The Dallas Cowboys have a lot to clean up after their defense allowed 37 points and over 500 yards in Sunday's overtime win over the Giants. With that said, the offensive line held up well against arguably the best defensive front in the NFL, giving Dak Prescott plenty of time to pick apart New York's secondary.
Unfortunately, the offensive line will be without a key member for the foreseeable future. An MRI revealed that center Cooper Beebe suffered a high-ankle sprain and will miss 6-8 weeks, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport notes that Beebe will almost certainly go on injured reserve, which would knock him out for a minimum of four games. Placing Beebe on IR would solve the dilemma of needing to clear a roster spot for Jadeveon Clowney, who agreed to terms during Sunday's win, but it goes without saying the Cowboys would much rather waive a player than be without Beebe for potentially the next two months.
Cowboys' Cooper Beebe to miss 6-8 weeks with a high-ankle sprain
While a big blow, it's hardly a surprise. Beebe walked with a noticeable limp to the locker room following the win and needed assistance from coaches just to get there. He hardly put any weight on the ankle and was spotted on crutches before leaving the stadium.
If there's any silver lining, it's that the Cowboys have a capable backup in Brock Hoffman, who appeared in all 17 games last season, including seven starts. He started one game at center and the other six at right guard for the injured Zack Martin, and he played well. He even saw snaps at left guard.
Hoffman allowed just six pressures, one sack, and three quarterback hits on 286 pass-blocking snaps last year, per Pro Football Focus. He finished with a 98.7 pass-blocking efficiency and topped it off with a very promising 68.9 run-blocking grade.
The Cowboys will need Hoffman to continue playing at a high level moving forward. As one of the more physical players on the team, he embodies the ideology of creating violence in the trenches that both Brian Schottenheimer and offensive coordinator Klayton Adams have enforced.