The Dallas Cowboys have been devastated by injuries since before the season fully began and the trials caused by certain absences have been a huge reason why they have been unable to win games. There has been no bigger injury than the one that Dak Prescott sustained against the New York Giants that knocked him out for the rest of the season. There was a bit of hope that Andy Dalton could navigate the treacherous waters that are 2020 in his absence, but even Dalton himself was injured during the team’s loss to the Washington Football Team in Week 7.
There had been thought that perhaps Dalton could return to the starting lineup this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been dealing with the concussion that he suffered against Washington, but he will miss this week’s game for reasons independent of that as he has been placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list.
The Dallas Cowboys are putting Andy Dalton on the reserve/Covid-19 list
Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles marked the halfway point on the season for the Cowboys and they managed to get through all of that regular season action without any issues on the Covid-19 front. In fact, Mike McCarthy was even asked during his Monday press conference about this and he noted that the team has a number of protocols in place that have helped mitigate risks and what not.
All of that changed on Tuesday afternoon when ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that the Cowboys will be placing Andy Dalton on the reserve/Covid-19 list. He is officially out for this week’s game against the Steelers.
The Dallas Cowboys will be without quarterback Andy Dalton for a second straight game but not because of the concussion he sustained two weeks ago. Dalton will be placed on the reserve/COVID 19 list on Tuesday, which will knock him out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple sources.
The Cowboys will actually be on their bye after Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh which is set to take place on November 8th. This means that the team’s next game won’t be until two weeks after that on November 22nd (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) when they travel to take on the Minnesota Vikings. It is obviously unknown whether or not Dalton will play then, but the time between now and that game makes it possible.
This season has been one of extreme trial for Mike McCarthy in his first year at the helm of America’s Team. The last time that he faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the building that the Cowboys call home his team (obviously the Green Bay Packers at the time) won the Super Bowl. This week he will be facing them with either a rookie seventh-round pick from James Madison who will be making his second start in the NFL after his first did not exactly go well or someone else if the Cowboys prefer.