You won't be able to tell the story of the 2024 Dallas Cowboys season without injuries. While every team in the NFL navigates injuries over the course of a season, the Cowboys currently have nine players on injured reserve.
That does not include quarterback Dak Prescott at the time of this writing. Prescott will officially undergo season-ending surgery on his hamstring. Prescott's recovery timeline is approximately four months, so he should be fully recovered by the offseason program.
In other news, Dallas is waiting to activate Brandin Cooks, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland from injured reserve. All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland still hasn't played this season after he suffered a setback in his recovery from foot surgery.
It's unclear if any of those studs will play Monday night against the Texans, but the Cowboys will seemingly get one injured player back. The sad truth is that many fans will have forgotten he was on the team.
Cowboys open 21-day practice window for OT Chuma Edoga
The Cowboys are starting the practice window for OT Chuma Edoga. He’s been out since training camp with a toe injury.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) November 13, 2024
Like Bland, Edoga has not played this season. He went on injured reserve before the season with a toe injury suffered in the Cowboys' preseason game against the Rams. While the injury did not require surgery, it was significant enough to keep Edoga out for an extended period of time.
The Cowboys now have 21 days to activate Edoga to the 53-man roster or they'll have to put him back on IR for the remainder of the season. The former third-round pick was on the practice field Wednesday, which is a strong indicator that he'll be active against the Texans. That would make for an interesting storyline.
First-round pick Tyler Guyton missed Week 10 with a shoulder injury. 2023 fifth-round pick Asim Richards got the start at LT and did a nice job protecting Cooper Rush and Trey Lance's blindsides. On 35 pass-blocking snaps, he posted a 71.3 pass-blocking grade and a 92.2 pass-blocking efficiency to boot, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
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If Guyton can't play this week, Richards should start at left tackle. If Guyton plays, Richards needs to be the backup swing tackle - not Edoga. While Edoga is more experienced, the Cowboys need to figure out what they have in Richards.
Who's to say Richards can't be the swing tackle moving forward? The only way to find that out is to play him. That doesn't mean he should be shoehorned into the lineup, but 15-20 reps per game in a backup role once Guyton returns is a nice ballpark.
At the end of the day, Edoga's contract is up at the end of the season and Richards could have a future with the Cowboys. While it's nice to have Edoga back, with the playoffs a virtual impossibility there is no point in playing the vet over Richards.
Let's cross our fingers the team recognizes that.