The Dallas Cowboys won a big game on Monday night, defeating the Eagles, 38-21, in a win that was not all that impressive because of the number of players–and quality of players–who were out for Philadelphia, but that was necessary to keep Dallas from dropping out of realistic NFL playoff contention altogether. Generally, the Cowboys are getting healthier, but in the wake of Monday’s win, there were new concerns on three star players dealing with injury: defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who has been playing his best football of the season in the past two weeks; receiver George Pickens; and rookie safety/slot corner Caleb Downs.
All three have been limited in practice, on Wednesday and Thursday, coming into Friday. Coach Brian Schottenheimer spoke to reporters, though, and indicated he is feeling confident that all three will be on the field on Sunday.
From ESPN’s Todd Archer: “Even though Caleb Downs (ankle), George Pickens (shoulder) and Quinnen Williams (hamstring) were limited Thursday, Brian Schottenheimer did not seem concerned about their availability for Sunday.”
Cowboys Should Have 3 Stars Ready Despite Injuries
Downs has been dealing with an ankle injury that goes back to Monday night, but he tried it out in practice on Friday and gave Cowboys reporters a positive review. “Felt good during practice, felt explosive,” he said.
Pickens has been dealing with a shoulder injury for multiple weeks now, but added a hamstring injury to the list this week, but the indications are that he will play, too.
And Williams has a hamstring issue that team is calling minor. He spoke to reporters and gave no indication he would not play against Arizona on Sunday. In fact, he said his aim is to get back to All-Pro level this seaosna fter a drop-off to start the year.
“I feel like I got some stuff I need to fine tune, some things I need to fix. Just keep going in the right direction. Hopefully soon I’ll have that game that I feel like I’m myself soon,” he said. “I know exactly how it’s supposed to look, how it’s supposed to feel when I get there.”
Dee Winters and KaVontae Turpin are out on Sunday.
Cowboys Issue Good News on Injured Starters