Tag: Brandon Knight

Cowboys move starting LT to IR, again, open Door No. 3

The move behind the surgery goes down as Dallas turns its attention to their third starting LT in seven games

The musical chairs in and out of the starting lineup, IR and the practice squad has been an exhausting exercise for the Dallas Cowboys offensive line. It feels like every time someone squats a seat, a flesh-eating virus bites them in the rear and sends them scurrying to the DJ booth begging for a change in tune. Alas, the record skips but it does not change. Week after week, multiple players are lost and once again the club will change up two of it’s starting five heading into a new week.

It was already known Brandon Knight, subbing for Tyron Smith who was placed on IR for neck surgery was going to miss Week 7’s game. Knight had a knee scope following Monday night’s loss that saw right guard Zack Martin leave early. On Saturday, the expected move was made official as Knight joined Smith, starting right tackle La’el Collins (hip) and starting center Joe Looney on the IR.

Replacing Knight on the roster and in the starting lineup will be Cam Erving, activated from IR after being lost in Week 1 himself. The club also elevated two linemen from the practice squad, including journeyman lineman Jordan Mills.

The last remaining starter is left guard Connor Williams, though Erving will take the mantle of elder statesman even though this will be his first offensive snap with the team after signing as a free agent in May. Intended to be the swing tackle, he was beat out in Week 1 by Terence Steele, though Erving was one of multiple OL players to have injury issues during training camp as well. Steele, a 2020 UDFA has started every game of the season in place of Collins to lukewarm, at best, results.

Knight had been acquitting himself relatively well in replacing Smith, though recent results were starting to bring that evaluation back to expected levels for a 2019 UDFA. Still, his loss will hurt as the players suiting up have no continuity among a group where success is predicated upon familiarity.

In the middle of the lineup, 2020 fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz will be making his third start at center. It’s not expected Looney – who took over the starting gig when Travis Frederick abruptly retired in the offseason – will take the starting reigns back whenever he is healthy.

Since he isn’t Adam Redmond’s elevation from the PS is a must to backup both guard and center spots. Mills will serve as the second backup tackle behind Greg Senat.

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Cowboys move starting LT to IR, again, open Door No. 3

The move behind the surgery goes down as Dallas turns its attention to their third starting LT in seven games

The musical chairs in and out of the starting lineup, IR and the practice squad has been an exhausting exercise for the Dallas Cowboys offensive line. It feels like every time someone squats a seat, a flesh-eating virus bites them in the rear and sends them scurrying to the DJ booth begging for a change in tune. Alas, the record skips but it does not change. Week after week, multiple players are lost and once again the club will change up two of it’s starting five heading into a new week.

It was already known Brandon Knight, subbing for Tyron Smith who was placed on IR for neck surgery was going to miss Week 7’s game. Knight had a knee scope following Monday night’s loss that saw right guard Zack Martin leave early. On Saturday, the expected move was made official as Knight joined Smith, starting right tackle La’el Collins (hip) and starting center Joe Looney on the IR.

Replacing Knight on the roster and in the starting lineup will be Cam Erving, activated from IR after being lost in Week 1 himself. The club also elevated two linemen from the practice squad, including journeyman lineman Jordan Mills.

The last remaining starter is left guard Connor Williams, though Erving will take the mantle of elder statesman even though this will be his first offensive snap with the team after signing as a free agent in May. Intended to be the swing tackle, he was beat out in Week 1 by Terence Steele, though Erving was one of multiple OL players to have injury issues during training camp as well. Steele, a 2020 UDFA has started every game of the season in place of Collins to lukewarm, at best, results.

Knight had been acquitting himself relatively well in replacing Smith, though recent results were starting to bring that evaluation back to expected levels for a 2019 UDFA. Still, his loss will hurt as the players suiting up have no continuity among a group where success is predicated upon familiarity.

In the middle of the lineup, 2020 fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz will be making his third start at center. It’s not expected Looney – who took over the starting gig when Travis Frederick abruptly retired in the offseason – will take the starting reigns back whenever he is healthy.

Since he isn’t Adam Redmond’s elevation from the PS is a must to backup both guard and center spots. Mills will serve as the second backup tackle behind Greg Senat.

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Aldon appears on Week 7 injury report, Cowboys protect 4 from PS

The Cowboys first injury report for Week 7 is out and Aldon Smith pops up on it.

