The Dallas Cowboys' front office rightfully was criticized for their passive offseason, but any team would be hard-pressed to overcome their current injury list. They are currently down two All-Pros in pass rusher Micah Parsons and cornerback DaRon Bland, a Pro Bowl defensive end in DeMarcus Lawrence and six-time 1,000-yard receiver Brandin Cooks.
This puts more pressure on Dak Prescott to carry the team on his shoulders, but that will be easier said than done Sunday night against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
This primetime matchup features two of the most banged up teams in the league. The Steelers have been ransacked by injuries, particularly to their offensive line, which has lost three starters to season-ending injuries. Starting guard James Daniels will go on IR after he tore his Achilles in Week 4.
It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys' depleted defensive line performs against a decimated Steelers offensive line, but the game could be decided based on whether Dallas' offensive line can protect Prescott against former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt.
Watt will be a handful. That much is certain, but the superstar pass rusher will be without his star running mate this week.
Steelers' Week 5 injury report bodes well for the Cowboys
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that edge rusher Alex Highsmith will miss his second straight game with a groin injury. While Watt is the most valuable player on Pittsburgh's defense, Highsmith's presence was sorely missed in the team's Week 4 loss to the Colts.
After allowing combined 26 points in their first three games, the Steelers gave up 27 points to an Indianapolis team that lost starting quarterback Anthony Richardson early in the game. Even star running back Jonathan Taylor left the game with an ankle injury and the Colts still moved the ball at will.
A third-round pick in the 2020 draft, Highsmith is one of the best complementary pass rushers in the NFL. He broke out in 2022 with 14.5 sacks and followed that with 7.5 sacks last season to go with 32 defensive stops and a 86.2 pass-rush grade, per PFF. He also had a higher pass-rush win rate than Watt.
Without Highsmith, the Steelers will turn to second-year pro Nick Herbig, who had a dreadful first career start against the Colts. The 2023 fourth-round pick is a talented pass rusher, but he really struggles to defend the run. Even he is banged up. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was a DNP on Wednesday.
While Watt is still capable of wrecking a game, Pittsburgh's other injuries will allow the Cowboys to throw multiple bodies at Watt. Whether it be lining up an extra tight end on the right side to help Terence Steele or chipping him with TEs and RBs, Dallas is in a nice position to make Watt's life as difficult as possible.
The reigning sack champ will still get his and the Cowboys have their own injuries to overcome, but Prescott and the offense should (emphasis on should) be able to score enough points to pull out a win on Sunday night.
