Cowboys Night sounds like it was a huge success from the team perspective. Head Coach Mike McCarthy was pleased with the work they got in as a group and feels they’re doing well in their preparation for the regular season. Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys were unable to come out of the practice unscathed as Safety Xavier Woods went down with a groin injury.
At this point, it’s not considered serious, but will likely have him sitting out practices this week. This will create opportunities for Darian Thompson, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, and Donovan Wilson to continue battling it out for safety snaps. Reggie Robinson, who was moved to safety last week, will also compete for snaps at the position as Woods sits. Daryl Worley, who played some safety for the Oakland Raiders in 2019 could possibly see some snaps while Woods is out.
With Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis already dealing with injuries that kept them out of Cowboys Night, the secondary is down to Anthony Brown as the only returning starter from the 2019 group. Though there are a lot of options for the Cowboys in the secondary, it’s a bit more concerning that they’re currently down three starters.
The Cowboys did a lot of work this offseason to solidify the depth in their secondary, re-signing Anthony Brown and CJ Goodwin. They then signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Daryl Worley, and Saivion Smith. They drafted Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson II. That’s seven players they’ve added to their secondary since the end of last season.
With Xavier Woods out, that depth is going to be tested this week. Woods has started 29 games for the Dallas Cowboys over the last two years and has recorded two interceptions in each of those seasons. There’s a lot of optimism that Woods can take another step forward in his development this year. Even as questions linger about the other safety spot, the stability Woods brings to the back end of the defense will be missed this week. Hopefully, when the Dallas Cowboys begin their preparations for the Los Angeles Rams in week one, Woods will be ready to go.