Just when Cowboys nation was starting to settle down from the most recent injury news to their offensive line, defensive end Aldon Smith popped up on this week’s first injury report headed into Week 7 as the Cowboys travel to Washington to take on The Washington Football Team.

Smith joined starting guard Zack Martin (concussion) and starting left tackle Brandon Knight (knee) as the three Cowboys players who did not participate in practice.

The team made a corresponding move headed into their week of preparation for Washington with the signing of undrafted free agent defensive tackle Walter Palmore out of Missouri to their practice squad.

In other corresponding roster moves, the Cowboys applied practice squad protections to four players. Three out of the four players are offensive lineman in center Adam Redmond, and tackles Jordan Mills and William Sweet.

The Cowboys will continue to shuffle this week until they know more about the status of Zack Martin. Stay up to the minute with Cowboys Wire as the Cowboys put the pads on on Thursday and continue to progress towards Week 7.

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Groundhog Day: Cowboys lose another OL, Brandon Knight has surgery

The left tackle is out. No, not that left tackle, his replacement. With Zack Martin’s status up in the air, it’s time to rebuke anyone who has ever uttered it couldn’t get any worse. It has. Repeatedly.

Whoever had the audacity to say things couldn’t get any worse, has no inkling of love for the medical ward that is the Dallas Cowboys 2020 offensive line. Already down both starting tackles and the swing tackle signed in free agency, Dallas has also been playing without the top two centers on their depth chart in March. In Monday’s first quarter, they lost six-time All-Pro Zack Martin to a concussion. The club won’t know until late in the week if he can go.

And now another back up is gone for multiple weeks. This can’t be life. In his Tuesday evening press conference, head coach Mike McCarthy revealed that left tackle Brandon Knight, filling in for Tyron Smith who’s gone for the year, underwent surgery on Tuesday for an undisclosed knee ailment.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Knight has been playing for most of the season, notching four starts this year after getting one in his rookie season as a UDFA from 2019. That was in place of right tackle La’el Collins, who has missed every game this year. 2020 UDFA Terence Steele has started all six games with Collins out for his hip surgery. Fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz is starting for Travis Frederick and Joe Looney. The last remaining starter could be Connor Williams, a much-maligned figure when the rest of the cavalry is available.

Cam Erving, who was signed as the swing tackle in May, should be available to return from IR after being close in Week 6. An ilness kept him from being activated so he should return, but he lost his gig to Steele, who has not been very good so far this year.

Things could actually be much worse for new starting quarterback Andy Dalton in Week 7 against a stout Washington defensive front.

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Tyron Smith to miss rest of ’20 season, Cowboys coach confirms

An already disappointing 2020 season has taken a devastating turn for the worse for the Dallas Cowboys.

An already disappointing 2020 season has taken a devastating turn for the worse for the Dallas Cowboys. Starting left tackle Tyron Smith will undergo surgery to deal with an ongoing neck issue, head coach Mike McCarthy announced on Friday morning. Smith will miss the remainder of the season.

“It’s become official, just speaking to everybody involved,” McCarthy told media on a conference call on Friday, “Tyron will continue the process of going through surgery. This is a correctable situation. He obviously will not be available the rest of the season. Clearly, the focus is on him personally. I think the surgery is scheduled for next week.”

Smith missed the second and third games of this season with stingers but returned last week to play all 82 offensive snaps in the team’s loss to Cleveland. But more missed practices this past week led to medical consultations, which have now convinced the seven-time Pro Bowler to shut it down for the year.

McCarthy said Smith’s stingers have been a recurring problem dating beyond just the 2020 season and will only continue if not treated through the scheduled procedure.

“My understanding is it’s something that he’s been dealing with for some time,” McCarthy said, “and I’ve also been told that it’s a correctable surgery. If he doesn’t have the surgery, he’ll just continue to deal with this in the manner of how this season has gone. This is something that needs to be done.”

Now the club will be forced to continue to shuffle linemen, as they have all season long, as they simultaneously deal with the absence of starting right tackle La’el Collins and center Joe Looney.

“Your offensive and defensive linemen are clearly vital to your success,” said the coach. “It’s something that we feel very strong about, our linemen and the depth of our linemen. The game starts at the line of scrimmage and the importance of playing to that mindset will never change here.”

