Cowboys enter Tyler Biadasz was the team’s offensive snap count leader going into Week 17’s game versus the Titans, having only come out for a handful of plays at the end of the routs over Minnesota and Indianapolis.
His departure Thursday came on the final play of the third quarter, while the game’s outcome still hung very much in the balance.
He missed the offense’s final 18 snaps. He could miss more.
Biadasz is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Biadasz is expected to undergo an MRI on Friday
“It may not be as bad as we think,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the K&C Masterpiece on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan on Friday morning.
If the injury is not significant, the mini-bye that comes after the Thursday night game may help the third-year man’s chances of suiting up for the regular season finale.
But the Cowboys also got a 15-minute look at their Plan B, and have to feel encouraged by what they saw.
After being helped off the field, the 25-year-old was carted to the locker room at Nissan Stadium. It was determined shortly thereafter that he would not return to the game and was seen on the sideline in street clothes as the Cowboys went on to win the contest by a 27-13 final score.
Biadasz was wearing a walking boot as the team returned to the locker room.
Tyler Biadasz in a walking boot after the game. pic.twitter.com/LZwOiUo7zC
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) December 30, 2022
His in-game exit shuffled three-fifths of the Cowboys offensive line for the remainder of the game. Veteran Jason Peters entered to take over at left tackle so that rookie Tyler Smith could slide to the left guard position he learned in training camp. Connor McGovern moved from left guard to center.
“It’s a good thing that we practice it during the week in case of the worst-case scenario,” McGovern said, per the team website. “And so when [Peters] came out, Tyler [Smith] knew he was at guard and we’re all on the same page for everything.”
“McGovern, we work and we get snaps every day,” quarterback Dak Prescott said in his postgame press conference. “That goes to preparation. Obviously, you don’t want to prepare for something like this, but you have to, and that’s the reality of playing a physical game like we do.”
But when the injury to Biadasz first occurred, McGovern’s main worry was the light rain that had been falling for most of the night.
“The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘I have to make sure my hands are dry so I can hold onto this ball,'” McGovern continued. “It felt like just riding a bike again. Once I started to get going, I got used to it, and we were good to go.”
That O-line configuration helped the Dallas offense put 10 fourth-quarter points on the scoreboard to seal the club’s 12th victory of the season.
Backup center Brock Hoffman, who had been elevated from the practice squad for the game, played just five snaps, but all were on special teams.
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