Tag: Joe Looney

Tyler Biadasz to miss time; Cowboys offensive line hamstrung again

The Dallas Cowboys offensive line takes yet another hit as rookie center Tyler Biadasz will be sidelined with a hamstring.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line woes just won’t stop. A unit that was once among the best in the league has become a shell of itself, being forced to rotate players so often it’s become nearly impossible to track. If continuity is the name of the game, Dallas is losing in more ways than one.

The newest injury cropped up quite suddenly. During pregame warmups ahead of kickoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers, rookie center Tyler Biadasz was suddenly questionable. It turns out the hamstring pull is severe enough that he’ll miss a couple of weeks, according to Stephen Jones.

In his stead will be Joe Looney, who’s no stranger to filling in for Wisconsin centers. In 2018, when the now-retired Travis Frederick was battling Guillain-Barre Syndrome, he started every game of the season. Looney was named the 2020 starting center this offseason before an injury sidelined him after just one snap against the Cleveland Browns.

Since then, Biadasz has performed admirably, holding onto his starting position despite Looney’s return to form. Considering the team’s record, finding playing time for its youth movement is about all fans have to look forward to.

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Cowboys Injury Alert: Pregame hamstring injury sidelines rookie C Tyler Biadasz

Dallas Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz hurts hamstring in pregame.

This is just peak Dallas Cowboys, especially the 2020 edition. Injuries are more than part of the game in Dallas, they’ve become a way of life. Given the way the season’s gone, fans should be past the point of being surprised, but the newest ailment will catch everyone off guard.

Before the game had even started, rookie center Tyler Biadasz hurt his hamstring and is now questionable. Joe Looney is available for action, but at this point it’s not clear how the team will choose to proceed. Either way, it’s not ideal.

This is the earliest an injury has taken place for the Cowboys to date. It’s unfortunate for the rookie Biadasz who took center duties in Week 3 and has played every snap since.

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Week 8 Final injury report: Dalton out for Cowboys; Looney, Lee back but no Awuzie

The latest injury report and IR returns for both the Cowboys and the Eagles.

Both the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles have battled through numerous injuries to key players so far this season, so it’s only fitting the latest health updates are set to lay a big factor in Sunday night’s showdown in Philadelphia.

As expected, the Cowboys ruled quarterback Andy Dalton out for Sunday’s game, meaning rookie Ben DiNucci will get his first start. Dallas also activated linebacker Sean Lee and offensive lineman Joe Looney from the injured reserve to the active roster, meaning Lee is set to make his season debut Sunday in Philadelphia.

Lee (sports hernia) returns to a linebacker group that has disappointed in 2020. Leighton Vander Esch just recently returned to the roster after missing most of the season so far with a broken collarbone, and Jaylon Smith, despite his high tackle numbers, hasn’t played up to his potential either. Lee’s best days are well behind him, but the savvy veteran should be a an important depth piece as he is still one of the most intelligent and studious players in the whole league.

Looney played both center and guard for Dallas before a knee injury landed him on the short-term IR. The Cowboys offensive line has struggled to find any continuity, and has shuffled numerous times out of necessity. Like Lee, Looney isn’t necessarily a game changer these days, but his experience, both in the NFL and in the Dallas system, should allow him to be a steady and versatile piece on an otherwise unproven offensive line (besides Zack Martin, of course).

Reports were that cornerback Chidobe Awuzie could be ready to travel to Philly, but it looks like the fourth year corner needs just a little more time to heal from his hamstring injury. DB Savion Smith was promoted from the practice squad to the game day roster.

While Dallas still has a number of contributors on the IR, almost all of the active roster was able to practice in full this week.

Quarterback Andy Dalton did not participate in a single pracrice, or clear the NFL’s concussion protocol, and he is out for Sunday’s game. In his place, seventh-round rookie QB Ben DiNucci is set to make his first career start, and there is some reason to be intrigued by DiNucci as a Cowboy fan.

Zack Martin missed late week’s loss to Washington with a concussion, but the perennial All-Pro guard was able to practice in full multiple times this week, and is good to go for the big divisional matchup.

Safety Xavier Woods missed Wednesday’s practice for non-injury related reasons, but was another full participant at practice the following days, and his status is not in question.

Punter Chris Jones was a late addition to the injury report, as an abdomen issue limited him in Friday’s practice. The Cowboys didn’t list Jones with a questionable or game-time decision label, meaning he too should play barring any surprises.

Eagles fans will be thrilled to learn who they have returning from the IR just in time to face the Cowboys.

Three crucial components of the Philadelphia offense, tackle Jason Peters, wide receiver Jalen Reagor, and tight end Dallas Goedert are all set to return to the active roster this week. The team noted that linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Rudy Ford are being activated from the IR as well.

