FRISCO — Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer wasn’t kidding when he said his team was “banged up” earlier this week.
Dallas will be officially without multiple key starters for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, while the status of a few more players remains up in the air.
Starting left tackle Tyler Guyton will miss the game due to a concussion he suffered on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. He was still in the concussion protocol as of Friday. Nate Thomas, a seventh-round pick in last year’s draft, is expected to start in his place. He replaced Guyton in the tie against the Packers.
The Cowboys will also officially be without wide receiver and kick returner KaVontae Turpin, who sprained his foot on Sunday.
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The loss of Guyton means the Cowboys will be down three offensive linemen from their original starting five this season. Center Cooper Beebe is on injured reserve, while first-round pick Tyler Booker continues to recover from an ankle sprain he suffered in the Week 3 loss to Chicago.
Starting left guard Tyler Smith was also listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. He hasn’t practiced all week due to a knee issue.
If Smith can’t play then the Cowboys will likely turn to either Hakeem Adeniji or Trevor Keegan, who they claimed from the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the start of the season.
While the losses on the offensive line are notable, they aren’t completely dismantling, according to Schottenheimer.
“As long as we’re communicating — which is a strength of [center] Brock Hoffman’s — that gets everybody on the same page,” Schottenheimer said on Friday. “Where offensive lines have breakdowns, obviously, is when one guy thinks this is the call, or one guy thinks it’s that call. Brock does a great job, and again, these guys have all worked together at different points, whether it was scout team, training camp, working with the 1s, 2s, whatever, they’ve all worked together.
“But the thing that we’ll be looking for, no matter who’s out there, is: are we communicating? Because if you’re communicating, you have a chance. And then how are we playing from a physical standpoint? Because the playstyle doesn’t change. We want to be physical, we want to run the football, want to dominate the line of scrimmage.”
The Cowboys will also have to find a kick and punt return replacement for Turpin. Schottenheimer didn’t disclose who that would be, but he did say he was confident in his options: both in single kick returns and split kick returns, which involves two players.
Running back Miles Sanders is questionable with an ankle injury he suffered against the Packers. He also didn’t practice this week.
Even if Sanders can’t go, the Cowboys could activate rookie running back Jaydon Blue. Schottenheimer has said he’s been close to being active. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) on Friday that Blue will likely play.
The Cowboys will also officially be without Malik Hooker as he recovers from a toe injury. Safety Juanyeh Thomas will start in his place.
Defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (ankle) and linebacker Kenneth Murray (knee) are listed as questionable. So are cornerback Caelen Carson and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo — two players that are still on injured reserve, but had their 21-day practice window opened this week.
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