Dallas Cowboys expecting contribution from new cornerback addition Xavier Rhodes
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn revealed his first impressions of new secondary addition Xavier Rhodes on Monday, showering the former Bills corner with praise.
“Man, could he pick it up fast,” Quinn said. “I was blown away by his football instincts right away… He’s been in a lot of close games. He’s a good competitor. An excellent addition to our team at this point.”
Dallas signed Rhodes to the practice squad on Saturday. The former Florida State star wasn’t active on Sunday versus Washington but he is in the mix for the active roster in the first round of the playoffs this weekend.
Not to give too much away, Quinn kept it vague on how involved he expects Rhodes to be versus Tampa Bay.
“I’ll have a better sense for him as we get towards the end of the week if there could be a role that goes on for the game,” Quinn said. “My first impressions have been strong.”
Following Quinn’s high praise, team owner Jerry Jones shared Tuesday that he believes Rhodes could be part of the “active group” on Monday night versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dallas has played several cornerbacks opposite Trevon Diggs since Anthony Brown’s season-ending injury. Nahshon Wright, Mackenzie Alexander, Kelvin Joseph and Trayvon Mullen have all filled in over the last few weeks, with varying results.
Rhodes is in his 10th season in the league. The three-time Pro Bowl selection has a major opportunity to boost his legacy this postseason with the Cowboys. The Vikings drafted Rhodes with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Cowboys expecting return of four injured contributors
The Dallas Cowboys have been waiting on the return of several key contributors in time for the postseason and according to head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday, they expect them back in time for Monday night’s wild card round matchup versus Tampa Bay.
“I feel good about [them],” McCarthy said. “They looked very positive today, so we’ll see where they are on Wednesday, but their arrow is pointing up.”
The “them” McCarthy referred to was defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, center Tyler Biadasz and cornerback DaRon Bland.
Hankins (pectoral), Vander Esch (neck) and Biadasz (ankle) have all missed varying amounts of time due to their injuries over the last few weeks of the season. Meanwhile, rookie corner Bland suffered a chest injury in the Week 18 loss to Washington. He only missed action toward the end of the game, however.
The Cowboys kick off versus the Buccaneers at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, which gives the banged-up players an extra day to get back to 100% game readiness.