Jason Garrett press conference: Amari Cooper still not practicing, other injury updates

The Cowboys have completed their first preseason game, a 17-9 loss to the 49ers, and have returned to Oxnard for another week of practices. Before they get started today, Jason Garrett will address the media. He will surely discuss what happened on Saturday night including any injuries that we may not have heard about.

A full recap of what Jason Garrett said (All answers are paraphrased and not actual quotes).

Luke Gifford will be out a few weeks, Cedrick Wilson had a concussion

We learned over the weekend that Cowboys linebacker Luke Gifford suffered a high ankle sprain and Jason Garrett confirmed that he will be out for a few weeks. The head coach also explained that wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, who also left the game, suffered a concussion against San Francisco and they will follow protocol.

Trysten Hill “did some nice things”

Jason Garrett noted Hill did some nice things in the game. He said Hill needs to get better technically but he showed good spirit and toughness. Thought he might have struggled like a lot of young players taking things they learn in practice to the field, but still thought he managed some good things.

Daniel Ross will hopefully do some things on Monday

Coach noted that Daniel Ross suffered a stinger against the 49ers and said that the Cowboys are hopeful he can do some things on Monday.

Hawaii is going to be fun

The Cowboys will play a preseason game in Hawaii on Saturday, and Jason Garrett said he’s excited for the NFL history there. Obviously the Pro Bowl used to be there, but this is a different thing. Aloha!

Thoughts on quarterbacks against SF

Jason Garrett said that he liked what he saw from the first unit against San Francisco and noted that Dak Prescott was sharp and clean. He said that Cooper Rush “did a lot of good things” and particularly praised his decision-making. When it comes to Mike White the head coach said he “probably had the roughest outing of the group.” Noted White put the ball on the ground and had some decision-making problems, but noted he got better at the end.

Amari Cooper is still day by day

The Cowboys aren’t going to rush him back and don’t anticipate him doing anything on Monday. Jason Garrett did say that they don’t think it’s a long-term thing, they are just being cautious.

Is there disappointment in going 0-4 in the redzone or did you just not game plan for that stuff?

Jason Garrett explained that training camp practice has been just about training camp practice and with no strong focus on a particular opponent like the 49ers. They didn’t game plan for certain situations or to take advantage of what the 49ers were doing. Noted the offense was generic, vanilla by design.

Have any veterans had problems with new helmets?

The Antonio Brown situation in Oakland is a very unique one, but Jason Garrett explained that the Cowboys haven’t had any issues with players trying to demand their old helmets. He explained that their players have embraced it.

Thoughts on Tony Pollard’s debut

Jason Garrett complimented Tony Pollard’s debut with the Dallas Cowboys, thought he did a good job with the 1s. He noted he had some good runs and pass protections and seemed comfortable. Garret also said he has a long way to go and they need to see more game action. Complimented him as a smart guy with a good football IQ, said he’s processing the information without a problem and when he makes mistakes he learns from them. He said he will get more playing time in preseason as they go.

Chris Covington (linebacker)?

Coach said it was a good situation for him in the game, and he did some communicating and made calls on defense. He handled it well, it wasn’t clean but he showed up positively. They wanted to see him play and get him on tape, he noted that Covington along with the whole team played with energy and spirit, now he wants to see how they grow.