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The Dallas Cowboys will play their fourth game of the season on Sunday when they host the Cleveland Browns and there is hope, based on the latest injury report, that they will have their star left tackle for the first time since the season opener. It has been a bit of a rough go for the Cowboys at tackle over these last two weeks as both Tyron Smith and La’el Collins have been out.
The former is the one on track to potentially return this week while the latter remains on injured reserve amid a cloud of ambiguity that has left even Jerry Jones perplexed. Legitimate information has been rare concerning La’el Collins. Mike McCarthy has kept his cards close to the vest, and no one seems to have any earthly idea if or when he will return.
Mike McCarthy doesn’t see La’el Collins playing in the next few weeks
As noted, it is not exactly a common occurrence for Mike McCarthy to be forthcoming with information about his team during a media session. While this particular idea isn’t exactly breaking news, what he said about La’el Collins during his Friday appearance on ESPN San Antonio is of substance to some degree.
Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy joined @jasonminnix @RobThompsonESPN on the Blitz to talk about when to expect La'el Collins retun ( spoiler alert not soon )
— ESPN SA (@ESPN_SA) October 2, 2020
Full interview today on the Blitz from 4-7p and on https://t.co/7IsPeGIarJ pic.twitter.com/z2DWqdUT0f
McCarthy was asked point blank if he sees La’el Collins playing this year and said that he won’t be playing this week for sure (we knew that) and that he doesn’t see him playing in the next couple of weeks. While this felt obvious, this is the largest level of confirmation that we have gotten on Collins’ short-term timetable.
The Cowboys will be at home for a bit as they have home contests against the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals over the next few weeks. Of those three, the only NFC playoff contender is Arizona, but it’s not like it gets supremely difficult for Dallas after that.
Following their Monday night game against the Cardinals, the Cowboys will travel to Washington and Philadelphia (neither look to be too intimidating) before hosting the Steelers in the week before the bye. Missing La’el Collins for any stretch of time is difficult, although the Cowboys seem to have found something in Brandon Knight, but that’s the next run that they are facing without his services.
It’s hard to know if or when we will get more clarity on Collins, but it doesn’t seem like we will be seeing him any time in the near future. Plan accordingly, Cowboys.