Injury Updates: Sanders, Cooper, Roby, Howard
The latest injury updates on key players around the league:
- Emmanuel Sanders left the Broncos’ win over the Titans with a knee injury and was ruled out, but fortunately it isn’t anything longterm. The injury isn’t “at all serious,” James Palmer of NFL Network was told (Twitter link). In a follow-up tweet, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that there’s optimism Sanders will play in just a few days on Thursday Night Football against the Chiefs. Sanders is in the midst of his comeback season from a torn Achilles, so it’s great news that he isn’t seriously hurt.
- The Cowboys have lost three straight games, including an embarrassing one to the Jets on Sunday, and the news could get even worse soon. Star receiver Amari Cooper left the game and was soon ruled out with a quad injury. Cooper was in “pretty significant pain” after the game, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link). Obviously that’s not an official diagnosis, but it does sound like Cooper could miss some time. That’s the last thing this suddenly struggling Cowboys team needs.
- The Texans picked up a big win over the Chiefs Sunday, but they couldn’t escape Kansas City unscathed. Starting cornerback Bradley Roby was knocked out of the game with a hamstring injury and will have an MRI tomorrow, according to Palmer (on Twitter). As Palmer points out fellow Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is already sidelined with a hamstring issue, so this would be a huge blow to their secondary. Roby has been a bright spot on Houston’s defense this year, so this will definitely be one to monitor.
- Roby wasn’t the only key member of the Texans to get hurt. Rookie first-round pick Tytus Howard had to be carted off with a knee injury, but fortunately it seems like he may have dodged a bullet. It didn’t look good for Houston’s starting right tackle, but Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets the initial diagnosis is that Howard did not tear his ACL. In a separate tweet, Wilson writes that head coach Bill O’Brien said that Howard’s injury “may have looked worse than it really was.” However, O’Brien did add “hopefully we can get him back at some point,” so it sounds like he’s going to miss some significant time. That’s a big blow to Deshaun Watson‘s protection, which has been surprisingly competent this season.
Jones Offers No Endorsement Of Garrett
The Cowboys got off to a red-hot start this season, and many were talking about them as Super Bowl contenders. Then the schedule toughened up, and Dallas has now lost three straight games. We heard earlier this morning that the Cowboys could make a coaching change after this season, and things certainly didn’t get better for Jason Garrett when he lost to the Jets Sunday. Speaking after his team’s loss to New York, owner Jerry Jones didn’t exactly offer a ringing endorsement. Asked about Garrett’s future with the team, Jones said “I’m not even coming close to those future type considerations,” via Jon Machota of The Athletic (Twitter link).
“I haven’t even glanced there in my mind about long-term future. I’m looking in the future as next week against those Eagles,” he continued. That’s obviously not a sign that Jones is very confident in Garrett, and things will get even worse if the Cowboys lose a pivotal divisional game to Philly next Sunday night. Garrett is in the final year of his contract as a lame-duck coach, and after the first few games it appeared he was well on his way to earning an extension. Things change fast in the NFL though, and Jones thinks his team is championship caliber and isn’t going to settle for anything less. For what it’s worth a Cowboys source said “absolutely not” when asked if Garret’s job was in immediate jeopardy, per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That being said, Garrett’s seat is definitely starting to heat up.
Cowboys Could Consider Coaching Change In 2020
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has insisted that head coach Jason Garrett is not in danger of losing his job this year, but as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Garrett’s future in Dallas beyond 2019 is still very much in doubt.
Of course, that isn’t a huge surprise given that Garrett’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign. Jones was perfectly content to let Garrett coach through a lame-duck season and revisit the situation next year, and he is fully expecting a strong playoff run.
Jones apparently views the Cowboys, who have lost two straight after running off three consecutive wins to start the season, as a legitimate championship contender. As such, Garrett may have to win at least one playoff game to land a new contract with the Cowboys.
Garrett has been on the hot seat several times during his Cowboys tenure, but he has still managed to hold onto his post since he was given the permanent HC title in 2011. And, now that Sean Payton has signed an extension with the Saints, one of the biggest threats to his job is off the market.
However, Jones is intrigued by Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, who has seen his name come up in plenty of NFL coaching rumors before. Riley, though, is reportedly willing to seriously consider opportunities in the professional ranks in 2020, and obviously the Dallas gig is one of the most high-profile jobs around.
