The Dallas Cowboys are heading into Week 1 with the kind of injury situation every team wants in September: mostly calm.
For a club that managed to dodge major offseason setbacks, that’s the big headline as game week arrives. There are still a few names to watch, though, and Dallas is carrying two players on injured reserve who could eventually work their way back into the mix later on.
One of the active-roster concerns is defensive lineman Bullard, who has missed a significant stretch this offseason with an abs/groin issue, according to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News. The latest sign of progress came on Sept. 1, when Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com reported that Bullard was doing cords work with the rehab group.
He still hasn’t been placed on injured reserve, which leaves the door open for him to be available for the opener. Even so, after losing so much time, he may need a little longer before he’s truly ramped up. Dallas brought Bullard in during free agency, and he’s expected to help in the defensive line rotation, especially as a potential boost to a run defense that allowed the 10th-most rushing yards per game last season.
The other player on the active roster worth monitoring is Cornelius. He was out of practice as recently as Sept. 2, but like Bullard, he was also seen doing rehab work on Sept. 1, which at least gives him a path to Week 1 if he keeps progressing this week.
Cornelius helped himself in camp with a strong run at guard and beat out Nick Leverett and Trevor Keegan for the reserve job. He also brings some positional flexibility thanks to his experience at tackle.
Dallas also has Marist Liufau and Devin Moore on injured reserve, though both were given the "designated to return" tag on cutdown day. That means each has to sit out the mandatory four weeks before becoming eligible to come back.
Liufau’s injury is the more concrete of the two. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the linebacker fractured his forearm in the preseason finale and needed surgery.
"Fractured his forearm, so I think he's going to have surgery as early as Monday," Schottenheimer told reporters. "What a great competitor and he'll be back."
Liufau was already hanging around the roster bubble after switching to edge rusher this year, and the injury may have bought him time. Once healthy, he could still push for an active-roster spot, with his ability to line up both inside and outside giving him something to sell to Christian Parker.
Moore’s situation is less encouraging. He had a quiet offseason before landing on IR and is dealing with a hip injury after earlier missing training camp time with a groin issue.
It’s been a rough start for Moore, and the injury history goes back further than Dallas. Given where things stand now, counting on him to make much of a contribution this season may be asking a lot.
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Bland and Ferguson are the names that matter here beyond the bookkeeping, because the restructures also raised their dead cap hits and made an easy escape far less likely. In other words, Dallas has tied a little more of its future to both players while leaving itself with enough maneuvering room to chase a major addition if the right opportunity comes along, including a big-money defensive splash that would fit the kind of move this team has been eyeing. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Just Added A Risky New Twist To Their Tackle Battle
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What makes the move so interesting is that Jones has often looked more comfortable on the left side, even as the Cowboys are asking him to compete on the right. His technique and consistency have been part of the concern, and he is still working back strength after missing time, which makes his path to a starting job less straightforward than it might appear. For Dallas, it is another swing at finding the right answer at tackle, but it comes with the kind of risk that can reshape the whole competition. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Still Have One Roster Problem Jerry Jones Can't Ignore
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It is also the kind of position where one move can quietly matter more than the splashier headlines around the team. Trade chatter has already followed Dallas in other areas, from the Maxx Crosby buzz to the ripple effects of the George Pickens deal and the Cowboys' own quarterback roster activity, but the cornerback conversation keeps circling back to need. For Jerry Jones, the unresolved issue is not whether there are interesting options out there. It is whether one of them is worth acting on before someone else does. [Read more 🡒]