FRISCO, Texas – Reinforcements just might be coming this weekend.
The Cowboys' secondary has been decimated by injury in the past month, but there's hope around the facility that things might change against San Francisco.
The trio of Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Donovan Wilson all practiced on Thursday afternoon, and Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was encouraged by what he saw.
"I would put all three of them in the same category, I'm optimistic they'll play on Sunday," McCarthy said. "The work has been good so far, they participated in the mock game that we just had. So far everything looks good."
That would obviously be huge news to this depleted Dallas secondary, which hasn't seen any of those three players in the lineup in quite some time. Diggs broke a bone in his foot during the Nov. 8 loss to Pittsburgh, so his absence has been the longest. But Brown has also been absent since he re-injured his ribs in the Nov. 22 win against Minnesota, while Wilson has been out since Thanksgiving with a groin injury.
As a result, the Cowboys have had to turn to their practice squad just to field a starting secondary. Reserve cornerbacks like Rashard Robinson, Saivion Smith and Deante Burton have had to play a large role over the past month.
"Hopefully we'll get some people back this week," said defensive coordinator Mike Nolan on Monday. "We'll see if we do, it will help the depth situation."
That's an understatement on Nolan's part. Factor in the return of Chidobe Awuzie from the reserve/COVID-19 list, and the Cowboys could be fielding their full starting secondary for the first time this season.
Between a hamstring injury and his brief COVID absence, Awuzie has only appeared in five games this season, while Brown has played in just seven. Diggs has missed four games with his foot injury, while Lewis missed the first game of the season with an ankle injury.
In a season without many silver linings, fielding a full complement of defensive backs would certainly qualify.
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