It’s not much of a surprise when an NFL team opens camp and undergoes a wave of injuries, and even if it feels especially harrowing as it is happening, it’s important to remember that it’s par for the course in the league. Certainly, the Cowboys have had their share of tense moments to open this summer, with Rob Jones and Tyler Guyton both suffering injuries in the first five days of practices, but as much as the offensive line has been knocked around, there is a unit that just might have it worse.
That would be the defensive backs.
The Cowboys have already dealt with four of their top corners being on the shelf, for a variety of reasons to open camp: Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel, Josh Butler and DaRon Bland. Now, a fifth is joining them, as second-year man Caelen Carson, who started five games last season before going out with a shoulder injury, is now down, too.
Caelen Carson Suffers Knee Injury
Carson suffered a hyperextended knee and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, meaning he could be ready for the team’s opener. But this figured to be a big camp for Carson, who had an opportunity to make an impact, especially with the injuries around him.
As the Cowboys team site wrote, “The poor get poorer, in this case, seeing as Diggs and rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel are on the reserve list(s) to begin camp, along with Josh Butler, leaving the cornerback depth chart having only DaRon Bland and the outstanding camp play of Kaiir Elam to lean on.
“Carson, like Guyton, will have a chance to suit up at the start of the regular season, but he’s also coming off of a season-ending shoulder injury suffered as a rookie, so his learning curve isn’t getting any easier.”
Cowboys Cornerbacks Are Walking Wounded
Of course, if the injuries were an opportunity for Carson, they are also an opportunity for guys further down the Cowboys’ DB depth chart. The Cowboys have been using a starting bunch of Kaiir Elam, Troy Pride Jr. and Kemon Hall at corner and nickel back.
“I always look at that as opportunity first,” said defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. “You’re getting a chance for the guys who are competing to step up and move into that [first or second team], which they wouldn’t normally be if the starters were there. Those guys have great opportunity to show what they can do.”
Cowboys Evaluating Depth
The Cowboys also added defensive back Christian Matthew on Tuesday, as sign that there are concerns about the depth among the defensive backs. But Eberflus said he thinks there is enough depth in the group.
“I think it’s going to be good,” Eberflus said. “You always have to understand: players are in or players are out because that’s part of football. You’re going to lose guys during the course of the year. You’re never going to be at 100%. You have to learn how to move your scheme to fit the skill set that you have. And I understand at some points you have to cover people, right?”
