During his Thursday media briefing, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy announced that left tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Anthony Brown have entered the COVID protocol after positive tests for the virus. McCarthy then alluded to several players who “are sick, but they have not tested positive” for COVID-19.
Apparently cornerback Trevon Diggs and safety Donovan Wilson are in that group. Both missed practice on Thursday, and both are listed as questionable for Saturday night’s season finale in Philadelphia.
Running back Tony Pollard (foot) is also questionable, as is safety Jayron Kearse (hamstring). Both were considered “limited” in the work done for the day.
Tyron Smith and Anthony Brown were placed on the COVID list Friday. Trevon Diggs and Donovan Wilson did not practice Thursday because of an illness and are questionable for Saturday's game at Philadelphia. Same with Jayron Kearse (hamstring), Tony Pollard (foot).
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 6, 2022
Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is already on the COVID watchlist after testing positive; McCarthy confirmed that he is out for Saturday.
The latest additions to the injury report certainly don’t paint a picture of a Cowboys squad ready to go “full-bore” into Week 18, as team executive vice president Stephen Jones suggested in a radio interview earlier this week.
Diggs leads the NFL in interceptions this season with 11. With one more, he would set a new franchise record. Kearse, Parsons, and Brown are the team’s top three tacklers in 2021.
The outcome of the regular-season finale will have no bearing on the division standings, with both Dallas and Philadelphia locked into playoff berths. Only postseason seedings are at stake, and even they depend on the results of several other conference games.
The Cowboys may not have intended for this weekend’s game to be on par with a preseason tilt, featuring backups versus backups in a contest that both sides simply want to survive with no further injuries. But that seems to be what it’s turning into.
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