Cowboys are about to get major injury boost heading into the playoffs

We know the Dallas Cowboys are going to be in the playoffs but, what seed they will end up being still remains to be seen.

One thing that we do know is that this Dallas team is starting to get healthy and players back at key positions as they get ready for their playoff run. We’ve seen over the last few months the Cowboys were losing players to injuries left and right, causing plenty of fans to be concerned about their ability to make noise in the playoffs.

Here’s a list of the injuries Dallas is currently navigating:

Jourdan Lewis – Foot 

Anthony Brown – Knee 

Terence Steele – Knee

Johnathan Hankins – Pectoral

Leighton Vander Esch – Shoulder

Matt Farniok – Hamstring 

Tony Pollard – Thigh

Tyler Biadasz – Ankle

The Cowboys have been able to adapt and keep things going despite these injuries but they need some of these players to get back to the level of player we’ve seen out of this team earlier in the season. Four players in particular who have been on the mend and look to return for the Cowboys’ playoff run are very important to their chances of getting deeper this season. Here are those players and what they are going to add to this offense and defense for Dallas.

On the offensive side of the football for the Cowboys, they were down their explosive running back in Pollard, backup center/guard in Farniok, and just recently center Biadasz. While it’s still unknown if Biadaz will be able to take the field after suffering the high-ankle sprain in last week’s game, Dallas should be getting Pollard and Farniok back, and while many see the latter as a non-impact player it’s actually a big deal and here’s why.

Matt Farniok, OL

This week Farniok was designated to return from IR by the Cowboys and it couldn’t come at a better time for Dallas. The injury to center Biadasz the Cowboys were forced to move Connor McGovern to center and rookie Tyler Smith to left guard. That move then exposed the Cowboys to a potentially devastating situation because they were forced to put all three of their best offensive tackles on the field with Terence Steele out for the season. If one of those players were to go down Dallas would be forced to field Josh Ball, who has been horrible when forced to play.

Now with Farniok back the Cowboys have the ability to shift their offensive line once again, inserting Farniok at left guard and keeping Tyler Smith at left tackle. Allowing the Cowboys to keep their swing tackle out of harm’s way if either Tyler or Tyron Smith were to leave the game with an injury. You can never have enough depth along the offensive line and the addition of Farniok gives the Cowboys enough to manage until Biadasz can return, hopefully in the playoffs.

Tony Pollard, RB

The other player on this list is obviously Pollard who sat out last week with a nagging thigh injury sustained in the Eagles game. It was clear that Dallas missed Pollard’s explosiveness and big-play ability in the Tennessee Titans game rushing for 87 yards, their lowest total since week five against the Commanders. The change of pace that Pollard provides opposite Ezekiel Elliott can’t be overlooked especially when the Cowboys have had both of them on the field at the same time.

His ability out of the backfield in the passing game is also a big part of this Cowboys’ passing game. He forces defenses to account for him and in doing so opens up the field for CeeDee Lamb and the rest of the Cowboys’ receiving group to make plays down the field. If teams decide to keep their two-high safety look then Prescott can get the ball to Pollard who has turned short passes into big plays all season long.

The fact that the Cowboys get both of these players back now is going to do wonders for this offense going forward. Now let’s take a look at the defense and the reinforcements they will be getting soon.

Johnathan Hankins, DL

The Cowboys have been gashed by the run at critical times in games ever since the injury to Hankins against the Texans. Teams have been able to maintain a running game during his absence and will add to that total against the Commanders this weekend with Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson taking the field. The loss of Hankins has been a big one for the Cowboys and his return to the lineup especially after an injury that has kept players out for much longer periods of time is a very good thing.

If the Cowboys want to do anything in the playoffs this season they will need to stop the run and they have a better chance of doing so with Haskins on the field. The ability to keep himself and Quinton Bohanna fresh throughout the game will be key against the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, San Fransisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles.

In the NFC you’ll need to be able to stop the run to make it to the Super Bowl, and Hankins’s return boost the Cowboys’ chances of doing so.

Leighton Vander Esch, LB

The other major linchpin in the Cowboys’ effort to stop the run is the return of linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who’s been out with a shoulder injury. While Hankins has been a force on the defensive line holding double teams and filling gaps, Vander Esch has benefited from it being able to come downhill and get to ball carriers earlier than he had been before. Once Dallas lost Vander Esch they lost their leading tackler on the team and while he can be a liability in the passing game at times when trying to cover running backs out of the backfield, his impact in the running game can’t be overlooked.

Anytime you get your leading tackler back on the field can mean the difference between an opposing running back being able to pick up a crucial first down or being stopped and getting a short yardage stop to end the game.

Vander Esch’s return also does what Farniok’s return does for the offense, it gives this defense more depth at linebacker, and for a team that is relying on the hit-and-miss play from veteran Anthony Barr, rookie Damon Clark who’s still getting acclimated to the speed of the NFL game, and second-year linebacker Jabril Cox, it couldn’t come at a better time.

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