The Cowboys just got GREAT News...

The Dallas Cowboys just got great news, and it has nothing to do with the NFL trade deadline. It's about the injury report. On Friday, Dallas listed eight players with a game status for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. But the headline is in the secondary. Safety P.J. Locke is likely to be activated off injured reserve, and safety Jalen Thompson, the other safety stuck on IR, quote, coming along. So who's actually coming back, who's still in trouble, and what does it mean for this defense that has allowed 180 points in seven games? Well, stay with me because the name on this report that worries me the most is not a safety, and I'll tell you who it is before we're done. Let's start with the full report because there's a lot on it. For Sunday's 1 p.m. Eastern time game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys ruled out two different players, returner Kevontae Turpin with a rib injury and linebacker Dee Winters with a calf injury. It's each of their second game in a row they have missed. Six more are listed as questionable. Receiver George Pickens And there's good news on the other side of it. Caleb Downs had an ankle injury early this week. He enters the weekend with no designation, and he is fully cleared to play. Now notice who is not on that list. Jalen Thompson. Well, it's because he's still on IR, so he doesn't get a game status. We'll get to him, but first, let me show you where the market has this game. On Kalshi right now, the Cowboys are at 74% to beat the Cardinals tomorrow at 1 p.m. Eastern. And that is today's sponsor. On Kalshi, you're trading directly against other users, not the house like a traditional sportsbook. You're buying yes or no contracts on the outcome of real-life events across sports, politics, or even the weather. For example, I'm trading on the Cowboys to win by over 9.5 points tomorrow, and an $80 trade will get you $178.90 back. If you're interested in trying out a presenting sponsor Kalshi, use the link in the description or in the pinned comment, and when new users sign up with the code DIGEST NFL and trade $25, you'll get an extra $55 instantly. Thank you to Kalshi for sponsoring today's show. Okay, PJ Locke, this is the one I'd circle on the whole report. Locke was signed this past offseason by the Dallas Cowboys, coming away from the Denver Broncos, of course reuniting with Christian Parker, the D.C. here in Dallas. Then in September, he tore his plantar fascia, the band of tissue under the foot, and the Cowboys put him on injured reserve on September 26th. That was the day before the Ravens game in Brazil, so Dallas has now played five games without him, the Ravens game, and every game since. Now, the Cowboys opened his 21-day practice window, and he has been back on the field. This week, he is listed as questionable with a foot injury, and the expectation is that Dallas is going to activate him today. There is a clock to it. Locke has to be out of the 53-man roster by November 13th, or his season is over. And remember, nothing here is free. Every activation needs a corresponding roster move. So, somebody else will potentially have to come up the 53-man roster, but because of recent roster moves, the Cowboys do have one open roster spot, which leaves an easy spot to put in P.J. Locke. But why do I care so much? Well, because this defense is giving up points. Dallas has allowed 180 points in their first seven games, which is 25.7 a game. Now, they gave up 34 to Baltimore, 30 to Houston, and of course, they were able to win that one, but you just can't go along with the way they've been playing. So if Locke is back, is that a real help? Well, definitely. He's the last line of defense for the Dallas Cowboys, and they've been missing that for the past five weeks, having to start Elijah Clark, a UDFA out of Syracuse. It's not going to fix the whole defense to put him out there, but it does get some extra depth, and it takes away one excuse for this defense. Now, of course, Jalen Thompson, and there's a storyline on this one that I love. The Cowboys signed Thompson, of course, from the Cardinals in March, and he spent the last seven seasons in the desert. And on Sunday, the team he spent his whole career with will end up in Dallas. Now, it was week three against the Ravens in Brazil where Thompson got hurt and he had a hamstring issue that, of course, he hasn't come back from since. The Cowboys placed him on IR on September 30th, which means he had to miss at least four games. Now, Executive Vice President Stephen Jones said it would be about a month and we're about that timeline now. Now, here is the big update. Thompson is, quote, coming along. But what does that mean? Well, let's be careful with this, because coming along does not mean he's ready to go. It's not a return date. He's not on the injury report this week because, well, he's still on IR. So I'm not telling you that he's going to play this Sunday. But what I am saying is the timing is worth watching. Four games on IR is the minimum, and he has now missed four. Once Dallas opens the practice window, the clock starts up for him. 21 days to get him on the 53-man roster. And again, think about the back end of this defense and with both of them healthy, those were your two big signings in the secondary with P.J. Locke and with Jalen Thompson. Those are two safeties in this scheme that they were building around and Dallas has been playing without them both. So that's why I think this is the quiet story of the week. Everybody's going to be talking about Pickens and the hamstring injury and how he actually performs, but the thing that changes this defense is on the back end. And ultimately, we can talk about the offense and how, you know, maybe lackluster they have been. We know they're going to get theirs. For the defense, They've got to have every single person healthy, and even that might not be enough. And hey, if you like where this video is going, you like daily updates in the Cowboys, well, hit subscribe, because we're currently at 21,060 subscribers, and we're trying to get to 22,000 now as we continue to grow every single day, all thanks to you. Okay, now the rest of the report, because this is where the good news gets a reality check. