Dallas Cowboys Injury Report: Durant and Spencer Return from Injuries
The Dallas Cowboys head into the week four Sunday Night Football game with their toughest offensive opposition of the season so far as they travel to battle the New Orleans Saints. With a number of injuries hurting the Cowboys' defense, they might find themselves slightly overmatched in this big NFC matchup. Here is a look at the Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints injury report for this weekend's game.
Dallas Cowboys
The biggest injuries in Dallas, for the third week in a row, come on the defensive side of the ball. So far this season, Orlando Scandrick has missed two games to suspension, Justin Durant two for a groin, Rolando McClain one for a hamstring, Henry Melton came in late and is still banged up, Terrell McClain has barely played at all and already has a concussion and Anthony Spencer hasn't taken the field yet.
The big news for the game with the Saints is that Anthony Spencer might finally make his return to the field for the first time since game one of 2013. Spencer underwent knee surgery in the offseason, but Dallas chose to keep him on the active roster when the season started because it looked like he was progressing well. Plus, Dallas really needs him. The defensive line has recorded a total of half a sack over the first three games and hopefully Spencer will provide the spark that this unit needs.
However, with good news comes bad news. With Anthony Spencer returning, Henry Melton and his backup Terrell McClain have both missed practice this week. Melton is suffering through a hamstring injury, and if he doesn't practice today, he is likely to miss Sunday's game. McClain is also out with a concussion. Davon Coleman will likely start in their place, as he returned to practice this week after an injury suffered while working out.
In the linebacker corps, Rolando McClain has missed most of the week's practice and will probably miss this week's game, meaning rookie Anthony Hitchens will get another start. On the positive side, Bruce Carter can move back to the strong side this week because Justin Durant is finally returning, saying he feels pretty good after sitting out the last two weeks with his groin injury.
The offensive side of the ball is almost completely healthy now, with Tony Romo's back problems and Dez Bryant's shoulder the only concern. Both men will start and play a lot this Sunday despite their injuries.
New Orleans Saints
The biggest injury for the New Orleans Saints is that of starting running back Mark Ingram. While the Saints have never been a run-first team, and Ingram has been disappointing since joining the team, Ingram actually got off to a hot start this season. He leads the team in rushing with 143 yards and an impressive 6.0 yard-per-carry average to go with three touchdown runs. Ingram is out for a month with a hand injury.
Replacing him in the Saints' lineup is a rotation that includes Pierre Thomas, rookie Khiry Robinson and Travaris Cadet. Robinson is getting most of the carries in relief but Thomas is a weapon out of the backfield.
Linebacker Curtis Lofton has a shoulder injury that has limited him in practice, but he remains a good bet to play. He was limited last week as well and then notched eight tackles against the Minnesota Vikings.
Center Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), linebacker David Hawthorne (ankle/knee), fullback Erik Lorig (ankle) and safety Marcus Ball (hamstring) were also held out of team drills this week. Out of those players, Goodwin and Hawthorne are most likely to return to the field soon, but this week is still up in the air.
Injury Report
Cowboys
QB Tony Romo (Back) - Full
DT Davon Coleman (Knee) - Limited
LB Rolando McClain (Groin) - Did Not Practice
DT Terrell McClain (Groin) - Did Not Practice
DT Henry Melton (Hamstring) - Did Not Practice
WR Dez Bryant (Shoulder) - Limited
DE Anthony Spencer (Knee) - Limited
LB Justin Durant (Groin) - Full
TE Gavin Escobar (Knee) - Full
Saints
TE Benjamin Watson (Groin) – Limited
C Jonathan Goodwin (Ankle) – Did Not Practice
RB Mark Ingram (Hand) – Did Not Practice
LB David Hawthorne (Ankle/Knee) - Did Not Practice
S Marcus Ball (Hamstring) – Did Not Practice
FB Erik Lorig (Ankle) – Did Not Practice
LB Curtis Lofton (Shoulder) - Limited
For more Cowboys news and updates, visit Cowboys Central.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.
Dallas Cowboys coverage begins Sunday at 4:30pm on 105.3 The Fan
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