The Cowboys have spent the last two seasons watching the Eagles own the NFC East and then add a Super Bowl title in 2024 for good measure. Now, with Dallas hoping the gap has finally narrowed, the latest update on Philadelphia pass rusher Jonathan Greenard is the kind of development that could matter down the line.
Greenard, the big offseason addition for Howie Roseman, is still not back after suffering a pec injury while lifting weights before training camp. On Wednesday, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sounded uneasy about when that might change.
“I don't know when Greenard will be back,” Fangio said on Wednesday. “You know, that injury he got in our weight room is going to take some time to heal.”
That is exactly the sort of update Dallas will be tracking.
Roseman initially downplayed the injury, calling it “not a long-term injury” and “nothing we're concerned about.” But three weeks later, Greenard remains on the Physically Unable to Perform List, and the concern now is not just whether he’ll be ready for Week 1, but how long it will take him to get fully up to speed.
That matters. A veteran like Greenard may not need every snap of camp to be ready, but there is still a ramp-up period, and football shape is more than just conditioning.
Players have to absorb contact, take hits, and get their bodies hardened before the regular season starts. That’s why joint practices are so valuable, and why teams usually want a player’s first real contact to come before the games count.
The Eagles invested heavily in Greenard for a reason. After standout Jaelan Phillips left in free agency, they’re counting on Greenard to help lead Fangio’s pass rush.
Roseman paid for that hope in a major way, sending two third-round picks to Minnesota and then handing Greenard a four-year, $98 million deal. His $30 million annual average value is tied for ninth-highest at the position.
So when the general manager’s early read doesn’t quite match the recovery timeline, it stands out. Three weeks in, Fangio is already wondering if the issue could stretch into the regular season.
Nobody is sounding the alarm like it’s a full-blown crisis, but it’s easy to see why the Cowboys are paying attention. If one of the league’s better pass rushers is delayed, that can shift the balance in a division where Dallas and Philadelphia already look closer than they have in a while.
Dallas, for its part, has been fortunate so far on the injury front. With no joint practices left, most, if not all, of its starters should be ready to open the season.
Of course, injuries are part of the deal, and plenty of players who appeared in the preseason opener are already dealing with bumps and bruises. Still, with so little separating these two teams, the healthier one may be the one standing at the top of the NFC East in January.
For now, the Cowboys will keep watching Greenard’s situation closely.
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Malachi Lawrence Is Giving Cowboys Fans A Reason To Watch This Pass Rush
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Lawrences preseason debut only added to the optimism, even if the bigger picture still points to a developmental arc rather than an immediate takeover. The expectation is for him to complement veteran Von Miller, which makes his early flashes especially interesting for Dallas, a team looking for more consistent disruption without asking too much too soon from a young edge rusher. [Read more 🡒]