Mike McCarthy provides injury updates on two key defenders

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy had good news to deliver on injured defensive linemen Randy Gregory and Neville Gallimore. McCarthy revealed that both banged up Cowboys will practice on Wednesday, in hopes that they might be available on Sunday.

The Dallas Cowboys travel to face the 6-6 Washington Football Team on Sunday.

“Would be great if both of those guys could go Sunday,” McCarthy added.

Randy Gregory had COVID-19 earlier in the year and he’s missed the last four games on injured reserve due to a calf injury. Gregory has five sacks on the year despite appearing in just as many games this year.

Neville Gallimore has been dealing with an elbow injury all season long but could make his debut this weekend versus the WFT. Last year, he posted 28 tackles, a half-sack and four tackles for loss. The former Oklahoma Sooner is in his second season with the Cowboys.

#Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy says Randy Gregory and Neville Gallimore will return to practice today. They will see how it shakes out and know more about availability Friday. “Would be great if both of those guys could go Sunday”

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) December 8, 2021

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn expressed his surprise that 33 different players have gone in on defense so far this season due to injury.

“If you told me that back on Sept. 1, I might have said, ‘Oh shit.’ Now that it has happened, I’m more like, ‘Oh shit, that’s pretty cool.’” Quinn said.

Playing 33 different defenders this season is a recipe for inconsistency but the Cowboys have stuck to a next-man-up mentality. It’s also helped to keep stars like Trevon Diggs healthy. Quinn’s led the defense to top-15 placements in both passing and rush defense.

The Cowboys and Mike McCarthy have also returned stars like DeMarcus Lawrence.

Cowboys return three from COVID reserve list

The Dallas Cowboys on Thursday finally managed to get back into the win column, beating the New Orleans Saints 27-17 and extending their NFC East lead to two games.

The Cowboys, now 8-4, will need a few more wins to feel comfortable ahead of the 6-6 Washington Football Team and 6-7 Philadelphia Eagles, and they’ll have the chance to do that in the coming weeks with a couple straight divisional matchups. Before the contest, they activated several contributors to the active roster.

Three players came back from the COVID-19 reserve list, including offensive tackle Terrence Steele, tight end Blake Jarwin and wide receiver TJ Vasher. Meanwhile, wide receiver Robert Foster went back to the practice squad.

Getting Steele back remains a significant storyline for the Cowboys, whose offensive line could use the extra help. Steele, a Texas Tech alum, has been a consistent starter for Dallas and figures to return to that role this week against Washington.

On3’s Simon Gibbs contributed to this report.