The Dallas Cowboys are dealing with yet another injury issue as cornerback Caelen Carson is expected to miss between four and six weeks with a hyperextended knee.
Dallas confirmed on the team website that Carson suffered the injury on Monday during a padded practice and wrote that he is expected to “miss valuable time in camp and throughout the entire preseason.”
The second-year defensive back’s injury adds to an already thin Cowboys secondary, with several cornerbacks already being sidelined by knee injuries as the team prepares for the upcoming NFL season.
Trevon Diggs, Josh Butler, and rookie Shavon Revel Jr. remain off the field due to knee injuries, meaning Dallas could begin the season missing multiple players who were expected to be key contributors at the position.
Carson, a fifth-round pick from last year, started six games in his rookie season before a shoulder injury cut his campaign short, recording 27 total tackles across those appearances.
Although Carson is expected to miss the entirety of training camp and the preseason, there is hope that he can return to the field for the first week of the regular season, which would put his recovery time at just over five weeks.
To help fill the roster gap at cornerback, the Cowboys signed 28-year-old Christian Matthew to their training camp roster.
Matthew is a former seventh-round draft pick in 2022 and has prior NFL experience with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and Arizona Cardinals, recording a total of 20 tackles during his time in the league.
This move came after Matthew worked out with Dallas and is viewed primarily as camp depth rather than a long-term solution, though a path to the roster is available, as he previously played under Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus while on the Bears.
Carson’s injury is just the latest setback for a Cowboys team dealing with multiple significant injuries.
Left tackle Tyler Guyton suffered a bone fracture and sprain to his right knee on Monday, which was initially feared to be a torn ACL and has since been downgraded to an injury that will put him out for roughly four to six weeks, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
In a similar manner to Carson’s injury, Guyton could potentially return to the field in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, though the most likely outcome is that he does not return until the second or third game of the season.
Additionally, offensive guard Rob Jones suffered a broken bone in his neck and will miss between two and three months, meaning he is unlikely to be available for the first half of the regular season.
There has been no indication by the Cowboys that there are plans to add a player along the offensive line to account for these injuries, with the belief being that one of the team’s depth pieces can help fill the gaps until Guyton and Jones are healthy.