ARLINGTON, Texas – Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive tackle Carlos Watkins will not participate in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans. Both men left AT&T Stadium earlier Saturday out of an abundance of caution under the guidelines of the NFL's COVID-related protocols, the Cowboys announced.
Quinn and Watkins will be reevaluated by the Cowboys' medical staff Sunday.
To date, the vaccination rate for the Cowboys' player roster is 93%, while 100% of the team's football staff is fully vaccinated.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Quinn and Watkins entered the league's COVID-19 protocol about 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday.
"They're still in protocol and there are a number of steps that are part of the protocol," McCarthy said. "So with that we'll continue to move forward. We're just being extremely cautious and we'll do so moving forward."
Watkins, signed in the offseason after four years with the Texans, has mostly been in the starting lineup on the Dallas defense in training camp.
With Quinn not at present at Saturday's game, defensive passing game coordinator/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. handled the defensive play calls against Houston. The defense played well, holding the Texans without a third-down conversion in 10 attempts.
"It was a great opportunity for Joe," McCarthy said. "Joe and I have worked together for a number of years, a decade, so it was an easy transition. And I think once we got settled in, after about the second series, I thought it went smooth."
