FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - The Dallas Cowboys escaped their NFL preseason-finale loss on Sunday afternoon to the Jacksonville Jaguars with but one injury issue - an issue that Kelvin Joseph himself is labeling "minor.''
Joseph, the rookie second-round cornerback, isn't allowed to "play doctor'' around here - as self-effacing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will tell you, that's Jerry's job - but we will work on the assumption that as cutdown decisions come by Tuesday afternoon, as mandated by the NFL, Dallas' roster isn't impacted too greatly by injury woes.
The Cowboys did not sustain any major injuries in the 34-14 loss, outside of the Joseph concern regarding a groin pull. There are concerns elsewhere, of course; Neville Gallimore was to start at defensive tackle but he'll miss six weeks, and former top pick Trysten Hill, another defensive tackle, is trying to rehab from a 2020 injury and has not been a factor.
Maybe rookie offensive lineman Josh Ball deserves a mention here; he's got a foot ailment that is slowing his chances of being on the 53.
And of course, the rehabbing vets - especially quarterback Dak Prescott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and kicker Greg Zuerlein - are going to be in the news leading up to the regular-season opener on Sept. 9 at Tampa Bay.
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But by and large, as we monitor the health of Joseph (who during the game was downgraded from "questionable'' to "out''), Dallas survived the summer, and will now work to calculate how to "use'' injuries to stash players beyond the 53, a calculation that for now also includes the handful of players who are in COVID protocol, who will not presently count against the 53.
The Cowboys had hoped Joseph might compete with vet Anthony Brown for the starting cornerback Trevon Diggs. That never quite happened. But Joseph's future is nevertheless bright - and his future can come more quickly if his groin injury is indeed "minor.''
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