The Dallas Cowboys will return fresh from their bye week, hoping to get back into the win column this season. In week 11, they will face the Las Vegas Raiders on November 17. But Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer still has a handful of injury concerns that he simply cannot ignore. 

In the final injury report before the Week 11 clash, four players still carry a “questionable” tag in the Cowboys’ roster. And each situation raises a different problem for Brian Schottenheimer. Safety Alijah Clark is dealing with ribs/illness. OT Ajani Cornelius continues to manage a knee issue. Safety Malik Hooker has a toe injury. And DT Perrion Winfrey is still fighting through back trouble. 

Amongst the four, Alijah Clark’s situation is tricky. He showed real promise early in the season, but his rib injury before the bye week forced him to miss the Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Clark returned, still limited on November 13, but it looked encouraging. Then he didn’t participate at all the next day. So, maybe Brian Schottenheimer is simply being cautious with him. 

Meanwhile, Ajani Cornelius has been limited all week. He hasn’t played an offensive snap this year, and he mainly serves as depth at tackle. His injury doesn’t change the Cowboys’ strategy much, and Brian Schottenheimer probably knows that. Still, depth matters when the roster is already banged up.

Then there is Perrion Winfrey, who remains a complete mystery in Dallas. He hasn’t played this season after hurting his back in late August. Brian Schottenheimer placed him on IR before Week 1, and he’s barely been mentioned since. Can the Cowboys expect anything from him this year? Right now, it feels unlikely.

However, Malik Hooker’s case offers a bit more optimism. He missed five games after going on injured reserve, but reporters saw him moving smoothly at practice. Hooker even practiced fully on November 15. He was expected to return to the starting lineup immediately. But Brian Schottenheimer chose not to activate him yet. 

Was that the right call? Maybe. The Cowboys’ secondary has already been stressed, and rushing a key player back could make things worse. But without Micah Parsons’ pass-rush dominance, the Cowboys can’t get pressure, and that forces a battered secondary to hold up far longer than it should.

In the secondary, while Malik Hooker is questionable, Donovan Wilson is expected to play against the Raiders. But the same can’t be said for Solomon Thomas, who has been ruled out for the upcoming game with a calf injury.  It feels like the defense keeps losing ground every week.

Pete Carroll gets an optimistic update on Geno Smith

The Raiders’ side of things appears far healthier before the Week 11 matchup. They moved guard Jackson Powers-Johnson to IR, which hurts, but the rest of the roster looks stable. Pete Carroll even got some good news as quarterback Geno Smith’s name did not appear on the final injury report before the Week 11 game.

Geno Smith injured his quad in Week 10 against the Denver Broncos. He injured his quad on a scramble when Nik Bonitto tripped him, and Malcolm Roach delivered a late hit. Smith limped off, returned, but clearly wasn’t right. He finished with 143 yards and a rough stat line. 

The quarterback then wasn’t fully recovered early this week, but he felt much better. The signs were there that the QB would return when Pete Carroll shared an update on the QB earlier this week.

“He [Geno] was out there today,” said Pete Carroll. “He feels pretty good. With a long week, we have a chance for both of those guys [Smith and LG Dylan Parham] ready to go.”

Now, Geno Smith looks ready to return, and the mini bye seems to have helped. The Raiders have struggled this season, losing six of their last seven after the opener. But they’ve been more competitive lately, taking the Jacksonville Jaguars to overtime and losing by only three to Denver. With Smith healthy again, could the Raiders surprise the Cowboys? It suddenly feels possible.