Getty Kavon Frazier
The injury bug is clamping down on the Dallas Cowboys.
Its latest (and most severe, to this point) victim is backup safety Kavon Frazier, who suffered a torn pectoral in Sunday’s loss to the Saints and will miss the remainder of the season, head coach Jason Garrett announced Monday.
Frazier will be placed on injured reserve, opening a spot on the 53-man roster.
“Kavon is going to have surgery tomorrow,” Garrett said, per the team’s official website. “We anticipate putting him on IR and him being out for the year.”
A fourth-year pro, Frazier had operated as the reserve free safety behind Xavier Woods, who missed Week 3 with an ankle injury. He notched five tackles across four games but primarily made his bones on special teams, where he was entrenched as a mainstay.
“He is a good special teams player for us. He has been a flyer for us and played in other situations, as well,” Garrett said.
This will be the third time in four seasons that Frazier, a 2016 sixth-round draft pick, will have failed to last an entire schedule. He made all 16 appearances in 2018, starting two games.
With Frazier moved to IR, the Cowboys likely will turn to rookie Donovan Wilson, a healthy scratch against the Saints, and veteran Darian Thompson as insurance behind Woods and Jeff Heath.
Along with CJ Goodwin, Garrett hinted at a committee approach to replacing Frazier on both sides of the ball.
“We have to access who is available in house, access who is available on the street and will make those decisions the next couple of days,” he said.
Follow the Heavy on Cowboys Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors, and content!
Tank Has New Shoulder Issue
Dallas not only suffered their first defeat of the 2019 season Sunday night — a 12-10 struggle at the Superdome — they lost Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith to a high-ankle sprain, as previously reported, and now star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a shoulder injury.
Speaking after the game, amid questioning from reporters who noted Lawrence’s second-half absence, Garrett said the injury was “not deemed to be serious.” In a Monday radio interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones confirmed Lawrence’s shoulder ailment “but hopefully that’s not going to be an issue,” he said.
Lawrence joins a decimated defensive line group that includes starting tackle Antwaun Woods, who has a knee injury, and end Tyrone Crawford, who’s battling hip bursitis. Garrett said he’s hopeful that Woods and Crawford will participate in practice this week, albeit on a limited basis.
Good News on Tyron
The Cowboys are breathing easier with Smith. According to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer, the right high-ankle sprain the blindside protector suffered Sunday “does not appear as severe as initially was thought,” and he seems more day-to-day than week-to-week.
“While it is a high right ankle sprain, it does not appear as severe as initially was thought after the loss to the New Orleans Saints, according to a source. While his availability for this week’s game against the Green Bay Packers is not yet known, it does not appear to be a major sprain of the ligament that could keep him out for a long period of time,” Archer wrote.
Garrett confirmed Archer’s report, formally deeming Smith week-to-week but cracking the door for a brief absence rather than a long-term lay-up. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Monday that Smith won’t play in Week 5.
READ NEXT: Jerry Jones Seemingly Blames Jason Garrett for Cowboys Loss
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL