Injury Concerns for Dallas Cowboys Heading into Meadowlands Clash at New York Jets

The Dallas Cowboys (1-2-1) are coming off of an anticlimactic home tie, a 40-40 overtime deadlock against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. This upcoming Sunday afternoon, they will face the New York Jets (0-4) in East Rutherford, N.J. at MetLife Stadium, a 1 p.m. eastern time start. The ‘Boys also head into the game with a myriad of injury concerns, which is unfortunate for a team where health is paramount seeing as you’re already down star wideout CeeDee Lamb and starting offensive linemen Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker. Health is also paramount when you are behind the proverbial 8-ball sporting a 1-2-1 record in a division with the 4-0 Philadelphia Eagles.

Going into Sunday’s Jets’ matchup, star left guard Tyler Smith has a knee injury, left tackle Tyler Guyton has a concussion (suffered against the Packers), safety Malik Hooker has a toe injury that will keep him out for a couple of weeks, running back Miles Sanders has knee and ankle issues, and returner/receiver KaVonte Turpin has a foot injury. All five did not practice on Thursday. Linebacker Kenneth Murray was limited in Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, as was Trevon Diggs (knee), defensive end Marshawn Kneeland (ankle) and receiver Jonathan Mingo and cornerback Caelen Carson, who also have knee issues. Diggs will be back in the starting lineup against the Jets. Carson and Mingo are both in the 21-day window from the reserved/injured list. On a positive note for the offense, rookie running back Jaydon Blue, the team’s fifth-round draft choice out of the University of Texas, is expected to make his season debut against the Jets. Blue ran a 4.25 forty-yard dash at his Pro Day and a 4.38 at the Draft Combine. He will give the offense some juice in the absence of Turpin.

The Cowboys at 1-2-1 are in a situation where they can ill afford injuries. All teams cannot afford them, but since the Cowboys are playing already without Lamb, Booker, and Beebe, the long injury report is difficult to digest. This is especially true on the defensive side of the ball with a defense that has been flat out bad through four games. While the offense is averaging the most yards per game in the NFL at 404.3, the defense is giving up the most, at 420.5. The last Cowboy defense that was near this bad level took the field in 2020 under defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. That season’s iteration “only” allowed 386.4 yards per game, 23rd in the league. The 2020 Cowboys finished 6-10. 

If Murray cannot go against the Jets, we will get a look at Shemar James, the rookie fifth-round pick out of the University of Florida. The 6 foot, 1 inch, 222 pound James ran a 4.69 at the Draft Combine, and is on the smaller side for a linebacker. However, he does have speed and if he can harness that speed into good instincts, he could play himself into more snaps for the Cowboys. Marist Liufau, the Cowboys’ backup weakside linebacker, hustles hard and plays with energy. He made a great special teams tackle on Matthew Golden on Sunday but committed an unnecessary roughness penalty late that the team did not need.

In Hooker’s absence, Juanyeh Thomas will take over. Thomas, in his third season out of Georgia Tech University, has good size for a safety at 6 foot, 3 inches and 217 pounds. Reddy Steward, behind DaRon Bland on the depth chart in the nickel cornerback spot, is an energetic player who is aggressive and not afraid to tackle. 

The Cowboys have given up the most yards in the NFL through four games. The team has nothing to lose by playing its younger talent on the defensive side, and now it is forced to do so because of injuries. 

The offense will miss a crucial part of it if Turpin is a no-go on Sunday. The likes of Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy will need to step up. Tolbert did his part against the Packers in catching six passes for 61 yards, while Flournoy this season in the Bear and Packer games has caught five passes for 35 yards. Tolbert is 6 foot, 1 inch and 195 pounds while Flournoy is 6 foot, 1 inch and 200 pounds. Tolbert is 26 and Flournoy is 25. Both have potential and a positive is that the coaching staff will get a good look at its receiver depth. Both have good size for their position as well. 

If Smith is unable to go, then 2024 Eagles’ fifth-rounder Trevor Keegan will start. T.J. Bass has looked good in Booker’s absence, while Nate Thomas played seventeen snaps against the Packers in filling in for Guyton and did not allow a quarterback pressure on all passing plays where was on the field. The Cowboy offensive line may be a patchwork one against the Jets, but if their depth so far on the line is an indication of how they will fare as a unit, they should be ok. Running back Javonte Williams is averaging five yards per carry so far in 2025. 

The Jets are 0-4 and in playing at home will be hungry for a victory. The Cowboy defense has been beyond poor this season and when you are not playing well, you are bound to make adjustments. You just wish that the adjustments and the looks for the younger players on both sides did not come at the expense of injuries to the starters.