We are one day away from the Cowboys Week 9 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, and the injury report is sure to make the Dallas fanbase cringe.
Following two bad losses in a row to the Lions and 49ers, the Cowboys have been looking for any source of positivity. Instead, they’ve gotten continued bad news on the injury front with some key players.
Specifically on defense, things are looking rough for Dallas in terms of their health, and it will likely have an impact on how this game against the Falcons turns out.
This week is crucial for the Cowboys, so let’s dig into the injury report and what it means for both of these NFC-teams.
Dallas Cowboys
No Designation:
- K Brandon Aubrey (NIR-Other)
- CB Caelen Carson (Shoulder)
In what has shaped up to be a pretty weird injury report, the Cowboys have just two players listed with no designation heading into the game.
Just like last week, Dallas’ star on special teams, Brandon Aubrey, appeared on the injury report with an NIR-Other listing due to having Jury Duty. Of course, he will play, and his role should be significant as always.
The bigger news here in the no designation section is that rookie Cornerback Caelen Carson will be returning this week.
Dallas’ defense has missed the former Wake Forest standout, and with the secondary still reeling from injuries, Carson’s return will be crucial for Mike Zimmer’s group this Sunday.
Questionable:
- CB Trevon Diggs (Calf)
- DT Linval Joseph (Back)
- LB Eric Kendricks (Shoulder)
- G Zack Martin (Shoulder)
- LB Nick Vigil (Foot)
After the good news with Carson, we start to get into the scary stuff here in the questionable section.
The Cowboys have listed two of their All-Pro’s as questionable, as well as three of their most important role players on the defensive side.
Starting with Trevon Diggs, his season just keeps on getting more and more of a struggle.
Performance struggles as he continues to work himself back from that ACL tear, problems with the media, and now a calf tear from the game last Sunday in San Francisco. When it rains it pours.
Diggs is truly questionable for this game, and that’s exactly what the Dallas secondary will be if he can’t go.
Guard Zack Martin is also here, which spells bad news for an already slumping Cowboys offensive line. They can not afford to lose their captain.
If Martin can’t suit up, Dak Prescott may be forced into tapping into the mobility he used to flash.
Lastly, three former Zimmer players in Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph, and Nick Vigil are here, and while none of them will make-or-break the game, their collective absence could be a huge blow to an already thin Dallas defense.
Out:
- CB DaRon Bland (Foot)
- LB Micah Parsons (Ankle)
- DT Jordan Phillips (Wrist)
If the questionable section of the Week 9 injury report was scary, the out section is flat out terrifying.
The Cowboys will miss two of their most important defensive pieces again this week with All-Pro’s DaRon Bland and Micah Parsons missing the game.
In the case of Bland, the Dallas defense has been hoping he’d return for a few weeks now, but things just seem to be going slowly in his recovery. That is a major issue for the Cowboys, especially as the secondary is both struggling and banged up.
It was not expected that Parsons would play this week, but every game without him is a tough pill to swallow defensively.
The perennial DPOY candidate is still working his way back from that ankle injury, and while we may see him soon, it won’t be this week against the Falcons.
Lastly, veteran Defensive Tackle Jordan Phillips has been ruled out with a wrist injury.
Atlanta Falcons
No Designation:
- TE Charlie Woener (NIR-Rest)
- DL Grady Jarrett (NIR-Rest)
- DL David Onyemata (NIR-Rest)
- EDGE James Smith-Williams (NIR-Rest)
- EDGE Matthew Judon (NIR-Rest)
- LB Nate Landman (NIR-Rest)
- OT Kaleb McGary (NIR-Rest)
- OT Jake Matthews (NIR-Rest)
- WR KhaDarel Hodge (NIR-Personal Matter)
- LB Kaden Elliss (Knee)
- S Justin Simmons (Hamstring)
- CB Antonio Hamilton (Back)
As you can see, it was a restful week for the Falcons as they practiced for this week’s matchup against Dallas.
In contrast to the Cowboys two, Atlanta had 12 guys appear in the no designation section, the vast majority of which were NIR-Rest designations. In this group, the most important names are guys like Grady Jarrett and Matthew Judon, but all project to play.
When it comes to the actual injury designations, there is no bigger name than former All-Pro Safety, Justin Simmons.
The former Denver Bronco is expected to play this week despite a hamstring injury that kept him limited in practice on Wednesday.
Questionable:
- G Chris Lindstrom (Knee)
- C Drew Dalman (Ankle)
- LB Troy Andersen (Knee)
In the questionable section, the Falcons have three important players that are all expected to play after fully participating on Friday.
Two of those three are starters on the Atlanta offensive line, with All-Pro Chris Lindstrom and starting Center Drew Dalman. Both guys are dealing with lower body injuries, but the Cowboys defensive line will still have to deal with them on Sunday.
The last guy here is also an important player for Atlanta in starting Linebacker Troy Andersen. A true speedster at the position, Andersen should return for the Falcons after dealing with a knee injury in recent weeks.
Out:
- DT Ruke Orhorhoro (Ankle)
- LB J.D. Bertrand (Concussion)
Closing out the injury report for Atlanta is their 2nd round pick this year, Defensive Tackle Ruke Orhorhoro, and special teamer J.D. Bertrand, whose 2024 campaign has been derailed by a concussion.
The main guy here is, of course, Orhorhoro, who projects as a starter for the Falcons when healthy.
We will see how his absence impacts both Atlanta’s front seven, and the Cowboys’ slumping running game this week.