Cowboys update injury report, activate key offensive lineman from COVID reserve

After two consecutive losses, 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. First up, the Cowboys will travel to Washington to face the Football Team on Sunday, and before the contest they activated several contributors to the active roster.

Three players were brought back from the COVID-19 reserve list, including offensive tackle Terrence Steele, tight end Blake Jarwin and wide receiver TJ Vasher. Meanwhile, with the moves, wide receiver Robert Foster was moved 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.

Micah Parsons sets bold goal for end of rookie season with Cowboys

Micah Parsons has been a star on the Dallas Cowboys defense during his rookie season. The rookie linebacker out of Penn State has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses all season long. Despite his early success, Parsons isn’t done setting goals for the rest of his rookie season with the Cowboys.

Parsons thinks there are bigger things ahead for the Cowboys, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

“The Super Bowl, playoffs, you got five games left,” Parsons said. “There’s stuff to be done … I don’t think it’s time for me to sit on my couch, smiling, eating Cheetos. I’m trying to do something way bigger than anybody thought we could do this year.”

In 12 games so far as a rookie, Parsons has totaled 72 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, ten sacks, 25 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and two passes defended. He has played at linebacker and defensive line, providing much needed versatility to a Cowboys defense that has been shorthanded throughout the year.

The Cowboys currently lead the NFC East with an 8-4 record. Dallas has five games remaining in the regular season, with four coming against divisional opponents.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has set goals for Parsons as well

Parsons isn’t the only one setting goals for the Cowboys. Head coach Mike McCarthy praised Parsons for his seamless transition to the NFL, and McCarthy expects him to continue improving on his way to becoming a special player.

“It’s very different working for the Dallas Cowboys,” McCarthy said. “It’s a spotlight like none other, regardless if you’re a first-round pick or a free agent. Once you have the opportunity to perform and you do perform at a high level, that spotlight only gets brighter. … I look for him to be a great player in this league for a long time. But great players make everyone else around them better, so that’s the part that you have to learn.

“It’s development, and he’s very fortunate to have the Dak Prescotts of the world in our locker room to give him the guidance and be an excellent example of what the expectation of him is that’s needed for our team to be as successful as we want to be and obviously for him to reach the goals that he has for himself personally.”

The Cowboys selected Parsons 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. At Penn State, Parsons had 191 career tackles and 6.5 sacks in 26 games with the Nittany Lions.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.