FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys' charter plane didn't get back into Dallas until the early hours of Monday morning. So for head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff, it's a quick turnaround to get ready for this week and the next opponent.
But McCarthy met with the media as always Monday afternoon and shared his thoughts on a variety of topics concerning Sunday's win over the Vikings and the plan for injuries this week.
Here are some of the high points:
- · Dak Prescott was on the field working out with the associate trainers in his regular rehab. McCarthy said he heard Dak "had a really good day" on the field Monday. The plan is for him to be limited on Wednesday but if all goes well, he could be ready to practice full-go on Thursday. That would suggest the Cowboys are at least preparing for Dak to be ready to play against Denver this Sunday.
- · The Cowboys announced a season-ending injury for LB Jabril Cox, who will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL. Cox suffered the setback covering a punt Monday night in Minnesota.
- · The team also addressed Tyron Smith's ankle issue that kept him out the entire second half. Smith will be listed as a day-to-day and there could be some changes to the practice schedule for Wednesday. It could be Thursday before we see the left tackle able to practice. But on Monday, it seemed too early in the week to speculate on Smith's status for the next game.
- · When asked if La'el Collins will get any work at left tackle, McCarthy said the subject was discussed by the staff on Monday. He didn't bring much clarity to the situation but said it will be a game-plan decision. When Smith went out, veteran Ty Nsekhe entered the game at left tackle with Terence Steele on the right side.
- · Where we did see Collins was in the newly-introduced "Hulk" package that saw Collins and guard Connor McGovern line up as fullbacks and serve as lead blockers. McCarthy said "It's the biggest inverted (wish)bone formation I've ever seen in my life. We're trying to break records here."
- · Asked about DeMarcus Lawrence returning soon, McCarthy said he's "getting close, getting better. Got a good report on him today." D-Law has been out since Week 1 with a broken foot.
- · And "getting close" was also the answer for Michael Gallup, who has been out since the Week 1 game with a calf strain. McCarthy said Gallup did well with the limited number of practice reps he got last week and the plan is to increase that number this week.
- · The head coach wasn't too disappointed to see Denver trade star pass rusher Von Miller to the Rams this week. Miller has been injured with the Broncos but his status won't be something to monitor for this game. "Don't have to worry about him this week. That was definitely nice. I was glad to see him go to the Rams this week." Now, Miller joining the Rams and Aaron Donald on that D-line could present major problems with a potential playoff matchups, but McCarthy said, "those long-term thoughts always take care of themselves."
- · With Jabril Cox now out for the season, expect to see some from second-year linebacker Francis Bernard, who has been injured with a hamstring strain since training camp. Bernard should be ready to practice in full this week.
- · And with the trade deadline on Tuesday, McCarthy downplayed the thought of making moves, stating that he's loyal to the 80+ players in the program currently.