Linebacker Nathan Gerry and defensive lineman Genard Avery were both moved onto the Philadelphia injured reserve.

As far as the rest of the Eagles squad, there are a handful of impactful injury designations.

T Jack Driscoll, CB Craig James, WR Alshon Jeffrey, CB Cre’von Leblanc, and RB Miles Sanders are all officially out for Week 8.

T Lane Johnson, DE Vinny Curry, DT Malik Jackson, and S K’von Wallace were all listed on the injury report, but all were able to practice in full, and should be suiting up on Sunday.

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Cowboys expect Martin, Awuzie back vs Eagles who should have Reagor

The Cowboys are getting some of their walking wounded back to practice ahead of the Eagles matchup.

The Dallas Cowboys still have a game to play, despite so many eyes no focusing on the exodus from the roster. With the trade of defensive end Everson Griffen and the pending departures of DT Dontari Poe and CB Daryl Worley, the Cowboys are down several players whom they planned to have fighting with them in 2020. While the season has been a disappointment exemplified by a 2-5 record, there are still games left to play and Dallas could use the return of several injured players.

Fortunately, at least for those eligible to return in 2020, it appears the time is coming. In his Wednesday press conference, head coach Mike McCarthy indicated the club is set to get All-Pro Zack Martin back for Sunday night’s battle with the first-place Philadelphia Eagles (2-4-1). Also due back, corner Chidobe Awuzie.

Awuzie’s return will be helpful in trying to defend the Eagles’ WR corps. They lost DeSean Jackson just a half into his return last week, but will be getting exciting TCU rookie Jalen Reagor back for the contest.

Martin was knocked out of Week 6’s loss against the Arizona Cardinals with a concussion and missed Week 7 against Washington. Awuzie has not played since Week 2, as a hamstring injury knocked him out. He’ll return to provide the Cowboys their full compliment of a top-four cornerback rotation finally. Worley’s snap counts increased with Awuzie’s departure which coincided with Anthony Brown missing time with a rib injury.

Now both are back to join rookie Trevon Diggs and young veteran Jourdan Lewis. The secondary play has been one of the biggest liabilities for the club all season. Awuzie has the team’s only interception in 2020.

As for Martin, he’ll return to a patchwork offensive line effort. With Tyron Smith and La’el Collins on the shelf for the year, Martin will play with Brandon Knight at left tackle, Tyler Biadasz at center and Terence Steele at right tackle. Connor Williams at left guard is the only intended starter along with Martin.

Joe Looney, who has been out with knee injury, and Sean Lee (core surgery) are working their way back into work but are longer shots to play against the Eagles.

Eagles Practice Report

 

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No-excuse Cowboys certainly aren’t helped by avalanche of injuries

To say the Dallas Cowboys are snake-bitten by injuries would be an understatement.

Disclaimer: this article is not here to excuse the performance of the Dallas Cowboys this season, especially not the game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. But, still, it’s important to talk about injuries in relation to the expectations both fans and teams had way back in September. Oh, that was just a month ago? Feels longer.

Over the last decade, the Cowboys have had their fair share of injuries but have largely been slightly above average in terms of health when compared to the rest of the league. In 2020, that is absolutely not the case. They’ve long passed the point where the boat has taken on so much water it’s time to abandon ship. And hope.

Here’s where the team stood league wide entering 2020, utilizing Football Outsiders adjusted games lost calculations:

Adjusted games lost gives one point for every game missed by a starter. It adds smaller amounts for time missed during the practice week even if a player ultimately suits up on gameday. It is not a perfect metric as some starters are different than others (see the 2015 Cowboys and the loss of Tony Romo) but it’s the best anyone has come up with yet.

Without calculating any of the partial points every team earns due to the nicks and nagging injuries that football inevitably brings, the Cowboys are racking up the points. Here’s a best guess at their baseline for adjusted games lost to date:

  • La’el Collins 16 games
  • Blake Jarwin 15 games
  • Tyron Smith 14 games
  • Dak Prescott 11 games
  • Trysten Hill 11 games
  • Leighton Vander Esch 4 games
  • Chidobe Awuzie 4 games
  • Anthony Brown 3 games
  • Joe Looney 2 games

That’s a total of 80 games and over half the season remains to add to the above names and possibly the last four players’ totals. It’s not clear if Football Outsiders would include defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who was the team’s presumptive starter. It also doesn’t even take into consideration some of the sort of starters that are missing time, like linebacker Sean Lee. It’s not yet even begun to calculate the more nuanced portions of this metric.

80 games lost would rank the team No. 20 in 2019. And again, that is the lowest number possible the Cowboys could have this year. That number can not get any lower. By the time things are all said and done this year, this team will likely be the most snake-bitten team in the NFL.

