There’s not much appetite to defend the Dallas Cowboys or their players hours after the kind of disheartening effort that was put forth in Green Bay on Sunday night, a Week 6 game that saw the team’s tailspin continue with a 23-13 loss that further humbled a group that has already been kneecapped by its own subpar performance. And so, there’s little that can be said about the decision of budding star right guard Tyler Booker in the fourth quarter of the loss to square up Javon Bullard of the Packers, after the whistle had blown, and hit him in the back with full force.
Booker ran in from the side after a completion to Ryan Flournoy and, as the play was ending, Bullard was reaching toward Flournoy. Booker went helmet-first into Bullard’s upper back and sent him tumbling to the turf, surprised by what can only be called a cheap shot from Dallas’ 6-foot-6, 330-pounder.
Cowboys’ Tyler Booker Made a ‘Dirty’ Hit
Of course, cheap is one word for Booker’s action. That might be charitable. As one 49ers site’s Twitter/X account called it, “What a dirty play by Cowboys OL Tyler Booker.
As the SM Highlights account noted: “Tyler Booker Goes Into The Back Of Javon Bullard, Well After The Whistle Was Blown, This Is A Dirty Play. Which Could Seriously Injure Someone, He Should Be Ejected. The Cowboys Guard Hits The Packers Safety Late And Puts Him At Risk With A Cheap Shot After The Play Is Dead. Dirty.”
Marcus Mosher of the “Locked on Cowboys” podcast noted, “Just an idiotic play by Tyler Booker.”
And podcast host Todd Sturchio wrote, “Cmon Tyler Booker. Be better. That (expletive) is dirty.”
The play cost the Cowboys 15 yards, which they made up on a penalty on the Packers the very next play. But for Booker, it is certain that his actions will catch the attention of the league office and result in a hefty fine. Depending on how the league views it, Booker is likely to be hit with at least a $17,911 penalty (there is a schedule of fines that has been collectively bargained). For a guy on his rookie contract making about $100,000 per game, that will be a pinch.
Cowboys’ 330-Pound Star Faces NFL Punishment for ‘Dirty’ Play