Getty Randall Cobb
Yet another Dallas Cowboys wide receiver has landed in the trainer’s room.
Cowboys No. 3 pass-catcher Randall Cobb exited Thursday’s practice with what the team is dubbing a back injury. He was listed as a Did Not Practice after getting in a full session Wednesday.
Per ESPN’s Todd Archer, Cobb appeared to hurt his back going to the ground during ball-security drills.
A newcomer to Big D, Cobb has been largely ineffective in recent weeks, failing to clear 69 receiving yards since Dallas’ season-opening blowout of the Giants. He’s totaled 17 catches for 210 yards (12.4 yards per grab) and one touchdown across five games, the distant third option behind Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
Cobb, who’s also battling a hip ailment, will need to work on a limited basis Friday to remove doubt over his status for Sunday’s road game against the winless New York Jets.
His latest issue adds to a WR unit that’s dealt with injuries to each notable member: Cooper (ankle/foot), Gallup (knee), Tavon Austin (concussion), and Cobb.
The Cowboys will release their final Week 6 injury report following Friday’s practice.
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Contingency Plan
If Cobb were to sit out Sunday, Dallas would count on Cooper and Gallup — far and away its leading receivers — toasting the NFL’s 21st-ranked pass defense, which is surrendering 260.2 yards per game. This is likely the plan regardless if Cobb goes.
For depth purposes in that case, however, Devin Smith and special-teamer Ventell Bryant get a bump up the proverbial totem pole. Although, the Cowboys really shouldn’t face much resistance in New Jersey, nor have to involve their non-star assets.
One Down, One to Go for Coop
Cooper, the Cowboys’ WR1, second in the league with 512 yards, is improving from his host of maladies. After overcoming a possible flare-up of plantar fasciitis this preseason, he’s been nagged by his entire leg — from quad, to ankle, to heel. There’s good and bad news on that front.
“The quad has already gotten a lot better, but the ankle is what is bothering me,” Cooper said Wednesday, per The Athletic.
An aside: Cooper and Gallup, if they continue on their current pace, will become the first Cowboys’ receiving duo to both eclipse 1,000 yards in a season since Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn accomplished the feat in 2006, according to Archer.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL