The injury bug has taken regular bites out of the Cowboys this season, and made its most recent visit in the off days, putting Randy Gregory (calf) on the IR list just as Demarcus Lawrence (foot) nears being ready to resume play.
The bug’s impact on Dak Prescott was also evident in Sunday’s loss to Denver. The quarterback was rusty after missing the prior week with his own calf injury, missing open receivers throughout the first three quarters of the contest. Dallas fell into a 30-0 hole before Prescott gained some traction and rallied the team to two late scores. Prescott seemed to regain his lost form in that last quarter and it seems the effects of his injury may be short term. Lawrence’s rehab (he was photographed working with resistance bands on the practice field Thursday) offers some balance to Gregory’s short-term loss.
The only injury with a status that remains unknown, and whose handling could have the biggest impact on Dallas’ playoff hopes is that to Tyron Smith’s ankle.
The perennial Pro Bowler had a tremendous start to the season, coming off neck surgery, but has been in and out of the lineup since he was kicked in the back of the leg by Tony Pollard in the New England game. Smith missed two series after that incident but finished the game.
He started against Minnesota but left the contest midway through the second quarter. He then missed all of the Denver game with what the club has termed “bone spurs.”
Are we seeing an ankle version of Smith’s neck maladies? I asked a surgeon this week to explain the options with bone spurs, and how soon he could return. His answers were as muddy as the Cowboys’ information.