Jason Garrett give updates on Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Tony Pollard and Amari Cooper injuries

The Cowboys are trying to turn the page on their ugly loss last week and concentrate on a new opponent, the New York Jets. Coach Garrett met with the media to discuss all things Cowboys. (All answers are paraphrased and not actual quotes).

Status of Tyron Smith and La’el Collins

Jason Garrett started off in typical fashion and noted that the Cowboys are going to take Tyron Smith and La’el Collins day by day. He said they would be “limited at best” in Wednesday’s practice.

He added that he “probably wasn’t going to articulate” the exact rotation planned for practice but noted that Cam Fleming and Brandon Knight are the next guys in the rotation.

Brandon Knight has... POSITION FLEX

Asked what the Cowboys liked about Brandon Knight, Jason Garrett dropped the two most popular words when it comes to the team... position flex. He noted that you want offensive linemen to be versatile which is something that they like about his game.

Tony Pollard status

He will be limited if he practices, dealing with ankle and knee issues.

Sam Darnold can make plays from the pocket

The New York Jets will have Sam Darnold at quarterback this week and Jason Garrett talked about how they liked him coming out of school but obviously were not in a position to draft a quarterback.

Antwaun Woods status

The Cowboys are hopeful that Antwaun Woods can practice on Wednesday and Jason Garrett said that they anticipate him doing something.

Michael Gallup

Jason Garrett noted the team was indeed impressed with Gallup’s performance with how strong he came back after injury. He added that something like that reaffirms what the Cowboys have known about Gallup since he arrived in Dallas. Gallup responds to adversity, has physical toughness, and mental toughness.

Devin Smith was inactive due to Ventell Bryant being up

The Cowboys had Devin Smith inactive last week and Jason Garrett explained that this had to do with Ventell Bryant taking the special teams snaps that previously belonged to Kavon Frazier. He said they like what Smith has done for them but this was a special teams decision.

Amari Cooper is a good player for many reasons

Jason Garrett talked about all of the great qualities that Amari has as a player. He talked about physical tools but then noted that Cooper has patience. He added that he is a complete player that can run routes at all three levels of the defense and said that Amari played outstanding against Green Bay.

Dak being more aggressive leading to turnovers?

There’s been talk about Dak Prescott being more aggressive in terms of downfield throwing. Jason Garrett discussed this by saying that Dak has been a great decision-maker for the team. He noted the first interception could have been a better thrown ball out front of Cooper, but that Copper will say he should have caught it. He did specify that Dak was probably aggressive on his second interception against the Packers. The third interception had a lot of contact on it.

Pressed a bit on the merits of going downfield more often (more risk yet more reward) Garrett continued to note that you want to be a good decision maker. He noted that each pass play has different levels of patterns and that he wants to take what the defense is giving them but make good decisions.

Zeke’s production through five games

Ezekiel Elliott has the lowest production that he ever has through a season’s first five games, but he’s obviously a great player. Jason Garrett noted that the Cowboys had to do a lot of things through the air which is what sort of changes the way things can go for one person or another.

Run defense has not been up to the Cowboys standards

Jason Garrett noted that the team did not lived up to their standards as a run defense last week. He said a lot of it has to do with being disciplined with gap integrity and setting the edges. Teams run a lot of distractions with motion and jet sweep fakes, etc. but the players have to remain disciplined and play physical.

Not getting interceptions

The Cowboys have struggled at getting interceptions for a while now and Jason Garrett discussed how they do focus on getting turnovers. He added that every level of the defense is responsible for generating turnovers, and that they’re constantly striving to do that better and better.

Amari Cooper’s quad

After the Cowboys loss against the Packers Amari Cooper noted that he was dealing with a quad injury. Jason Garrett said they anticipate him practicing but that he might be limited as a result of the quad.

Brett Maher

The Cowboys obviously did not get great production out of Brett Maher on Sunday and Jason Garrett added that the kicker needs to get back to making his kicks, adding that he’s made a lot of big kicks for them in the past.