The Dallas Cowboys suffered a potentially serious blow to their defensive group when they lost lineman Jonathan Hankins to an ankle injury in their 33-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Diagnosed as a high ankle sprain, there is hope it wasn’t the type of injury that would sit the starting nose tackle for the duration of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs.
Hankins was seen walking out of the locker room unassisted and without a limp, which is a ton of positive news after he was carted off the sideline with his shoe off during the third quarter.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan on DT Johnathan Hankins: “He’s got a high ankle (sprain). We don’t think it’s a severe one.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 11, 2023
That scare should activate the the team’s search for additional help at the position, even if Hankins avoids missing significant time. Does the team leave the majority of the dirty work to rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith, whom the Cowboys selected with their first-round pick? While Smith is seen as a vital piece to the defensive future, there are still nuances he must learn before he can be trusted with a larger role.
Dallas did sign mammoth defensive tackle Carl Davis to the practice squad in the middle of November and he could be elevated to help the team. If he’s not ideal, there are multiple free agent options available should the team opt to look elsewhere.