As injuries continue to pile up on the Dallas Cowboys, the 3-7 team will face the Washington Commanders in Week 12 without three key players.
Cornerback Trevon Diggs and guard Zack Martin were ruled out by the team on Saturday, per Tom Pelissero. Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who remains on injured reserve, was also simultaneously ruled out.
Diggs will miss his first game of the year with a groin and knee injury. He has been impressively durable through 10 games, especially considering a torn ACL limited him to just two appearances in 2023. Leading into his first absence of the season, Diggs has 37 tackles, eight pass breakups and two interceptions on the year.
Martin and Cooks have both seen the field significantly less than Diggs has in 2024. Martin has been in and out of the lineup with an ankle injury and was also on the Week 12 injury report with a shoulder concern. He has still suited up more than Cooks, who has been limited to just four games in his age-31 season with a knee injury.
The Cowboys ruled out Diggs just days after confirming top cornerback DaRon Bland would make his season debut in Week 12. Bland had been dealing with a foot fracture that he suffered in training camp, preventing him from taking the field since the team's playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers in January.
Shorthanded Cowboys look to end five-game losing streak
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With six starters already ruled out for Week 12, the Cowboys will face an uphill battle to end their current losing streak against the 7-4 Commanders. Week 12 marks the first meeting between the two divisional rivals in 2024, with the second one yet to be scheduled during the final week of the regular season.
On top of Diggs, Martin and Cooks, the Cowboys will play without Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence and Jake Ferguson. The most concerning injury for the team is regarding Prescott, whose recent hamstring surgery ruled him out for the remainder of the year. Longtime backup Cooper Rush is the team's interim starter and has gone 0-2 in his first two starts.
The Commanders, meanwhile, will also look to snap a recent skid in the game. Washington has dropped their last two games with their Week 11 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles costing them the top position in the NFC East. The team's last loss also puts them on their first losing streak of the year as they return home to face the struggling Cowboys.
