The Dallas Cowboys relayed some much-needed good news on Christmas, announcing that reinforcements are on the way to help out in their depleted secondary that has been impacted by COVID-19 this past week.
The Cowboys activated Safety Donovan Wilson and Cornerback Maurice Canady and both practiced Saturday and are expected to play in Sunday's tilt against the Washington Football Team. Their return will help ease the burden on rookie cornerbacks Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright, both of whom are expected to see bigger roles with Jourdan Lewis and Malik Hooker down this week.
Wilson has gotten off to a slow start compared to his 2020 season where he was arguably the most effective player on the defensive side of the ball. To date, he's suited up in just six games and secured 18 total tackles. The Cowboys severely need him to step up and play more like the guy from last year that finished with a career-high 71 tackles and 3.5 sacks to go with two interceptions.
Maurice Canady was a guy that PFF's advanced numbers liked before signing with Dallas, suggesting he could potentially be a guy that responded when handed a bigger role. That hasn't been the case so far, as he has just three tackles this season after opting out of the 2020 campaign.
Canady is more likely to make his impact felt on special teams than defense, as he's lined up for 45% of the available Special Teams snaps in the six games he's suited up for this season.
Dallas will likely also be missing two of their assistant coaches Sunday night, as Special Teams Assistant Matt Daniels and Defensive Line Coach Aden Durde both entered COVID-19 protocols over the weekend. If they are unable to clear protocols by tomorrow night some combination of John Fassel, Rob Davis, and Leon Lett will fill in for Daniels and Durde.
There is a lot on the line tomorrow night as the Cowboys will look to clinch the NFC East title at home. They are very much in “Next Man Up” mode at the moment and a win here is needed if they want to remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC after the Packers took care of the Browns on Saturday night to move to 12-3 on the season.
