’s key playmakers are still under the weather as the Cowboys prepare to host Indianapolis on Sunday night.
Wide receiver Michael Gallup and cornerback Trevon Diggs missed practice for the second day in a row, both listed on the Thursday practice report as having an “illness.”
Offensive lineman Terence Steele was also a DNP, though his official designation was for “non-injury/personal” reasons after being a full participant on Wednesday.
The team website reported that Steele’s absence was also due to illness.
Cowboys RT Terence Steele missed practice today for personal, non-injury reasons, according to team’s injury report. CB Trevon Diggs (illness) and WR Michael Gallup (illness) the only other non-participants. pic.twitter.com/3s5dfqc867
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 1, 2022
In his press conference Thursday, McCarthy declined to get into specifics about what has gone through the locker room dating back to Week 11’s matchup in Minnesota.
At one point before the Nov. 24 game versus New York, as many as seven Cowboys defensive players were on the team’s sick list together.
“There are, I think, three different things we’ve been dealing with as far as what’s going around,” the coach told reporters at The Star.
Gallup and Diggs did go virtual on Thursday, in an attempt to stay up to speed in terms of the game plan and in hopes they’ll be feeling better by kickoff against the Colts in primetime.
The Cowboys had considered having the entire team go virtual on Monday, but scrapped that plan the day prior because they felt they had gotten the seasonal bug under control.
McCarthy had expressed hope that things would be back to normal for everyone by Wednesday, until Diggs and Gallup joined the long list of Cowboys who have been hit this cold and flu season.
It’s also worth noting that COVID cases are seeing a spike in many regions of the country, including North Texas. Though the coach wouldn’t give a label to what any of his players are experiencing, he did admit that the past two-plus years have made it somewhat easier for those who may be sick to attend meetings remotely.
“We’re playing the game of mathematics, and we’re just being very cautious,” McCarthy explained. “If a guy is not feeling well, we’re not just saying, ‘Come on in.’ He’s got to be evaluated. Going through the pandemic has obviously been an education for all of us, and I think that experience really serves us well.”
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