Injuries and illnesses have plagued the already-struggling Dallas Cowboys, who currently hold a 2-3 record. With the Week 6 clash against the Green Bay Packers looming, the Cowboys have been hit with two more illness scares that could bring further problems.
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“Cowboys CBs DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson were sent home today from the facility with an illness,” Nick Harris of the Star-Telegram reported on X. “Players No. 3 & No. 4 that have had a practice or game status affected over the last week with an illness, joining CB Joey Porter Jr. & WR Jonathan Mingo.”
Both Bland and Carson were at the facility on Monday for practice, but were visibly ill. Additionally, Mingo missed practice but recovered in time to play in the 24-16 loss to Tampa Bay
Recently acquired cornerback Porter was also out of practice. While he was lined up to play the Bucs game on Thursday, reports revealed he came to the game sick. Later, a Cowboys staff member escorted him from the locker room as he held a garbage can.
While both Porter and Mingo are back on the active roster, the situation is concerning, with four players sidelined. Amid the speculations one can make, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has clarified the stance on the health issues spreading among the players.
“No, I don’t think so,” Schottenheimer said, according to Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News. “I think we’ve all had a little bit of something, but nothing I’m concerned about.”
Beyond Bland and Carson, cornerbacks Ameer Speed and Shavon Revel Jr., who played against Tampa Bay, have sore knees, though Schottenheimer has said that there is no major concern.
Add Cobie Durant to the list, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2, and you have little to no options left for your depth. But the Cowboys will have to keep moving forward despite the setbacks.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have made a defensive move that could help against the Packers.
Dallas Cowboys make a major change ahead of the Packers game
The Cowboys’ defense was bad against the Bucs. An undrafted rookie quarterback, Jalon Daniels, received a career-high 110.2 QB rating, with running back Bucky Irving rushing for 165 yards last game. The poor performance came as the Cowboys hired new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
After a poor defensive showing, the Cowboys are bringing in veteran Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant.
“Had a chance to work with Pettine for a number of years, along with the Jets (2009-2011), and he’s gonna be here in a role to support everything that (Christian Parker) is leading and guiding, and we are really, really excited,” Schottenheimer said on Monday. “They worked together in Green Bay (2019 and 2020), and this is actually something the C.P. and I talked about when we first hired him.”
After the Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said that the defense was “right where we started,” Schottenheimer had to bring in a veteran to help on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are the worst in opponents’ passer rating (120.5) and are giving up approximately 27.3 points per game, ranking 30th in the league.
So, Pettine faces a lot of problems as he enters Dallas. Combined with recurring health issues, the Cowboys face compounding defensive challenges heading into Green Bay.