Rookie center Tyler Biadasz has stepped into the starting lineup. Terence Steele and Brandon Knight have also played, with varying degrees of success thus far in 2020. New bodies have been added to the practice squad just this week, but McCarthy wouldn’t divulge details about exactly who will play where come Sunday.

“We’re always going to try to put our best players out there that are ready for the challenge. And it’s not as much about what’s their personnel grade or the perception of where they rank. There’s a lot that goes into this. You have eight offensive linemen that play; obviously, you want to have the five that play with the highest level of cohesiveness, connection, communication. That’s something you continue to work on.”

The war of attrition rages on. While 2020 seems to have taken a costlier toll on the league’s superstar players than in years past, losing players to injuries has always been a part of the game.

“Make no mistake about it, ” Jerry Jones explained on 105.3 The Fan on Friday. “You don’t play pro football unless you factor in injury. You know you’re going to have them; you just don’t know where and what area you’re going to have them in. That’s what makes this such a challenging game. That’s why it’s so great when you win: because you’ve gone through a lot of challenges.”

McCarthy also chalked the injuries up to business as usual but admitted that losing so many offensive linemen in such a short span has made it especially tough for the team to find its footing this season.

“It’s life in the NFL,” he offered. “It just comes at you different ways. The unfortunate part of this game is, players have injuries. When they all come in the same position this quickly… We’re always starting that season where you’re trying to get the young guys to close that gap with your experienced players. And just to have this type of volume of losing your top three tackles this quickly, it makes the challenge a little tougher.”

The team may be losing No. 77 on the field, but the two-time All-Pro still plans on making his presence felt around the facility, doing what he can to help coach up the younger players who will be tasked with taking his place protecting Dak Prescott, and blocking for Ezekiel Elliott as the Cowboys try to turn the season around.

“After speaking with Tyron, that was one of the first things that he made the point of with me,” McCarthy said. “He wants to be here and make sure he’s helping the tackles every single day. I think that speaks to him as a man and a leader.”

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Cowboys’ Tyron Smith unlikely to play vs. Giants

Dallas Cowboys LT Tyron Smith (neck) is likely out against the New York Giants in Week 5 and could miss the remainder of the season.

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Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith (neck) took 80 snaps against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, but has missed two days of practice this week after suffering a major setback.

Smith had a neck injury flare up following Dallas’ Week 1 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, which caused him to miss the following two games, but he returned in Week 4 raring to go.

What happened between Sunday and Thursday is unclear, but not only is Smith now expected to miss a Week 5 game against the New York Giants, but he could miss the remainder of the season.

“Right now, it’s a big, big question. All things are on the table,” Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said on Thursday. “We have to look at Tyron’s best interest for his career. He’s been battling this. He’s everything you want in a man. He’s everything you want in a left tackle.”

Even prior to his setback, Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams said it was obvious something was wrong with Smith — the team had spotted it on film.

“I think there’s something we all noticed on film that he’s been dealing with an injury and you can kind of see it on film. We were looking to get after that,” Williams told reporters on Thursday.

In Smith’s absence, Brandon Knight is likely to slide over and start on the left side, which substantially weakens the Cowboys’ offensive line.

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Joe Looney out, rookie Biadasz to start at center for Cowboys

It’s ‘next man up’ in Dallas, where rookie Tyler Biadasz will start at center in place of Joe Looney, now out 2-3 weeks with an MCL sprain.

The dramatic shuffling along the Cowboys’ offensive line continues.

After going down on the very first snap of Week 4’s game versus Cleveland, center Joe Looney has been lost to an MCL sprain, the team announced on Tuesday. The timetable for his return is expected to be 2-3 weeks, though the team has not officially placed him on injured reserve.

Rookie Tyler Biadasz stepped in for the remainder of Sunday’s game in Looney’s stead and will get the start in his absence. The fourth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin has played well thus far this season, also seeing considerable game action in the Week 3 loss to Seattle.

It’s widely thought the promising rookie won’t be giving the starting job back to Looney even after his knee injury heals.

Looney does have experience at other positions along the offensive line, a trait that will likely come in handy as Dallas has seen a number of its front blockers missing time over the young season.

