The four backups who played offensive line for Dallas last week exceeded all expectations, but that doesn’t mean the injury-riddled Cowboys won’t be thrilled to get two of their starters back. Tyler Guyton has cleared concussion protocol and Tyler Smith looks to be past his knee injury; both are trending in the right direction ahead of their trip to Carolina. Two of the O-line’s fill-ins, meanwhile, have forged an unlikely bond on and off the field despite being near-polar opposites. And can we trace the success of the Cowboys offense this year to a random cold call made by Brian Schottenheimer even before he was hired by the team?
Defensively, coordinator Matt Eberflus is shaping up to be the key to the entire team’s fate in 2025, but he’ll likely have a new green-dot player calling the shots this Sunday with Jack Sanborn out. James Houston is turning into the surprise spark plug of the Dallas pass rush, and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is promising that the dam is about to break for him.
And on special teams, the Panthers have perfected a tricky new technique on dynamic kickoffs. How much of an impact will it make in field position with the Cowboys once again missing their main return threat?
Over in Charlotte, Rico Dowdle’s week of accolades continue after his career day; it’s looking more likely he’ll be RB1 once again when his old team comes to town. The Panthers get a top weapon- tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders- back, but there’s growing sentiment around the league that head coach Dave Canales may have quarterback Bryce Young on a leash that’s getting progressively shorter. Could the Cowboys also face former backup Andy Dalton on Sunday?
Elsewhere, the NFL is making yet another major change to the postseason’s Pro Bowl festivities in an attempt to encourage fan interest… and player participation. Dak Prescott finds himself ranked in the top tier of the league’s passers, the NFC East represents itself well among the other divisions, and the Eagles on Thursday night ran everybody’s least favorite play a staggering four times in a row, creating the worst five minutes in football broadcast history.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Headlines: 2 OL starters back at practice; will kickoffs be problem vs Panthers?
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