Latest On Dak Prescott, Cowboys
The Cowboys are not planning to determine future Dak Prescott salaries around certain games in the first half of one of his seasons. While the Cowboys have lost their past two games, after Prescott September dominance, Jerry Jones insists this small sample size will not factor into the fourth-year quarterback’s deal.
“Let me get that real clear. It’s not impacting that with me at all,” Jones said of Prescott’s early-season work. “But I do see Dak showing the ability to handle adversity and basically go out and make the kind of plays that win important games for the Cowboys in the future. I see that.”
Through five games, Prescott leads the NFL in Total QBR (80.6). This comes after the former fourth-round pick finished in the top five of this metric twice in his first three seasons. Prescott threw three interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, which came after a 10-point Cowboys outing in New Orleans. But the Dallas passer has submitted 56 games of work for the Cowboys to judge.
It’s safe to say the organization views Prescott as a long-term passer, so a deal in the Jared Goff–Carson Wentz neighborhood ($32-$33MM per year) likely will continue to be where these talks lead. While this process may not produce a resolution soon, as Prescott appears comfortable with his standing to keep playing on a fourth-round contract, Jones is not holding two losses against his quarterback from a big-picture standpoint.
“Well, first of all, the narrative about his financial (outlook) as opposed to how he’s playing (in 2019) is laughable. It’s just not that way,” Jones said. “It’s too much on both ends of that for both ends of the team and for Dak to equate his performance, stats, or won-loss these first two or three games.”
Jerry Jones: Jason Garrett’s Job Is Safe
The Cowboys are 3-2 after dropping their last two contests, but Jason Garrett isn’t on the hot seat, owner Jerry Jones says (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News). 
“He’s done a great job with this team. As you saw yesterday, he had this team playing hard when on a lot of teams that game could’ve gotten real ugly when it was (31-3),” Jones pointed out this week, in addition to saying that Garrett is “absolutely not” in jeopardy of losing his job.
Garrett’s job security has frequently been the subject of speculation since he took over as the Cowboys’ head coach during the 2010 season. To date, he has an 80-59 record in Dallas, but has yet to get the Cowboys past the divisional round. Last year, the Cowboys were sent packing by the Rams, who went on to play the Patriots in a remarkably boring Super Bowl.
At 3-2, the Cowboys are knotted up with the Eagles for the NFC East’s leading record. On Oct. 2o (two NFL weeks from now), they’ll have an opportunity to gain some ground.
Cowboys Notes: Gallup, Collins
The Cowboys will face a tough test against the Packers on Sunday when they square off against one of the NFL’s best defenses, but a key piece of their offense will be returning just in time. Wide receiver Michael Gallup, who missed Dallas’ previous two games with a knee injury, is expected to play against Green Bay, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). A second-year pass-catcher out of Colorado State, Gallup got off to a hot start in 2019, catching 13 passes for 226 yards in the Cowboys’ first two games of the year.
- Gallup isn’t the only offensive contributor that will make it onto the field for the Cowboys: right tackle La’el Collins, currently battling a back injury, will play against the Packers, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports. While Collins hasn’t missed any game action, he has been absent from practice this week. Left tackle Tyron Smith is expected to miss Dallas’ contest against Green Bay with an ankle issue, so Collins’ presence becomes all the more critical. Veteran backup Cameron Fleming will take over for Smith on the blindside.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/2/19
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Ventell Bryant
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Marcell Harris
- Released: DB Antone Exum
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Cam Sims
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/2/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Tyron Johnson
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: S Josh Jones
Houston Texans
- Signed: TE Jerell Adams
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: OL Tyree St. Louis
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Kelvin McKnight
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Taryn Christion
- Released: TE Alize Mack
Washington Redskins
- Signed: WR Darvin Kidsy
Good News For Cowboys' Tyron Smith
- Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith received good news after his MRI and a return against the Jets in Week 6 is thought to be possible, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears. He’ll miss the club’s next game against the Packers, but it appears that this is not the typical 4-6 week high-ankle sprain – the Cowboys may get Smith back on the field sooner than expected.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: DE Abdullah Anderson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: S Kavon Frazier
New York Giants
- Claimed off waivers: DE Chris Peace (from Chargers)