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Cowboys make handful of roster moves, activate Brown from IR

The Dallas Cowboys activated CB Anthony Brown, but added Tyron Smith and Joe Looney to the IR.

The Dallas Cowboys 2020 season has featured a whirlwind of never-ending roster moves, as the team has been crippled by injuries at multiple positions. Those transactions continued on Saturday, as the Cowboys added two new players, tackle Tyron Smith and center Joe Looney, to the injured reserve.

To fill those two roster spots, Dallas activated cornerback Anthony Brown from the IR, and promoted linebacker Francis Bernard to the 53-man roster. The team also elevated two players from the practice squad to the roster in center Marcus Henry and DB Stephen Parker.

Every week, each team can add two practice squad members to the active roster for the upcoming game, and the Cowboys utilized that once again.

Smith heads to the season-ending IR after suffering a setback while battling the neck/stinger issues that have ailed him for a few years now. Smith is set for surgery and hopefully will make a full recovery before the beginning of  next season. The Cowboys are now without both of their star tackles for the remainder of this season, as La’el Collins underwent season-ending hip surgery last week.

In the games this year that both Smith and Collins missed, the Cowboys started second-year tackle Brandon Knight on the left side, and undrafted rookie Terrence Steele on the right side.

Dallas signed tackle Greg Senat from the Browns practice squad to the 53-man roster earlier this week to add some depth and potential competition at the position. Right guard, Zack Martin, is the lone remaining starter from the Cowboys dominant offensive lines of recent memory. Martin slid out to right tackle in the Cowboys Week 3 loss to Seattle after Steele left with an illness, but don’t be surprised to see Martin there again if Dallas’ other options aren’t cutting it.

Looney should return this year, as he lands on the short-term IR with a grade 2 MCL sprain. Fourth-round rookie Tyler Biadasz, has done a quality job in his limited action this year, and could very well remain the starting center after Looney returns. Looney’s return will still be crucial as the veteran could see time at either guard spot, especially if Martin is forced to move out wide as mentioned above.

 

On the defensive side of the field, Brown’s return from the IR could be substantial for a Dallas defense that has looked abysmal through four games. Brown re-joins a cornerback group including Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis, and Daryl Worley, as Chidobe Awuzie remains on the IR.

Bernard was brought up to the active roster from the practice squad for last week’s contest, and he played 13 snaps on special teams. Bernard has a chance to stick on the roster, but the quickly-approaching return of Leighton Vander Esch could move Bernard back down to the practice squad yet again.

The Cowboys’ defense, which is dead-last in points given up per game, will attempt to bounce back as Brown returns and the Giants lowly offense comes to town in Week 5.

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Cowboys’ Joe Looney, Tyron Smith out vs. Giants

Dallas Cowboys LT Tyron Smith (neck) and C Joe Looney (knee) are out in Week 5 against the New York Giants.

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The Dallas Cowboys confirmed the unfortunate news on Friday, announcing that left tackle Tyron Smith is not only out against the New York Giants in Week 5, but that he will miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury.

Smith, who did not practice at all this week, was listed on the team’s final injury report, but will soon head to injured reserve.

In addition to Smith, starting center Joe Looney is also out against the Giants after missing practice this week with a knee injury.

In Smith’s place, Brandon Knight is expected to draw the start, while Tyler Biadasz will likely step in and start at center.

The offensive line has long been one of Dallas’ greatest assets, so to lose two starters ahead of a game against the Giants will certainly hurt.

On the plus side for Dallas, defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence (knee), Tyrone Crawford (ankle) and Dorance Armstrong (knee), and cornerback Trevon Diggs (shoulder/knee) did not receive designations and are expected to play.

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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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Tyron Smith among four Cowboys not to practice in first injury report

The Cowboys returned to practice in preparation for their Week 5 opponent in the New York Giants. The day one injury report is revealed.

Despite the Dallas Cowboys starting 1-3 on the 2020 season, there is hope in the name of the New York Giants on the horizon for Week 5. While it’s very apparent that nothing is guaranteed, the team comes into their first divisional game of the season with a few more injuries to take note of.

While starting left tackle Tyron Smith played every offensive snap for the Cowboys in their home loss against the Browns, he did not practice on Wednesday. Smith also didn’t practice last Wednesday so this is possibly a new type of veteran day off type of situation.

Center Joe Looney (knee) along with two defensive ends in Dorance Armstrong (knee) and Tyrone Crawford (ankle) sat off to the side for day one in preparation for the Giants. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (shoulder/knee) and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (knee) were listed on the injury report for day one but were both full participants in practice.

As far as their Week 5 opponents are concerned only linebacker Oshane Ximines (shoulder) sat out of practice with a shoulder concern. Defensive backs Jabrill Peppers (ankle), Adrian Colber (neck) and linebacker Kyler Fackrell (neck) were limited in today’s practice.

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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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