(Editor's Note: Who doesn't love lists? Throughout the year, 'High 5' will provide a top five list for many of the critical topics surrounding the Dallas Cowboys 2024 season.)
Since it's the middle of October, it's extra fitting for a baseball analogy to help describe a football situation. In baseball, the stat of "WAR" or Wins Above Replacement is self-explanatory. It's a statistical metric that measures the impact of an individual starter and measures it against the next man up.
In football, there's no such metric. Only film can tell the truth about who is performing, or not performing, in a certain position play after play. Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys have had plenty of injuries to sort through this season and have needed multiple players to step up in their place.
Each player that has missed time for the Cowboys is missed in their own unique way because of the role they fill. But let's look at the five players whose roles are missed the most because of their current injury designation.
5) Tyler Guyton (Knee) – This fifth spot could have been taken by a few injured Cowboys because of their impact. Brandin Cooks, Marshawn Kneeland, and Caelen Carson are all significant losses in their own way. But Tyler Guyton is the answer here for multiple reasons. Firstly, it affects the entire offensive line. Tyler Smith is playing out of spot, so T.J. Bass has to fill in and Cooper Beebe has someone new next to him. Making the domino effect felt all the way across. Secondly, Guyton needs the reps. The game and a half that he's missed would make up around 20 percent of his pro snaps. If he's going to succeed as a rookie, he needs to be available. But now, he has missed time in training camp and the regular season.
4) Eric Kendricks (Calf/Shoulder) – Speaking of domino effect, Eric Kendricks has missed only one game and it was extremely apparent in Mike Zimmer's defense. The linebacker room for the Cowboys is so inexperienced and young that missing a veteran voice like Kendricks, who also wears the "green dot" to call defensive coverages, changes the whole outlook of the second level. It's unsure the extent of Kendrick's injury as it popped up late into Week 6, but Dallas needs him back on defense sooner than later.
3) Demarcus Lawrence (Foot) – Like Kendricks, Demarcus Lawrence brings an element of leadership to the defense. This defense wasn't perfect before Lawrence was injured. Nor will it be once he returns. But having him back on the edge provides a strong foundation for growth in the run defense, allowing the other guys around them to play within the scheme and not do too much. Lawrence is undoubtably the best run defender on the defensive line and that's even more apparent when he's not in the fold.
2) DaRon Bland (Foot) – Anytime there's an All-Pro missing out of the lineup, it's going to hurt. Not only from a production standpoint, but a scheme one as well. Teams aren't afraid to test Bland's replacements on the boundary or even try throwing at Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis as starters. But the three together again presents a challenge to any offensive coordinator that relies on the passing attack to have some success. It was unfortunate to not have him out there in Week 6 against Detroit, but now he can be ready for San Francisco.
1) Micah Parsons (Ankle) – Any objections? One of the top two or three edge rushers in football has been missing off the defensive line for a few weeks. Of course he's going to be missed. Parsons had his fair share of struggles adjusting to a new scheme and new defensive coordinator prior to the injury. But his impact is still unquestioned. He and Demarcus Lawrence had combined for 47 percent of the Cowboys pressures entering Week 5. And since Parsons was drafted in 2021, the team pressure rate is nearly six percentage points higher with him on the field, than off it. Teams don't fear the current pass rush without Parsons, but they will when he returns.
