Mike McCarthy provides status update on safety Donovan Wilson
The Dallas Cowboys have less than two weeks until the start of the regular season and the status of starting safety Donovan Wilson is still up in the air. Head coach Mike McCarthy provided a brief update on Wilson during his press conference on Thursday morning, but said the team would “have more” on the subject on Monday.
Suffering a calf strain on Day 1 of training camp this offseason, Wilson’s timeline to return, roughly four-to-six weeks, puts him at risk of missing the first game of the season.
“It’s going okay,” McCarthy said about Wilson’s recovery. “We’ll have more for you on Monday. He won’t work in a full capacity today.”
Wilson is a valuable leader on the Cowboys defense. Even if he’s able to participate in limited fashion leading up to Week 1 versus the Giants, it will still be a boon for Dan Quinn’s unit.
Wilson signed a three-year deal worth up to $24 million before he was due to hit the free agent market this offseason.
Drafted in the sixth round in 2019 out of Texas A&M, Wilson was previously playing on a four-year, $2.65 million rookie deal.
He led the team in tackles in 2022 with 101, a career-high for the Cowboys safety. He also had five sacks, two forced fumbles, a recovery and one interception. During Dallas’s postseason run, Wilson had an additional 20 tackles, including a tackle for loss.
After finishing third on the defense in tackles in 2020, Wilson had shoulder and groin injuries. He missed eight games in 2021 due to injury.
Cowboys activate cornerback Jourdan Lewis off PUP
The Cowboys activated cornerback Jourdan Lewis off of the physically unable to perform list ahead of the deadline on Tuesday. Off of PUP, Lewis is now eligible to practice with the team, when he’s cleared.
The former Michigan standout suffered a Lisfranc injury to his foot to end the 2022 season so started training camp on the PUP list.
A former third-round pick out of Michigan, Lewis has started 30 of the 37 games he appeared in over the past three seasons. He posted career highs with three interceptions, 11 passes defended and 61 tackles in 2021 to go along with 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Last season, he had 26 tackles, with one sack, and one interception.
Defensive coordinator Quinn couldn’t be more excited to get Lewis back in action.
“We’re so excited, because for those of you that don’t know Jourdan, he is an absolute warrior,” Quinn said this month, via DallasCowboys.com. “He’s one of our very best competitors for those of you that have been around him and watched him play. It’s no surprise that a person like that attacked his rehab portion like he did, because this is a really serious injury that Jourdan had.
“I’m not surprised going through the offseason, early in the mornings seeing him in the weight rooms and doing his stuff. It’ll be a really cool moment when he’s able to get back on the field with these guys. Every single person in that locker room knows he is a true warrior and he’s a true part of that in a big way.”