Cowboys star defensive player ruled out for Sunday

There’s some bad news coming out of the Dallas Cowboys camp on Friday.
As the Cowboys prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers, in what is being deemed by some the upset matchup of the weekend, Jon Machota reports that linebacker Keanu Neal has been ruled out of the game. Neal will miss the game with a strained bicep and is listed on the Cowboys Friday injury report with a chest and elbow injury. Originally believed to be a game-time decision, Dallas has announced that they will be without one of their key defensive starters.

In his first year with the Cowboys, in the linebacker position, Neal has recorded 72 total tackles, 44 of them solo, and has one sack. The Dallas linebacker has missed three games on the season, one of which was the Cowboys dominating 41-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night back in week 3.

Dallas is getting key players back

The Dallas Cowboys got some welcomed news on Thursday as they prepare for their NFC Wildcard showdown vs. the San Francisco 49ers.

“Good news for the Cowboys, safety Jayron Kearse (hamstring), RB Tony Pollard and LT Tyron Smith (knee/ankle) were full participants in today’s practice,” John Machota tweeted.

Smith missed five games with an ankle injury and one due to COVID-19 protocols, but many believed the team was preserving the star left tackle for the playoffs and he could have played near the end of the regular season.

Pollard’s participation is just as notable for the Dallas Cowboys as he’s taken on a much larger role in the running attack this season.

Kearse has helped serve as a reliable starter in the back end of Dan Quinn’s defense, and with a surging San Francisco 49ers team coming to town this weekend, it will be important to have all hands on deck.