Dallas Cowboys fans were excited to see the team walk away with a thrilling 20-17 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. However, Cowboys fans were also sad to see another defensive lineman get hit by the injury bug.
In the first quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Steelers, Dallas rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was carted off the field with a right knee injury. It was the last thing the Cowboys and the fanbase wanted to see as they were already without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Kneeland was expected to see an increase in snaps as he took over for Parsons, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 4 against the New York Giants. With Kneeland going down on Sunday, the Cowboys’ defensive line depth will be tested in the coming weeks.
On Monday, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones was asked about Kneeland’s injury on 105.3 The Fan. His answer didn’t sound too promising as the Cowboys hope the worst-case scenario doesn’t come to fruition.
According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones said, “Got our fingers crossed” that he’s not out for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys cannot afford to lose the rookie pass rusher for an extended period as they don’t have Parsons and Lawrence for the next few weeks. That said, it doesn’t look good when a player cannot put pressure on his leg and has to be carted off the field.
If Kneeland is out for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys must seriously consider a trade as they cannot have Carl Lawson and Tyrus Wheat starting on the defensive line. Lawson played well on Sunday, producing two total tackles, two quarterback hits, and a half-sack.
The same thing can be said for Wheat, who stuffed the stat sheet with three total tackles, a QB hit, a tackle for loss, and a half-sack. Nonetheless, Lawson has experience starting in the NFL, which helps the Cowboys tremendously. But Wheat hasn’t been a starter yet in his second year as a pro.
The Cowboys will likely have to roll with Wheat as one of their starters off the edge, but the front office must explore every option to give themselves a chance on defense.
