The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to pull off the win against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 and, as a result, earn a winning record for the first time this season. The offense has been fantastic to start the season for the Cowboys, while the defense has been hampered by injuries and otherwise ineffective.
As banged up as the defense, especially the secondary, has been for Dallas though, it looks like they won’t be the only squad fighting injuries in that position group. According to an injury report posted by Adam Schefter of ESPN on X, the Bears will be missing three cornerbacks this week.
Looking at each name on that list, there aren’t many surprises. It was announced earlier this week that Jaylon Johnson would miss significant time, while missing the rest of the season seeming likely.
This occurred after he reaggravated a groin injury in Week 2. Losing the former All Pro is a massive blow for Chicago and a notable development for the Cowboys this week.
Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Jones have both yet to play this season, a trend that will apparently continue on Sunday. Out of these three names, Jones was the only one expected to have a shot at playing but with him not practicing this week, it seemed that the writing was on the wall.
With these injuries in mind, Dallas will almost certainly see a similar group of corners that the Detroit Lions saw the Bears trot out in Week 2 after Johnson left the game. That group included Tyrique Stevenson, Nick McCloud, and old friend Nahshon Wright.
While nothing is guaranteed in this league, the Cowboys' coaches and players have to be licking their chops upon seeing that list. The highest PFF grade among the trio belongs to Wright with a mere 52.8, good for No. 70 out of 95 players. Stevenson is No. 86, while McCloud is No. 93.
Again, I want to stress that as bad as these numbers are, these defensive backs are still honest to goodness real NFL players. There’s still a baseline of talent that Dallas will have to respect.
But, with how well the Cowboys offense has been playing, and how much the Bears pass rush has struggled to protect their own secondary, this would be a hard matchup for Chicago even if all three of Johnson, Jones, and Gordon were healthy.
With those three out and their replacements struggling though, it seems like Dallas will have plenty of opportunities to put up points, maybe even to the extent that it won’t even matter how many their own injured defense surrenders.