La’el Collins, on injured reserve to start the season, will indeed have surgery for a hip issue and miss the entire 2020 season. That news first broke over the weekend, and was finally all but confirmed by team owner Jerry Jones on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.

Brandon Knight and Terence Steele have platooned in Collins’s right tackle slot, with each seeing substantial time in the lineup.

Left tackle Tyron Smith, who missed the team’s Week 2 and 3 contests as he dealt with neck stingers, returned to action versus Cleveland and played all 82 offensive snaps.

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Right Tackle Terrance Steele benched in favor of Brandon Knight

The Cowboys bench right tackle Terrance Steele in favor of Brandon Knight.

It didn’t take long for the Cleveland Browns to get to Dak Prescott and all via the right side of the offensive line. Terrance Steele was overmatched quickly by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett which lead to Mike McCarthy’s decision to remove him from the game.

Garrett was able to collect two early sacks by beating Steele in one-on-one combat. The second resulted in a strip sack of Prescott in Cowboys territory. Cleveland recovered the loose ball and turned the score into points, breaking a 14-14 tie on Baker Mayfield’s second touchdown pass of the first half. On the next drive, Brandon Knight replaced Steele.

Knight had started the last two weeks at left tackle with Tyron Smith out and most fans were expecting Knight to get the nod at right tackle this week but McCarthy decided to give Steele another chance coming back from a stomach sickness last week.

Expect Myles Garrett to have a little bit more competition at the right side of the Cowboys offensive line.

Thursday Injury Report: Cowboys’ Smith progressing, Browns’ Beckham limited

An injury update for the Cowboys and Browns, including the status of Tyron Smith, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Trevon Diggs.

The Dallas Cowboys have been tormented by injuries through the first three games of the 2020 season. Fortunately two crucial, injured linemen in  Tyron Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence are progressing this week.

Lawrence didn’t practice for the second straight day as he has dealing with a knee injury that he suffered in the Week 2 win against Atlanta, but the team is expecting the defensive end will be suiting up for Sunday’s matchup with the Browns. Meanwhile Smith was upgraded from a DNP to Limited in Thursday’s work. Meanwhile, Cleveland is nursing a pretty extensive injury report for the day and that includes wideout Odell Beckhman, Jr. being limited with a back injury.

Head coach Mike McCarthy had this to say about Lawrence’s availability during a virtual press conference on Thursday: “He’ll take very little (reps) if any today. But I don’t think he’s in jeopardy. I anticipate him to kind of go through the week like he did last week. So we’ll see what today brings.”

Lawrence has played just 39 percent of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps since the season opener, way down from the roughly 65 percent of defensive snaps that he played in 2018 and 2019.

Despite not missing a game this season, the injury has clearly impacted the former Pro-Bowler’s abilities to stay, and produce, on the field. Lawrence’s one quarterback pressure through three weeks pale in comparison to the seven that the end accumulated through the same timespan just a season ago.

The Dallas defense doesn’t just need Lawrence to play, they need him to return to his dominant form that he’s played at in the past, if they want to have any chance of consistently slowing down the better offenses in the league.

On the other side of the trenches, Smith seems in line to line up for the first time since Week 1.

Smith was able to participate in individual drills during Wednesday’s practice, the most he had down in a Cowboys uniform since September 17 and seemed to duplicate the effort on Thursday.

It remains to be seen if Smith can give it a go this upcoming Sunday, but there is more optimism surrounding the topic than in the two previous weeks.

Smith’s return would be monumental for a Cowboys offensive line that has been unstable, to say the least. Fellow star tackle, La’el Collins, is yet to play this season and his return date, if there is a return, is yet to be determined. 

According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have already used a staggering five different offensive line combinations, none of which have played up the standard of Dallas O-Lines of recent history.

If Smith is active Sunday, the Cowboys will decide between Brandon Knight and Terrence Steele for the right tackle spot. Based on their performances in each players short career it seems likely that Knight would get the nod over Steele. However, if Smith needs more time before he can play, Knight would once again man the left side, while Steele would slot back into the right tackle role.

Guard Zack Martin spent some second half of Dallas Week 3 loss to Seattle at right tackle, after Steele exited with an illness, and Martin did  extremely well, as expected. Martin made it clear that he’s back to playing guard, but the future Hall of Famer is ready for anything necessary.

Rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs popped up on the injury report as well, but it feels similar to last week, when the Cowboys took it easy on Diggs during the week and he played a full workload of snaps on Sunday.

The Cleveland Browns are dealing with their fair share of important ailments ahead of their trip to Dallas this weekend.

Beckham Jr appeared on his first injury report of the week with a back injury. Assuming he is able to play, he star wideout is set to match up with the Cowboys for the first time since leaving the Giants in 2018.

One of the better guards in the league, Joel Bitonio, was limited for the Browns on Thursday (back) but was an upgrade from his DNP on Wednesday.

Similarly to Bitonio, cornerback Denzel Ward (groin) was limited Thursday following a no show in practice the day before.

Running back Kareem Hunt (groin), safety Ronnie Harrison (illness), defensive end Adrian Clayborn (hip) were among the notable absences from Thursday’s practice in Cleveland.

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Injury Update: Smith, Lawrence questionable vs Seahawks, Collins Week 4 already in danger

An injury update for the Dallas Cowboys, including news on La’el Collins, Tyron Smith, Trevon Diggs, and DeMarcus Lawrence.

It appears it could still be multiple weeks until the Dallas Cowboys have their two top tackles back in action.

The Cowboys right tackle, La’el Collins, is eligible to return from the injured reserve following the Cowboys Week 3 matchup with the Seahawks, but, according to reports from Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News (via Blogging The Boys), the team isn’t counting on having Collins available for Week 4.

Collins emerged as one of the best tackles in the league last season, but found himself on the IR with a hip injury and conditioning issues before 2020 could even get underway.

Tyron Smith, the Cowboys left tackle, is questionable to play in Sunday’s upcoming game against Seattle. Smith missed the Cowboys home opener against Atlanta with a neck injury. Smith has battled similar injuries for years now, so the team is taking extra precautions with his situation.

Gelhken reported via Twitter that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said both Collins and Smith are “making progress,” but that Smith’s ability to practice Saturday would reveal more about his game-time status.

If Smith is unable to play, Dallas will likely roll out the same tackle combination that started versus the Falcons; Brandon Knight at left tackle, and Terrence Steele at right tackle.

Steele, an undrafted rookie, has started both games on the right side of the line for the Cowboys this season and has struggled. He’s given up a sack, and seven QB pressures and been called for three penalties in the two weeks.

Knight played his first game of left tackle since high school in Week 2, according to the broadcast, but did a fine job filling in for the injured Smith. Through two weeks Knight’s 96 percent pass block win rate is tied for eighth best in the NFL, coincidentally tied with the player he’s replacing, Smith.

One game for Knight this year is obviously a small sample size, but the second-year tackle also made the most of his fill-in start at right tackle in 2019 when Collins missed a game.

If, however, Smith is able to suit and play against Seattle, Knight could replace Steele as the right tackle until Collins returns, which could now potentially be Week 5.

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is also questionable for Sunday with a knee problem. Lawrence missed both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, but was limited on Friday, thus making him questionable. Lawrence figured to be a crucial piece towards slowing down a scorching Seahawk offense.

Lawrence’s absence would mean a full workload for Cowboy newcomers Everson Griffen and Aldon Smith. Dorance Armstrong would be the next in line to receive Lawrence’s snaps, and rookie Bralee Anae’s snaps should increase from his three snaps in Week 2. Veteran Tyrone Crawford also possess the versatility to help out on the edge, despite playing defensive tackle as well this season.

Second-round rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs, a bright spot for the Dallas defense through two games, was listed on the injury report earlier in the week but his status is seemingly no longer in question; he’s ready to play.

Fellow corner Chidobe Awuzie has been already been ruled out for the Cowboys with a hamstring injury, and reports are that Awuzie will miss more than just this one week.

Smith and Lawrence’s status’ will be closely monitored as the Cowboys third game quickly approaches.

Seattle is coming into this highly anticipated contest less than 100 percent as well. Earlier this week Seattle placed defensive end Bruce Irvin, wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, and defensive back Marquise Blair on the IR.

Defensive end Rasheem Green will also be out, and the status of two key Seahawks is still uncertain.

Starting defensive end and former Cowboy Benson Mayowa (groin), and starting defensive back Quinton Dunbar (knee), are both offically listed as questionable. Mayowa was limited in practice Friday while Dunbar did not participate.

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