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark has a back injury that popped up late this week. He's questionable and he was limited on Friday. He has played in all seven games this season and he has 16 tackles and one sack. And while he is expected to play, just like George Pickens, it's an injury worth watching going into this matchup. And he's not the only tackle. Jonathan Bullard is questionable as well with a calf injury. That is two defensive tackles on one report against a team that is going to try and run the ball with Jeremiah Love. Now, that's the name I told you about. If Clark ultimately can't go or if he can't play to the highest level or won't be able to play on a snap count, whatever it might be, Dallas can rebuild the back end of this defense in pieces, but there's no easy fix to the middle of this line that is already struggling to some extent. On offense, obviously, it's George Pickens that everybody is talking about as he's questionable with shoulder and hamstring issues, and he has been limited in three practices in three days, obviously. He's got 37 catches for over 480 yards and two touchdowns this season, but at the same time, they do expect him to play. But I will be watching that hamstring and that shoulder to see if it affects him at all. Tight end Luke Shoemaker has a groin injury and has not practiced the last two days. It sounds like he probably won't be out there in this practice. So look a lot more for Brevin Spanford and maybe some extra of Jake Ferguson. Linebacker Maris Leofau broke his forearm back in August, late August that is. He's questionable too, and he's another player that has that 21-day practice window open. If Dallas activates both Leofau and Locke, that's two roster moves with only one open roster spot. And of course, two more notes on the players who are out. Tyler Goodson will remain as the guy for kick returns with Kevontae Turpin still gone. And Shamar James, he's expected to resume the green dot duties for Dee Winters as he's out for a second consecutive week. So that's the player with the radio in his helmet. He's going to be calling out the plays. Not DeMarvion Overshawn, it's Shamar James. So it's the full picture there. Good news at safety. A real question, though, at the tackle position to some extent. And a star receiver with George Pickens that has a hamstring issue. That's definitely worth watching. It's a lot of questions for a team that has three and four, but you're going up against a very winnable game against the Arizona Cardinals. In Arizona, they're not healthy either. They ruled out defensive tackle Walter Noll and the third and guard John Gaines in the second, both with ankle injuries. Interior lineman Hunter Fultz Cornerback Max Milton and safety Andrew Wingard are questionable with the injuries and running back Jeremiah Love is slated to play against Dallas, which that is the key player to watch because we know how good these running games have been against the Dallas defense. Love, well, he could be the next on the list. Now, let's again look back at this Cowboys season. They're 3-4 in their wins. They've scored 37, 34, and 38. And the losses, they give up 28, 34, 24, and 23. So, not only does the offense have to be good, but the defense has to be reputable. So, the whole season in one sentence. When the offense scores 34 or more, Dallas wins. When the defense gives up more than 20, it's a coin flip. And the market, of course, agrees with the Cowboys being the favorites. As of right now, Kalshi has Dallas at 74% to beat Arizona and 26 for the Cardinals. So, here's where I land. Lock. Back, and Thompson coming along is really good news, and the Cowboys secondary could definitely use it, but it all comes with an asterisk. A big thing that will decide this game is Clark and Pickens and their injuries, and whether or not that injury report on Sunday comes out with them being, you know, full go, snap count, whatever it might be. Safeties are great, but the line and the receivers, they're a question mark, even if Clark and Pickens do go. Now, while this defense is finally getting healthy, Ultimately, the report and the health does not exactly solve the problems we've been seeing out there on the football field. It can help and definitely gives Jerry Jones a more clear view of what exactly is wrong with this defense. But at the end of the day, if this defense still stinks, what it does, instead of tell you that, okay, you know, it's not good, it puts more fingers pointing at Christian Parker. So here's what to watch. The team will announce its roster moves, and that's where we'll find out if Locke will be officially activated. And the Inactives, of course, will come out 90 minutes before kickoff. Now, expect another video today because I guarantee you we're probably going to have that announcement on Locke, and I bet you we'll have some practice squad call-ups as well for this game. Let me know who matters more on Sunday, Locke getting back or Clark staying on the field as much as possible. Drop an L in the comments for PJ Locke or drop a C in the comments for Kenny Clark. Let me know who's more important. Thanks for watching, and again, stay tuned for later today as we'll have more roster moves as we'll see you in the next one. Peace out.